Herb Jeffries 100 -- September 24, 2013

 

Herb Jeffries, the Bronze Buckaroo, sang with Duke Ellington and Earl Hines  and starred in a series of western "race movies."  Some sources claim that he was a white man who passed as black, while others claim that his Sicilian father was of partly Ethiopian descent. Does it matter? 

Tom Mix #8 -- August 8, 2013

I like the portrait of Tom Mix in this ad for his movie Hard Boiled, from the 06-May-1926 Film Daily.

Tom Mix #7 -- July 9, 2013

A Fox Film Corporation ad from the 23-May-1926 Film Daily touts their two big western stars, Tom Mix (The Super-Western Star) and Buck Jones (Ace of the Great Outdoors). 

Tom Mix #6 -- June 9, 2013

During Tom Mix's time with the Selig Polyscope Company, they shot some of their westerns in Arizona.  Tom Mix "famous fancy rider and bulldogger," presented "the best program of Western stunts, flat and harness racing, and automobile and motorcycle races ever pulled off in Northern Arizona..." at the First Northern Arizona Fair in Prescott. Tom had won rodeo events at Prescott in 1909. 

"The Selig Polyscope Company stars will present BIG VAUDEVILLE PROGRAM at Elks' Theater..."

The ad is from the 23-October-1913 Saint Johns Herald and Apache News. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

Tom Mix #5 -- May 9, 2013

Tom Mix in an ad for Big Town Roundup, "The story of a cowboy who makes the city sit up and take notice.  His latest and best play.  One against many.  That's Mix in his latest."  The Pastime Theater advertised that it was air cooled, which was a good idea in Albuquerque in July. 

I want his hat.  Note that the title below the photo does not match the title of the movie in the ad. 

From the 14-July-1921 Albuquerque Herald.

Tom Mix #4 -- April 8, 2013

Tom Mix and Jane Novak in an ad for the Fox picture The Rough Diamond.  "A thrill production that will make your spine tingle and your blood run faster.  Tom Mix as a chaperon is a trained mule!  It's the biggest laugh that Mix has ever handed out.  A whale of a comedy!"  That film is probably lost, but Larry Semon's short "The Bell Hop" is still available. From the 19-January-1922 Albuquerque Herald.

Meals that Tickle the Palate -- March 11, 2013

The Golden State Limited ran from Chicago to Los Angeles over the tracks of the Rock Island and the Southern Pacific's Sunset Route.  This ad, from the April, 1928 Photoplay touts the line's relatively low-altitude route and has a testimonial from western star Hoot Gibson. Hoot was a real cowboy, who won the steer roping championship at the Calgary Stampede and the all-around championship at the Pendleton Round-Up.  He had a long career as a star of silent and sound westerns.  Hoot was known for the humor in his movies.  "The wilder a horse bucks -- the more I like him.  But when it comes to railroad trains, yours truly insists on absolute comfort, restful appointments and meals that tickle the palate." 

Tom Mix #2 -- February 10, 2013

Tom Mix was the biggest cowboy star in silent movies.

The image is from the 17-January-1914 Moving Picture World. His clothes became flashier in later years. 

Tom Mix #1 -- January 8, 2013

Tom Mix was the biggest cowboy star in silent movies.

The caricature is from the August, 1926 Motion Picture Classic. I have not been able to identify the illustrator Curzon.

Harry Carey, Jr, RIP -- January 3, 2013

Harry Carey, Jr, a wonderful character actor, died last week.  His father, Harry Carey Sr, had been born in the Bronx but wanted to be a man of the west.  After acting on stage, he became a member of DW Griffith's Biograph stock company.  Later he was an early western star, who helped John Ford get his first job directing a feature, Straight Shooting.  Harry Jr performed in many of John Ford's westerns.  When television westerns became popular, he appeared in many of them.  In later years he performed small but important parts in western movies.

We lost some other great character actors late last year, including Jack Klugman and Charles Durning.  During World War II, Carey served in the Navy and Klugman and Durning were in the Army.  Charles Durning was in the first wave at Omaha Beach. 

The image is from John Ford's Three Godfathers, which starred John Wayne, Harry Carey, Jr and Pedro Armendáriz.  The image is from the wonderful site LucyWho: http://www.lucywho.com/

Grauman's Chinese #19 -- October 19, 2012

In July, 2012 we paid a return visit to Hollywood and Grauman's Chinese Theater.  Sid Grauman was a San Francisco showman who came to Los Angeles and built three major houses, the Million Dollar, the Egyptian, and the Chinese. The theater has hosted many film premieres, but is most famous for the hand and footprints (and hoofprints and nose prints and other types of prints) in the forecourt.

Tom Mix was the biggest cowboy star in silent movies.  On 12-December-1927, Tom and Tony the Wonder Horse visited Grauman's Chinese to leave Tom's hand and boot prints and Tony's hoof prints.  I like the caricature of Tom's white hat.  The text at the top is hard to read, but I think it says "1000 Good Lucks to/My Pal and Friend S.G."

Barry Zito pitched an excellent game.  The Giants beat the Cardinals.  The Cardinals still lead the series 3-2.  

Treasures 5: The West #3 -- January 19, 2012

One of my Christmas presents was the fifth Treasures From the American Film Archives, The West.

Disc three starts with The Lady of the Dugout, which stars and was produced by former bank and train robber Al Jennings, allegedly based on true events in his life.  Jennings, who once shared a prison cell with O. Henry, was known for telling stretchers, so I wouldn't accept the movie as a documentary, but it does have a very realistic feel to it.  The only parts that didn't feel real were the Mojave Desert standing in for Oklahoma and Tehachapi with its huge mountains representing a Texas town.  Jennings and his brother Frank were good, understated performers.

The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaw was made in 1915 by a group of lawmen as a response to and earlier, now lost, Al Jennings movie.  Marshal Bill Tilghman and two others produced the movie and appeared in it, along with other peace officers and at least one real bandit, Arkansas Tom Jones.  Tilghman and his partners felt that other movies glamorized bad men.  This one, which unfortunately exists only in parts, takes a different approach.  It includes bits about the original Wild Bunch and Cattle Annie and Little Breeches.  I liked the subtitle "Outlaws do what they do because they are what they are."  That would be a good line for a film noir.  The image above is an ad from the 09-June-1920 Tulsa Daily World, announcing a showing of The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws (an alternate title) with a personal appearance by Marshal Bill Tilghman. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

"The Girl Ranchers" is a 1914 Nestor one-reeler, which was distributed by Universal.  It was silly, but fun.

"Legal Advice" was a 1916 Selig Polyscope one-reeler written by, produced by, directed by and starring Tom Mix.  It may have been the first entire Mix Selig movie that I have seen.  It was a funny story about a pretty female lawyer who came to a western town.  My wife enjoyed the powerful wind blowing through the interiors.  The lawyer had to hold down her dress during one scene.  The end was disturbing.

Womanhandled was a 1925 Paramount feature, directed by Woody van Dyke and starring Richard Dix and Esther Ralston.  It was a comedy, making fun of western movie cliches.  The movie includes scenes shot on location in Central Park and Houston, Texas.  The scenes by the Houston train depot include lots of streetcars.  Richard Dix was actually funny in this movie.

"Beauty Spots in America: Castle Hot Springs, Arizona" is a 1916 Essanay split reel which shows life around the elegant resort.

"The Romance of Water" is a 1931 one-reeler produced by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to justify their stealing water from the Owens Valley.  It doesn't mention the water war and the dynamiting of the acqueduct.

"A New Miracle in the Desert" is an item from a Hearst Metrotone newsreel which tells about the Colorado River acqueduct, which allowed Los Angeles to steal water that it didn't even need.

"The West in Promotional Travelogues" is a group of excerpts from various travel movies, including Edison's 1898 "Sunset Limited," a view of the Georgetown Loop, and tours in Yosemite and Yellowstone.

I enjoyed the whole set.  I'm grateful to my family for the gift.  I recommend it highly.

Disc one: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2012/01/treasures-5-west-1-january-11-2012.html

Disc two: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2012/01/treasures-5-west-2-january-12-2012.html

Treasures 5: The West #1 -- January 11, 2012

One of my Christmas presents was the fifth Treasures From the American Film Archives, The West.

Disc one starts with a Biograph split reel comedy, "The Tourists," directed by Mack Sennett in 1912.  Mabel Normand and her companions get off a Santa Fe train in Albuquerque and Mabel is very enthusiastic about the crafts sold by Native American women in front of the Fred Harvey Company's Indian Building.  Failing to get back on the train before it leaves, Mabel wanders away from her party and into the area where the Native Americans live.  She flirts with a man called "Big Chief" until his wife and other ladies chase Mabel and her friends onto the next train, which pulls out with a Santa Fe California Limited drum sign clearly visible on the observation platform.

"The Sergeant" is a 1910 Selig Polyscope one reeler that was mostly shot in the Yosemite Valley.  This movie is one of the cache discovered in the New Zealand archive.  It was preserved with funds that we helped raise in the the 2010 For the Love of Film Blogathon (http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-do-we-need-to-preserve-films-brief.html).  It stars Hobart Bosworth as a cavalry sergeant who loses his stripes when he goes for a ride with the Colonel's daughter.  Their horses get stolen by a "renegade" and they spend the night out.  Later the cavalrymen and the daughter are trapped by attacking Native Americans.  The former sergeant dives into the river to get help.  The film was by Francis Boggs, an important early director who was shot to death in Los Angeles the next year.

Salomy Jane is the only surviving feature produced by the California Motion Picture Company in San Rafael and at the Russian River.   In his commentary Gary Scharnhorst does a good job of explaining how the movie is related the the Bret Harte story and Paul Armstrong's stage play.  It stars the beautiful Beatriz Michelena, wife of producer George Middleton.  She was good.  The advertisement above is from the 20-January-1915 Bisbee, Arizona Daily Review.  Alco Film Company, the distributor, did a poor job.

"Sunshine Gatherers" is a 1921 Prizmacolor one reeler which promotes the Del Monte company's canned fruits.  It opens with a cheerful history of the missions of California.  The two-color Prizmacolor process gave good results.

"Deschutes Driftwood" is a 1916 documentary shot along the Oregon Trunk Lines, showing the adventures of Weak Kneed Walter, a hobo who keeps getting tossed off of trains.  There are excellent views of the bridges and other features along the line.

"The 'Promised Land' Barred to 'Hoboes'" is a brief segment from a 1936 Hearst Metrotone newsreel, which documents the Los Angeles Police Department's humanitarian project to intercept migrants at the California border and kick them out if they didn't have money or a waiting job.

"Last of the Line" is a 1914 New York Motion Picture Company two-reeler which stars Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa and his wife Tsuru Aoki as Native Americans.  The rest of the tribe was played by actual Native Americans.  Thomas H Ince produced this story of a chief's son, Hayakawa, who returns to the reservation ruined by his education in another world.

"The Indian-detour" is a 1926 one-reeler promoting the Santa Fe and Fred Harvey Company's special excursion which allowed riders on transcontinental trains to get off in Las Vegas, New Mexico or Albuquerque and take a three-day trip by Harveycoach (bus) or Harveycar (auto) to visit various Native American sites.

"Native Americans in Newsreels" includes clips from several newsreels showing Native Americans lobbying in Washington DC and visiting other locations.

"We Can Take It" is a 1935 silent short by the USDA, documenting the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps.  The commentary points out that many of the scenes are staged, and that the camps were actually segregated, but the movie gives a good idea of the good work done by the Corps.  Some of the flood control and fire prevention projects would be considered wrong today, but they were considered the right thing to do at the time.

I'll do Disc Two another day.

Disc Two: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2012/01/treasures-5-west-2-january-12-2012.html

Disc Three: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2012/01/treasures-5-west-3-january-19-2012.html

Roy Rogers 100 -- November 5, 2011

Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys, and his beautiful palomino, Trigger. Today is Roy's 100th birthday. When I was growing up, many people were down on Roy Rogers. I never saw his television show, but I always enjoyed his movies when I could catch them.  He was a better actor than some of his contemporary singing cowboys.

The Road Demon -- August 29, 2011

Tom Mix made The Road Demon, a western with racing cars, for Fox Films in 1921. I think this is a rare combination. Note that he is driving on a board track. These were popular for auto racing till the early 1920s. I have seen the memorial near Florence, Arizona where Tom Mix died in a fast car.

Rolin was a company founded by Hal Roach and Dan Linthicum. Harold Lloyd was their first comedy star. By 1921, I think his name would have appeared in the ad.

From the Tulsa World, 17-April-1921.

James Arness, RIP -- June 4, 2011

I was sorry to hear that James Arness had died. He was a World War II veteran, who was seriously injured during the invasion at Anzio. He played the monster in The Thing, but was famous for playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke.

I don't remember watching Gunsmoke when I was very young, but after I heard the radio version played on Gene Nelson's old time radio program on KSFO, I started watching it and enjoyed the last few seasons. I was impressed that the show had been on television since the 1950s.

The photograph shows Jim Arness with Amanda Blake, who played businesswoman Miss Kitty.

Pulp #15 -- August 19, 2010

Before the pulps, there were the dime novels. Beadle's Half Dime Library made the second printing of Edward Ellis' early science fiction novel The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies in 1882. Steam punk is off and running.

Grauman's Chinese #13 -- August 18, 2010

Widely loved singing cowboy Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys, left his hand, foot, and revolver prints in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese on 21-April-1949. His trusty steed Trigger left his hoofprints. Roy's wife Dale Evans wrote his theme song, "Happy Trails." DSCN4149.

I took this on 18-July-2009.

For the Love of Film #2 -- June 9, 2010

This post is a follow-up to For the Love of Film, The Film Preservation Blogathon., which was hosted by Ferdy on Films (http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/) and The Self-Styled Siren (http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/).

Participants and visitors to the blogathon donated $13,500 to the National Film Preservation Foundation. The NFPF is going to use that money to preserve two western movies from a trove of American films recently discovered in New Zealand. "The Better Man" is a 1912 Vitagraph production. "The Sergeant" is a 1910 Selig Polyscope production, shot in the Yosemite Valley when the park was managed by the Army. The blogathon will get a credit in the titles of each movie.
I can't wait.

Grauman's Chinese #6 -- January 19, 2010

Singing cowboy Gene Autry and his horse Champion left hand, foot, and hoof prints in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese on 23-December-1949. DSCN4140.

Gene Autry was a hillbilly music recording artist, a pioneering singing cowboy, a WWII veteran, a radio and television performer, and owner of the California Angels for many years.

I took this on 18-July-2009.

During the night, there were strong winds and lots of rain. I drove slowly to the BART station. The skies cleared around noon, so I took a walk around the block. Later in the afternoon, we had lightning and thunder with heavy rain. When I left, it was sunny. BART was delayed. It was raining when I got to Colma station.