[on
Glenn Strange] Glenn was closer to me than my own dad. He was one of the most loved guys in the business. At his funeral there must have been over 900 people. It overflowed the church. Every old-time western actor or stuntman still around was there. Some were in wheelchairs, walkers, etc. They all came to pay their respects to Pee Wee.
Dick Foran, who had just lost his nose to cancer, said to me, "He was one of the best human beings on the face of this good earth" (a few months later Dick was gone).
Eddie Dean was Glenn's best friend. He was supposed to sing at the funeral but was so distraught he couldn't do it. Luckily, he had prerecorded it just in case that happened and they played that. And what a wonderful guy [
James Arness] is. At the funeral, he really helped me get through it. We were honorary pallbearers and I was doing pretty well until we had to move with the coffin and I completely fell apart. He put his arm around my shoulder and said how much we would all miss Glenn. The way he said it and the look in his eyes was so comforting to me. I'll be forever grateful to him for that. Glenn so loved Jim. He kept Glenn working when he had his cancer until he just couldn't work any longer. I think that's really a measure of a man.
