B-WESTERNS: RKO-Radio Pictures

RKO-Radio Pictures was created in 1928 with the merger of the KAO (Keith-Albee-Orpheum) theater chain and Joseph P. Kennedy's production company, Film Booking Offices (FBO).  The merger had been brought about by RCA which wished to get involved in the film business by providing sound for films.  RKO stood for Radio-Keith-Orpheum and Radio was added to the title as an acknowledgement of RCA's position as a major stockholder.

During the silent era, FBO had been responsible for several outstanding B-Western series starring Fred Thomson, Tom Tyler, and Bob Steele.  After leaving Fox, the most popular Western star of all, Tom Mix, joined FBO for his final series of silent Westerns.

Fred Thomson and Silver King

Fred Thomson was a great all-round athlete and an ordained Presbyterian minister who became a superstar cowboy at FBO during the '20's.  In 1928, he stepped on a nail in his stables while tending his horses and he contracted tetanus.  His illness was wrongly diagnosed and he died on Christmas day that year.  He was 38-years-old.

Tom Tyler

Bob Steele

Tom Mix, the "King of the Silent Cowboys," and Tony

After the creation of RKO, Tom Tyler and Bob Steele hit the independent trail at Poverty Row and Tom Mix signed with Universal to star in his first and only sound series.  After a pause in the action to allow the dust to settle, RKO embarked on a number of superior B-Western series.  The studio never produced as many Western series as B-Western factories such as Republic or Monogram, for example, or as many as the two second tier major studios, Columbia and Universal.  However, the RKO series that were produced were consistently better than any produced by any other studio.

Their first B-Western cowboy star was born George Duryea.  That moniker wasn't going to cut it and consequently he became Tom Keene.  Keene's tenure at RKO began in 1931 and ended in 1933 when the studio decided to discontinue its B-Western series.   Like Tyler and Steele before him, he hit the independent trail before eventually settling in at Monogram.

Tom Keene, RKO's first cowboy star

For two years after the Keene series ended, RKO produced no B-Western series.  Then in 1936, the studio re-entered the field with a series starring George O'Brien.

How good was this series?  When Don Miller wrote Hollywood Corral, his seminal study of the B-Western, he titled one chapter "How to Make Good Westerns: Fox, RKO and O'Brien."

During the silent era, O'Brien had been a popular leading man in prestigious  films produced by Fox, a few directed by John Ford.  In 1930, with the advent of sound he began starring in a quality B-Western series for the same studio.  When that series was terminated in 1935, he moved over to RKO and began another topnotch series. Because of the influential popularity of the Autry Westerns over at Republic, RKO felt obliged to add music and provide O'Brien with a comic sidekick.  Therefore, in some of the entries, Ray Whitley provided the music and the sidekick was often Chill Wills, who portrayed a character known as "Whopper."

George O'Brien

O'Brien's tenure at RKO ended in 1940.  A member of the naval reserve, he was activated when the U.S. entered WWII.  Looking around for a new cowboy the RKO executives found one on their lot.  He was Tim Holt, the son of former silent film star, Jack Holt.  As a teenager, he had begun acting in films in 1937.  He even had a small role as a cavalry officer in John Ford's STAGECOACH (1939).  By that time, he had attracted RKO's attention and he had been cast in a number of that studio's films, including a couple of Westerns.

His series was inaugurated in 1940.  He would eventually star in more B-Westerns at RKO than any other actor and in the process he would become the cowboy most identified with that studio.

(L-R): Ray Whitley, Tim Holt, Lee " Lasses" White

Holt possessed many of the necessary attributes needed by a cowboy star.  He was boyishly handsome, was an excellent horseman (in fact, a champion polo player), and a good athlete who could more than hold his own when it came to the action.  The problem was, however, that only 21-years-old when the series began, he looked even younger, more like a teenager than an adult.

That said, the series was supported by all the good production values that the studio provided for its B-Westerns and it proved to be popular with the juvenile audiences who were the primary fans of the genre. Don Miller even titled one of the other chapters in his book on B-Westerns, "...Or Anyway, Better Westerns Than Most: Keene, Holt & other guys at RKO."

As mentioned, the producers of the O'Brien series had added music and a comedy sidekick to some of the features.  The trend was continued with the Holts.  Ray Whitley would continue to provide the music, while the role of Whopper was given to Emmett Lynn, who always was more irritating than funny.  The role was later given to Lee "Lasses" White, which was only marginally an improvement.  Finally, Cliff Edwards, a much better actor than Lynn or White, was cast as a character known as Ike.  It was a marked improvement.

Holt's first series ended in 1943 when he entered the Air Force and flew missions as a bombardier in the Pacific theater.  The decorated veteran would be off the screen for four years.

With both O'Brien and Holt in the military serving their country, RKO produced no B-Westerns in 1944.  However, wishing to begin another series, the search was on for another cowboy.  Once again, their man was found right in their own backyard.

Robert Mitchum began his career as a heavy in the Hopalong Cassidy films, before eventually working his way up to good guy roles.  RKO took notice and cast him in several non-Westerns.  In 1945, the studio starred him in two Westerns, both based on Zane Grey stories.  In the first, NEVADA, he was given not one, but two sidekicks.  Neither was a singer and both were assets.

Hoppy and Bad Man Mitchum

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams was always a welcome presence in a Western and maybe he wasn't able to provide brains but he was able to provide brawn as well as comedy.  Richard Martin portrayed the character of Chito Jose Gonzalez Bustamente Rafferty, the character that he would be closely identified with for the rest of his acting career.  Martin, without Williams, would fill the same role with the same characterization in WEST OF THE PECOS.  As it turned out, it would be Mitchum's final B-Western.

Good Man Mitchum

  

The same year that the two Westerns were released, RKO gave Mitchum an important role in William Wellman's WWII drama, THE STORY OF GI JOE, and a star was born.  There would be Westerns, but no more B-Westerns in the actor's future.

Enter James Warren.  He was no O'Brien, or Holt, or Mitchum, but he was as good as Tom Keene.  However, the studio seemed to be marking time by starring Warren in only three films, also based on Zane Grey stories, released over the course of three years.  Richard Martin was there for the first, but was replaced by John Laurenz in the Chito role in the other two.  It was a step back.

James Warren and friend

Perhaps what RKO was waiting on was the return of its young hero.  But the first role for Tim Holt after the war was an important supporting role as Virgil Earp in John Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (Fox, 1946).  Two years later, he would receive his best notices for his role as one of three gold seekers in Mexico in John Huston's THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (WB).  In between these two classic films, however, he had already begun a new series of B-Westerns at RKO.

Still only in his twenties, the war years had matured Holt and he looked more like what a sagebrush hero should look like.  Holt had the good fortune of inheriting Richard Martin (as Chito) as his sidekick.  Both were good actors who enjoyed an easy rapport on the screen with the happy result being one of the best hero-sidekick pairings that the B-Western genre ever produced.

The music was absent from these postwar films.  Furthermore, Holt's range wear tended toward plain boots and denim without any fringe or frill.  The stories contained enough action to satisfy the juvenile faithful while at the same time containing enough plot that even adults could enjoy them.  In addition, the black-and-white photography, often in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California, was excellent.

 

Holt did adopt one affectation at the beginning of the series.  He wore two guns, but the left hand gun was turned butt forward.  Eventually, thank goodness, the gimmick was discarded.

The young males in the audience were probably thankful that Holt did not engage in much mushy romance.  That part of the plot was usually left to Chito, who was a cowboy Casanova.  That seemed to be more acceptable to the young male crowd, who would just as soon have had no romance in their Westerns.

Tim, Chito, Friend (Myrna Dell)

Oddly enough, while the Holt character usually had a different name in each film, Martin was always Chito Rafferty.  It was only toward the end of the series that Holt's character became Tim Holt.  This is also one of the few series in which the sidekick was taller than the hero.

RKO's B-Western series, like those of other studios, could not overcome TV's competition in the early '50's.  Hoppy, Gene, and Roy had already ridden onto the small screen when, in 1952, Tim and Chito rode into the sunset for the last time.  And so ended what was one of the best B-Western series ever filmed and what many believe was the best of all the post-war series.

I need to add a final note.  In UNDER THE TONTO RIM (1947), a gent by the name of Richard Powers portrayed the leader of an outlaw gang.  Powers had been born George Duryea, but later changed his name to Tom Keene.  After his starring days ended, he changed it again and was often cast in supporting roles in RKO films.  In the final shoot-out, Tim was forced to shoot and kill the outlaw.  I wonder if anyone appreciated the irony that RKO's last cowboy hero had just killed the studio's first cowboy hero?

THE END

 

B-WESTERNS: Universal Pictures

No Hollywood studio produced more B-Westerns than the two B-Western factories, Republic and Monogram.  But three studios among the majors -- Columbia, RKO, and Universal -- were responsible for a large number and they turned out a consistently good product.

At the end of the silent era Universal had Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson, two of the top movie cowboys, under contract.  In 1930, the films of the two cowboys were only part-talking at the beginning of their respective series that year, but by the middle of the year had become all-talking.

Ken Maynard riding "Tarzan"

autographed picture of a very young Hoot Gibson

Universal, however, like most of the other studios, was not sure what the future held -- especially for films being shot outdoors with the crude sound recording equipment of the day -- and the studio decided that Westerns did not have a future.  The decision was made in 1931 to drop the two stars and to discontinue Western film production.

By the following year, some of the technical problems had been eliminated, or at least lessened, and the studio began a series with the most popular silent B-Western cowboy of them all, Tom Mix.  

He had been off the screen since 1928 and had been making personal appearances and headlining a circus.  The series that was filmed in 1932-33 would be the only series of "talkies" for the aging cowboy, though he would later star in THE MIRACLE RIDER (Mascot), a Western serial that was released in 1935.

Tom Mix and "Tony"

When Mix's contract expired Universal turned back the pages of time and re-signed Ken Maynard, who had been busy making Westerns, but had been reduced to working for a Poverty Row independent production company.  

His new series would be the best of his career during the sound era, but it would last but one year primarily because he could be a difficult man and soon wore out his welcome.  

Maynard was replaced by another famous cowboy star, Buck Jones, who was probably the most popular B-Western star of them all in the early 30s -- and justifiably so.  He was a good rider, a good fighter, and, as a bonus, he was one of the best actors to specialize in B-Westerns.

Buck Jones and "Silver"

After four years, because of conflict with the powers to be at the studio, Jones went back to Columbia, wherehe had made his films prior to signing with Universal.  

By this time, Gene Autry (and Dick Foran and Tex Ritter) had made the singing cowboy popular, and Universal decided to replace Jones with singer Bob Baker, who in 1937-38 would star in his only series.

The comedic sidekick had also, sadly in many cases, become almost mandatory for B-Westerns and consequently Fuzzy Knight would fill that role, not only in Baker's films, but until Universal got out of the B-Western business in 1946.

Bob Baker (born Stanley Leland Weed, nicknamed 'Tumble') with his horse "Apache."  Because of the shadows, it isn't apparent, but Apache was a pinto.  That's veteran character actor Forrest Taylor to Baker's left.

After just one year, Baker was replaced by Johnny Mack Brown, who had starred in a couple of independently produced series and had been gaining popularity starring in Universal's Western serials.  

He would headline the studio's B-Western series from 1939 to 1943, in what would turn out to be the studio's longest running series.  

Baker would be kept on for a year in support of Brown and the two, along with Fuzzy Knight, would comprise a Western trio capitalizing on a format that had been established in the Hopalong Cassidy Westerns at Paramount and The Three Mesquiteers series at Republic.  

After one year, Baker would be gone and for the next three years actress Nell O'Day would become the third regular in the series.

Johnny Mack and "Rebel"

Nell O'Day, Johnny Mack, and "Rebel"

Fuzzy Knight, Universal's house Western comedic sidekick

There were significant changes made in the Mack Brown series during its last two years.  Jennifer Holt replaced O'Day and the studio reinstated the trio format by adding one of the original singing cowboys, Tex Ritter.  In addition, a musical group, the Jimmy Wakely Trio, was added.

When Mack Brown left for Monogram in 1943, Russell Hayden, who had first gained prominence as Hopalong Cassidy's young sidekick, Lucky Jenkins,  joined Ritter, Knight, and Holt to finish out the year.

Jennifer Holt was a member of an acting family.  Her father, Jack,, was a Western star during the silent era and a character actor in many Westerns during the sound era.  Brother Tim was RKO's last B-Western star.

Jack Ingraham has the drop on (L-R) Jennifer Holt, Johnny Mack Brown, and Tex Ritter

Tex Ritter and "White Flash"

In 1943 Russell Hayden (L) replaced Johnny Mack Brown to form a trio with Fuzzy Knight and Tex Ritter (R) in a short-lived series

A new cowboy rode onto the Universal range in 1944. He was a tall, rugged Canadian who was born Nathan Roderick Cox in Calgary, Alberta, but whose stage name was Rod Cameron. 

He had been knocking around Hollywood for years doubling and stunting with an occasional bit speaking role thrown in. 

He finally received some notice in 1943 when he starred in two well-received non-Western serials at Republic.  His timing for once was good, because Universal was looking for a new cowboy and he fit the bill.  He could ride and because of his stuntman past he could throw a punch and he looked like a cowboy.  Nothing else was expected, but he was a good actor, too.

Rod Cameron on the left holding a pistol and in the lower right looking through magnifying glass in one of two Republic serials in which he starred in 1943

Rod Cameron, Universal B-Western cowboy

Fuzzy Knight and Jennifer Holt continued in support and Eddie Dew was added to the regular cast.  

Dew had been given his shot at stardom a year earlier when he was paired with comedian Smiley Burnette in the "John Paul Revere" B-Western series at Republic.  He failed the test, however, and was replaced by Robert Livingston after only two films.  

In fact, he was replaced even before the films were released.  He did star in one Universal Western, in all probabililty because Cameron was unavailable at the time.

In the Universal series, Dew would sometimes be an adversary and would other times join Cameron and Knight to form a trio of heroes.

Also added to the cast of regulars was singing cowboy Ray Whitley and his Bar-6 Cowboys.  Whitley, best known for writing Gene Autry's theme song, "Back in the Saddle Again," filled a role much like Bob Nolan at Republic and Columbia.  He did provide music with his pleasant singing voice, but he also nearly always played an important supporting role, often joining with the hero(es) to round up the outlaws at the end.

Ray Whitley, singing cowboy

There would be only one more Cameron B-Western after this one.

By the time film numbers five and six in the series were being made in 1945, Universal had already promoted Cameron to its low-budget A-Westerns (longer-running times and better production values than the B's), the first three co-starring with Yvonne DeCarlo.  

And he would specialize in low-budget A-Westerns for the remainder of his movie career, though he would occasionally star in a non-Western.

Ten years after he became a B-Western star he hit the jackpot in a film for which I will always remember him: RIDE THE MAN DOWN (Republic, 1953).  

It was another low-budget A-Western, but it was head and shoulders above nearly all the rest, and certainly the best that Republic ever produced.

Brian Donlevy is the star of this film?  I don't think so.  Look at the poster.

Brian Garfield wrote in his fine book, Western films: A Complete Guide, that "RIDE THE MAN DOWN is one those rare little movies in which everybody does everything right.  It's strictly traditional, wholly slick-magazine formula, but originality isn't the only hallmark of excellence and movies like this manage to transcend the formula without departing from it....There's nothing arty or profound about it, God knows, but RIDE THE MAN DOWN is a fine example of its genre."

In real life Cameron was an extremely brave man.  He proved this when he divorced his wife and married her mother, thus making his ex-wife his stepdaughter.  It's enough to make one's head spin.

When Cameron left the B-Western range for greener pastures, Universal found its next cowboy star already under contract.  He had been appearing in their B-musicals and comedies.

He was born Kirby Grant Hoon, Jr. in Montana and began his professional career as a singer and bandleader.  Along the way he dropped his last name and became Kirby Grant. 

In 1944-45, Grant and Fuzzy Knight starred in a series of seven films, with actress Jane Adams replacing Jennifer Holt in most of them. And although Grant had been a professional singer, he, like Bob Baker before him, did not do much singing in his series.

As it turned out, Kirby Grant was the last Universal B-Western star.  There would be no more -- unless one counts a series of Western musical shorts starring Tex Williams -- and I don't.

Kirby Grant, the last Universal B-Western star

Kirby Grant, Jane Adams, Fuzzy Knight

The studio could take pride in what it accomplished in the B-Western field, their line-up of stars -- Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Johnny Mack Brown, and Tex Ritter --  were among the greatest of all the stars in that genre.  It may not have been art, but it sure was entertainment.

A couple of final notes: when Kirby Grant was dropped by Universal he signed with Monogram and starred in a series of Canadian mountie pictures and then in the 50s he achieved the pinnacle of his popularity when he starred in the SKY KING TV series; and Fuzzy Knight, after continuing to act here and there in movies, also landed on TV in the 50s, supporting Buster Crabbe in CAPTAIN GALLANT OF THE FOREIGN LEGION.