OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7

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IN THIS ISSUE PageThe Written Record Shapes All – But It’s Going Away...................................................................................................3Show Dealer Spotlight: Charlie Smith ..............................................................................................................................4Linda’s Feed Bag: Thai Seafood Soup by Robin Ireland .................................................................................................8Empty Saddle .....................................................................................................................................................................9A Little Cowboy Poetry: by Bob Frost ...........................................................................................................................10Barbara Louise Schmitt ...................................................................................................................................................12From Our Readers ...........................................................................................................................................................13The Last of the B-Western Museums .............................................................................................................................14Reel Cowboys of Western Cinema: John Wayne............................................................................................................16Upcoming Events ............................................................................................................................................................24Cover Photo by Myron Beck ©2013 – www.myronbeck.com

Smoke Signals

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1The 1955 movie, Smoke Signal, wasfilmed on the Hauer Ranch on the

Colorado River near Moab Utah. It was amajor production with a fort and the riverplaying important roles in the film.

Thank you John Hauer for this interestinginformation.

2Anywhere an outlaw rode to avoidbeing seen was know as an Owl Hoot

Trail. An owl hoots at night, so “owl hoottrail” implies that the folks who traveledthere tended to do so under cover ofdarkness. “He rides where the owl hoots.”

3A type of long quirt, or Romal(Pronounced ro-MAHL), is usually

made of leather or rawhide and attachedto the middle of a set of closed reins.About four to five feet long, the Romal isnot designed for striking the horse, butrather to assist in moving cattle.

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OCTOBER 2013

We talk about future generations embracing the Western Americana world but I thinkit's important for everyone to really think about what's ahead and our challenges as a group.

The Written Record Shapes All – But It’s Going Away...By Jayne Skeff

In this country, there is likely noother group as passionate about thehistory behind antiques andartifacts, than those who havechosen to embrace the rich WesternAmerican heritage. You love it andyou live it. You read extensivelyand provenance is deeply respectedif not, in fact, demanded. It’s aboutwhat still exists today that wascreated by those brave undauntedindividuals who came before. Nowconsider that having the historicalknowledge with provenance forwhat remains and how that fuelsmore value for those pieces. It’s thewritten word, the written journals,the signatures, the notes, scraps ofold paper with quickly jottedwritings. These are the foundations that fuel ourpassion, sustain and increase the value, and enrichthe history.

The importance of the written word really hit homeback in June when PBS aired an encore presentationof Ken Burns, The Voyage of the Corps of Discovery,two-part series tracing the four year journey andexploration of Lewis and Clark into the unchartedWest. Throughout the four hours, original pages ofthe writings in the journals of Meriwether Lewis andWilliam Clark and many in their party, were visual onthe TV screen to read. By seeing their written wordsand reading them, it gave a deeper and personalcontact with the incredible experiences they had.

They key word here is written. Written in cursive isexactly how the majority of important historicdocuments were created and recorded today. Theywere NOT printed in block letters, they were writtenin cursive.

We take it for granted and read these originaldocuments furiously to gain more knowledge andlearn about the antiques and artifacts we hold in ourhands and the people that came before. A quickjourney into any archives, through Google or anactual brick and mortar library, finds historicdocuments are cursively written. But what if readingand writing cursive no longer existed? Sounds crazybut that’s what’s coming down the pike so to speak.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, cursive writing,and consequently cursive reading, is no longer beingtaught in many schools. American children, overall,are not learning to read or write cursively any longer.The ramifications of this are daunting. When we areall together at the High Noon Show and Auction orjust chatting on the phone, an underlying mission forall of us is at our core — that the history and thelegacy of the American West live on and growstronger. But how will this happen for generations tocome?

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Smoke SignalsThe Written Record continued from page 3

Think about something as basic as the originalDeclaration of Independence. It’s entirely written incursive. Whatwill the phraseI need yourJohn Hancockmean togenerations tocome? Will they even be able to read the signaturesof John Hancock or for that matter, discern thesignatures of artists like Frederic Remington andCharles Russell? How will they be able to read therich journals of Lewis and Clark or the desperatewritings of the Donner Party. How will they readand interpret the land grants that settled the West orGold Rush documents that resulted in thedevelopment of San Francisco?

Riding the train recently from Chicago to Milwaukee,I had the opportunity to sit next to an elementaryschool teacher who was on her way to a specialseminar at the Marquette School of Engineering. Theweek-long seminar was about teaching children in2014 because it’s a whole new ball game now. Iasked her about the long-term affects of eliminatingcursive education from the schools. To be honest,she hadn’t really considered it. It may not have anyaffect in some areas but it will have a devastatingaffect on their education and understanding ofhistory reaching back centuries if not thousands ofyears. We chatted a bit about this and her responsewas that it will all eventually be translated intoprinted text.

The information will remain but the ability to touchand feel and connect with those that came before uswill be lost. Reading those journals of Lewis andClark will be Greek to them.

Provenance and history is not only just theinformation and the facts, but the genuine archivesand historic documents that remain that we thirst forand cherish.

Our mission in the pursuit to sustain and increasethe rich and wild history of the American West justgot tougher.

Charlie SmithBy Jayne Skeff

From cook tocowboy to collectorto letrbuck on eBay,this gentleman hasleft no saddleunturned in hisamazing life.

Well, this was a wildride through the lifeand times of CharlieSmith. It’s not oftenafter a long phoneinterview that youhang up the phonemore energized thanwhen you dialed thenumber to start.Infectious laughter,long contemplativepauses and numeroussidebar stories [manyabout Linda and

Joseph]… we’ll begin when he was just 15 living inOrange County, California.

He jumps right in with saying, “I ran away fromhome when I was 15. My family was into somereligious trip that wasn’t for me.” Right here, youcan see that this young man had a mind of his ownthat would set the tone for a life yet to unfold.

“I worked as a line cook for several years until 1972when I came home from work one evening and myroommate was packing up and moving out. ‘Whereare you going?’ I asked and he said, ‘my uncle has a

HIGH NOON

SHOWDEALERSPOTLIGHT

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ranch in Utah and needs a ranch hand so I’m goingto Utah tomorrow.’” Being a cowboy had alwaysbeen Charlie’s dream and his roommate wasn’t goingwithout him. They picked up the phone, called hisuncle who said Charlie could come too and that wasthat. Charlie went from cook to cowboy overnight.

Now he had no idea what he was doing when he gotthere but he didn’t care. He learned quickly from theyoung teenage ranch hands, who showed him theropes and a few days later he was wrangling horses.“It was a beautiful ranch in the mountains,” he recalls.“Then they discovered I could cook so I became thecook for the crew as well.” Charlie worked on thisranch for the next few years until the opportunity towork on a ranch in Montana came up and off hewent, then on to Oregon in 1976 to work with a largecattle and wheat operation. Yup, Charlie had becomea professional cowboy and loved the life. But, it wasalong the way, that he became fascinated withantique tack. He began reading furiously and learningeverything he could about it. He recalls at the time,that The Maine Antique Digest and the AntiqueTrader were his favorite publications and would readthem cover to cover when his subscription arrived. Italso made him wonder, “Who were these peoplebuying and selling and collecting across the country?”And within short order, he jumped in. By now, hehad amassed quite a collection of his own anddecided he would run some ads and see whathappened.

Well, what happened next was Charlie the Cowboybecame Charlie the Antiques Dealer. This was alsowhen he met his wife Karla whom he married in1977. Together, they became quite an unstoppableteam. He credits Karla with being instrumental indeveloping their business. She was an amazinglytalented sewer who could create jackets and coatsfrom Indian blankets and Pendleton blankets the likesof which no one had seen. She was also able toexpertly repair Navajo blankets.

So now business is thriving and Charlie is buying and selling his Western antiques with customersacross the country and several in Europe which reallysurprised him.

He pauses to interject a sidebar here that, even on thephone, you can see and feel his excitement and hispride in relaying the story. “I have to tell you that in1980, my daughter Karlie was born. In 1998, whenshe went to college, she was awarded the very firstNBSSCA Scholarship! We were so proud and soexcited. What most don’t know is she went on tobecome a Loan Officer with the Oregon Departmentof Agriculture, the position she still holds today. She’shelping farmers and ranchers and that makes me feelreally good.”

Okay, back to Charlie and it’s 1984. He his buyingand selling furiously at gun shows and antique showsnumbering about 40 a year and crisscrossing thecountry. It was about this time that he was at a gunshow in Los Angeles where he was scheduled tomeet with one of his Texas customers, Paul Stuckey.Charlie had several bridles and horsehair belts that hehoped to sell him. He sold Stuckey about six andthen Linda and Joseph showed up. Linda took one ofthe belts, which Charlie recalls he figured he wouldnever sell because it was so big, and wrapped itaround her waist twice – it fit perfect and she boughtit. This belt would become more interesting as timewent on so follow me here.

Now Charlie is back in Tacoma, WA, home to a ratherrenowned glass artist name Dale Chihuly who was anavid collector of Indian blankets and Charlie had soldhim several. Then he asked him to find a particularhorsehair belt that he was looking for and Charlieknew it was exactly like the one he had sold to LindaSherwood back in 1984. But he couldn’t find anotherone but Chihuly got the belt he wanted when Lindagot wind he was looking for the one she had. Charlieremembers this with a great laugh. Chihuly got thebelt, Linda got Chihuly glass, which he’s quite sureshe still has and “I got nothing…much less any pieceof Chihuly glass.” But what he did get from this wasgreat memories of how his life-long friendship withLinda and Joseph and the High Noon family came tobe. (Yes, Charlie, Linda & Joseph still have the pieceof Chihuly glass in their home!)

Now, back to Charlie and his ever-broadeningantiques business. He found crisscrossing the country

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Smoke SignalsHIGH NOON

Chuck Stormes

doing shows to be exhausting and decided instead, tojump into renting space at antique malls throughoutthe Northwest. He had mall spaces in Idaho,Washington and Oregon and burned through severaltrucks over the next several years managing andworking his businesses. But that wasn’t enough. Healso had this idea to create a catalog of his collectionthat he would send, 4 times a year, to his customers.Now, before the ease of computers, he and Karla andhis daughter, would painstakingly take photos ofeverything with their Polaroid, type the copy up,paste the photos down, Xerox the copies, pay hisdaughter 1¢ for each stamp she licked, and mailedthem off the old fashioned way. This had a hugeimpact on his already thriving business. Now,between catalogs and antique malls throughout theNorthwest, you wouldn’t think Charlie had muchspare time for anything else but then again, you haveto know Charlie.

“In 1990, I startedworking withphotographerDavid Stoecklein.”Together, Charlieand Dave createdand published amagnificent 228-page, full-colordocumentary book

entitled Cowboy Gear: A Photographic Portrayal of theEarly Cowboys and Their Equipment. To date, Charlieestimates over 20,000 copies have been sold. “Thiswas an amazing project to work on,” he recalls. “Wewere on location for several months shooting realcowboys using my antique tack gear.” It was my jobto make sure this antique gear held together whichwasn’t always easy plus trying to get these realcowboys to be delicate with the tack. In the end, wecaptured the true cowboys that settled the West intrue form.” This book is still being published, a trulyrich and beautiful journey back in time.

Okay, now what? – Well, there’s more. So now it’sabout 2000, and antique malls aren’t doing thebusiness they used to and Charlie is at an antiqueshow in Idaho and he keeps hearing the otherdealers whispering “eBay.” “I’d heard of it but didn’t

really want to get involved. But I came back anddipped my toe in the eBay water just to get it wet.Uhm, well, I quickly saw that my PayPal account wasbecoming quite active. So I put more up for sale andsold more, and more, and more. Once I realized whatthis was really about, my opportunity to get off thewild road and take things down a notch wasapparent.” Charlie dove into eBay big time and now,if you go onto eBay and search for letrbuck you willbe linked to Charlie’s page where he is noted as a topeBay seller with $1 million sold since he “dipped histoe in the water.”

And that’s where he is now. He’s relaxing a bit more,enjoying his family, still collecting and sellingfuriously but now from the comfort of his lovelyhome in Washington. He had to admit at the end, he’s even now gotten to where he can buy, takephotos and post it on eBay right from his phone. Headmits he can’t believe this ol’ cowboy can do this –but he’s doing it and loves it.

As for the High Noon Antique Shows, Charlie was atthe very first one and was a fixture for the next 20years. One closing funny story he recalls was the veryfirst High Noon Show and Auction. He remembers itwas held in a small hotel in Phoenix. He had flown inand was waiting for a cab outside the airport whenhe saw Linda and Joseph frantic on the curb withluggage containing all of the auction items, strewneverywhere, as the car that was scheduled to pickthem up had never shown up. Well, it eventuallyshowed up and they all got through the first showand auction together, but it was “a bit cramped,” hesays with a smile. Okay, one very last story he had toshare was year two of High Noon. “They had movedit to a hotel in Scottsdale called the Safari. I’m sure it’sbeen demolished by now. I remember my wife and Iwere in our room the first night and it started to pourrain. The hotel roof began to leak and water camepouring through onto our bed. The next year theymoved it to Mesa and then it became the real dealand still is today.”

Thank you, Charlie, for sharing your story of being acowboy and cowboy trader, from the road to themalls to the internet, with all the miles in-between.

SHO

W D

EALE

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OCTOBER 2013

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Smoke Signals

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients:8 cups good-tasting fish or chicken stock 12 medium raw shrimp, shells removedOther seafood of your choice: fresh mussels, scallops,crab, or sliced fish fillet (up to 1 handful of each) 1 stalk minced lemongrass*, OR 2.5 to 3 Tbsp. frozen,bottled or tube prepared lemongrass (or seesubstitutions list)2 kaffir lime leaves* Zest from 1 small lemon4 cloves garlic, minced1 tsp. galangal OR ginger, grated1-2 sliced red chilies OR 1-2 tsp. Thai chili sauce* 8 oz of fresh sliced mushrooms1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips1 medium tomato, cut into thin strips1 baby bok choy1 handful of bean sprouts1/2 can (14 ounce) thick coconut milk (not “lite”)2 tbsp. fish sauce* (if you don't like the smell of fishsauce, see substitutions list below) 1 tbsp. soy sauceJuice of 1 limeJuice of 1 small lemon1 tsp. sugar1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Preparation:Pour stock, lemongrass and lime leaves in a deepsoup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.If using fresh lemongrass, also add the upper stalkpieces for extra flavor.

Add garlic, galangal/ginger, chili, and mushrooms.Reduce heat to medium and simmer 2-3 minutes, oruntil mushrooms are soft.

Add the shrimp and any other seafood you’re using,plus the tomato, carrots, bean sprouts, and baby bokchoy. Simmer over medium heat 3-4 minutes, or until

shrimp turns pink and plump and mussels haveopened. Scallops, crab, and fish should all be firm tothe touch and no longer translucent.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the coconutmilk, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime and lemon juice, andsugar. Stir well to combine and gently simmer untilhot (do not boil at this point). Taste-test the soup forsalt and spice, adding more fish sauce instead of salt,or more chili as desired. If too sour, add more sugar.If too spicy for your taste or if you’d like it creamier,add more coconut milk. If too salty, add anothersqueeze of lime juice.

Serve in bowls with fresh coriander sprinkled over.For an extra hit of flavor, you can also add some Thaichili sauce.

Substitutions that Work: If you can’t find lemongrass: try 3 slices fresh lemon(boil in the soup)Instead of kaffir lime leaves: use zest from 1 limeFor chili: 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper OR driedcrushed chili (chili flakes)If you don’t like the smell of fish sauce: 1/2 tsp. darksoy sauce + 1 tbsp. regular soy sauce

Thai Seafood Soup (Tom Yum Talay)After a recent fishing trip I was faced with preparing the fish I caught (since I’m notcrazy about fish it was a challenge). I ran across this recipe for Tom Yum Talay, whichis a favorite of mine. After filleting the fish, I used the rest to create a delicious fishstock that once strained became the base for this delicious soup. —Robin Ireland

Linda’s Fd Bag

HIGH NOON

HIGH NOONHIGH NOON

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OCTOBER 2013

Casey FrazierA tragic loss for Team Nestor

and our High Noon family

Scott MorganFriend, Artist, Renaissance Man

Barbara SchmittFriend and High Noon family dealer

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Smoke Signals

A CLOSE CALL

Bullets flew by my head like thoughts in a bad dream.

The sound made the lady in the red dress scream.

I dove behind the bar as a chair flew by.

Someone yelled, “Today’s a good day for you to die.”

The whole thing started about ten years or so ago.

I had been working on a ranch in southern Idaho.

One of the wranglers was this beautiful girl.

And, being young, I thought I’d give her a whirl.

She happened to be the boss man’s pride and joy.

How was I to know better? I wasn’t much more than a boy.

We teased and fooled around and such.

I could tell she was beginning to like me a bunch.

She was as hard working as she was good looking.

She also showed off her skills at southern cooking.

Her hair was softer than fresh-combed sorrel mane.

And her lips were sweeter than a bite of sugar cane.

Her touch was softer than the wing of a dove.

Oh, I guess you would have to say we fell in love.

But, I was a greenhorn at the whole scary love thing.

And, where was I going to get the money to buy a ring?

I decided to talk with my best pal Dan McPrice about it.

I called him over one day and asked him to sit a bit.

I told him what was going on and that it was great fun.

He said, “Boy, if I were you I’d get my stuff and run.”

He explained to me that girls grow up to be women.

HIGH NOON

� A LITTLE COWBOY POETRY By Bob Frost, Scottsdale Arizona’s Poet Laureate

OCTOBER 2013

A CLOSE CALL, continued

That their pretty smile turns out to be sour as a lemon.

They will argue, nag and drive you insane.

Your carefree life will never ever be the same.

I worried and thought on it a really long spell.

My head spun and my brain began to swell.

What could I do? What could I possibly say?

That cold night haunts me even to this day.

I decided to take Dan’s advice and skedaddle.

I left without seeing her to avoid a word battle.

I quietly walked away with my horse feeling little fear.

I looked back over my shoulder and shed a tear.

Bottles started exploding and crashing above my head

I coward in the corner figuring I’d soon be dead

Men had scattered and the place got quiet.

I was really scared and there was no way to hide it.

She walked slowly, steadily and loudly toward me.

I stood up and I could see that she was quite angry.

A very sly, narrow smile came across my face.

She stopped and must have thought, “Oh what a waste.”

I blinked and watched her walk back toward the door.

Each of her boot steps pounded on the bar room floor.

My mind danced back to that talk with Dan McPrice

And I was really glad I took his sage advice.

Bob Frostwww.bobscowboypoetry.com

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Smoke SignalsHIGH NOON

Barbara Louise Schmitt passed away on September 2nd, 2013 at the age of 78 in Jackson Hole.Here’s a photograph of us at one of our first shows when we were BOTH quite a bit younger.Mom didn’t love to be in the camera lens, and portraits were out of the question.

It’s hard to encapsulate a whole life into a few paragraphs, but I guess I’m not the first to attempt it.

On a personal level, my mom embodied the post-depression, post-war, midwestern mindset thathard work fixes everything. Although she had some great life experiences traveling the world,collecting fine objects, and attending cultural events, she maintained a forthright, direct attitudeabout life. She never wavered from the opinion that you cleaned your own house, cooked yourown meals, and solved your own problems. Barbara couldn’t stand whining, tears, or excessivetalk and had little patience for anyone with a propensity to be “maudlin.” She faced her ovariancancer with the same attitude. She never felt sorry for herself, and did not want it to be the topicof conversation, much less dwelt upon. Barbara just continued to live her life, giving the diseasevery little of her time and her thoughts, outside of being annoyed at various setbacks. Shecontinued to enjoy cooking and keeping up with Western Americana trends to the very end, andwas determined to attend shows when many in her position would have found it daunting.

As I continue forward, I will miss many things about my mom, but in particular, her declarationthat “we need a good dinner.” My mom loved well prepared food paired with good wine, and wasgenerous in sharing the experience with me and many of my friends and colleagues as we traveledthe west attending shows. There are many things we can do to honor her: donate to cancerresearch, donate to hospice care, donate to institutions supporting the preservation of westernculture. But truly, the most meaningful thing is to buy or make someone a meal. Raise a glass toher, enjoy every bite, and for God’s sake, don’t get maudlin. Easier said than done, but I’ll give it a try. – Written by daughter Mary Schmitt (info@cayusewa.com)

Barbara Schmitt, on left, with daughter Mary Schmitt

Barbara Louise Schmitt

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Shortly after the release of the July/August 2013 issueof Smoke Signals, we received a call from an artdealer in New York wanting to correct our reportingin the lead story regarding the Metropolitan Museumof Art in New York. In the story, it stated, “For thefirst time since their doors opened in 1870, TheMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York will befeaturing an exhibit of Western bronzes. Scheduled toopen December 18, 2013 and titled The AmericanWest in Bronze, 1850-1925. This exhibit will featurethe works of Remington, Russell, Fraser and Manshipto name a few, and their artistic representations of theNative American Indian, cowboys, cavalry andpioneers.”

He wanted to correct our reporting as the “MET” hadhosted an important Remington exhibit in 1989.

In fact, we are both correct. There was a Remingtonexhibit in 1989, however, this new exhibit opening inDecember 2013, will be the first time the MET hashosted an exhibit of the works of several WesternAmerican sculptors and artists, one of which isFrederic Remington. This is not a Remington-specificexhibit, but an exhibit of The American West inBronze and will be the first time a number of thesesculptors and artists will be featured at theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

On behalf of everyone at High Noon and SmokeSignals, we thank you for your input and careful eye onour reporting!

And, reader Corinne wrote:

Just to let you know we missed announcing oneaward, one of the Western Heritage Awards from theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. BillBarwick (who entertained us all at the Denver OldWest Show on Saturday) was the winner of theWRANGLER AWARD for his new CD, The UsualSuspects. He received this prestigious award at theNational Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole inApril.

Our apologies, Bill, for this omission.

From Our Readers

Can you guess who is in her photo?Photo by Nadine Levin.

High Noon is on Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_

Noon_Western_Americana

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Smoke Signals

This is the largest (over 20,000 items on display); it isdedicated to the singing cowboys and all other b-westerns from William S. Hart to Rex Allen.

In 1938, Gene Autrypurchased 1,200acres of land at therailroad stop ofBerwyn, OK. Hebuilt a large stonestructure for hisstock and apartmentfor his men. It wascalled The Flying ARodeo Ranch. Mr. Autry had a landing strip for hispersonal airplane. He flew back and forth to his homein Studio City, CA. The first Champion was purchasedand boarded here. The first pistol bits for Championwere made in Ardmore, OK, a few miles away.

The Flying a Rodeo Show would board trains inBerwyn and go east. Gene Autry’s first Madison SquareGarden rodeo livestock were from this ranch. Mr.Autry owned and managed all the rodeo stock andhired his cowboys to work the show. Of course themusic was provided by Mr. Autry.

The name of the town changed. The people ofBerwyn, Oklahoma (population 800) asked theirfamous rancher if they could use his name for theirtown. Mr. Autry agreed. He knew the town was nevergoing to be a big city, but the honor of being on aUSA map was quite an honor. On Sunday, November16, 1941 a flatbed trailer set up with radio remotebroadcasting ability for Gene to perform his MelodyRanch Show arrived at the railroad station in Berwyn,Oklahoma. It was advertised he would be here. Tourtrains from several cities and states brought people towatch Gene Autry get on his famous horse Championto rope the only sign and pull it down at the traindepot. They nailed up the new sign with the name ofthe town of Gene Autry. This was filmed by RepublicStudios. Over 30,000 people came to see the mostfamous singing cowboy to ever hit Hollywood. He wasthe top money making star of B-Westerns. He passed

out sticks of Wrigley gum, his radio and televisionsponsor for nineteen years. In recent days I havepersonally interviewed people who were there as

children and they proudlydisplayed (in a plasticbag) the gum he gavethem those many yearsago.

December 7, 1941; thisdate changed Americaforever. Republic Studios,Hollywood, Californiatold their star making the

most money that they would get him, Gene Autry, anexemption from serving in the military. Let someoneelse bleed. That is not what Gene did though. He wenton his coast to coast radio show and had a Majorswear him in as Private Gene Autry. Like a lot ofHollywood movie stars he would not take a rank. Hedid ask for two favors for his fame. He promised hisfans they would not see him without cowboy boots, sothe Army had the good sense to grant this favor aslong as Gene paid for them. He was a licensed pilot sohe wanted to fly. The Army allowed that this was noproblem. He got his wings to fly at the Love FieldAirbase. He was transferred to India to fly suppliesover the Himalaya Mountains to China Theater of war.He was discharged in 1946,

Gene completed three films for Republic Studioshonoring his contract. Then he moved to ColumbiaStudios. All of this took place in 1946.

The making of a ghost town: Gene Autry sold theFlying A Rodeo Ranch at the end of the war. He had anew rodeo partner in Texas. His name was not on it.The school in Gene Autry never had more than 115students in all twelve grades. The only sport the schoolplayed was basketball. One year a student wrote to Mr.Autry and explained to him the bad shape of theiruniforms. Yes, you are right; Mr. Autry bought theteam uniforms. He kept in contact over the years. Bythe late 1960s the school, which was built in 1938, hadits last graduation from high school. Consolidation

The Last of the B-Western MuseumsBy Ed Henderson (Cowboy Ed)

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OCTOBER 2013

closed it by the 1980s. Thetown was “long gone” – postoffice moved into the schoolbuilding. The rest of theinterior of the school wasgutted and the windowsboarded up.

Two people came to therescue. Two school teachers:he was a women basketballcoach and she was a math

teacher, had adream. ElvinSweeten and hiswife Flo took a longterm lease on theleaking old rock andplaster schoolbuilding. Theceilings were

dropped, the stucco walls were covered with wood,heating and air conditioning added, and a soundsystem was added in the old gymnasium. Flo wasraised in this town. The ranch where she grew up is afew miles away. Yes, Flo played half-court basketballwhile in school. She wanted the entire museum to be amovie memorabilia tribute to Gene Autry; of courseshe got it done. Flo and Elvin Sweeten traveled coastto coast, border to border, buying up wholecollections. Something happened though; they hadGene items, but to achieve this they literally had all theother B-Western heroes’ memorabilia items also. Someyou may never have heard of. Toys, big books, fatbooks, comics, tricycles, pistols and holsters like youhave never seen in one place. There are over 20,000items on display and over 100,000 ft. of glass. Everysinging cowboy has his own individual display area.Elvin is still adding items. We have the only full displayof all four Red Ryder movie stars. It goes on and on.

The museum is owned and operated by Elvin and FloSweeten. They want to share their love of a bygoneage with those of us who still remember it. Admissionis by donation. The museum is open February 1, 2012to November 30, 2012, Monday through Saturday,10AM to 4PM. The museum will open for specialtours.

We decided to celebrate Roy Rogers100th birthday on

his birthday, November 5th. We had seven radiostations that started in September advertising thebirthday party. Children from the local Methodistchurch youth group printed “Happy Birthday, RoyRogers” on several hundred popcorn bags. KCCURadio station furnished free sarsaparilla and popcorn.During the showing of the movie Yellow Rose of Texaschild actor, Don K. Reynolds, who was in three RoyRogers movies told of making the movie. Don, “LittleBrown Jug”, also had a studio date with Cheryl Rogers.She mentions it in her book, Cowboy Princess and alsohas a picture of the two of them. Two birthday cakes,each with Roy and Trigger in color on them, wereserved to over 300 people. At 4 PM we sang “HappyTrails,” and shed a tear and told our hero goodbye.

We have a large Roy Rogers collection of memorabilia.Elvin is continually adding to the collection.

My wife, Elizabeth and I visited the Roy RogersMuseum several times while it was located in Branson,MO. We even attended a New Year’s Party there. Therewas never a full house for Dusty’s show or themuseum itself. In fact, we were told there were dayswhen nobody visited the Museum. We were sad tohear that it had to close. We know people in our agegroup are dying fast; those that remember Roy Rogersand Gene Autry. We are the last of the B-WesternMuseums. We will not be open much longer, so comeon while you can. We offer handicap accessible access.Come share your dreams.

One of my many surprises in working as greeter at themuseum is the number of people who want to telltheir memories and have a photo taken in front of thelarge oil painting of Gene and Champion. Several timespeople (mostly women) will cry telling their love ofGene or other stars all because of seeing themdisplayed at the museum. We have had people visitfrom Europe; one was from Transylvania. The visitorstake lots of pictures and mail post cards home with theGene Autry Oklahoma postmark on it.

Those of us who remember those days when webelieved that good would prevail are dying off fast –those times of good guys always win will never beback.

Gene Autry OK Museum42 Prairie St., Gene Autry, OK 73436580-294-3047 www.geneautryokmuseum.com

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A Century of Silver Screen Heroes on HorsebackNo. 16 in the Series

By Gary Eugene Brown

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances…..”

As You Like It, William Shakespeare, Jaques Monologue, Act II.

People often wonder why their lives take a particular course resulting in theirultimate destiny. Some feel it is being at the right place at the right time; othersby creating a vision and working hard to achieve it; and there are those who areof the opinion it is mainly luck, like a spin of the roulette wheel, either by fate

or by divine appointment. Our featured player today was born in a small Midwest town. As a boy, he wasthrilled to see photoplays of his hero Tom Mix. During his youth he participated in sports and assumed studentbody officer responsibilities. After not receiving acceptance at the US Naval Academy, the young man decided hewanted to become a lawyer. However, he was going to be much, much more than your run of the mill barrister.He was destined to become an American legend. His name, known throughout the world to this day:

Born Marion Robert Morrison (at 13pounds!!) in Winterset, Iowa on May26, 1907, to the local druggist ClydeMorrison and his wife, the formerMary “Molly” Brown, a telephoneoperator. Marion was very fond of hisfather who the town folks often called“Doc.” Molly, a petite, energeticredhead, had a fiery temper whichshe would demonstrate at times, oftenaimed at “Doc.” Marion was saddenedwith the angry outbursts at homebetween his parents. A youngerbrother was born in 1912. His motherwanted to name him Robert, so theylegally changed Marion’s middlename to Mitchell. It was the first ofmany acts that indicated she favoredthe youngest son. Marion spent therest of his life trying to please hismother. Doc’s father encouraged thefamily to follow him to California.

Doc went first and brought the familyto the Mojave Desert town ofLancaster in 1914. The original intentwas for them to become farmersalong with Marion’s grandfather.However, Mitchell Morrison died andin 1916, and being tired of the heat,jack rabbits and rattlesnakes, thefamily moved to Glendale, whichoffered a much milder environment.

Doc Morrison went back to pharmacywork and Marion entered the publicschool system. At about this time, hepicked up the nickname “Duke,” thename of his large Airedale Terrier.Marion would frequent a Glendalefire station with his dog in tow, orvice versa. The local fire fightersbegan calling them both Duke. Thename stuck for life as he was not tooenamored with being called Marion.

Duke Morrison entered GlendaleHigh School in 1921. He fit in verywell and was quite popular. Dukebecame President of his Sr. Class(1925). He participated in schoolplays, was a sports writer for theschool paper and was a star guard onthe championship high schoolfootball team. Duke had a fellow

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teammate Bill Bradbury who had asmaller twin brother named Bob.Both Duke and Bill receivedacademic and athletic scholarships toplay football at USC. Bob Bradburyquit school in his junior year to followhis father out on film locations. Whowould have thought, Bill and Bob’sfather, R.N. Bradbury, later woulddirect many John Wayne B Westerns.His son, likewise, would become aleading man in B cowboy films – BobSteele. Bill Bradbury would go on tomedical school and become one ofLos Angeles’s leading gynecologists,delivering babies for the likes ofShirley Temple and Esther Williams.Hollywood was a small communityway back then!

Duke Morrison entered USC in 1925as a pre-law major. He played footballfor the legendary coach HowardJones and was shifted to a tackleposition. Duke also became afraternity member of Sigma Chi. Afamous spectator who attended theTrojan football games when in townwas the legendary, first King of theCowboys – Tom Mix. Coach Joneshad an arrangement with Tom Mix,whereby he would furnish Tom andhis entourage football tickets if Tomwould help find off-seasonemployment for his players at FoxStudios. In turn, Duke and anotherplayer received an invitation to meetTom Mix at Fox Studios. The twoyoung men were impressed with theluxury car with a TM brand on itparked out in front of his dressingroom. They went to his room andthere he was in his fancy, customcowboy outfit. Duke was hoping theywould be hired to spar with thefamous actor who boxed daily tokeep in shape. The cowboy actor,whom he admired as a boy, asked

Duke to show him how to playfootball. Duke assumed a leverageposition and the 5-foot 10-inch, 160pound, 45 year old actor would tryknocking over the 6-foot 4-inch, 180pound, 19 year old Duke. Thecowboy actor told them that he wasgetting ready to make a film inColorado and wanted them to joinhim and help him remain in topphysical condition. In the interim,Tom said he would help them findwork in the studio and introducedthem to a man in charge of hiring thefilm crews. Duke was promptly hiredas a prop man...moving furniture fromone set to another. Duke, as recordedin his unfinished biography, noted thenext time he saw Tom Mix drive intothe studio lot in “his beautifulLocomobile, I quickly put the chairdown and smiled at my benefactor,and said ‘Hello, Mr. Mix.’” However,the public’s number one cowboy stargave him “a blank look”...“that toldme my date with Colorado had justbeen broken. He didn’t remember.” Itis regretful that the super cowboy filmstar at the time, for one reason oranother would convey a who-are-youlook at the young man. However, theinitial introduction made by Tom Mixenabled young Duke Morrison toenter the studio gates and the rest ishistory. This was a pivotal moment inhis life as he soon injured hisshoulder while body surfing whichended his football career.

The tall, lithe, handsome athlete,while moving objects from one set toanother, came to the attention ofmany people including director JohnFord. Jack, as he was called backthen, had made several films by thenincluding two critically acclaimed Awesterns - The Iron Horse and 3 BadMen. The director used Duke behind

the scenes on Mother Machree (1928),where Duke met Ford stock playerVictor McLaglen who wouldeventually costar with him inmemorable films such as She Wore aYellow Ribbon (1949) and The QuietMan (1952). Ford would talk to theyoung man about his playing days onthe gridiron. Ford immediately likedDuke and would use him to assist inthree more films.

From time to time, Duke would getan occasional part as an extra in films.He even drowned in the flood in theepic Noah’s Ark (1929) which starredGeorge O’Brien, John Ford’s firstprotégée and the leading man in bothThe Iron Horse and 3 Bad Men. LikeMcLaglen, O’Brien would go on tocostar with the Duke in Ford’s FortApache (1948) and She Wore a YellowRibbon. Duke’s first film credit was inthe film Salute (1929), anotherFord/O’Brien collaboration.

1930 was a significant year in the lifeof Duke Morrison. John Ford claimedlater on that he learned that DirectorRaoul Walsh was looking for aleading man for a major “all talking”western about the Oregon Trail – TheBig Trail (1930). He suggested Walshconsider Duke for the part. Walsh hadwanted Gary Cooper for the role, butwas not able to sign him. As such, hetook a big gamble in hiring a virtuallyunknown actor (age 22) to play thelead role in a big budget, epicwestern. Walsh had been reading abiography on General “Mad Anthony”Wayne, a Revolutionary War hero andwanted to name his new leading manafter this historical character.However, Anthony sounded tooethnic, so the name John Wayne wasselected. Unfortunately, the filmwhich depicted many of the

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hardships experienced by earlypioneers was not a box office success.There were some pundits who feltthat John Wayne was responsible forthe poor showing, however, in thiswriter’s opinion, that was not thecase. Duke carried his own in the roleof Breck Coleman along with a stellarcast such as Marguerite Churchill(soon to be Mrs. George O’Brien),Tully Marshall, and an evil, downrightugly, Tyrone Power Sr. and formerUSC football player, Ward Bond. Itwas a grueling film for the cast andcrew as they had to endure the sameharsh elements of the pioneers,spending several months filming onthe actual route of the Oregon Trail.The Big Trail was far superior toJames Cruzes’ The Covered Wagon(1923), the first epic western, alsoabout the Oregon Trail.

After The Big Trail, Duke was firstcast in mostly unforgettable roles innon-westerns and then for severalyears was relegated to being acowboy hero in B westerns. WithColumbia, he was cast as a costar in aBuck Jones film and two with TimMcCoy. He then signed with Warner

Brothers in a series of routine oaters.According to The Old Corral (www.B-westerns.com), The best of the sixWarner westerns was the first film inthe series Ride Him, Cowboy (1932)and Haunted Gold (1932). Duke thensigned with the Lone Star Productionsunit at Monogram for sixteen Bwesterns beginning with Riders ofDestiny (1933). The recommendedLone Star films by The Old Corral are:Blue Steel (1934), Randy Rides Alone(1934), The Trail Beyond (1934) andThe Dawn Rider (1935). Monogrameventually merged with RepublicStudios and eight more John Waynewesterns were produced starting withWestern Ho (1935) and concludingwith Winds of the Wasteland (1936).These two films and the King of thePecos (1936) are recommended. Dukewas then loaned to Paramount forone western with Johnny MackBrown – Born to the West akaHelltown (1937) which was favorablyreviewed. Then Duke was asked toreplace Bob Livingston as StonyBrooke in the popular ThreeMesquiteers series. He made eight ofthe trio films which co-starred RayCrash Corrigan and Max AlibiTerhune, beginning with Pals of theSaddle (1938). Two recommendedfilms are: Overland Stage Raiders(1938) and Wyoming Outlaw (1939).Bob Livingston eventually returned tothe series.

John Wayne felt as though he wasgoing to spend the rest of his filmcareer as a B cowboy star, however,he really wanted to be a film director.Looking back on the 30s, he hadlearned his craft well, literally fromthe bottom up. He also had theopportunity to work with the likes ofYakima Canutt, George Hayes (beforehis Gabby persona), and Paul Fix,

who were usually cast as the villains.He also got to know Harry Carey,John Ford’s first major cowboy filmstar. John Wayne, in an interview withKevin Brownlow in his outstandingBBC series regarding the Golden Eraof Hollywood, said that he was like afather figure to him (Duke’s ownfather died in 1937) and he that lovedhim. John Wayne shared that Harryhad a natural style of acting. Also,Harry always wanted a good pair ofboots and a cowboy hat, and what hewore in between didn’t matter thatmuch to him.

In 1933, Duke Morrison aka JohnWayne, married Josephine Saenz, hislongtime girlfriend, who he had metat the beach when she was a teenand he a college man. The weddingwas in the Bel Air home of her friendLoretta Young. Josie was the daughterof the Consul General for Panama.She was very attractive with classicLatina features and a very devoutCatholic. The couple had fourchildren: Michael, Antonia (Toni),Patrick and Melinda. Duke and Josieappeared to have a happy home life,however his being away on filmlocations around the world, adifference of opinion as to how theirchildren should be raised and herdesire to socialize with people thatwere not in her husband’s circle offriends eventually led to a separationin 1943 and divorce in 1945.

John Ford had not forgotten DukeMorrison. When he decided to makeErnest Haycock’s short story TheStage to Lordsburg, published inCollier’s magazine (1937) into his firstsound western, he wanted Duke forthe main lead. Several potentialproducers turned him down aswesterns were considered passé by

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them and Ford backing John Wayneto be the Ringo Kid did not go overwell with them. Hollywood had notforgotten the dismal box officereceipts for The Big Trail. Eventually,Walter Wanger agreed to produce thefilm; however, he wanted GaryCooper and Marlene Dietrich in thelead roles. Ford stood firm for JohnWayne, so a compromise was madewhereby Wanger would put upslightly more than half the money heoriginally agreed to and that ClaireTrevor, a well-established actress,would receive top billing. Ford agreedand an all-star supporting cast wasassembled. The story was about ninepeople whose destinies wereentwined on a perilous journeythrough Apache territory. Thephotoplay was strong oncharacter development,similar to a Bret Harte,Damon Runyon or O. Henrynovella, plus includedpanoramic vistas of themajestic Monument Valley.The film went on to receiverave reviews from critics, wasa box office hit, and receivedsix Academy Awardnominations including BestPicture, winning two Oscars:Thomas Mitchell for BestSupporting Actor as DocBoone and Best Music Scoring. JohnFord won New York’s Film CriticsAward for Best Director. The brilliantfilm maker Orson Welles said that itwas “the perfect textbook on filmmaking.” Before filming Citizen Kane,Welles claimed “After dinner everynight for a month, I’d runStagecoach.” However, the biggestwinner of all was 32 year old MarionMorrison from Winterset, Iowa, whohad previously earned his stripesplaying the hero in 44 B Horse

Operas. The best review of his role asthe Ringo Kid was given by a fellowcast member Louise Platt, who playedthe expectant mother Lucy Mallory:“He’ll be the biggest star ever becausehe is the perfect ‘everyman’. ” Quiteprophetic!

The 1940s was a hectic, trying periodfor our country and for Duke Wayne.With the success of Stagecoach, theopportunities for varied roles openedup for filmdom’s emerging movie star.Duke would make eleven westernfilms during the decade, beginningwith The Dark Command (1940),directed by Raoul Walsh. It co-starredClaire Trevor, Walter Pigeon andfourth billing was given to the next

King of the Cowboys - Roy Rogers.Also, John Wayne played other rolesin the 40s, especially the stalwart WWII military hero, which next to hiswestern roles, were the most popularamong his adoring fans. The Dukewas especially heroic in Flying Tigers(1942), then followed They WereExpendable (1945) and Sands of IwoJima (1949). In 1975, EmperorHirohito visited the US and requestedthe State Department help arrange ameeting between him and then the

world’s most popular movie actor.When the Duke heard the request, hesupposedly said - why would he wantto see me, after all I must have killedoff the entire Japanese Army. Yourstruly was 10 years old when Sands ofIwo Jima, directed by veteran directorAlan Dwan, played in our localtheater. I was so moved by the filmthat I wanted to be a “leatherneck”just like Sgt. Stryker and yell out,“Lock and load!” However, when Sgt.Stryker was shot by a sniper after thefighting appeared over, I got tearyeyed. John Wayne may not haveserved in actual combat, however hedid more to help the morale of ourtroops and the folks back home thanany bureaucrat in Washington, DC.

After his divorce from JosieMorrison was final, the Dukemarried Esperanza “Chata”Ceballos, a Mexican actress hehad met in Mexico City(1946). It was a rockyrelationship between the tworight from the start. She evenshot at him once. Duke said,“Our marriage was likeshaking two volatilechemicals in a jar.” Chata wasupset about his dedication tohis work and the attention hepaid to his children, plus she

was extremely jealous of his leadingladies. The marriage ended in 1952,however the divorce was not finaluntil 1954. There were no childrenfrom the union. Sadly, Chata diedfrom a heart attack at only 37.

The five John Wayne westerns filmedbetween 1947 and 1950 were the bestof the eleven cowboy movies hemade during the 40s. Angel and theBadman (1947), costarring GailRussell and Harry Carey, Sr. is an

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Smoke Signalsoften overlooked film. The first filmproduced by John Wayne is anexcellent movie. Like Stagecoach,each character is fully developed tothe point you actually care for them.Gail Russell was one of the mostbeautiful stars in Hollywood and theDuke was still the tall, handsomeleading man. Duke’s wife, Chata, wasof the opinion that her husband washaving an affair with Miss Russell.That said, the two main starsdefinitely had the chemistry goingbetween them. Fort Apache (1948),was the first of the trilogy of the USCalvary life in the West. It co-starred Henry Fonda andGeorge O’Brien. The 3Godfathers (1949), alsodirected by Ford, calledPappy or Coach by the Duke,was the fourth version of thePeter Kyne story. Ford hadmade a silent film of the samestory Marked Men (1919)starring Harry Carey Sr.Interesting enough; the filmco-starred his son Harry CareyJr. and Pedro Armendariz.John Ford dedicated the filmin the memory of Harry Careywho had recently crossedover Jordan. She Wore a YellowRibbon (1949) was the second in theseries of the US Calvary by John Ford.John Wayne, age 42, played CaptainNathan Brittles, a man who wasapproaching retirement, probably inhis early 60s. The Duke turned inanother wonderful performance. Ithas been said that he felt it was hisfavorite role.

No, I did not forget a particularwestern film released in 1948. I held itto last as it is a classic, one of the bestwesterns ever filmed. I rememberseeing it on the big screen. Red River

was my first adult western. I wasmesmerized by the transition of TomDunson, who went from thebenevolent, strong father figure toMatt Garth, played by MontgomeryClift, to the hardened, vengeanceseeking tyrant. In my opinion, therole helped prepare the Duke totransition into Ethan Edwards sopowerfully a few years later in TheSearchers. After seeing the HowardHawks picture staring his formerprotégé, John Ford commented: “Ididn’t know the big, son of a bitchcould act!”

Rio Grande, the third and finalchapter in the Calvary trilogy wasreleased in 1950. It co-starred thelovely Maureen O’Hara along withFord Stock players like VictorMcLaglen, Ben Johnson and HarryCarey Jr. As an aside, Ford hadbought the rights to a short storywritten by Maurice Walsh, publishedin 1933 by the Saturday Evening Post.The legendary director wanted tobring the story to film, howeverRepublic Studios said they would onlydo so if Ford agreed to first direct RioGrande. The proposed film was The

Quiet Man (1952), my wife Sherrill’sfavorite movie. It was made onlocation in Ireland. It co-starredMaureen O’Hara and Victor McLaglen.It should be noted that theWayne/O’Hara romantic screencouple rivals the most famous screenlovers of all time including GretaGarbo and John Gilbert, WilliamPowell and Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracyand Katherine Hepburn andHumphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.The film garnered John Ford hisfourth Best Director Oscar.

While looking for filmlocations in Peru, Duke metPilar Pallette, a local singerand actress. She was thedaughter of a Peruviansenator. They met again laterin Los Angeles and theromance blossomed. The twowere married in Hawaii onNovember 1, 1954. They livedin Encino for several yearsand then moved to NewportBeach in 1965 where hecould be closer to hisbeloved yacht, the 136' longWild Goose, a former USNmine sweeper. The couple

had three children: Aissa, Ethan andMarisa. Ethan played an importantrole in Big Jake (1971) and in severaltelevision series. Today, he heads upthe John Wayne Enterprises. Dukeand Pilar separated in 1973, howevernever divorced.

The westerns following Rio Grandeincluded Hondo (1953), the Louis L’Amour story filmed in 3D; Rio Bravo(1959) with Dean Martin, WalterBrennan, Ricky Nelson and AngieDickinson and directed once again byHoward Hawks and The HorseSoldiers (1959) costarring William

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Holden, with John Ford at the helm.However, in 1956, The Ford StockCompany once again returned toMonument Valley to film, in myopinion, and I’m not alone, the finestwestern ever made, if not any movieever made, The Searchers. Thestoryline was based on a novel byAlan Le May. The film enabled JohnWayne to demonstrate what a fineactor he truly was. Sadly, theAcademy Awards overlooked themovie. However, the film receivedmany critical reviews. The AmericanFilm Institute ranked it number 12 ofthe 100 Greatest American Films andthe Greatest American Western of AllTime. The British Film Institute’s Sight& Sound magazine, survey of filmcritics, listed The Searchers the 7thBest Film of All Time (2012). NewYork Magazine noted it was “themost influential movie in AmericanHistory.” The late Roger Ebertcommented: “John Ford’s TheSearchers contains scenes ofmagnificence, and one of JohnWayne’s best performances. There areshots that are astonishingly beautiful.”The epic film director David Leanwatched the movie repeatedly inorder to get ideas on how to best filmlandscapes, in preparing to shootLawrence of Arabia. Famous directorsof our time such as Martin Scorsese,Steven Spielberg, John Milius, PeterBogdanovich and Jean-Luc Goddardwere influenced by Ford’s direction.Even though he was at times a tyrantand would dress down anyone fromthe leading man to a grip, he got theresults he wanted. Henry Brandon,who played Ethan Edwards archnemesis Scar in the film, is reportedto have said John Ford was “The onlyman who could make John Waynecry.”

Duke Wayne, in his unfinishedautobiography, remarked when hewas working behind the scenes atFox Studios: “I decided to become adirector, and if need be, I would takea brief detour into acting or whateverelse was necessary to accomplish mygoal.” Well that brief detour wasabout 30 years in duration, howeverin 1960, he finally achieved hisultimate goal. Beginning in 1945,Duke decided he wanted to make afilm about the battle of the Alamo. Hebegan the script process anddiscussed the project with RepublicStudio executives. However, theybalked at the $3M estimated budget.Eventually, he was able to securefinancing with United Artists. Heoriginally only wanted to be theproducer/director and do a cameorole as Sam Houston. However, UAagreed to the deal only if he invested$2.5M and they would put up a likeamount. In addition, they required heplay one of the three principal rolesbased upon his box office draw.

Which was often the case, Dukewould involve his family as much aspossible, especially on long locationshoots. Son Patrick played asignificant role in The Alamo and hisolder sister Toni LaCava and herdaughter Anita, wife Pilar and theDuke’s young daughter Aissa werealso in the picture. Later on, Aissaremarked: “I think making The Alamobecame my father’s own form ofcombat. More than an obsession, itwas the most intensely personalproject in his career.” The four-monthlocation shoot in Texas andoverseeing a cast of thousands was amonumental task. However, JohnWayne pulled it off. The film did wellat the box office, though it was notenough for the Duke to recoup his

investment as UA took their moneyfirst. Later, when the film was readyfor TV distribution, Duke sold hisrights to UA, and he was madefinancially whole again. The filmreceived six Academy Awardnominations including Best Pictureand won for Best Sound. Reviewswere mixed with the New YorkHerald-Tribune giving it 4 Stars andnoting “A magnificent job...visuallyand dramatically The Alamo is top-flight”; while Time Magazine referred

to it as being “flat as Texas.”Regardless, it is truly an entertaining,epic movie and a living testament tothe man who made it happen.

John Wayne made ten additionalwestern films in the 60s in addition toother genres including The GreenBerets (1968). They were North toAlaska (1960), The Comancheros(1961), The Man Who Shot LibertyValance (1962), How the West WasWon (1962), The Sons of Katy Elder(1965), El Dorado (1966), The War

Smoke SignalsWagon (1967) and The Undefeated(1969). Also, in 1969, Duke Wayneportrayed Rooster Cogburn in TrueGrit based on Charles Portis’ novel,published in 1968. Marguerite Robertsadapted the story for the film. WhenDuke Wayne reviewed the screenplay, he claimed it was the best scripthe had ever read. The movie wasdirected by Henry Hathaway andcostarred Kim Darby and popularsinger Glen Campbell. Over theyears, Duke would cast popular,young male singers in his films,perhaps to draw the younger set,especially young women. There was

Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon, Fabian,Bobby Vinton and Glen Campbell.None were known for their actingchops. The film did well at the boxoffice and John Wayne won both theAcademy Award (long overdue) andthe Golden Globe for Best Actor.During his moving Oscar acceptancespeech, Duke said “Wow! If I’dknown that, I’d have put that eyepatch on 35 years ago!” The housewas pulling for the aging megastarthat had beaten cancer. Duke hadbeen a chain smoker all his adult lifeand had developed lung cancerwhich was found in 1964. He had onelung removed and contrary to thewishes of the publicists, he went

public and encouraged people to quitsmoking which he had done and toget a lung x-ray.

Who was the real persona behind theJohn Wayne, super star image? Mostoften, it’s not wise to take the opinionof an estranged wife, however Pilar inher memoirs seemed to provide abalance report. According to her, “hiswork was his life.” Duke was at times“stubborn, domineering andinsensitive.” However, “He could bethe sweetest, most caring man. Hecould be so tender.” His daughterMarisa shared that, “He was a greatfather. He loved having kids aroundall the time. He wanted us to be withhim on the set, at home, on vacationor on our boat. Anita LaCava Swift,Toni’s daughter and his firstgrandchild, in a recent interviewechoed Marisa’s remarks: “He lovedkids! He gave you his completeattention and would ask you whatyou enjoyed doing and what yourhobbies were. I had the role of Faginin Oliver Twist when I was in the 8thgrade. Unknown to me, he shows upfor the performance. Then after eachfollowing show I would get atelegram and a bouquet of flowers. Atypical telegram would read “Greatshow Anita…..would like to talk toyou about a contract. Signed Louie B.Mayer. The next night it would be atelegram and flowers from someonelike Lou Wasserman and so on. Hewas a great granddad!” Ethanregarding the subject of his father’spolitical views commented: “There’s amisconception about my dad’spolitical views. He was not a rubber-stamp conservative. He was anindependent thinker. He had anenormous love for America, becauseit offered so much in terms ofopportunities, if you knew how to

work for them and take advantage ofthem.” Michael and Patrick were withhim most often. Patrick once shared “Iloved him. He was a great father. Henever gave advice. And yes, I have toadmit, even though I felt at ease withhim, he could still be intimidating. Hewas John Wayne, after all.” Anitashared a particular story that relates toPatrick’s observation. Her closestfriend in school was Pat, the daughterof the legendary director AlfredHitchcock. As such, she would oftenhave supper with the Hitchcock’s.“One evening Mr. Hitchcock inquiredabout my grandfather. I told him hejust made cowboy movies. Thedirector in his unique manner ofspeaking, told me that my grandfatherwas very famous. Frankly, I wassurprised he knew of my granddad. Itold my mother the story and shelaughed. I also shared it with mygranddad when I saw him and hechuckled and said, ‘Yes, I’ve metHitch a few times.’” He was JohnWayne after all!

During the 70s, Duke for the mostpart, maintained his busy schedule,making one or two films per year. In1970, he made Chisum and Rio Lobo,then Big Jake (1971), The Cowboys(1972), The Train Robbers (1973),Cahill U.S. Marshall (1973), RosterCogburn with Kathryn Hepburn(1975) and his final film The Shootist(1976). The two films, in my opinion,that warrant some discussion are TheCowboys and The Shootist. TheCowboys was based on a novel byWilliam Dale Jennings. The formertelevision actor and a relatively newdirector Mark Rydell supposedlywanted George C. Scott to play theaging cow boss as he opposed someof the well-known, conservativeviews of John Wayne. However, the

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Duke lobbied for the part. The endresult turned out to be an entertainingfilm, thanks to both the director andactor. Bruce Dern who had to shootdown rancher Wil Andersen in coldblood in front of the young boys wascautioned beforehand by the Dukethat the audience would hate him forit. Dern’s reply: “Yea, but they’ll surelove me in Berkeley.”

The Shootist was destined to be JohnWayne’s last film. It portrays an agingpistolero who is dying from cancer.Contrary to rumors, John Wayne was

cancer free at the time. It was almostthree years later that he wasdiagnosed with stomach cancer. Thatsaid, it was a fitting final screenappearance due to his reflecting onhis own life and knowing the endwas near. The opening montagewhich used film clips from JohnWayne’s early westerns was a geniusmove. The producers M.J. Frankovichand William Self wanted George C.Scott to play J.B. Books. However,once again Duke lobbied for the part.He and the director Don Siegel had arelationship where they could beopen about their differences, yet itwas never personal and both madecontributions to the film. However,Duke told the screen writer MilesSwarthout, who adapted the novelwritten by his father GlendonSwarthout, that he had to change thescript. Duke said, “Mister, I’ve madeover 250 pictures and have never shota guy in the back. Change it!” Andchange it he did. Duke was also ableto influence the casting by bringing inJames Stewart, Lauren Bacall, RichardBoone and John Carradine who hadcostarred with him in Stagecoach. Healso used his favorite movie horseDollar, who he had rode in manyother films including True Grit. TheNational Board of Review selected

The Shootist as one of the Top 10Films of 1976.

The Duke was eventually hospitalizedfor stomach cancer. He told themedical staff that in order to help finda cure for cancer they couldexperiment on him in any way theychose. John Wayne died of stomachcancer on June 11, 1979. He wasburied at Pacific View Memorial Parkin Newport Beach. Before he died, hechallenged his family to find a curefor cancer. They accepted thechallenge. Upon his death, PresidentJimmy Carter eulogized his passingfor our nation and the whole world,over the loss of someone we seemedto know as well as a family member.The President said, “John Wayne wasbigger than life. In an age of fewheroes he was the genuine article. Buthe was more than a hero. He was asymbol of so many qualities thatmade America great. The ruggedness,the tough independence, the sense ofpersonal courage – on an off thescreen – reflected the best of ournational character.”

Resource material included: JOHN WAYNE The GenuineArticle, Michael Goldman, Insight Editions; JOHN WAYNEThe Legend and the Man, Patricia Bosworth, PowerhouseBooks; The Old Corral b-westerns.com, Chuck Anderson;and special thanks to Anita LaCava Swift aka Fagin.

GARY E. BROWNis the retired Police Chief of Monterey, California; Ashland, Oregon and SanClemente. However, his avocation is collecting western art and memorabilia includingmany Tom Mix items. Tom Mix was his father’s hero, so he is Gary’s as well. Garywrote an article on Tom Mix for The National Film & Collectors Magazine –Hollywood Studio Magazine, as well as a recent article on Tom Mix’s final day forAmerican Cowboy magazine. He has also written articles on the Western Photoplaysof the Golden Era and lectured on the Western Heroes of the Silver Screen. He canbe reached at montereycowboy@hotmail.com or found, most mornings, at his sonJordan’s Mavericks Coffee House in Visalia, California...the site of “possibly the bestcoffee in the world” with walls of vintage cowboy movie posters and a collection of66 original, autographed photos of yesterday’s cowboy heroes.

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Smoke Signals

NOW thru November 24, 2013 Dreams & Visions: The American West and the Legacy of Imagination Tulsa, OK

NOW thru January 4, 2014 Basketry Treasured Tucson, AZ

NOW thru March 16, 2014 Cowboys Real & Imagined Santa Fe, NM

October 11-12, 2013 Cowboy Crossings Oklahoma City, OK

October 12-13, 2013 Golden California Antiques Show Glendale, CA

October 18 – January 4, 2014 2013 Western Trapping on The Llano Llano, TX

October 19-20, 2013 Calabasas Pumpkin Festival Calabasas, CA

October 20, 2013 California Country & More Antiques Show Los Altos, CA

October 24, 2013 38th Annual Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon Fort Worth, TX

October 24-27, 2013 11th Annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival & Symposium Cartersville, GA

October 25, 2013 Buckaroo Bash: Carats, Corsets & Cowboys Indianapolis, IN

November 2, 2013 Dia De Los Muertos Hollywood, CA

November 2-7, 2013 Heber City’s Cowboy Poetry Gathering & Buckaroo Fair Heber City, UT

November 5-7, 2013 Tombstone Western Music Festival Tombstone, AZ

December 5-14, 2013 Cowboy Christmas Gift Show Las Vegas, NV

December 13-15, 2013 Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival Monterey, CA

December 18 – April 13, 2014 The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925 New York, NY

January 25-26, 2014 High Noon Show & Auction Mesa, AZ

UPCOMING EVENTS

HIGH NOON

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Don’t Fret About the Future - Invest in the Past!High Noon Western Americana

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Mission StatementSmoke Signals blows your way from High Noon Western Americana of Los Angeles, California, producers of the High Noon Antique Show & Auction held each January in Mesa (Phoenix), Arizona since 1991.

Our magazine was founded in 2010 from our desire to share thoughts and facts with and from our High Noon family. We write about what we know (cowboy and Indian artifacts), highlight dealers and collectors, their thoughts and memories. We also love to feed our readers with great recipes.

We offer free western music, a look at factoids intrinsic to our interests, give you insight into the newest books and tell you what is going on across the United States.

And hopefully we educate along the way.

Linda Kohn Sherwood, Editor

Send us a Smoke Signal Smoke Signals is for and about all of the wonderful people in our High Noon family.

If you have news you want to share, hot tips on what’s going on in the Western Americana world or just a suggestion of something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at smokesignals@highnoon.com

Chief Publisher: High Noon Western AmericanaChief Editor: Linda Kohn Sherwood

Chief Graphic Designer: Curtis Hill, Art Direction ServicesChief Writer: Jayne Skeff, JSLA Media Solutions

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