Beech Tree News Network

  Most, if not all, of the old grade-B movie cowboys have ridden off into the sunset.
Grade B movies were Saturday in most small towns-short on plot and long on horse hair and gun powder; on the average most were ground-out in three or so days. The main grinder-studios were Monogram and Republic.
    Each picture featured a hero, a hero’s side kick, and a bevy of low-down, side-winder crooks, who were constantly trying do-in the hero. In the grade-B cowboy pictures you had singers or shooters-or singers and shooters both.
    A lot of the old cowboys were radio cowboys-before TV and the movies. The first radio Lone Ranger was a fellow by the name of Brace Beamer. Brace never made to the movies or TV. He was tragically killed in a car wreck. A guy named Clayton Moore took the Lone Ranger series on into TV.
    Tex Ritter was both a pistilero and a singer. Tex rode and shot at crooks. Then he would dismount his horse, pick up his guitar and sing a song.  Tex dropped-out of the University of Texas law school to become a movie Cowboy. He once put on a show in Woodbury, Kentucky (Butler County). His total gate was $80.00. Tex died in 1974; he was 69.
    Tom Mix was both a radio cowboy and movie idol of his day. Tom Mix died in a Boston supper club fire in 1945. He kept going back into the club rescuing people. The last time he went in, he never came out alive.
    One of the least known Cowboy singers was Red River Dance (Dave McEnery). The only reason I mention him is that Dave once chained himself to a piano, and wrote 52 songs in 12 hours-while on the air at WOAI San Antonio, Texas. 
    Once a cowboy band rode horseback from Las Angeles to New York- 3,975 miles. Would you believe SADDLE SORES? Ouch! B-Movie cowboys never smoked or drank. Roy Rogers was a 3-pack smoker; he never drank. Gene Autry didn’t smoke, but at one time he had a drinking problem.  Charles Starret (A.K.A. The Durango Kid) was a popular B-movie cowboy. He didn’t come to Hollywood to make money. He had money. Charles was an heir apparent to the Starret. Tool Fortune of Boston mass.
 Don’t grab a hot branding iron by the wrong end.
                    Kindest regards…..