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Wild Western Classics

Welcome to Wild Western Classics, showcasing western actors and characters who brought the west to life
on our TV's and in western movies.

Wild West Heroes-We Just Don't Have 'Em Like This Anymore!

Wild West Heroes

Featured Wild West Blog Article

on May 24, 09 at 05:48 PM

William Boyd - Hopalong CassidyWilliam Lawrence Boyd was born in Hendrysburg, Ohio, on June 5, 1895, but spent much of his youth i n Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In 1918, Boyd traveled to Hollywood, where he became famous in silent movies. By the end of the 1920s, Boyd was without an acting contract and his career was deteriorating.
 
 Boyd's break as a western actor came in 1935, when he was offered the lead role in the western movie Hopalong Cassidy. The original Hopalong Cassidy western character was cast as a whisky-guzzling wild west wrangler but Boyd changed the character to a western cowboy hero who did not smoke, drink or swear and who always let the bad guy start the fight.

Over the years, William Boyd and his version of the Hopalong Cassidy western character became one and he gained lasting fame because of it. Boyd purchase

John Wayne - "Duke"

 

John Wayne - "Duke"The name John Wayne is synonymous with tough cowboy, and it shows in the success he had with western films. He holds the record for most leading roles at 142, leaving only 11 films in which he was not the leading man.

Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26th 1907 in Winterset, Iowa and died on June 11th 1979 in Los Angeles, CA from  lung and stomach cancer.

 

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean.

It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands.

It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.” --John Wayne

A Biography of John Wayne

John Wayne Photos

Clayton Moore - "The Lone Ranger"

 

The Lone Ranger Star on Walk of FameClayton Moore was born on September 14, 1914 and spent his younger years in Illinois, where, at the age of eight, he became a circus acrobat.

Clayton Moore is the only star to have his real name and his character name placed on his star in the Hollywood walk of fame. . . read more

Roy Rogers - "King of Cowboys"

 

Roy Rogers - "King of Cowboys"Roy Rogers was a member of the Sons of the Pioneers, a western musical group with Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer. In 1937 he went solo and by 1938 he starred in his first western movie "Under Western Stars". He is also known as "The King of the Cowboys".
Roy Rogers was born  Leonard Franklin Slye on November 5th, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio and died July 6th, 1998 in Apple Valley, California of congestive heart failure.  . . . read more

Gene Autry - "The Singing Cowboy"

 

Gene Autry - "The Singing Cowboy"In addition to writing and recording hundreds of songs, Gene Autry appeared in 93 movies and starred in 91 television productions. Gene Autry was considered to be the most popular Western film actor.

GeneAutry.com

 

Centennial: The Complete Series

Release Date: 2008-07-29
Amazon Price: $23.99
List Price: $59.98

The Wild Wild West - The Complete First Season

Release Date: 2006-06-06
Amazon Price: $21.88
List Price: $39.98

The Wild West Comes Into Our Homes

  • The western TV series "Rawhide" aired from 1959 to 1966.
  • The blockbuster western hit "Gunsmoke" premiered on CBS in September 1955 and ended its run September 1975. Gunsmoke was the longest running dramatic western series in the history of television.
  • The TV western "Wyatt Earp", starring Hugh O'Brian, ran for 266 30-minute episodes from 1955 to 1961.
  • The western classic "Rifleman", starring Chuck Connors, was released in 1958 and ended in 1963.
  • Ben Cartwright and his sons shared a special place in many homes from 1959 to 1973.  "Bonanza" was the first TV western to be filmed in color.

Wild West Trivia

  • In the western classic movie "The Ghost of Zorro" Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) played Ken Mason, the grandson of Zorro.
  • During the filming of "Green Berets" in 1968, John Wayne was presented with a brass bracelet by a Vietnamese group who were fierce fighters against communism. He wore the bracelet in this film and in all subsequent films.
  • Actually theme songs for other familiar television series were introduced on "Bonanza" including, "Little House On The Prairie" and "The High Chaparral".
  • The Lone Ranger was a Texas Ranger. He and five others were riding along and they were ambushed by a gang of outlaws and all were killed but him. He wears the mask so that they do not recognize him.
  • John Wayne, as a kid,  never went to school or anywhere else without his huge Airedale dog, Duke. A local fireman  began calling him "Little Duke" and he certainly preferred that over Marion.   "Duke" was a nickname that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

    • by Archie Leach

    Can you ever forget the western movie, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?" Here is the one picture that teams up Lee Van Cleef, and Clint Eastwood. But let us not forget Ennio Moricone. To be sure t...More>
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    Happy Trails To You

    If you have ever watched Roy Rogers on TV, you can never forget this song that he and Dale sang together at the end of each show.

    Lyrics to "Happy Trails"
    by Dale Evans Rogers

    Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
    Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
    Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
    Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
    Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

    Some trails are happy ones,
    Others are blue.
    It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
    Here's a happy one for you.

    Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
    Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
    Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
    Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

    Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

    by Jason Daniel Baker

    Rio Bravo (1959) Starring John Wayne, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Claude Akins, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, John Russell, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Estelita Rodriguez, Malcolm Atterbury,...More>
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    Comments (1 to 10 of 12)

    Linda Ann Nickerson
    Sep 23, 09 at 02:07 PM
    Nice zone! Just linked to this from ON HORSES: THE MANE COURSE, my Helium zone for horse lovers.
    Ethel Smith
    May 14, 09 at 08:41 PM
    Just popped back :)
    Melissa R. Bickel
    Mar 27, 09 at 04:33 PM
    I liked Hondo, but I was a bit disappointed. While it followed the book per say, the book was far better. I get these definite opinions of characters and scenarios and when they don't play out in movie, as they do in the book, it's a huge let down for me. I don't think John Wayne was the best choice for the character Hondo. I mean he had the swagger and all but Hondo seemed like more of a wide shouldered, beefy man to me. John Wayne was in his element during those years though. Now the Sackett's that's another story. I loved the movie versions just as much as the books. Could be Sam Elliot played his role well :) I'll take into consideration your offer as this subject of western writers is a fav of mine. I preferred John Wayne in the Quiet Man and McClintock. Those were some great John Wayne Movies. "I leave now, no more whiskey"
    Ken Bradford
    Mar 27, 09 at 01:36 AM
    Hi Melissa and thanks for stopping by and by the way, you have good tastes. Louis L'Amour was known as "America's Storyteller". He wrote some 100 books and you're absolutely right, some 45 of his books were adaptations for movies. The most memorable movie to me is "Hondo", starring John Wayne. I just wanted to focus on the actualy stars and characters who appeared in western TV and movies. If you would like to become an editor here, you could start a section on western writers.
    Melissa R. Bickel
    Mar 27, 09 at 12:54 AM
    Ken, what about Louis Lamour? (sp) I love love his books and a few of his have been made into westerns. They might not be considered classics, but they he's one of the best western writers in my opinion.
    Ken Bradford
    Mar 27, 09 at 12:44 AM
    Howdy Sheila, Thanks for comin' by the ole' ranch house. Your zone almost made be bust my briches! I linked right back to ya.
    Sheila Watson Kraklow
    Mar 26, 09 at 07:04 PM
    http://www.helium.com/zone/1848-the-chuck-wagon-old-west-cookin- Hey pard'ner! Have a look at thsi zone for chuck wagon cookin! I enjoyed your zone, gitty-up!
    Uncle George
    Mar 26, 09 at 03:59 PM
    Hi Ken Have just joined Helium. Its Ethel's hubby. However just finding my way around at the mo
    Ken Bradford
    Mar 26, 09 at 02:32 PM
    Thanks Sarah and I know that probably the only person you recognize in this entire zone is Clint Eastwood. I'm having to really dig to get the scoop on some of them. Sure could use an editor or two.
    Sarah Bedrick
    Mar 26, 09 at 01:37 PM
    Hey Ken, Great Zone! Complete guide to Western classics.

    Zone Manager

    Helium member since Oct 16, 07
    Company:
    Life's New Beginnings,...
    Title:
    Co-Founder
    Number of Zones: 5

    Wild West Blog Archive

    Clint Eastwood - King of Spaghetti Westerns

    Clint Eastwood's debut western performance was the hit series "Rawhide", and he was notorious for his roles as "The Man With No Name" in the spaghetti-western series by Sergio Leone.

    Clint Eastwood Biography

    The Sergio Leone Anthology (A Fistful Of Dollars / For A Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad And The Ugly / Duck, You Sucker)

    Release Date: 2007-06-05
    Amazon Price: $31.99
    List Price: $59.98

    The Spaghetti West - An IFC Original Documentary

    Release Date: 2007-06-26
    Amazon Price: $13.02
    List Price: $26.95

    Joe Kidd

    Release Date: 1998-08-18
    Amazon Price: $4.11
    List Price: $9.99

    by Matthew Adams

    Western films, as described by AFI, are set in the American west and embody the spirit, the struggle and demise of the new frontier. This definition is something that lies at the heart of western film...More>
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    by Ticia

    I love a lazy Saturday afternoon when I can sit down and enjoy some episodes of Bonanza. When I was a little girl it was a big deal for my family to gather around the living room and watch Bonanza on...More>
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    by Bobby Coles

    A Fistful of Dollars is arguably one of Clint Eastwood's finest movies. This western features Clint at his toughest, as he attempts to save a town that is fearing for its safety. With the town ablaze ...More>
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    Wild Western Classics DVD Collection

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    Western Links

    • "Welcome to The Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum. We've had a lifetime of Happy Trails full of love, laughter, and sometimes sorrow. ...
    • Hollywood Museums: a look at the top notch museum of Western Heritage (in Los Angeles) created by singing cowboy Gene Autry.
    • Wild Western Classics features movie descriptions, actor and character biographies, historical facts, and also trivia to test your knowledge of the old ...
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    "A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi Yo Silver!" . "Hi Yo Silver, away!"  With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early west.  Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  The Lone Ranger rides again!"

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