Back in the Saddle

The western is one of the most popular genres in American film history, and some estimate more than 20,000 of them have been produced. Its popular portrayal of the American West, as a place where good and evil are clearly defined, created heroes that are still among the most respected and remembered in film history.
Writers Lane Roth and Tom W. Hoffer, William E. Tydeman III, R. Philip Loy, Gary Kramer, Raymond E. White, Michael K. Schoenecke, Sandra Schackel, Jacqueline K. Greb, Jim Collins, Richard Robertson, and Gary Yoggy each contributed an essay, focusing on the performances of some of the most famous of Hollywood’s leading cowboys and cowgirls. Analyses of the works of G.M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Steve McQueen, and James Arness are included. James Drury of The Virginian relates his firsthand experiences of movie making by way of introducing this collection.

Award-winning author Gary A. Yoggy is professor emeritus of history at Corning Community College in New York. He is also the author of the huge Riding the Video Range: The Rise and Fall of the Western on Television (1995, republished in paperback, 2008).

Edited by Gary A. Yoggy
Foreword by James Drury, ; Introduction by Archie P. McDonald
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: photos, index
Copyright Date: 1998
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0566-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2972-8
Imprint: McFarland

Preface

Gary A. Yoggy      v

Foreword

James Drury      1

Introduction

Archie P. McDonald      5

G. M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson: The First Movie Cowboy Hero

Lane Roth and Tom W. Hoffer      11

Tom Mix: King of the Hollywood Cowboys

William E. Tydeman III      25

Buck Jones: An Old-Time Cowboy

R. Philip Loy      43

Tex Ritter: America’s Most Beloved Cowboy

Gary Kramer      59

Roy Rogers: An American Icon

Raymond E. White      77

James M. Stewart: An American Original

Michael K. Schoenecke      97

Barbara Stanwyck: Uncommon Heroine

Sandra Schackel      113

Will the Real Indians Please Stand Up?

Jacqueline K. Greb      129

Faces Without Names

Jim Collins      145

Steve McQueen and the Last Western

Richard Robertson      161

James Arness: Television’s Quintessential

Western Hero

Gary A. Yoggy      177

About the Contributors      201

Index      205

“this enjoyable canter through horse-opera country provides everything you need to know about many of this genre’s leading lights…. An entertaining collection of essays, written with affection and enthusiam”—Film Review; “general readers. Subjects include John Ford’s use of Monument Valley locations, brief histories of TV Westerns and singing cowboy films, the changing portrayal of General Custer in Hollywood films, and a critique of little-known German-made Westerns of the 1960s”—Library Journal; “well written…adds to the useful literature available on the western. A commendable effort”—Nostalgia Westerns; “easy to read”—Classic Images; “easy to read…useful and informative”—Wrangler’s Roost.