SILVER SPURS SPARKLE!

15^TH SILVER SPURS

 

They pulled it off!  It was touch and go there for a while – I’d talked to Robert Lanthier, President of the non-profit REEL COWBOYS, a few times during the previous week, and he told me that ticket sales were so slow that they’d have to cancel the event if things didn’t pick up.   “We have 166 tickets left to sell.  This is for charity, for quadriplegic veterans, for families of veterans.”  Every year the REEL COWBOYS chooses a different charity to support with their banquet, and this year it was the MVAT Foundation. 

 

Robert Lanthier with a 101 year-old WWII Veteran

 

 

When I arrived at The Sportsmen’s Lodge on Saturday night, there wasn’t an empty seat in the entire Empire Ballroom.  I perused the silent auction offerings, noting western jewelry and art, sports memorabilia, several items related to honoree Rex Allen, and my particular favorite, a braided hairpiece worn by Iron Eyes Cody, complete with feathers.  I put a bid for CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO, a board game created by rodeo star and costume designer Nikki Pelley, and the evening’s festivities got off to a fast start.  Erwin Jackson and The Canyon Riders performed.

 

Boyd Magers, author of many books on the western film, spoke about Republic’s last great singing cowboy, Rex Allen; how he’d been thwarted in his performing career until he could save up $75 to have a surgeon correct his one crossed eye. Rex not only had a successful movie career, but starred on TV as FRONTIER DOCTOR, and had probably his greatest success narrating more than a hundred documentaries and TV episodes for Walt Disney.  Boyd then introduced Rex Allen Jr., who took the stage, singing and MC-ing the program.  Rex Jr. talked about recording his hit, LAST OF THE SILVER SCREEN COWBOYS with his dad, and with Roy Rogers.  As they were listening to the playback, Roy started laughing, and Rex Sr. asked him why.  “The older I get, the more I sound like Gabby Hayes.” 

 

Next to take the stage was Bo Hopkins who made his first film appearance, indelibly, as Crazy Lee in THE WILD BUNCH.  Born William Hopkins, his first big stage success was in a production of Inge’s BUS STOP, and he took the name ‘Bo’ from his character.  He was there to honor Robert Loggia, known to younger audiences from SCARFACE and THE SOPRANOS, and who I’m proud to say starred in the first film I wrote, SPEEDTRAP.  But he made his first big impression on audiences in Disney’s NINE LIVES OF ELFEGO BACA, playing the real-life gunman and lawyer, one of the first Hispanic characters to be the lead on American television.  (If you, like me, haven’t seen this character in quite a while, you can see a ten minute clip from the first episode HERE.)  Loggia said, “It’s great to be part of the gathering.  The brethren; and the ladies.”  To the crowd’s surprise and delight, he sang beautifully in Italian. 

 

Bo Hopkins and Robert Loggia

 

Terry Moore, best remembered as the gal-pal of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, and particularly busy in westerns, big-screen and small, in the 1960s, took the stage next, to honor Anne Jeffreys. “I am so happy to be here among you, to introduce who I think is the most beautiful woman in the world.  She’s been in show business forever because she started as a teenager.  She was a Powers Model, and she studied opera.  She’s sung Tosca.  She’s a great actress and a great singer.”  Terry went on to say that Anne had been in a musical review when she was spotted by Nelson Eddie and Jeanette MacDonald, and appeared with them in I MARRIED AN ANGEL.  Then she was signed by Republic, did FLYING TIGERS with John Wayne, and her contract was bought by R.K.O.  “While she was doing KISS ME KATE at the Schubert, there was this gorgeous actor, Robert Sterling, playing in the theatre next door.  They met, fell in love, and six months later, they were married.”  

 

Anne Jeffreys with a 101 year-old WWII Vet

 

They starred together in the wonderful TOPPER series, and frequently worked together in other shows.  They were married for 54 years, until his death, and it is astounding to look at this beautiful woman and realize that she is not only still acting, but she will turn ninety in January.  They ran a clip of her singing in a western, and rather than waiting for her introduction, she came out on stage.  “I was backstage, and I couldn’t see what they were running.  But I died in both of them, didn’t I?  I never got the man; he either ran off with somebody else, or was killed, and killed me at the same time.  It’s such an honor to be honored.  The era of the cowboys, it will come back.  It has to.  It’s history.  It’s wonderful history, too.  I think I did twelve westerns; eight of them at Republic, a couple at R.K.O.  One with the swimmer; what was his name?  He was blond and very handsome.”     

Other voices shouted ‘Johnny Weissmuller!’  I shouted, ‘Buster Crabbe!’  (Okay, so I’m a show-off. BILLY THE KID TRAPPED, PRC,1942.) 

“Buster Crabbe!  Anyway, I feel very closely connected to Western films.  I grew up, really cut my eye-teeth doing a series at Republic with Gabby Hayes and Wild Bill Elliot. I learned a lot of things from doing those westerns.  First of all, the girl was never important at all.  My back was always to the camera while the fellows were frolicking or shooting or whatever they were doing.  I learned to wiggle my hair-ribbon in the back to get attention.  It was a school, really a wonderful school.  And young people don’t have that today.  It’s a different world. 

 

“Gabby Hayes, if you didn’t know him, was very different from the characters he played.  He was a dude.  He’d wear a tailored black suit with striped pants, beard shaved off, and he had shoes on instead of boots, and he had his teeth in, so you wouldn’t know him.  He was a wonderful man, and it was a great pleasure to work with him.  I also worked with him when I went to RKO on TRAIL STREET and RETURN OF THE BAD MEN.  Same cast; same horses; same script, just about. 

 

“I was going to tell you a story about making one of the movies at Republic, I think it was WAGON TRACKS WEST. I’m not sure; I did eight of them.  I was playing an Indian girl; my name was Moon Hush.  With my blonde hair – of course I had a wig on.   I entered the commissary with my headband on and my fringe and everything, sat down at the counter for lunch.  My agent came in and sat down beside me, and had no idea who I was at all.  He said, ‘Would you pass me the sugar please?’  I said, ‘If you pass-um me salt.’  Then I laughed, and he laughed, and he knew who I was. 

 

“I was out there in the hot sun at the back lot at Republic.  And I had on my Indian outfit, with the headband and the fringes.  It was not too comfortable – it was a dusty, dusty place.  I was sitting there, reading my script.  And a cowboy sneaked up behind me, and tied my fringe onto the chair.  So I hear, “Okay, you’re on!”  And I’m tied to the chair!   And as I ran across the set, I had powder in my moccasins because it was so hot.  And as I ran, white puffs came out of my shoes.  They called me White Cloud after that, instead of Moon Hush. 

 

“I got back at them.  It was so hot that day, and the prop man, he had fires going, and fish hanging on things.  So I took one of the fish, the smoked herring – pretty smelly – and I wrapped it, and I hid it in the prop box.  For three days they were looking for that fish.  ‘I can smell it -- where is it?’  ‘Where is it?’  ‘Hah-hah-hah!  You tie my fringe, I get even with you!’  They were wonderful days; wonderful times.  I hope that they will do more westerns again, and soon.  And all of you will be here to work (on them).  I’m delighted to see all my cowboys looking so shiny, bright, young and happy.  I’m so delighted to have this.  I had a Golden Boot, and now I’ve got a Silver Spur to go with it!”

(If you’d like to see Anne in a western, click HERE to see her and Robert Sterling in the JULIE GAGE STORY episode of WAGON TRAIN.

 

The next presenter was Wilford Brimley, who prior to his acting career had been a wrangler, blacksmith, and a bodyguard for Howard Hughes.  Rex Allen Jr. revealed that Brimley came to film and TV shoeing horses, and as a riding extra.  “We were doing a charity rodeo in Abilene, Texas.  And I was sitting on horseback, next to him; we were doing the grand entry.  I’d been in Abilene for about three days, and I hadn’t seen him at the hotel.  So I said, ‘Mr. Brimley, are you staying at the hotel?’  ‘No.  I’m staying in the horse trailer.’  ‘In the horse trailer?’  ‘Yuh.  I just move the horse outside, put in some new straw and stay in the horse trailer.  I don’t want to stay in a hotel.’  He is a wonderful, wonderful man, a credit to western films and to the film industry.  He is an all-American cowboy.  He is a good man.”

 

Wilford Brimley

 

Brimley took the mike and commented, “If b&llsh*t was honey, this place would be swarming with bees.  They tell stuff about you, and you don’t even recognize yourself.  There’s a kid out here, going to get a prize for being a stuntman.  Now (Rex Allen Jr.) said I used to be a stuntman – let me get that straight.  I never was a stuntman.  I was an extra, a gilley.  I worked every day for twenty-two dollars and five cents, and went up from there.  This kid is and was and always will be a stuntman.  They tried every way they can to kill him.  This kid is one of my kids, and I’ve got ‘em spread all over.  But I don’t love any of them any more than I love Clifford Happy.  Come out here, son.” 

 

Clifford started by thanking Wilford Brimley, who had braved storms in Wyoming to be there.  And he paid tribute to his parents, who are both Rodeo Hall-of-famers.  His father had started as a rodeo pick-up man, “…pick-up buck horses, take the cowboys off them after they’d had their eight-second ride.”   He went on to supply horses to the movies.  “I was proud to watch my mother, father and sisters trick-ride.  Because of (my mother’s) athletic ability, and nerves of steel, she worked many westerns back in the day, as well.  I grew up watching westerns faithfully, every Saturday, with Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Hopalong Cassidy.  After watching all my cowboy shows, out the door I’d go, catch my own mare, Sadie, ride her down through the dust, chasing every gangster around, with my Red Ryder BB-gun.  Hard to believe that some twenty years later I’d meet the girl of my dreams, marry her, and raise two little cowboys.  Sean and Ryan are third generation stuntmen.  They’ve both just worked on LONE RANGER, DJANGO, as well as COWBOYS & ALIENS.  So yes, they’re still making westerns.”  Happy was working around movie sets to support his family, and raise rodeo entrance fees, when a stuntman he was visiting broke a leg doubling for Andrew Prine.  That stuntman recommended Happy to take over, and that was the start of his career.  He went on to do stunts in THE LONG RIDERS (the famous horse-crashing through the windows scene), SILVERADO, NORTH AND SOUTH, THREE AMIGOS, GERONIMO, and many more.  “It’s not all sunglasses and autographs, as you know.  We are not daredevils.  We calculate all our stunts so we can get up and do it again, and again.”  He was doubling Tommy Lee Jones on LONESOME DOVE, and Tommy Lee began asking for him.  “I’ve been very blessed by Tommy’s generosity, requesting me on twenty or twenty-five shows.  Without the many stunt-coordinators that put their faith in me, I would not have had the many opportunities that I have been given.  They’ve helped me to make my career successful and satisfying.  I’ve literally lived my Saturday daydreams, playing cowboys and Indians, bank-robbers and rustlers for thirty-five years now.  I am humbled by this Silver Spur Award, and I want to thank y’all.  With hundreds of channels to choose from, I find myself looking back to my faithful Western Channel.  For you see, cowboys truly are my heroes.”

 

For a change of pace, next onstage was Tombstone Tony Redburn performing a remarkable gun-spinning and dancing routine, to Will Smith’s WILD WILD WEST which must be seen to be appreciated, which is why I’m including a link to a previous performance HERE. 
 

 

Tombstone Tony

 

Next onstage was Ben Murphy, who shot to fame in 1971, playing opposite Peter Duel in the delightful ALIAS SMITH AND JONES series.  If you haven’t seen it in a while, you can see the pilot HERE. 

 

Having not seen Murphy in quite some time, I was delighted to see the seventy-year-old actor looking just as he did in the 1970s, except for an elegant head of white hair.  Murphy recounted that when he and Duel were doing the series, they would save the blanks for the takes, and just say ‘Bang!’ for the run-throughs.  But sometimes they would rehearse so much that they’d forget, and say ‘Bang!’ for the takes.  Murphy was there to honor the writer, director and star of the BILLY JACK movies, Tom Laughlin, who was there with his costar and wife of 58 years, Delores Taylor.  “When I was a young actor, Tom Laughlin used to invite me to his home to play tennis, which he did for a lot of us.  And after a day of tennis we would watch films in his home; he was very gracious that way.  And he seems to me to represent that great mythic western cowboy.  The man who comes into town, quiet, but if you push him into a corner, he will fight.  And he will protect those weaker than himself.  Part of that western lore.  And Tom mentally created that in his role as Billy Jack, but as a filmmaker he was an inspiration to a lot of us because he did it his way.  He bucked the system.  He made the picture with his money, his way, and he proved them wrong.  He got it done.  It is my honor: Tom Laughlin.”

 

Delores Taylor, Ben Murphy, Tom Laughlin 

 

He received a tremendous standing ovation. Having not been on the screen in more than three decades, it is startling to see Laughlin as an eighty-year-old man.  But though he appeared frail, and his voice was soft, he had plenty to say.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I really want to, first of all, begin my gratitude by quoting Abraham Lincoln.  ‘All I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.’  I was a very precocious chick, reading in the second grade 6^th and 7^th grade books.  I read a biography of Lincoln in 7^th grade.  And I’m quoting that first line eighty years later.  The reason is, all I’ve ever done, all the luck I’ve had, success I’ve had, I owe to my own dear wife and life partner standing here.  We recently celebrated our 58^th wedding anniversary.  And never, in that time for one second did we think of divorce.  Murder, yes, but never divorce. 

 

“I want to thank my good friend Ben for that wonderful, wonderful introduction.  My gratitude to all of you in this society for honoring; but it wasn’t me, it was us.  We have been an unbelievable joined-at-the-hip partnership in everything.  Every movie, every script, every acting (role).”  Delores took the microphone for a few moments and echoed those sentiments.

 

Delores Taylor, Tom Laughlin, Louis Gossett Jr.

 

For the final tribute of the evening, Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr.  took the stage to honor Bo Svenson.  Speaking of great actors of the past, Gossett noted, “…there’s a pride in working with the Jack Palances, the Sidney Poitiers, George C. Scotts, the Paul Newmans, the James Deans – they all had one thing in common.  That they wanted to do what they did to perfection.  They were never satisfied.  They work constantly, trying to hone their scenes on a daily basis.  I just witnessed that experience a few weeks ago in Canada, with a young Swedish hockey player, who came to America and (worked on) stage and western film, and captured my attention and respect.  He applies himself on a daily basis.  He asked me to give him this award.  And I agreed, because of his life, because of his art, and because he’s taller than me.  Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bo Svenson.”     

 

 

Bo Svenson

Mr. Svenson took the stage.  “I didn’t know what to expect from this evening.  As a kid, I always had a dream.  I wanted to come to America.  And here I am.  I spent six years in the Marine Corps.  I’ve been married to Lise since 1966.  I attribute the longevity of that to the fact that I’m absent a lot, and that she has a very poor memory.  So thank you all very much for a, for me, very worthwhile evening.”

 

Dick Jones

 

Strolling around the ballroom I spotted a number of actors who were there not to perform but to enjoy the evening:  Martin Kove, Dan Haggerty, RANGE RIDER and BUFFALO BILL JR. star Dick Jones, Johnny Whitaker, Cliff Emmich, weapons expert Anthony DeLongis, DEADWOOD regular Ralph Richeson. 

 

Anthony DeLongis and Martin Kove

 

 

back row, Clifford Happy, Wilford Brimley, Anne Jeffreys, Delores Taylor,

Bo Svenson, Louis Gossett Jr.; in front, Tom Laughlin, Ben Murphy

 

One of my personal favorites, Tom Cook, who played Little Beaver to Don Barry’s Red Ryder in the Republic serial, directed the event from start to finish.  It was a great evening, and Red Ryder would have been proud.

 

Tommy Cook signed my RED RYDER box!

 

AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS MARKETPLACE AT THE AUTRY

 

November 3^rd and 4^th, Saturday and Sunday, the Autry will again host over 180 Native American artists – there’s no other show anywhere in Southern California that features this range and volume of Indian art.  Don’t miss it! 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?






 

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.



HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.



WELLSFARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.





WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL



INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY. On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.



ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT. On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.



RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers. They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat them during the week.



WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.



TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.


And that's it for this week!  And please, if you have any events that you think belong in the Round-up, please let me know!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Material Copyright October 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

 

REPUBLIC PART ONE; TRUE GRIT VERSION TWO

When I asked a friend if he was, like I, surprised at the elaborateness of the Republic 75th Anniversary Celebration, he replied, “Surprised? I was flabbergasted!” I agreed, wholeheartedly and gratefully. The general community of Hollywood is infamous for its ignorance of, and indifference to, its wonderful history. So it was all the more delightful to attend an event so steeped in fun and history, and it was clearly a lump-in-the-throat thrill to those guests who once toiled under the proud banner of the Republic eagle.

The event took place last Saturday, September 25th, at what is now CBS Studios in Studio City, the San Fernando Valley City named after Republic Pictures. Or rather, the city is named after the facility that began as Mack Sennett Studios in the early sound era, and next became Mascot Pictures, before Herbert J. Yates, president of the film lab Consolidated Film Industries, called in the markers of a fistful of Poverty Row concerns, and combined them into an empire which became known aptly as The Thrill Factory.

(Pictures, top to bottom - Nudie clothes display, by the covered wagon trailer he made for Roy Rogers; gunslinger Joey Dillon's pistol defies gravity; Aissa Wayne, Diana Canova; Diana and Julieta Canova; Diana, Julieta and Jamie Nudie; Aissa Wayne; Julie Rogers; Chris Nibley; Jeff Connors shows off THE RIFLEMAN's gun; one of the Hollywood Trick Horses takes a bow)

I never heard a count on the number of visitors, but the event was very well attended – hundreds of western fans waited eagerly for the gates to swing open at eleven. When they surged in, clutching their beautiful, lavishly illustrated programs, many seemed overwhelmed by their choices of where to go first. There was continuous live western music, equine performances by Hollywood Trick Horses, gun spinning by champion Joey Dillon, trick roping by Linda Montana, and performances by the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures. For children, there was story reading, Native American story telling, and art, music and poetry workshops. In the screening room there was ZORRO’S FIGHTING LEGION, CAPTAIN MARVEL, PERILS OF NYOKA, the Three Mesquiteers – John Wayne, Max Terhune and Ray ‘Crash’ Corrigan -- in THE NIGHT RIDERS (1939), and Wild Bill Elliot’s THE LAST BANDIT (1949), whose leading lady, lovely Adrian Booth, was present for the festivities.

There were indoor and outdoor displays of posters and stills and artwork, dealers of same, actors signing pictures and DVDs (much more on them later), and authors signing books, among the best, C. Courtney Joyner with THE WESTERNERS (see my review HERE); Joe McNeill with ARIZONA’S LITTLE HOLLYWOOD (CLICK HERE for details); Michael Blake, author of DANCES WITH WOLVES;AND...ACTION! by Stephen Lodge; and Peter Sherayko, whose new edition of TOMBSTONE: THE GUNS & GEAR will soon be available (CLICK HERE for details).

Best of all, there were the panel discussions which began at 11:45 in Carla’s Café, the old Republic commissary. And I’m glad I looked around at everything else before I went in, because there was so much interesting talk that, except for a ten minute break, I never left until the entire event was over. The first panel, Republic Pictures 2nd Generation, featured Roy and Dale’s granddaughter Julie Rogers; John Wayne’s daughter Aissa Wayne; sisters Diana and Julieta Canova – daughters of Judy; Jamie Nudie, granddaughter of the great western tailor; Chris Nibley, son of serial queen Linda Sterling and screenwriter Sloan Nibley; and son of THE RIFLEMANChuck Connors, Jeff Connors. Moderator Julie Anne Ream is the granddaughter of western character actor and musician Taylor ‘Cactus Mack’ McPeters, and cousin to singing cowboy Rex Allen and arch-villain and Longbranch bartender Glenn Strange. Among the fascinating tidbits that came out in the discussion: it’s well known that studios tried, without success, to turn John Wayne into a singing cowboy. But Julie Ann revealed that while the Duke was lip-synching, just off-screen the singing was being done by Glenn Strange.

Jeff Connors remembers, “They used to shoot THE RIFLEMAN at Republic, when it was Four Star Productions. I was in three episodes. In one of them I talked. It was called THE SCHOOLMASTER. My brothers were in it, my cousins were in it. Growing up as Chuck’s kids was just great. He never spoiled us. I get asked all the time what he was like, compared to the show. He was probably more strict, but one thing I remember, wherever we would go, he would always say, ‘It’s always about the fans.’ He’d do signings, and he would stay there until everyone was taken care of. The show ran from 1958 to 1963, and it’s a shame that we don’t have shows like that today for our kids. People tell me all the time, ‘I grew up with The Rifleman.’ And I asked a gentleman one time what that meant to him. And he said, ‘My dad was a drunk. And if it wasn’t for your father and Johnny (Crawford), I’d probably have ended up dead or in jail.’ I have no complaints. My dad passed away in ’92 – he had a ranch in Tehachapi. It was great.” And with a little cajoling, he swung up the original rifle from the TV show.

Chris Nibley, a director of photography, remembers growing up at the Republic lot, his mother starring in westerns and serials, his dad writing so many of the best Roy Rogers pictures. “Both my parents worked on this lot: they met here and married here. They had a one-day honeymoon, then they came back to work. I was born in ’48, so my mom took about five years off. Then she got sick of it and came back to work. So my very youngest memories of the lot are playing in the Republic caves. They had these very famous caves that were a permanent set, and were used in nearly every show. They were so well known that the other studios – MGM, Warner Brothers – would rent them. So I would play in the caves – I wasn’t supposed to, but I did.” There were attempts to push him in front of the camera as a child, but he was too shy, and eventually ended up behind the camera. “(My parents) knew cinematographers, and I was interested in photography, so I started out as an assistant cameraman on GUNSMOKE, on the 20th season, which was shot on this lot.” Chris remembered a story his father told him about where the L.A. River runs right by the studio. “Republic would use it all the time, as the Nile or whatever they needed, and this one time as an African jungle river. There used to be an alligator farm in Anaheim, and they just trucked in alligators, dressed people up like natives for the scene. When they were done they carted the alligators back, and it wasn’t until two weeks later that they counted the alligators and realized that one was missing. They found him living behind a restaurant.” “I should talk just a little about Yakima Canutt. He and my dad were great friends, and he actually directed my mother in the serials, when they would often have two directors. Yak had a little ranch up on Riverside Drive, and I would walk by and talk to him. He practically invented stunts. Before him, a stunt man was a cowboy who would fall off a horse and break his arm. And he figured if he could do it and not break his arm, he could do it again. He worked out a system.”

Jamie Nudie, granddaughter of rodeo tailor Nudie Cohn, remembers that he was the first one to put rhinestones on western clothing. “He would watch all the old-time westerns, and he wanted something where the cowboys onstage, their clothes could sparkle. They started in 1947 in a garage, with a ping-pong table as their cutting table. And they wanted to approach Roy and Dale, but they had to have a store, so they opened one up at Victory and Vineland in North Hollywood, and they were there for forty-seven years. Nudie was a character. He wore unmatched boots, rhinestone suits, and carried his money in his boot. He drove a big white Cadillac with (cow) horns and guns and silver dollars – it was his calling card. When they’d pull up to a stop-sign on Lankershim, he’d tell his driver, ‘Blow the stampede!’ (a recording of a cattle stampede), and watch to see the ladies’ dresses blow up. He did clothes for Roy and Dale, and from John Wayne to John Lennon. And Elvis Presley’s gold lame’ suit.” Her newest project, with Julie Ann, is the Noho (North Hollywood) Country Western Heritage Foundation.

Julieta Canova recalls her mother, hillbilly musical star Judy Canova. “Mom was no different from any other mother, except that she worked outside the home. She hated getting up early, so Mr. Yates would send an ambulance to pick her up when she had to go on location. I don’t think growing up in a show business family is any different from growing up in any other family, because you know nothing else. So it’s normal. It was normal to have Ernest Borgnine over for dinner, but a lot of people didn’t understand that. I think mom would be stunned to see what it’s (Republic) become, and she would have been pleased and proud to know that the entire entity is still functioning and still growing.”

Julieta’s sister, TV star Diana Canova, was born after their mother had stopped appearing in movies, but was still appearing at county fairs. “In our house there was always music. Her sister and her mother had been in vaudeville in the ‘30s and ‘40s, eight shows a day. When she was 12 or 13 years old, she was plucked out of that to come to Hollywood and do a movie, and never left. So the siblings would be over, and after a couple of drinks the musical instruments would come out, and that’s what I grew up with. My mom’s main gift to me was her voice. It was a wonderful childhood – she was a warm, loving mom, who just happened to be a slapstick queen and wore Army boots.” Turning to John Wayne’s daughter Aissa, she said, “I worked with your dad on a Perry Como special. And he was the nicest guy. He was a hugger, and he always made me feel so good about myself. A generous man, kind of big, kind of scary, but a total softie. And on my piano is a picture of the three of us – me and Perry and your dad – and it’s one of my most prized possessions.”

Aissa Wayne recalled , “I think one thing all of us on this panel appreciate is the stories from the generation of people that really started film. The cowboys came across the West and they didn’t know what they were going to find. It was the pioneer spirit – we can do it, we can find a better life. I want to thank my dad for instilling in me my pride in America. My pride that we still have liberty – that we can go east, we can go west, we can go wherever we want. In our home we learned about our freedoms. My dad didn’t really associate with Hollywood – we didn’t have Ernest Borgnine over for dinner.” Not that the Duke isolated his family from the business. “I did meet actors and actresses on the set. And I remember playing on sets in fake tepees. And one time there was a mock dead Indian, and he had been tied down, and there were ants going in and out of his mouth.” She also remembered a story her dad told her about trying out for a part. “The cowboy he was playing the scene with did not look very tough, and he’s supposed to hold out his hands and say, ‘I’ve been working very hard.’ But dad looked at the hands and (instead of saying his scripted line) said, ‘Those hands never worked a day in their life!’ And the studio head was there and said, ‘You’ve got the part!” Aissa Wayne, an attorney, was recently in the news for some generous pro bono work. Novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler died in 1959, his wife Cissie some years before. When it was brought to Wayne’s attention that, despite arrangements in Chandler’s will, their remains were not together, but in separate locations, she went through the legal steps to finally bring them together.

Julie Rogers remembers, “My grandparents never lost sight of who they were and where they came from, and why they were recognized – that it was because of their fans. They were always grateful, and they wanted us to be grateful. Roy and Dale were always the same, whether they were on or off the screen – they were always grandma and grandpa. And because of that, the lines between reality and show biz got blurred (for me). I didn’t know everybody else’s grandfather didn’t have a TV show. We would go every weekend to the house, and they’d put us on Trigger from mane to tail and give us rides. We’d roll up, and Nellybelle was always in the carport, and Bullet was one of the house dogs. They had Bullet, Bambi, Bowser, Bob and Mark. They were also a home for people who were going through a rough period in their lives. They would take in struggling actors, kids of their friends – as you know they adopted so many children. Every time they’d come home from a tour of an orphanage, they’d come home with another kid. It was a really great time to grow up. They were really wonderful grandparents to have.”

Julie Anne remembered an embarrassing time when she had to go home sick. Her grandfather had to pick her up from school, from the set of GUNSMOKE. “(They were shooting) an episode called MARRY ME. He was playing Pop Cathcart, with Warren Oates, and they were hillbillies. He was done up in his union suit – which is long red underwear. He came to pick me up at school, because I was sick. And the nurse wouldn’t let him in – she was going to call the police! I was just so offended! But it was one of the best days, because I wasn’t really sick, I just wanted attention. And he brought me home and let me read lines with him.”

Jamie adds, “My dad (Nudie) used to pick me up at junior high school in the Cadillac with the moo-horn! Can you imagine? He had that recording of a cattle stampede, and he’d drive up and play it. And kids would say, ‘That car’s honking,’ and I’d say, ‘I don’t know who that is.’ And then he’d call, ‘Jamie, get in the car!’”

Part Two of the Republic 75th Anniversary Next Week!

LONE PINE FILM FESTIVAL Oct. 8-10

This weekend, Western movie lovers will be heading for Lone Pine, the region of the Eastern Sierras that has been a favorite location for film-makers since the silent day. Every year Lone Pine celebrates with a weekend of tours of famous film locations, musical entertainment, star appearances, guest speaker panels and, of course, screenings of locally shot movies. I’ve been hearing great things about this event for years. For details, CLICK HERE!

TRUE GRIT TRAILER RELEASED!

Wonder how the Coen Brother’s reworking of Charles Portis’s novel is going to look? CLICK HERE to find out!


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

AROUND LOS ANGELES

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. Currently they have THE ART OF NATIVE AMERICAN BASKETRY: A LIVING TRADITION, through November 7th. I've seen the show three times, and am continually astonished at the beauty and variety of the work of the various tribes. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

If you get to Lone Pine, tell us about it!

Henry

All Contents Copyright October 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved