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Hollywood’s Golden Age was a time of prolific filmmaking, and nowhere was this more evident than in the Westerns. Tinseltown was a powerhouse of cowboy pictures, horse operas, and shoot-'em-ups, forging legendary movie stars in the process. Among the most iconic to emerge during this era were a duo made up of Roy Rogers, the "King of the Cowboys," and his trusted sidekick, Gabby Hayes. Between 1938 and 1943, this dynamic pair appeared together in an astonishing 41 films, cementing their legacy as one of the most productive and beloved Western partnerships of all time. Other film pairings of the time, like John Ford's legendary run of movies with John Wayne, or even Fords' Movies with actor Harry Carey, were astounding in their own right, but none came close to Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes.

At the heart of their success was the chemistry between both men. Roy Rogers embodied the classic Western hero: brave,...

Although it's hardly as famous as Stagecoach or some of the later Westerns he made, Tall in the Saddle is crucial to John Wayne's transformation into a movie icon. Despite having worked in the genre for years ahead of his role in Stagecoach, the 1939 film is widely credited for putting John Wayne on the map in Hollywood and setting him up as its top Western star. Both of these things are true of Stagecoach's role in John Wayne's storied film career, but it alone didn't carve his image.

Following Stagecoach's release, Wayne's popularity grew, allowing him to amass leading roles in bigger-budget films than what he was accustomed to in the 1930s. In the early 1940s, Wayne headlined numerous movies, including Westerns like The Spoilers with Randolph Scott, In Old California, and Dark Command with Roy Rogers. Among the most memorable of his projects from this era in his...

Though their respective careers aren't exclusive to the genre, there are great actors who are known only for their Western movies. Typically, this is because they've starred in more Westerns than any other type of films. Apart from movies, some have also starred in Western television series, or even featured in Western-themed comic books, radio shows, and other media.

While the stars of the most influential Western movies ever are usually also known actors in other genres, there are several reasons why they are mostly remembered by history as gunslinging cowboys from the Wild West. Many of these actors made their mark as the iconically rugged, handsome, and frontier-dwelling leading men of classic Western films from the 20th century. There are also great actors only known for their Western movie roles because of their more unusual performances and unique contributions to the genre and the era. Here are 10 actors who,...

Though it'd be easy to assume John Wayne is the actor with the most Westerns under his belt, that distinction actually belongs to a different Hollywood legend. The Western genre is among the most iconic in the history of Hollywood. Actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood used Westerns to become two of the most famous movie stars in history. Westerns were an integral part of the film industry, and they were initially produced at an astounding rate, seemingly defining cinema for decades.

The Western genre may not be as a popular as it was in the 20th century, but it remains the most iconic category in cinema. There is no shortage of modern Westerns, and the overarching impact the genre had on filmmaking as a whole cannot be understated. In years past, a multitude of actors, including Gabby Hayes, Randolph Scott, Ward Bond, and so many more made their...

This early John Wayne oater displays the natural star quality and winning personality that sustained him through the 1930s -- it's a naïve, charming western that features some of The Duke's closest early associates. 'Neath Arizona Skies Blu-ray Olive Films 1934 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 52 min. / Street Date July 19, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 24.95 Starring John Wayne, Sheila Terry, Shirley Jane Rickert, Jack Rockwell, Yakima Canutt, Weston Edwards, Jay Wilsey, Earl Dwire, George 'Gabby' Hayes. Cinematography Archie Stout Film Editor Charles Hunt Original Music Billly Barber Written by Burl R. Tuttle from his story. Produced by Paul Malvern Directed by Harry L. Fraser

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Want to see where our western film heritage really came from? Big studios made giant wagon train movies, epics about the railroad and star-driven biographies of Billy the Kid, but the genre was sustained by a steady diet of six reel 'oaters,...

This is not your granddaddy's Western. Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes would not recognize the actions that take place in "Meek's Cutoff." They would not feel at home here, but Gus Van Sant would. Consider Van Sant's 2002 film "Gerry," in which two twenty-something men go off into the desert and forget to bring any food with them. "Gerry" has an opening that would likely drive half the audience to the exits-that's how slow-moving the scenes slide by, setting the tone for the remainder of the inaction. Kelly Reichardt would love that picture. She opens her "Meek's Cutoff" without dialogue for ten or fifteen minutes, her camera person grooving on some long shots of folks in a covered wagon traipsing across the Oregon Trail in 1845 before railroad made the trip outdated. Still its tempting to say that the brave and foolish people making the trip...

Yvonne Strahovski and Eion Baily team up with Will Patton for a terrifying honeymoon nightmare this Halloween season

With The Canyon, Richard Harrah has crafted a sly little thriller that comes at you like a donkey kick in the kidneys. Starring Yvonne Strahovski and Eion Baily as recently married lovebirds headed deep into to the Gran Canyon, Harrah's Halloween treat is an intense, cautionary travelogue that offers up the best kind of nightmare scenario for any honeymooning couple. When you throw Will Patton into the mix as Henry Theodore Roosevelt Pritchard, a wily old coot with a pick-ax and a couple of spare donkeys, you know this trip isn't going to end well. The couple gets lost, they run out of food, coyotes attack them, and nothing is more dangerous than trying to find a cell phone signal. We recently caught up with Harrah to chat about this exciting new project.

Back in the 1940’s, any kid whose family owned a television set was extremely lucky. If any of the kids at school were fortunate enough to be friends with that kid, then every day after school they would all inevitably end up back at his house to watch The Adventures of Roy Rogers, America’s Singing Cowboy.

The “King of the Cowboys” may very well be heading back to the silver screen if 821 Entertainment has they’re say in it. They have recently partnered up with the Roy Rogers Family Entertainment Corp. and are planning to release a “King of the Cowboys” trilogy in theaters in the near future, as well as, all the marketing tools that go along with it - merchandising, animated TV series and interactive game.

It was a much different time almost 70 years ago when the first Roy Rogers film, Song of Texas, came out. Children would wear their cowboy hats,...

(A.C. Lyles, below)

by Jon Zelazny

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared at EightMillionStories.com on February 27, 2009

There’s an A.C. Lyles Building at the Paramount Pictures main lot, but you won’t find A.C. Lyles there; his office is on the fourth floor of the William S. Hart Building.

When I arrived for our interview, Mr. Lyles was chatting with some visitors in his outer office. He bid me into his main office, and asked his assistant Pam to put in a video… a short promo reel that opens with a six minute tribute by then-President Ronald Reagan, who warmly recalls his and Nancy’s many years of friendship with A.C. and his wife Martha, and congratulates A.C. on his fifty years at the studio. The President’s intro is followed by taped congratulations from President Carter, President Ford, and Vice President Bush, then assorted clips celebrating Mr.