Paul Colt's Blog, page 35
January 5, 2019
Lilly Langtry
“They saw me, those reckless seekers of beauty, and in a night I was famous.” Easy on the eyes beauty was certainly part of Lilly Langtry’s claim to fame. As we shall see, she spiced it with a spitfire personality. Judge Roy Bean, self-proclaimed law west of the Pecos, had it bad for Miss Langtry. He fell in love with her picture. Talk about a rich fantasy life. Still it is a nice picture.
So what does a star-struck judge in puppy-love with celebrity do? He renames his Texas town ‘Langtry’. Unwilling to stop there, Judge Bean who famously held court in his saloon, renamed it the Jersey Lilly, Miss Lilly hailing from Jersey England. And from her bench Bean dispensed hang-’em justice. “Each little chapter has its place.”
The judge never met Lilly. By the time she visited Langtry, he’d passed away in tragic unrequited love. We’re left to wonder what the attraction was beyond the picture. We know she was an actress, a calling Victorian mores generally looked askance upon. She must have had a little naughty to go with her nice as we hear, “I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done.” And “I do not regret one moment of my life.”
So let’s speculate Lilly Langtry lived life in the horse-drawn fast lane. She wasn’t bashful or shy about living life to the fullest wherever it might lead. “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday, is already dead.” So much for nostalgia.
Clearly she became reflective of the end when she said, “After being so bad, I could hear the angles singing.” Her character didn’t exude contrition, but in the final hour one never knows the true sentiment of the heart.
“I’m not afraid (to die)”, she said. “I never liked long lasting acts.”
Next Week: Gallows Talk
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Ride easy,
Paul
So what does a star-struck judge in puppy-love with celebrity do? He renames his Texas town ‘Langtry’. Unwilling to stop there, Judge Bean who famously held court in his saloon, renamed it the Jersey Lilly, Miss Lilly hailing from Jersey England. And from her bench Bean dispensed hang-’em justice. “Each little chapter has its place.”
The judge never met Lilly. By the time she visited Langtry, he’d passed away in tragic unrequited love. We’re left to wonder what the attraction was beyond the picture. We know she was an actress, a calling Victorian mores generally looked askance upon. She must have had a little naughty to go with her nice as we hear, “I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done.” And “I do not regret one moment of my life.”
So let’s speculate Lilly Langtry lived life in the horse-drawn fast lane. She wasn’t bashful or shy about living life to the fullest wherever it might lead. “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday, is already dead.” So much for nostalgia.
Clearly she became reflective of the end when she said, “After being so bad, I could hear the angles singing.” Her character didn’t exude contrition, but in the final hour one never knows the true sentiment of the heart.
“I’m not afraid (to die)”, she said. “I never liked long lasting acts.”
Next Week: Gallows Talk
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
December 22, 2018
Wild Bill Hickok
“Sure glad to see you, but hand over those guns.” Wild Bill greeting cowboys arriving in Abilene.
“Whenever you get into a row be sure and not shoot too quick. Take time. I’ve known many a feller slip up for shootin’ in a hurry.” Might could get a feller dead.
“Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones perhaps . . . He would get drunk, gamble and indulge in the general licentiousness of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults . . . He was loyal in his friendship and generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel.” Capt. Jack Crawford
“Wild Bill was a strange character, add to this figure a costume, blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the plains.” Col. George A. Custer. A ‘costume’ of ‘extravagant style and taste’, coming from a man dressed in a ‘uniform’ of such design, the only thing regulation about it was the shine on his boots.
“Bill Hickok was regarded as the best pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage. The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate but he had earned the respect paid to him.” Wyatt Earp
“Wild Bill was anything but a quarrelsome man, yet I have personal knowledge of at least half a dozen men whom he had at various times killed.” William F. Cody. Might this have been said to hype Wild Bill’s appearance in a certain wild-west show? It would seem possible. Wild Bill did appear briefly in Buffalo Bill’s western extravaganza.
“Perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” He did.
Next Week: Lilly Langtry
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Ride easy,
Paul
“Whenever you get into a row be sure and not shoot too quick. Take time. I’ve known many a feller slip up for shootin’ in a hurry.” Might could get a feller dead.
“Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones perhaps . . . He would get drunk, gamble and indulge in the general licentiousness of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults . . . He was loyal in his friendship and generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel.” Capt. Jack Crawford
“Wild Bill was a strange character, add to this figure a costume, blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the plains.” Col. George A. Custer. A ‘costume’ of ‘extravagant style and taste’, coming from a man dressed in a ‘uniform’ of such design, the only thing regulation about it was the shine on his boots.
“Bill Hickok was regarded as the best pistol shot alive as well as being a man of great courage. The truth of certain stories of Bill’s achievements may have been open to debate but he had earned the respect paid to him.” Wyatt Earp
“Wild Bill was anything but a quarrelsome man, yet I have personal knowledge of at least half a dozen men whom he had at various times killed.” William F. Cody. Might this have been said to hype Wild Bill’s appearance in a certain wild-west show? It would seem possible. Wild Bill did appear briefly in Buffalo Bill’s western extravaganza.
“Perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” He did.
Next Week: Lilly Langtry
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 15, 2018
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid is a fascinating character. Part ‘Peck’s bad boy’ and part psychopathic killer. Everyone it seems has an opinion. Given the complexity of his character, the truth is likely found somewhere between the extremes. Billy himself said, “There’s many a slip ‘twix the cup and the lip’.”
“I am not afraid to be killed like a man, fighting. I would not like to be killed like a dog, unarmed.” In his amnesty plea to Gov. Lew Wallace. Billy was incensed by the fact Wallace pardoned most everyone involved in the Lincoln County War, except him. We had some fun with his appeal letters addressed to Wallace in A Question of Bounty.
“Most of those he did kill, deserved what they got.” Anonymous Lincoln County resident. Reminds us Billy did much of his bloody work avenging John Tunstall’s death when lawmen implicated in Tunstall’s murder refused to pursue their own.
“Awe you ain’t worth killin’” Said to John Chisum over a pay dispute. Telling Chisum he wasn’t worth killing might have hurt the cattle baron worse than a bullet.
“I knew them both well, and in my opinion, Garrett was just as hard and cold a character as the Kid.” Paulita Maxwell. Paulita may very well have been the reason Billy was in Pete Maxwell’s house the night Garrett's account claims to have killed him.
“If mob law is going to rule, better dismiss judge, sheriff, etc. and let’s all take chances alike. I expect to be lynched in going to Lincoln. Advise persons never to engage in killing.” Likely uttered to a reporter following his arrest at Stinking Springs, trial and conviction for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. Nothing like stinking springs to put a man in mind of lynching.
“I like to dance, but not in the air.” Billy got close enough to the gallows to smell the hemp.
“People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, I’ll let them know what bad means.” I suspect Garrett deputies Bell and Ollinger would agree.
Next Week: Wild Bill Hickok
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Ride easy,
Paul
“I am not afraid to be killed like a man, fighting. I would not like to be killed like a dog, unarmed.” In his amnesty plea to Gov. Lew Wallace. Billy was incensed by the fact Wallace pardoned most everyone involved in the Lincoln County War, except him. We had some fun with his appeal letters addressed to Wallace in A Question of Bounty.
“Most of those he did kill, deserved what they got.” Anonymous Lincoln County resident. Reminds us Billy did much of his bloody work avenging John Tunstall’s death when lawmen implicated in Tunstall’s murder refused to pursue their own.
“Awe you ain’t worth killin’” Said to John Chisum over a pay dispute. Telling Chisum he wasn’t worth killing might have hurt the cattle baron worse than a bullet.
“I knew them both well, and in my opinion, Garrett was just as hard and cold a character as the Kid.” Paulita Maxwell. Paulita may very well have been the reason Billy was in Pete Maxwell’s house the night Garrett's account claims to have killed him.
“If mob law is going to rule, better dismiss judge, sheriff, etc. and let’s all take chances alike. I expect to be lynched in going to Lincoln. Advise persons never to engage in killing.” Likely uttered to a reporter following his arrest at Stinking Springs, trial and conviction for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. Nothing like stinking springs to put a man in mind of lynching.
“I like to dance, but not in the air.” Billy got close enough to the gallows to smell the hemp.
“People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, I’ll let them know what bad means.” I suspect Garrett deputies Bell and Ollinger would agree.
Next Week: Wild Bill Hickok
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 8, 2018
The Cavalry
“Give me eighty good men and I’ll ride through the whole Sioux Nation.” Captain Wm Fetterman shortly before meeting Red Cloud. Fetterman ignored his orders in pursuit of his query and lost a command nearly twice the number of his boast.
“He was universally despised by all the officers of his regiment, excepting his relatives and one or two sycophants.” One officer’s estimate of Col. George A. Custer. Custer remains a fascinating character to this day. He has fans and he has critics like the officer quoted here. Our profile of him a couple of years ago didn’t align us with his fans; but it did stir up a hornets’ nest worth of controversy.
“The Seventh can handle anything it meets.” Col. George A Custer, preparing to engage at the Little Big Horn. It’s possible he may have misestimated his situation.
“The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” General Philip H. Sheridan.
In Grasshoppers in Summer we probed the possibility the real mission of the survey party Custer led into the Black Hills in 1874 wasn’t to site a fort; but to confirm rumors of a gold discovery there. The resulting gold rush broke the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and ignited the hostilities of 1876. Sherman and Sheridan opposed President Grant’s Indian peace policy. The Custer mission triggered the final military confrontation with the plains tribes. Coincidence?
“The adulations heaped on him by a grateful nation for his supposed genius, turned his head, which, added to his natural disposition, caused him to bloat his little carcass with debauchery and dissipation which carried him off prematurely.” General George Crook, eulogizing General Philip H. Sheridan.
“If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell.” Gen. Wm. T. Sherman
Next Week: Billy the Kid
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Ride easy,
Paul
“He was universally despised by all the officers of his regiment, excepting his relatives and one or two sycophants.” One officer’s estimate of Col. George A. Custer. Custer remains a fascinating character to this day. He has fans and he has critics like the officer quoted here. Our profile of him a couple of years ago didn’t align us with his fans; but it did stir up a hornets’ nest worth of controversy.
“The Seventh can handle anything it meets.” Col. George A Custer, preparing to engage at the Little Big Horn. It’s possible he may have misestimated his situation.
“The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” General Philip H. Sheridan.
In Grasshoppers in Summer we probed the possibility the real mission of the survey party Custer led into the Black Hills in 1874 wasn’t to site a fort; but to confirm rumors of a gold discovery there. The resulting gold rush broke the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and ignited the hostilities of 1876. Sherman and Sheridan opposed President Grant’s Indian peace policy. The Custer mission triggered the final military confrontation with the plains tribes. Coincidence?
“The adulations heaped on him by a grateful nation for his supposed genius, turned his head, which, added to his natural disposition, caused him to bloat his little carcass with debauchery and dissipation which carried him off prematurely.” General George Crook, eulogizing General Philip H. Sheridan.
“If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell.” Gen. Wm. T. Sherman
Next Week: Billy the Kid
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Ride easy,
Paul
December 1, 2018
James Younger Gang
“We are rough men and used to rough ways.” Bob Younger following the ill-fated Northfield Raid. Could this have inspired Louis L’Amour to later pen the line, “It was a hard land, and it bred hard men to hard ways”?
“I want results when I fight.” Frank James
“Have you any idea what a man must endure to live such a life? No, you cannot. No one can unless he lives it for himself.” Frank James. The life was hard enough that Frank eventually went straight and lived a peaceful old age.
Jesse James on the other hand may have been immersed in a rich fantasy when he said “The past is sufficient to show that bushwackers have been arrested . . . charged with bank robbery, and they most have been mobbed without trials . . . I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge.” Jesse James
Jesse wasn’t alone in fanciful estimations of the circumstances surrounding their exploits. “Poor John has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast and never was a boy more innocent.” Cole Younger on his younger brother wanted for murder. It didn’t stop there with Cole either.
“I am aware that my name has been connected to all the bank robberies in the country; but positively I have had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise.” Cole may have got the ‘blank’ part right, amnesia being the only explanation for that statement.
“Surrender had played out for good with me.” Jesse James
“Never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything.” Jesse James. Jesse did accept donations from those he had the drop on.
“My life was threatened daily and I was forced to go heavily armed.” Jesse James
Next Week: The Cavalry
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Ride easy,
Paul
“I want results when I fight.” Frank James
“Have you any idea what a man must endure to live such a life? No, you cannot. No one can unless he lives it for himself.” Frank James. The life was hard enough that Frank eventually went straight and lived a peaceful old age.
Jesse James on the other hand may have been immersed in a rich fantasy when he said “The past is sufficient to show that bushwackers have been arrested . . . charged with bank robbery, and they most have been mobbed without trials . . . I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge.” Jesse James
Jesse wasn’t alone in fanciful estimations of the circumstances surrounding their exploits. “Poor John has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast and never was a boy more innocent.” Cole Younger on his younger brother wanted for murder. It didn’t stop there with Cole either.
“I am aware that my name has been connected to all the bank robberies in the country; but positively I have had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise.” Cole may have got the ‘blank’ part right, amnesia being the only explanation for that statement.
“Surrender had played out for good with me.” Jesse James
“Never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything.” Jesse James. Jesse did accept donations from those he had the drop on.
“My life was threatened daily and I was forced to go heavily armed.” Jesse James
Next Week: The Cavalry
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 24, 2018
In Their Own Words
When it comes to old west notables portrayed in their own words or the words of those who knew them best, who better to start with than Wyatt Earp?
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” Advice espoused by a number of successful gunnies.
“Shooting a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man’s muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves.” Quite a few words for a man of few words.
“He had a quiet way of taking the most desperate characters into custody, which invariably gave one the impression that the city was able to enforce her mandates and preserve her dignity. It wasn’t considered policy to draw a gun on Wyatt, unless you got the drop and meant to burn powder without any preliminary talk.” Dodge City Times 1877. That ‘quiet way’ was most often a whack on the head with the barrel or butt of a gun. Wyatt called it “Buffaloing”.
“I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself and his self-respect was his creed.” W.B. Masterson on his friend. Bat knew.
“You damn dirty cow thief if you’re anxious to fight, I’ll meet you.” Spoken to Ike Clanton near the OK corral. Poor ole Ike. Careful what you wish for.
“For my handling of the situation in Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did at the time.” Wyatt carried himself as a man of conviction not to be second guessed.
“I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking down Allen Street.” John Clum, Tombstone Epitaph Editor on Wyatt Earp. As I let my mind’s eye wander Front Street in Dodge City a couple of years ago, I had the feel of his shadow along the boardwalk.
Next Week: The James Younger Gang
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Ride easy,
Paul
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” Advice espoused by a number of successful gunnies.
“Shooting a man who is returning the compliment means going into action with the greatest speed of which a man’s muscles are capable, but mentally unflustered by an urge to hurry or the need for complicated nervous and muscular actions which trick shooting involves.” Quite a few words for a man of few words.
“He had a quiet way of taking the most desperate characters into custody, which invariably gave one the impression that the city was able to enforce her mandates and preserve her dignity. It wasn’t considered policy to draw a gun on Wyatt, unless you got the drop and meant to burn powder without any preliminary talk.” Dodge City Times 1877. That ‘quiet way’ was most often a whack on the head with the barrel or butt of a gun. Wyatt called it “Buffaloing”.
“I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself and his self-respect was his creed.” W.B. Masterson on his friend. Bat knew.
“You damn dirty cow thief if you’re anxious to fight, I’ll meet you.” Spoken to Ike Clanton near the OK corral. Poor ole Ike. Careful what you wish for.
“For my handling of the situation in Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did at the time.” Wyatt carried himself as a man of conviction not to be second guessed.
“I still have a clear vision of that dignified figure walking down Allen Street.” John Clum, Tombstone Epitaph Editor on Wyatt Earp. As I let my mind’s eye wander Front Street in Dodge City a couple of years ago, I had the feel of his shadow along the boardwalk.
Next Week: The James Younger Gang
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Ride easy,
Paul
November 10, 2018
John Wayne
Marion ‘Duke’ Morrison’s USC football career was cut short by a surfing injury. USC football fan, Tom Mix persuaded Director John Ford to hire him at Fox Films. Talk about landing on your feet. While working as an extra at Fox, Director Raul Walsh discovered Morrison and cast him in the lead for The Big Trail in 1930. Walsh changed Morrison’s name to John Wayne. The film was a box office bust; but it gave Wayne screen credit to launch his ‘B’ Western career.
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
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Ride easy,
Paul
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
November 3, 2018
Bob Steele
Bob Steele was born into show business as Robert Bradbury. His parents were vaudeville performers. While his parents toured, young Bob and his twin brother were raised on a ranch by his grandmother until the family settled in Hollywood. His father worked in film as a supporting actor and later as a director. Bob followed his father into the business.
His career got going in earnest in 1927 when FBO, later RKO Pictures signed him to do a western series, handing him his new handle, Bob Steele. For the next two decades Steele did B westerns for a veritable Who’s Who in the film making industry. Notables included Monogram and Republic. Monogram paired him with a crusty sidekick, played by George Hayes. Hayes would go on to play Windy to William Boyd’s Hoppalong Cassidy and Gabby to John Wayne and Roy Rogers. At Republic Steele starred in several of their popular Three Mesquiteers series. We loved those films featuring Bob Steele’s Tucson Smith.
Bob made it big at the box office in the thirties. He signed to do a series of films as Billy the Kid for PRC. About the time the series finished filming, Bob got the Three Mesquiteers call from Republic. Bob took the call. PRC cleverly released the Billy the Kid series in parallel to Republic’s releases. As a result Bob Steele dominated the western screen for the duration of both series. Along the way, Bob became one of the first oater riders to raise his voice in song.
In the forties and fifties, Bob’s career turned to supporting roles in feature films and television appearances. Bob appeared in John Wayne features Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo. TV appearances included episodes on Colt .45, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Rebel, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days and Disney’s Texas John Slaughter. Bob made his final mark in TV with the character role of Trooper Duffy on the 1960’s series F Troop.
Bob Steele passed away in 1988 suffering complications of emphysema.
Next Week: John Wayne
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Ride easy,
Paul
His career got going in earnest in 1927 when FBO, later RKO Pictures signed him to do a western series, handing him his new handle, Bob Steele. For the next two decades Steele did B westerns for a veritable Who’s Who in the film making industry. Notables included Monogram and Republic. Monogram paired him with a crusty sidekick, played by George Hayes. Hayes would go on to play Windy to William Boyd’s Hoppalong Cassidy and Gabby to John Wayne and Roy Rogers. At Republic Steele starred in several of their popular Three Mesquiteers series. We loved those films featuring Bob Steele’s Tucson Smith.
Bob made it big at the box office in the thirties. He signed to do a series of films as Billy the Kid for PRC. About the time the series finished filming, Bob got the Three Mesquiteers call from Republic. Bob took the call. PRC cleverly released the Billy the Kid series in parallel to Republic’s releases. As a result Bob Steele dominated the western screen for the duration of both series. Along the way, Bob became one of the first oater riders to raise his voice in song.
In the forties and fifties, Bob’s career turned to supporting roles in feature films and television appearances. Bob appeared in John Wayne features Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo. TV appearances included episodes on Colt .45, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Rebel, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days and Disney’s Texas John Slaughter. Bob made his final mark in TV with the character role of Trooper Duffy on the 1960’s series F Troop.
Bob Steele passed away in 1988 suffering complications of emphysema.
Next Week: John Wayne
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Ride easy,
Paul
October 27, 2018
Ken Maynard
Born in Vevay Indiana, Ken Maynard learned to ride with the best of them. He was a competitive rodeo rider and performed as a trick rider for a time in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Like other B Western stars Maynard broke into film riding his horsemanship into stunt work. It wasn’t long before his handsome good looks had him out in front of the camera where he soon took up starring roles. Ken Maynard’s riding scenes became a signature of his on screen performances. He bought a palomino stallion he named Tarzan and rode him to the stature of ‘Wonder horse’ sidekick billing. When the pair weren’t electrifying fans with mounted fetes of skill, Maynard created warm hearted moments talking to his horse.
In 1929 Ken made it in talking pictures at Universal Pictures as the first (some dispute), or one of the first singing cowboys. In the early 30’s as a big money feature star, Ken turned out films and indulged his off screen appetites for strong drink, fast horses, fast cars and a private airplane. The lifestyle would put a financial strain on his life, though at the time, those troubles were all in the future. His troubles at Universal stemmed from a terrible temper and a proclivity for abusive behavior toward co-workers and crew. That got him fired the first time.
Maynard deserved to be fired; but he was popular and his movies were successful temper or not. Producer Nat Levine next hired Ken for a serial with plans for a series of features to follow. The 1934 serial Mystery Mountain made it at the box office; while Ken’s off screen escapades wrote him out of plans for the feature In Old Santa Fe. Levine replaced him with Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette, effectively launching Gene’s career.
In 1943 Maynard made one last run with a series of films from Monogram Pictures costarring Hoot Gibson and later Bob Steele. The series ended for Ken in the usual fashion. He lived out his later years in a trailer park near destitute. He survived making small time personal appearances; and thanks, in part, to the anonymous generosity of Gene Autry, who credited Maynard for launching his career. During these tough times, a woman who lived with Ken (marriage uncertain), made a business buying western curiosities and selling them as ‘Ken Maynard Memorabilia’ until the deception was discovered. Maynard died in 1973.
Next Week: Bob Steele
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Ride easy,
Paul
In 1929 Ken made it in talking pictures at Universal Pictures as the first (some dispute), or one of the first singing cowboys. In the early 30’s as a big money feature star, Ken turned out films and indulged his off screen appetites for strong drink, fast horses, fast cars and a private airplane. The lifestyle would put a financial strain on his life, though at the time, those troubles were all in the future. His troubles at Universal stemmed from a terrible temper and a proclivity for abusive behavior toward co-workers and crew. That got him fired the first time.
Maynard deserved to be fired; but he was popular and his movies were successful temper or not. Producer Nat Levine next hired Ken for a serial with plans for a series of features to follow. The 1934 serial Mystery Mountain made it at the box office; while Ken’s off screen escapades wrote him out of plans for the feature In Old Santa Fe. Levine replaced him with Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette, effectively launching Gene’s career.
In 1943 Maynard made one last run with a series of films from Monogram Pictures costarring Hoot Gibson and later Bob Steele. The series ended for Ken in the usual fashion. He lived out his later years in a trailer park near destitute. He survived making small time personal appearances; and thanks, in part, to the anonymous generosity of Gene Autry, who credited Maynard for launching his career. During these tough times, a woman who lived with Ken (marriage uncertain), made a business buying western curiosities and selling them as ‘Ken Maynard Memorabilia’ until the deception was discovered. Maynard died in 1973.
Next Week: Bob Steele
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Ride easy,
Paul
October 20, 2018
Tim McCoy
Seduced by a traveling Wild West Show, Tim McCoy dropped out of college and headed west. He found ranch work in Wyoming, embracing the western life style. He became an expert horseman, competitive roper and student of Native American language and culture. His cowboy days were interrupted by WW I, where he distinguished himself in the fledgling Army Air Corps. Later in WW II he would rise to the rank of colonel and brevet brigadier general at the tender age of twenty eight.
In 1923 Hollywood called for the first time. Casting for the film The Covered Wagon called for a large number of Native American extras. McCoy was hired to apply his fluency in Indian sign language to assist in direction. Later he led a smaller Native American group in a stage presentation introduction to early screenings of the film in Hollywood. While he returned to Wyoming his handsome good looks were noticed. In 1926 he signed a contract with MGM to do a film series. Cast in his first feature War Paint, a star was born.
In 1929 Tim hit the serial circuit with Universal before moving on to Columbia. There he turned out oaters literally by the dozens, highlighted by a 1932 role in Two Fisted Law alongside John Wayne and Walter Brennan. McCoy took a time out from film making in 1936 to tour with his own Wild West Show. It didn’t take long for the show to go broke. By 1938 Tim was back in the B Western business, doing eight films a year at $4,000.00 a week. In 1941 McCoy joined Buck Jones in Jones’ The Rough Riders series. The Rough Riders hit it big for Monogram Pictures until WW II interrupted McCoy’s career, effectively putting an end to his film work.
Colonel Tim McCoy’s contributions to western film earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Hall of Great Western Performers. Tim McCoy died at Fort Huachuca military hospital in Arizona in 1978 at the age of 86. He is buried in the family plot in Saginaw, Michigan.
Next Week: Ken Maynard
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Ride easy,
Paul
In 1923 Hollywood called for the first time. Casting for the film The Covered Wagon called for a large number of Native American extras. McCoy was hired to apply his fluency in Indian sign language to assist in direction. Later he led a smaller Native American group in a stage presentation introduction to early screenings of the film in Hollywood. While he returned to Wyoming his handsome good looks were noticed. In 1926 he signed a contract with MGM to do a film series. Cast in his first feature War Paint, a star was born.
In 1929 Tim hit the serial circuit with Universal before moving on to Columbia. There he turned out oaters literally by the dozens, highlighted by a 1932 role in Two Fisted Law alongside John Wayne and Walter Brennan. McCoy took a time out from film making in 1936 to tour with his own Wild West Show. It didn’t take long for the show to go broke. By 1938 Tim was back in the B Western business, doing eight films a year at $4,000.00 a week. In 1941 McCoy joined Buck Jones in Jones’ The Rough Riders series. The Rough Riders hit it big for Monogram Pictures until WW II interrupted McCoy’s career, effectively putting an end to his film work.
Colonel Tim McCoy’s contributions to western film earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Hall of Great Western Performers. Tim McCoy died at Fort Huachuca military hospital in Arizona in 1978 at the age of 86. He is buried in the family plot in Saginaw, Michigan.
Next Week: Ken Maynard
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
