Roaming Range Reporter

Continued from June 2012, Smoke Signals

Reel Cowboys of Western Cinema

A Century of Silver Screen Heroes on Horseback

By Gary Eugene Brown

A continuing series on the leading men who made western films a special art form. Many, in the beginning, had been actual working cowboys; while others were accomplished actors who applied their craft in such a manner as to appear as though they had just rode into Hollywood on horseback. This is the story of one of them.

HARRY CAREY

When two of the most respected cowboy icons pay homage to a former stage actor from the Bronx, one takes notice. Will Rogers said Harry Carey "was the most human and natural of the Western actors." John Wayne hailed him as "the greatest Western actor of all time." In addition, the legendary director John Ford who once remarked "[Harry] Carey was a great actor," dedicated his 1948 film, Three Godfathers to "Harry Carey - the Bright Star of the early Western Sky." However, if it wasn't for Harry Carey, we might not have heard of John Ford. The story begins in New York City on January 16, 1878.
Henry Dewitt Carey, the 2nd, was born the son of a future New York Supreme Court Jurist. Harry attended military academy before going on to college. At age, 21, Harry was stricken with pneumonia. During recuperation, he wrote a play he called Montana. Harry would go on to produce, direct and play the lead role of Cheyenne Harry in his play for four years, beginning in 1903.
Harry in 1910 joined Biograph, a motion picture company in New York City and became a stock player for the pioneer director D.W. Griffith. He was given an opportunity to make 1- and 2-reel western pictures, which led to a contract with Universal (1915) and a one way trip to Hollywood.
This venture led to meeting his future wife, 18 year old starlet, Olive Golden. They had two children: Harry Jr. (Dobe) and Ellen. Universal's Carl Laemmle, upon the urging of actor Francis Ford, gave Harry his own film company. In turn, at Francis's request, Harry helped his benefactor's younger brother, Assistant Director Jack Ford by giving him an opportunity to direct films for him. Harry and John Ford, made many westerns together; however, the full length western Straight Shooting (1917) is the only surviving film of the Carey/Ford era. The two also filmed Marked Men (1919), a remake of Peter B. Kyne's novel Three Godfathers that had earlier also starred Harry Carey.
In 1922, Universal, due to the popularity of Fox's Tom Mix films, decided not to renew Harry's contract and replaced him with his former costar Hoot Gibson. Harry, age 44, went on to make films for lessor known studios, as well as Pathe' who featured him in westerns: Silent Sanderson, The Prairie Pirate, and Satan Town, among others. Pathe' released him in 1928. To maintain the ranch he and Ollie owned in the San Francisquito valley near Newhall (now Santa Clarita), the two formed a vaudeville act and went on tour. On March 13. 1928, the St. Francis dam, constructed for the LA Aqueduct, collapsed at midnight and Carey's ranch caretakers along with 300 to 600 souls were swept away. The Careys lost everything and had to rebuild, however they were alive.

Ollie Carey, in a rare interview for the outstanding 1980 documentary: Hollywood Series - A Celebration of American Silent Film, commented on her husband's fascination with the West: He was not your typical cowboy, "he was an Easterner"; however he was "romantically in love with the West...absolutely and with the pioneer spirit...he just loved being a cowboy." In the same segment, John Wayne shared that he "loved" both Harry and Ollie and looked upon Harry as a father figure. Wayne was also impressed with Carey's natural way of acting. At the conclusion of John Ford's classic western The Searchers, the Duke recalled the final scene where he returns his niece Natalie Wood to safety after years of captivity. The scene is blocked so it is a black frame looking on Ethan Edwards. He notices Ollie Carey, who was featured in the movie along with Dobe, standing with the film crew. The thought came to him to convey a subtle message to her and so he took his left hand and grasped his upper right forearm, a habit that her late husband "incessantly" did in his films. Ollie picked up on the silent tribute and the tears came flowing down...a special moment just between the two of them.
 
In 1931, MGM released a major epic on the larger than life Trader Horn and his exploits on the Dark Continent. They had Harry play the lead with a young Duncan Renaldo (later TV's Cisco Kid) as costar. The film was a major hit for MGM and rejuvenated Harry's movie career. After returning to B westerns for Artcraft Studios, Harry made two 12-chapter serials in 1932 for Mascot Studios, including the classic The Last of the Mohicans. He then costarred with Walter Houston in the B+ western Law and Order for Universal Studios. RKO later chose Harry to head up an all-star B western cast in 1935 - Powdersmoke Range. Joining Harry were Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Big Boy Williams, Wally Wales and Buddy Roosevelt, all whom had been leading men in B oaters. His last starring role was in 1936 in RKO's The Last Outlaw...Harry was 58 and the title was fitting as he was no longer young.
Harry Carey played all types of roles besides cowboys and starred on Broadway in Eugene O'Neil's Ah Wilderness. Harry even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Frank Capra's revered Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Interestingly, the Oscar went to Thomas Mitchell for his role in John Ford's Stagecoach. Ford last used Harry in 1936 in The Prisoner of Shark Island. Harry went on to play key roles in The Shepherd of the Hills, The Spoilers, China's Little Devils, Angel and the Badman, Duel in the Sun, The Sea of Grass and Red River, among others. His last film was Walt Disney's So Dear to my Heart (1948).
Harry Carey was ill with emphysema and later cancer. On September 21, 1947, Harry crossed over the Jordan River. Present in his bedroom was the Doctor (a close friend), a nurse, his son Dobe and John and Mary Ford. John Wayne flew back from Catalina Island that morning to be with his friend and mentor. The Duke, according to Harry Carey Jr.'s fine book My Life As An Actor In The John Ford Stock Company, was keeping himself busy running errands for the family while Ollie played hostess to the visitors who came by to pay their respects. After the physician closed his father's eyes - Dobe claims - "Then the wake began. It went on for about a year. I'm serious, it did."
A year before Harry died, Dobe asked his father, why Ford hadn't used him in many years. Harry, instead of complaining or criticizing Ford's many "faults and egomania," paused, puffed on his cigarette and replied, "He won't ask me...But you will [be asked]...not till after I croak...but then you will. You can bet on it." His father was right as Ford on the day Harry died told Ollie that he was going to feature Dobe as "the Kid" in his next western - a remake of Three Godfathers. Ford kept his word. In essence, the kind gesture of an older, leading man, many years ago, in reaching out to a youthful, would be director, was repaid to the son (Harry Carey Jr.) many years later. The son went on to be a major stock player in some of the finest westerns ever made.
"But you will...not till after I croak...but then you will. You can bet on it."
________________________________________________________________________
GARY E BROWN
is the retired Police Chief of Monterey, CA; Ashland, OR and San Clemente. However, his avocation is collecting western art and memorabilia including many Tom Mix items. Tom Mix was his father's hero, so he is Gary's as well. Gary wrote an article on Tom Mix for The National Film & Collectors Magazine - Hollywood Studio Magazine, as well as a recent article on Tom Mix's final day for American Cowboy magazine. He has also written articles on the Western Photoplays of the Golden Era and lectured on the Western Heroes of the Silver Screen. He can be reached at montereycowboy@hotmail.com or found, most mornings, at his son Jordan's Mavericks Coffee House in Visalia, CA....the site of "possibly the best coffee in the world" with walls of vintage cowboy movie posters and a collection of 66 original, autographed photos of yesterday's cowboy heroes.

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Roaming Range Reporter

As we close our series of Gary Brown articles for Smoke Signals, we thank Gary for his passion, his opinions and the beautiful words he used to deliver them to us.   ---Linda Kohn Sherwood, editor Article 5 in a Series of 5: Top 10 Memorial Silent Westerns Worthy of Watching (second half) (The first half can be found in February 2012 Edition of Smoke Signals) By Gary Eugene Brown There are five other films that are worth watching, provided you've gotten over your bias regarding the silent era westerns. These are not full-length films (ninety minutes or more), however the quality and entertainment value are there nonetheless. The Tole Gate (1920) - Another film by William S. Hart which is perhaps his finest role. The Toll Gate is a film of revenge and redemption, like many of his films. Bill starts out as an outlaw, but by the end is convinced by either a mother, sister, or pretty school marm to reform his ways and go straight. The story line is still relevant today, as one eventually has to pay for his past transgressions. You must "pay the fiddler" when the dance is over. The Great K&A Train Robbery (1926) - There was only one Tom Mix. Larger than life, he personified the western hero, perhaps not the way he really was, yet perhaps the way he should have been. Mix was and still is the symbol of the cowboy film star, "an idol of a million boys." This is one of his best movies that have survived. It has non-stop action, fearless stunts, and humor. It was filmed on location in the Royal Gorge area of Colorado. Riders of the Purple Sage (1926) - This was based upon Zane Grey's finest novel, and it too stayed true to the novel. Filmed in the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine, California, it is one of Tom Mix's rare serious roles. Mix portrays the vengeful Lassister, one of many who played the famous Grey character on the silver screen. However, the film was not as popular with Mix's fans as it lacked his signature non-stop action and was almost totally void of humor. It is a fine movie nonetheless. Thundering Hooves (1924) - One of the best cowboy stars of the '20s was Fred Thomson. Almost forgotten today, he was number two in the box office behind Tom Mix and was about to pass him in popularity when, unfortunately, this former national decathlon champion died of tetanus at only age 31. This one surviving, complete film demonstrates the agility of Thomson, who was as acrobatic as the famous Douglas Fairbanks Sr. One wonders what could have happened to his career if Thomson survived and entered the sound period as the number one cowboy film star. The Roping Fool (1925) - This is a testimony to the roping skills of probably the most beloved man of the 20th century. Will Rogers was unequalled in history as a roper and this semi-documentary film verifies the fact. See it for yourself. There is a humorous story line of Will's being obsessed with roping. His arch-nemesis is "Big Boy" Guinn Williams who went on to star in silents as the hero, and later as a sidekick. With Will being a vaudeville performer, famous movie star, honorary Mayor of Beverly Hills, champion roper, humorist, newspaper columnist, noted speaker, aviation pioneer, and goodwill ambassador to the world, if he died today in a plane crash, with instant main stream and cable TV news and the internet, people would be glued to their TVs. In 1935, the world was in complete shock, while sitting in their living rooms in front of their family radio. Honorable Mention - There were other films that played an important role and helped pave the way for the western cinema. The Squaw Man (1914), based upon a famous play, was directed by a young Cecil B. DeMille. It supposedly was the first major film made in Hollywood. In 1917, John Ford directed his first feature film Straight Shooting starring Harry Carey, Sr. and co-starring a young Hoot Gibson. James Cruze filmed the first major western extravaganza The Covered Wagon (1923) that told of the settling of the West. Even though it seems more dated in its appearance compared to the highly recommended films, it has many memorable scenes portraying the hardships that the early pioneers had to endure. It is worth a "look-see" as a recreation of the migration West, and could have been an actual documentary, as some of the people in the film were actual participants in the earlier wagons west movement. Due to the immense success of The Covered Wagon, Cruze went on to direct The Pony Express in 1925. It was not close to the same production values of Cruze's earlier film, but is a historic film nonetheless. With hope, this article will encourage you to venture forth and discover for yourself some of these mostly forgotten gems. They will help you fill the void before the next western film of some quality plays in your local theater. Film historians are aware of their existence, however the masses are not. In closing, remember the saying "Silence is golden." In this case, it surely is. © 2010, Gary Eugene Brown; all rights reserved. A version of this article appeared in September, 2010 in Movieguide magazine.

 
Reel Cowboys of Western Cinema

A Century of Silver Screen Heroes on Horseback

By Gary Eugene Brown

For those of us who grew up in the 30s, 40s and 50s, cowboy movie stars were often heroes we wanted to emulate...at least us boys. Sure, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Jack Dempsey and Sammy Baugh were worthy role models (minus certain off field antics). However, there was something special about those knights on horseback who rode across the screen on their trusty steeds to save the rancher's daughter from a steely eyed banker with foreclosure papers in his vest pocket or to halt a range war between the nesters and the cattlemen.

This is the first installment of a continuing series in which I will share a little background on who those western leading men were (in chronological order) in an attempt to keep their memories alive. Since there were over 100 leading men in cowboy movies from Broncho Billy Anderson to Jeff Bridges, who starred in B Oaters to A Westerns, the list had to be pared down considerably. As such, the following thirty stalwarts are those who, in my opinion, made a major contribution to the genre and/or had an interesting tale to tell. As a disclaimer, if your hero is not one of those featured, don't hold it against the kind folks at High Noon's Smoke Signals. I even had to exclude some of my own favorites.

WILLIAM S HART

William Surrey Hart was born in Newburgh, NY in 1864. His biography My Life East and West, begins when he was a small boy in Oswego, IL, where his father ran a flower mill along the Fox River. Bill later accompanied his father on his travels among the Plains Indians in the Dakota Territory where his dad taught them how to establish flower mills. This gave the youngster an opportunity to learn firsthand about the culture of the Lakota and to walk the boardwalks of cattle towns where cowboys reigned. Bill returned to the east coast where he became a world class Race Walker. However, his career interest was to become an actor. He had an opportunity to star in the original production of Ben Hur and a countless number of Shakespearean plays. The first attempts at making westerns by people who did not know their subject matter was appalling to Bill Hart. After all he had been among the real cowboys in Kansas' cow towns. He once remarked after seeing a two reel, so-called western, that the film actor who portrayed the Sheriff looked more like a cross between a "Wisconsin woodchopper and a Gloucester fisherman." This prompted Bill to call his former roommate Thomas Ince, who was making motion pictures in the new town of Hollywood, and plead with him to allow him to make westerns.  In turn, Bill Hart went to the West Coast in 1914 and began making 2 reel films (approx. 20 min.) for Thomas Ince and The New York Motion Picture Company. He soon progressed to making 5 and 7 reel films and eventually became a director with his own production company.

William S Hart went on to become the first major western cinema star and made over 60 films between 1914 and 1925. At the height of his career, he was as popular as the royalty of Tinsel town which included Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford as King and Queen and Charley Chaplain as the Court Jester. Bill's films were serious attempts to portray the West the way it really was at least in Bill's opinion. He was not as flamboyant as Tom Mix and kept his private life to himself. The story lines of his films often began with Bill being a two gun outlaw, who had a mother, sister or pretty school marm who prayed for him to change his evil ways and by the end of the fourth reel; he had turned over a new leaf and began to seek redemption. Bill Hart was also credited with being the first cowboy star to give costar billing to his horse Fritz, a 13 hand Tobiano Paint. His home is the same as it was when he died in 1946. The Santa Clarita, CA museum/historic home which contain a great collection of western art, is open to the public, as Bill deeded the 200 acre ranch to the County of Los Angeles.

The most notable films of his storied career that have survived that are available on DVD/Video are: Hells Hinges; which evidently influenced Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter; The Toll Gate and Tumbleweeds. The latter film, a first class A production, released in 1925, caused a financial burden for Bill who bucked the studio system by distributing his own movie. William Fox and others, controlled the production, distribution and showing of films in their own theaters. The film was rereleased in the late 30s with a prologue added by Hart. This was the first time the public had an opportunity to hear the former Shakespearean actor turned cowboy hero speak. He told the story of Tumbleweeds - The Oklahoma Land Rush and then closed with an emotional, final adieu to his many fans that had spent their nickels to watch his movies as children and now were adults with children of their own. He shared from the heart how much he enjoyed the making of western films..."Oh, the thrill of it all!" and then took off his Montana peaked, sombrero and closed with "Adios Amigos, God bless you all, each and every one." He bowed, turned and walked off into eternity.

For further information: William S Hart, Projecting the American West, written by Ronald L. Davis, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, 2003

You Tube has the 8 minute moving prologue: "William S Hart, Farewell to the Screen"

THE FAMOUS 6 HORSE CONCORD COACH

The Concord Coach is the corner stone logo of our factory. We have sold them to the Wells Fargo bank for their lobby and boardroom as well as to many others.

Built high and wide to handle the rough, rutted roads of a new country, the design of a classic American vehicle was perfected in Concord, New Hampshire. Carriage builder J. Stephens Abbot and master wheelwright Lewis Downing built the famed stagecoaches of Wells Fargo & Co. For more details see:

http://theconcordcoach.tripod.com/abbotdowning/.

Tucson Rodeo

The dust will fly when expert riders and ropers compete in thrilling Old West contests — like bull riding, barrel racing, and steer wrestling — during the 86th Tucson Rodeo & Parade, a top-25 professional event, at Tucson Rodeo Grounds, February 19-27. Ride 'em cowboys and cowgirls!

John Wayne is coming

After many months of negotiation with John Wayne Enterprises of Newport Beach, CA, we have been granted a license to create metal art images such as the light sconce shown here.

We are starting to build the collection and as soon as possible we will add the pieces on our website with prices that also reflect the contribution we are making to the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.

This effort started because one of our principals, Jim Watson, used to play chess with Wayne way back in the '60's while on the set of the movies John Wayne was making here in Tucson.

We will try very hard to make top quality works that you fans of this great American can be proud to own.

DISCOVERING THE CHEROKEE NATION

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson forced a new piece of legislation through Congress called the "Indian Removal Act" of which the very large and powerful Cherokee nation was the target. The legislation called for all Native-American tribes to give up their lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands to the west. Jackson said that this was for the tribe's protection, but there was an ulterior motive - Euro-Americans settlers were anxious to take over their land, particularly in Northern Georgia where gold had been discovered. A number of Indian nations made attempts at non-violent resistance, but eventually felt that this was an inevitable removal and that there was no way to stop the federal government.

The Cherokee Nation of 22,000 citizens, based in Georgia, the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee, decided to take their protest all the way to the Supreme Court. Considered one of the "civilized" tribes of the Southeast, they had adopted Euro-American practices of large-scale farming, Western education, slave-holding, and even published an English language newspaper. The Supreme Court sided with the Cherokee, saying that they had a constitutional right to stay in their ancestral land. In the end, President Jackson refused to enforce the law.

In 1838, the federal government sent in troops, who forced the Cherokees into stockades at bayonet point. They were not allowed time to gather their belongings and their homes were looted. It was then they began the forced thousand-mile march to an area in present-day Oklahoma. Over 4,000 out of 16,000 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger, exhaustion and disease. The Cherokee people call this journey the "Trail of Tears," - a journey that saw more people die than perished in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Cherokee Nation Today

Today the Cherokee Nation is the second largest Indian tribe in the nation. There are more than 280,000 tribal members, 70,000 of which reside in the 7,000 square miles of the Cherokee Nation. Soon after the Cherokee arrival, they transformed the area, creating a progressive court and education system with a literacy rate higher than the rest of the U.S. Many white settlements took advantage of their superior schools, and paid tuition to have their children attend the Cherokee schools. Oklahoma grew up around the nations of the Indian Territory, and that influence can be seen today.

Tahlequah - home today to the Cherokee Nation, is located in the heart of the Oklahoma's Green Country, an area of rolling pastoral hills and more than half of the state's parks and lakes. The area's attractions give visitors an inside look at the Cherokee way of life, both past and present. The Cherokee Heritage Center tells the story of this amazing tribe. The Center was built on the original site of the Cherokee National Female Seminary. Offering exhibits, cultural workshops and events, the center includes the Adams Corner Rural Village, Cherokee Family Research Center and Cherokee National Archives. The Cherokee National Museum houses a special exhibit gallery, two Native American art shows, and the award-winning Trail of Tears interpretive exhibition - an experience that will stir you to the depths of your soul. Ancient Village features replicas of traditional homes from the time of intense cultural transformation. Guides and villagers demonstrate traditional Cherokee crafts as basketry, pottery, field games and blow guns. The Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum is the oldest government building in Oklahoma. Today, both the Supreme and District Courts still hold sessions here.

For further information on visiting the Cherokee Nation visit: www.CherokeeTourismOK.com

From: "High Noon Smoke Signals"