Kurt Russell, Taylor Sheridan, Pistol Petes: Highlights of OKC's Western Heritage Awards

From a heartwarming donation by Kurt Russell and a posse of Pistol Petes to a whirlwind appearance by Taylor Sheridan and a homecoming for one of his "Yellowstone" actors, the 61st Western Heritage Awards packed plenty of highlights.

Hosted by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the ceremony annually honors the year's top releases in Western literature, music, TV and film and inducts new members into the Hall of Great Westerners and Hall of Great Western Performers. Winners received the "Wrangler," a bronze sculpture created by Oklahoma artist and past honoree Harold T. Holden, at the April 9 ceremony.

The Oklahoma City museum was able to shift the storied awards show back to April after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the 2020 ceremony to be canceled and last year's installation to be moved to fall, when honorees for both 2020 and 2021 were lauded at the same event.

"For the last almost three years, we have been going through something that we never went through before. Our grandparents did in 1918 and 1919, but never like this in our time. We lost a lot of friends ... and my partner here, Red Steagall, got that COVID and we damned near lost him," said cowboy poet and presenter Waddie Mitchell, addressing the sold-out crowd alongside Steagall, one of the winners at the April 9 ceremony.

"I want you to appreciate tonight because this kind of makes me think maybe we're by it and we can keep going."

Here are a few highlights from the 2022 Western Heritage Awards:

1. Kurt Russell honors his father and mother

It took two years, but movie star Kurt Russell was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers to cap Saturday night's ceremony.

Known for his roles in Western films like "Tombstone," "The Hateful Eight" and "Bone Tomahawk," Russell said he normally avoids awards shows.

"They called me up and started asking me about coming here, and as I was about to come up with some excuse, like I usually do ... they said, 'And we're going to induct your dad.' And I said, 'I'll be there,'" Russell said with a grin. "I was very fortunate to have what I consider the greatest mom and dad that you could possibly have."

Along with accepting his honor, the Golden Globe- and Primetime Emmy-nominated actor helped usher his father, the late Neil Oliver “Bing” Russell (1926-2003), into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the museum. Bing Russell is best remembered for playing Deputy Clem Foster on the beloved series "Bonanza."

At first, the younger Russell said he was especially excited about the dual honors because he planned to surprise his mother, Louise "Lulu" Russell, with a trip to OKC to accept them. But COVID postponed the ceremony, and his mom died May 7, 2021 — four months before the rescheduled event — at the age of 93.

"I think she would have liked that a lot, and she would have liked you people," said Russell, who delayed his induction until 2022 after undergoing hip surgery last year.

"There's an energy in this room that you really don't feel anywhere else. So, it's nice to be a part of that."

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2. Taylor Sheridan claims his prize for '1883'

In-demand "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan has become a regular winner at the OKC event, with one of his many projects roping a Wrangler award at five straight Western Heritage Awards.

But the successful writer, producer and director's busy schedule has kept him from picking up his prizes in person — until this year.

Sheridan told The Oklahoman he flew into OKC on April 9 to attend the ceremony, and the audience warmly greeted him as he accepted the Wrangler for best fictional television drama for the pilot episode of "1883," his hit "Yellowstone" prequel.

"Wow, the last time I got a standing ovation, it started with a court bailiff saying, 'All rise,'" Sheridan said, grinning from under the brim of his cowboy hat.

He quickly lived up to his billing as "a whirlwind" — as he was described by Oklahoma native, longtime actor and recurring "Yellowstone" player Rudy Ramos — as he waxed eloquently about the values of the West and promised to "make cows cool."

"We know what the West is: We know it's hard work, and we know it's self-reliance. And we know that it's depending on your neighbors and your neighbors depending upon you. So, to celebrate that in film is actually, I think, preserving this culture and giving others an opportunity to, hopefully, allow some of this to make its way into a place where that doesn't exist," he said.

"Since I'm selling Stetsons in Los Angeles, I guess we're doing it."

3. Pistol Petes assemble to honor the inspiration for OSU's mascot

The inspiration for the Oklahoma State University mascot, Frank Boardman “Pistol Pete” Eaton (1860-1958) was added to the Hall of Great Westerners during this year's ceremony.

Eaton earned the nickname “Pistol Pete” at age 15 when he went to Fort Gibson to hone his shooting skills. A tracker, scout and settler, he worked on ranches and herded cattle over the Chisholm and Santa Fe Trails. He was later a deputy U.S. marshal. He died April 8, 1958, after settling in Perkins.

More than 20 former Pistol Petes who took on the mantle of the mascot at OSU joined Eaton's family in honoring the iconic Cowboy at the Western Heritage Awards. Even without the familiar mascot costume, they were easy to spot: They all wore matching orange bowties with their tuxedos.

"The West is more than a geographical location; it's the story that we tell. If there's one thing Pistol Pete was known for — except his quick draw — it was his quick wit and his master class in storytelling. Over his 98 years, his tales included everything from the land race to space race," said Dinah Wagner, Eaton's granddaughter.

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4. Rudy Ramos returns to Oklahoma

In 2019, Ramos was slated to return to Oklahoma and help usher "Yellowstone" leading man Kevin Costner into the Hall of Great Western Performers. But Ramos got sick the day before he was supposed to fly from his Southern California home to his home state.

This year, he was able to make the trip to Western Heritage Awards to help present "Yellowstone's" creator with his Wrangler.

"Taylor Sheridan is an actor's dream," said Ramos, who is of Native American and Mexican heritage. "I've been making films and television and doing stage plays for 52 years, and I've always gotten the respect of my fellow actors. But I've never been shown the respect that I get on the set of 'Yellowstone.'"

A Lawton native, Ramos got his start when he was cast as a Pawnee youth named Wind on the 1970-71 season of the TV series “The High Chaparral." Now, he's come full circle with his recurring role in another popular Western: On "Yellowstone," he plays Felix Long, an elder on the fictional Broken Rock Indian Reservation.

"It's that time that I start playing grandpas, and I love my part," Ramos told The Oklahoman. "In 2017 in August, I went to Utah to start filming, and I had signed on for the first two episodes. That's all I was supposed to do: Two, and it's turned into 12. And Season One's turned into Season Five coming up. And I love it."

5. 'Tombstone' star donates dad's hat

Finally in OKC to be honored, Russell — whose cinematic credits include "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," "Overboard, "Silkwood" and many more — followed the proverb it is more blessed to give than receive.

The prolific actor brought the cowboy hat his father wore on "Bonanza" to the ceremony — and then announced that he was donating to the museum.

"Their house was being sold, and it was kind of weird: You're watching the house you grew up with go away. I went over there, and there were a couple items left. And one of them was his hat from 'Bonanza.' This hat," Russell said, dropping the brown topper on the podium.

"So, Dad, here you are, coming into this Cowboy Hall of Fame ... and so very simply, I'm going to leave something for the museum."

Over the years that his father played Deputy Clem Foster, Russell said the family always celebrated when his dad learned he would be filming another episode of the iconic television series.

"My dad, ever since he was a little boy, he really did say he just wanted to do two things in his life: He wanted to play baseball, and he wanted to play cowboys and Indians. And that's exactly what we did," Russell said of his father, who in the 1970s owned the Class A Portland Mavericks, the only independent team in baseball at the time.

"You guys are great, and if there's ever a moment ... where you think your values and your ways are not being listened to or are in some way forgotten, I promise you that's not true."

6. Burt Reynolds posthumously honored

Along with the Russells, the Hall of Great Western Performers this year added Burt Reynolds to its starry ranks.

Before he died in 2018 at age 82, Reynolds built a prolific 60-year career as an actor, director and sex symbol. He started with recurring roles on TV shows like "Gunsmoke," "Riverboat" and "Hawk," and by the 1960s, the Michigan native was earning multiple roles in Western films and TV series. By the 1980s, he was a bona fide movie star, and he earned a 1998 Oscar nomination for "Boogie Nights."

Gordon Whitener, who produced one of Reynolds' final films, 2017's "The Last Movie Star," helped usher the actor into the hall. He said the term "icon just doesn't even begin" to do justice by Reynolds.

"I was fortunate enough to work with Burt on four pictures in my career. I'm not going to get too star-struck ... but it was Burt Reynolds. But it was very evident from Day 1 that Burt loved movies, and he loved the people who make them," added co-presenter Lincoln Lageson. "I am a better producer and filmmaker because of my time with Burt Reynolds - and for that I'm forever grateful."

7. OKC mayor meets 'Tulsa King' producer

Among those to greet Sheridan at the Western Heritage Awards was Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, one of more than 1,100 folks to attend the sold-out soiree.

Holt posted on Twitter April 11 that he gave his "personal welcome and gratitude" to Sheridan at the ceremony, since one of the Oscar-nominated writer's anticipated Paramount+ series is actually filming in OKC.

Tentatively titled "The Tulsa King," Sheridan's upcoming series is a Sylvester Stallone star vehicle about a New York gangster who relocates to the Sooner State after serving a 25-year prison sentence.

Although some lensing has been done in Tulsa, Holt confirmed that the series, sometimes referred to as the "Untitled Tulsa Project," is now being filmed in OKC.

Created by Sheridan with Terence Winter ("The Sopranos"), work on the show will continue in OKC "well into 2022 and we’re thrilled to welcome them," Holt posted on Twitter.

"This is a major production, bringing high-paying jobs and economic impact to our city. And it’s pretty cool, too! ... Let them do their work, but make sure the cast and crew feel welcome if you get the opportunity," Holt tweeted, encouraging people to follow Stallone's OKC adventures on Instagram.

8. Mo Brings Plenty pays homage to his heritage

Native American actor and first-time Western Heritage Awards emcee Mo Brings Plenty, who stars on "Yellowstone" and has a role in the upcoming blockbuster "Jurassic World Dominion," closed the show by speaking fondly of his childhood. Growing up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, he said he would emulate Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.

"I also saw dust devils: I'd take my mom's clothesline rope, and get on my horse and I'd go chase them down like Pecos Bill. I often thought, 'Man, I want to ride like Will Rogers.' So, growing up, I'd hold on tight to my heritage of the Lakota Nation. But I also hold on tight to those who make me feel like I'm part of their family — and that's each and every one of you," he said.

"It's a great honor to have this opportunity to be here tonight and emcee. I just hope that there'll be many other opportunities for more for the younger generations to come."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kurt Russell & Taylor Sheridan headline OKC's Western Heritage Awards