The Muscatine Journal from Muscatine, Iowa • 82

CLASSIC IMAGES, NO. 73 PAGE 8 forgotten cowboys by george a. katchmer After almost a year of trying to find the identity of Cheyenne Bill (nee Harry William McKechnie), the thought occurred to me that there were so many unknown and forgotten cowboys and cowgirls that somthing should be done to revive their memories. Most of the old silent screen western fans remember so vividly the popular stars like Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Fred Thomson, Jack Hoxie, Bob Steele, Lefty Flynn, Tom Tyler, William Desmond, Harry Carey, Art Acord, Pete Morrison and many more. However, how many remember Curley Weitzel, George Gebhart, Walt Coburn, Red Wing, Mona Darkfeather and others of the early teens and into the twenties? I have been researching for months and have enlisted the aid of pen-pals and old western fans and historians such as Nick Nicholls, George Gersich and especially Bill McDowelll, former publisher of Cinema Trails.

They have been very helpful. Of course, this is in no measure a small task as you try to research almost 100 names. I realize that some names will be omitted, and that we may be wrong in some of our facts. Some of the information may come from a hazy memory. If our facts are wrong, we apologize and hope to get verifying evidence.

Also, some of the information is very sketchy, perhaps one sentence; but it is the only information available. We ask any old time western fan to set us straight and to add names to this list by writing to me. Any additional information can be used by CLASSIC IMAGES as filler material. The hardest part of the research is finding any information on the cowgirls of the silent era. Reference books will seldom list any westerns the star may have made and refer only to the society melodramas in which they may have made an appearance.

In many cases this was true of the male stars. It seems as though a western was a social stigma to avoid mentioning to protect the star from disgrace. The more I research, the more actors unfold, so I will stop before I have a complete volume. A note of explanation before going on to the stars. In every research source I used, the punctuation was different in listing dates, films, by using periods, commas, colons and semi-colons.

So in writing about the stars' data I am going more for the comma, right or wrong. The first name will be the baptismal name. In parentheses will be the film name or names. Victor Adamson: (Denver Dixon, Art Mix) Screen, vaudeville, director and producer. Born in Kansas City, MO.

in 1890 and died of a heart attack in Holly wood, CA. on Nov. 9 1972. First screen appearance was in Birth of a Nation, then Squaw Main, The Lone Rider, 1922, Sagebrush Politics, etc. In sound movies he appeared in some Gene Autry musical westerns, He went into Denver Dixon Productions and starred.

Bob Roberts and George Kesterson in Art Mix westerns. In his early westerns, Adamson used the name Art James and was quite adept with the bullwhip. Rex I L. Baker: Snowy was born in Sydney, Australia in 1885. Most of his pictures were made in that country.

Since age 11 he was an all-around athlete in swimming, 1 diving, running, boxing, fencing, rowing and football. He toured the world studying the latest methods of physical culture. He represented Australia in the Olympics. Baker toured the Orpheum Circuit as a headliner. As a producer and star he appeared in a series of stunt pictures in Australia and America.

Charles Bartlett: Bartlett appeared in early Bison films with Mona Darkfeather in such two of 1912 The Massacre of Sante Fe Trail, A Red Mon's Love and Kalem's one-reeler, The Brave. John Balas Belasco (Bob Curwood) Born in Romania March 17, 1899, Curwood entered pictures in 1916. Bob starred in a series of two-reelers for Universal titled: Shunt Cowboy, Riding Wild, Lone Rider, Boss of the Rancho, The Secret Outlaw, Romeo of the Range, etc. His career came to an end in 1929. He then formed his own company released through 1 the Darmour ba starred 1933.

After this he did a few roles name of Gene Alsace. He changed his name to Buck Coburn for one starring role in Gunsmoke over the Guadalupe, a Willis Kent release of 1935. He then reverted back to Gene Alsace and finally switched to Rocky Camron. disappeared as though swallowed up. He had made Dangerous eight features for his own company: The Looters, Double, Hidden Money, etc.

Louis Bennis: He was born 1804 and died 1926. Louis made a series of one- and two-reelers from Betzwood Pictures, Goldwyn Distribution Co. Earlier he worked for Lubin. He committed suicide by jumping from a New York skyscraper. A couple of his features were Sandy Burke of the Bar U.

Speedie Meade. Borris Bullock (Kit Carson, William Barrymore) There may be some conflicting information here but all my informants told me Bullock was Carson and Barrymore. As Bullock he made eight westerns from 1925 to 1928 acting as a villain or supporting star. As Carson he starred in seven westerns from 1925 to 1927: Cowboy Courage, Riding Wild, Walloping Kid, Pony Express As William Barrymore, the obituary sent to me by Bill McDowell states, he worked with such stars as Joan Crawford, John Carradine, Douglas, Fairbanks, etc. George Gersich informs me that his obituary copy stated that he played in 40 westerns.

The AFT book records seven action melodramas from 1926 to 1929. In El Camino he founded the Mia Mesa Village Players in 1977. He was a member of the Toastmasters and Kiwanis Clubs in Oceanside, CA. He died April 25, 1979 and is survived by his wife, Marie three sons, one daughter, one step-son, one step-daughter and six grandchildren. He was 79 years old.

Cremated. Bullock was a native of Russia which gave him a heavy accent not suitable for sound westerns. Fred Burns: Fred was born in Montana, 1878, and died in 1955 at age 77. He appeared with the Buffalo Bill Show and the 101 Ranch Show, then came to Holly wod in 1916. He starred in one- and two from Selig, Sierra and others.

He turned villain for several pictures after which he went into feature westerns as a supporting star and lasted well into the sound era. He often played a grayhaired sheriff, a ranch hand or pal of the hero. He played a sheriff in the 1924 Breed of the Border. He appeared in 23 pictures from 1921 to 1930. Clarence 1 V.

"Fargo" Bussey: Clarence was a western star in the teens. Nothing could be unearthed about those westerns but I do have a portrait still of Bussey. He was very active on the rodeo circuit as a champaion trick rider around 1922. He once owned a western street in Newhall, CA. which was.

used as location for many westerns. An active polo player in the late "20s he also doubled for a number of western stars. Bud (Leland) Buster: Born June 1, 1891, he died Dec. 22, 1965. Bud Buster was an early leading man from 1909 to 1915.

He left and returned to the screen in 1934 as a villain and comic in such films as Covered Wagon Trail, The Old Chisholm Trait, etc. Cane Camron (Gene Alsace, Buck Coburn and Rocky Camron) Date of birth unknown. Died June 16, 1967. He first worked i in films Kid Canfield: Apparently he wasn't a western star but a celebrity used in at least one film. The AFS book refers to the one picture he made in 1922 for E.

R. Champion Distributing Co. as Kid Canfield, The Reformed Gambler with Kid Canfield, C. Williams, Mrs. Sharkey.

This was a western drama "exposing the evil art of gambling by Kid Canfield and lectured en by Kid Canfield." Apparently Kid Canfield was a reformed gambler 'making a semidocumentary film. Dick Carter (Bill Mix) No information could be found on Carter outside of his movies. He made six westerns in 1924, and '26 as Dick Carter before taking the name of Bill Mix and produced his own pictures: Pioneers of the West, Let Him Buck, Reckless Riding Bill, Ranger Bill, Battling Bill, The Golden Trail. As Bill Mix I found only one title: Riding Bill. AFI book states to look for Bill Mix productions but I couldn't find them.

George Chandler: Born 1902 and still living today. George Chandler made a series of two-reel comedy. westerns in the mid-twenties. Later he became a supporting star of movies and TV. In his two-reel series he imitated Buster Keaton with the flat hat and wool chaps.

He was expressionless. He appeared in countless sound movies, the last one in 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain. George Chesebro: He died in 1959 at age 71. Most movie fans remember Chesebro as a villain or one of the bad guys of the sound westerns, but he started his career in the '20s as a leading man in such films as The Recoil, Blind Circumstances, Diamond Carlisle, The Love of Service, The Hate Trail, The Menancing Past and the serial with Juanita Hansen, The Jungle Princess. (Also The Lost City renamed.) Fred Church (Montana Bill) A pioneer performer in motion pictures was Fred Church who went from dramatic pictures into westerns where he made a name for himself prior to WWI.

Born in Quebec, Canada in 1889. Most western fans are familiar with Fred Church and his popularity as a star up into the '20s in serials and features. However, from the mid-twenties, Church was getting older and losing his popularity. To continue his career, he changed his name to Montana Bill and made six pictures from 1928 to 1930 when he retired. Riders of Vengeance, Secrets of the Range, Trails of Treachery, Cowboy Cavalier, Lure of the Mine and Rough and Ready.

Leonard Clapman (Tom London) He was born on Aug. 24, 1893 in Louisvile KY. and died Dec. 5, 1963. A versatile actor in comedies melodramas and especially westerns, and outdoor films.

His first picture was The Great Train Robbery in 1903. Tom appeared in well over 100 movies, shorts and features. In the mid-twenties he made a series of Red Rider, Royal Canadian Mounted Police two-reelers with Virginia Browne Faire. Feature samplings for Tom London were Under Northern Lights, Code of the North. He supported almost every western star, silent and sound.

A great actor. Gordon Clifford: Gordon was active as late as 1935 when he appeared with John Wayne in Paradise Canyon. He made three western melodramas in 1925 and three in 1926, as a stuntman under the Barton The Fighting Gob, The Wildcat, etc. William Clifford: Born 1878, died Dec. 23, 1941, Los Angeles, CA.

Clifford made a variety of films. He was a stage and screen star. Films, 1913, Sheridan's Ride, 1916, The Hidden Law, 1918, A Man of Honor, 1923, Ashes of Vengeance. Walt Coburn: Walt was known as the western poet and entered films in 1915 as the star of The Golden Goddess produced by Great Western Film Co. He later had a small role in Eddie Polo's Universal serial The Bull's Eye.

He then followed with a series of 12 two-reelers released by the Clark-Cornelius Co. in 1920. Among some of the titles were: The Jaguar's Trail, Desert Mystery, Forbidden Soil, The Heart of a Man, The Last Shot, Mon of Mystery and While Tending My Horses. George Connors. (Buck Connors) George was a rider, producer and actor.

Around 1917, he was with the Albuquerque Film Co. where he appeared in a few films with Dot Farley. During the twenties he supported a lot of, the Universal stars and appeared in a number of Jack.