Ladies of the Western

This work features interviews with 51 leading ladies who starred in B-westerns, A-westerns, and television westerns. Some were well-known and others were not, but they all have fascinating stories to tell and they talk candidly about their careers and the many difficulties that went along with their jobs. Back then, conditions were often severe, locations were often harsh, and pay was often minimal. The actresses were sometimes the only females on location and they had to provide their own wardrobe and do their own make-up, as well as discourage the advances of over-affectionate co-stars. Despite these difficulties, most of the women interviewed for this agree that they had fun. Claudia Barrett, Virginia Carroll, Francis Dee, Lisa Gaye, Marie Harmon, Kathleen Hughes, Linda Johnson, Ruta Lee, Colleen Miller, Gigi Perreau, Ann Rutherford, Ruth Terry, and June Vincent are among the 51 actresses interviewed.

The late Michael G. Fitzgerald was an accountant and the organizer of the annual Universal Players Reunion. He lived in El Dorado, Arkansas.

Boyd Magers, president of Video West, has contributed to scores of magazines and several television documentaries. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Michael G. Fitzgerald and Boyd Magers
Forewords by Kathryn Adams, Mala Powers, and Marion Shilling
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 336
Bibliographic Info: 150 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [2002]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2656-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0796-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
A Foreword by Kathryn Adams      1
A Foreword by Mala Powers      2
A Foreword by Marion Shilling      4
Introduction      5

THE INTERVIEWS      7
Kathryn Adams      9
Claudia Barrett      14
Reno Browne      19
Virginia Carroll      24
Phyllis Coates      29
Louise Currie      35
Frances Dee      41
Edith Fellows      47
Barbra Fuller      51
Beverly Garland      57
Lisa Gaye      65
Jane Greer      72
Marie Harmon      76
Virginia Herrick      81
Kathleen Hughes      88
Lois January      92
Anne Jeffreys      97
Linda Johnson      101
Suzanne Kaaren      107
Mary Ellen Kay      112
Elyse Knox      120
Barbara Knudson      124
Ruta Lee      131
Virginia Lee      141
Adele Mara      149
Carole Mathews      157
Joyce Meadows      165
Colleen Miller      173
Pauline Moore      177
Dorothy Morris and Caren Marsh      183
Noreen Nash      189
Noel Neill      193
Gigi Perreau      199
Mala Powers      204
Madlyn Rhue      210
Elaine Riley      218
Kasey Rogers      226
Jean Rouverol      232
Ann Rutherford      241
Karen Sharpe      251
Marjorie Stapp      258
Olive Sturgess      263
Ruth Terry      269
Lyn Thomas      274
Martha Tibbetts      282
Yvette Vickers      287
June Vincent      295
Beverly Washburn      299
Marie Windsor      305
Jane Withers      311

Index      317

“highly recommended…great fun…with their unparalleled knowledge of the western film, the authors manages to extract some terrific stories out of these gals…valuable tidbits about Hollywood in general”—Classic Images; “insightful…an often riveting account of the lives of actresses who never really became stars—and why they didn’t”—Big Reel; “worthy…very good value”—Wranglers’ Roost; “a good read…an invaluable resource”—True West; “many of the interviews have never seen print before…present[s] a clear snapshop of how western filmmaking and ‘the business’ evolved”—Western Clippings; “a trove of tidbits and reminiscences…libraries supporting film studies and women in film courses will want to have [this book]”—Feminist Collections; “most interesting book…highly recommend”—The Old Cowboy Picture Show; “interesting”—Reference & Research Book News.