Meet The Cowboys
During the roughly three decades B-Westerns were around, there were a lot of cowboy stars to ride across the big screen. I'm not going to list them all here. This page is just to give a quick overview of some of my favs, as well as some rec lists to help you get started if you're interested in trying out B-Westerns for yourself.
Right: Lash LaRue riding Black Diamond
Roy Rogers
Easily one of the most famous cowboy stars, Roy Rogers was frequently billed as 'King of the Cowboys' and starred in over 80 movies during his career. Roy got his start on the big screen by appearing along with his band, the Sons of the Pioneers, as extras in a bunch of B-Westerns - including several Gene Autry movies. In 1938 he landed the starring role in Under Western Stars and the rest is history. Consistently ranking within the top five western stars in box office polling throughout his career, and holding onto the #1 spot from 1944-1952.
In addition to his successful movie career, Roy Rogers also had a popular radio program, a hit TV show, and made appearances in Madison Square Garden shows and rodeos. He had multiple charting songs in his music career. Even to this day, Roy Rogers' name remains synonmous with the Western film genre.
Roy rarely worked alone in his movies, as he had several frequent sidekicks and co-stars. His gorgeous palomino stallion Trigger appeared in most of his movies over the years. Frequent leading lady in his movies and co-star of his TV show was his real-life wife and famous "Queen of the West" Dale Evans. The band he helped co-found, Sons of the Pioneers, made many appearances with him over the years. Two of those band members, Bob Nolan and Pat Brady, also played his sidekick in many films. Other recurring sidekicks included Gabby Hayes and Adam Devine.
Above: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans riding Trigger and Buttermilk
If you would like to try out some of his movies for yourself, here are a few of my personal favorites:
- King Of The Cowboys (1943)
- My Pal Trigger (1946)
- The Carson City Kid (1940)
- Under Nevada Skies (1946)
- Billy The Kid Returns (1938)
Gene Autry
Probably the most successful of the B-Western stars, Gene Autry was not only one of the first "singing cowboys" to hit it big, he was also a top ranking western star in the box office polling throughout his career. Riding his trusted steed, famous wonder horse Champion, he starred in 90 movies that spanned two decades. He also starred in a popular TV series, a radio program that ran for almost fifteen years, had over a dozen gold and platinum records, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His music records have not only sold over 100 million copies, but he also had the first record ever certified gold.
Gene Autry and his frequent sidekick Smiley Burnette got their big break appearing in the 1934 Ken Maynard movie In Old Santa Fe. The following year, they landed the serial The Phantom Empire and quickly rose to stardom from there. Gene's first starring role in a B-Western was 1935's Tumbling Tumbleweeds, with Smiley Burnette and Champion already along for the ride. His movie career was put on temporary hold when he joined the Army Air Corps during World War II. He resumed making movies in 1946. Shortly afterwards, he left Republic to join Columbia for the remainder of his movie career. His last feature film was Last Of The Pony Riders in 1953, which also featured his long-time costars Smiley Burnette and Dick Jones.
Outside of starring on screen, Gene Autry was also a producer and founded his own production company. In 1953, he purchased a movie filming ranch which he named Melody Ranch; many movies and shows were filmed at this location, including the initial seasons of Gunsmoke and the WW2 series Combat. Gene Autry's many contributions to the entertainment industry and his philanthropy work have won him numerous awards and honors over the years, including posthumously. He built the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park, CA in the late 80's. This museum is still in operation today and features one of the most significant collections dedicated to Native American history and culture, an annual American Indian Arts Festival, and a theater focused on producing works by Native American and Alaskan playwrights.
My favorite Gene Autry movies include:
- Rim Of The Canyon (1949)
- The Strawberry Roan (1948)
- South Of The Border (1939)
- Texans Never Cry (1951)
- Riders In The Sky (1949)
Allan "Rocky" Lane
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