The Life of Beloved Star Ricky Nelson and His Tragic Demise

Director Howard Hawks cast Ricky as young gunslinger Colorado Ryan in the 1959 western Rio Bravo. The role placed him alongside major Hollywood names including John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, and Angie Dickinson, giving him one of his biggest acting opportunities outside the Nelson family television show.

The movie also made room for Ricky’s music, including a memorable sequence with Dean Martin and Walter Brennan. It connected his acting career with the recording fame that had already made him a teenage sensation. This time, however, Hollywood audiences were about to see whether he could hold his own beside veteran movie stars.