Ladies of the Western

This work features interviews with 25 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 difficulties that went along with their jobs. Often, conditions were severe, locations harsh, and pay minimal. The actresses were sometimes the only females on location and had to provide their own wardrobe and do their own make-up, and sometimes discourage the advances of over-affectionate co-stars. Despite these difficulties, most of the actresses agree that they had fun. Claudia Barrett, Francis Dee, Beverly Garland, Lisa Gaye, Marie Harmon, Mary Ellen Kay, Ruta Lee, Mala Powers, Ann Rutherford, Ruth Terry, and Beverly Washburn are among the 25 actresses interviewed. This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN 978-0-7864-2656-0.

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), large print
Pages: 312
Bibliographic Info: 79 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2002]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3938-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword by Mala Powers      1
Foreword by Marion Shilling      4
Introduction      5

THE INTERVIEWS      7
Claudia Barrett      7
Reno Browne      17
Phyllis Coates      24
Louise Currie      35
Frances Dee      43
Beverly Garland      54
Lisa Gaye      67
Marie Harmon      79
Virginia Herrick      87
Lois January      100
Anne Jeffreys      107
Mary Ellen Kay      114
Ruta Lee      129
Adele Mara      147
Carole Mathews      159
Noel Neill      174
Mala Powers      184
Madlyn Rhue      192
Elaine Riley      206
Ann Rutherford      222
Olive Sturgess      239
Ruth Terry      250
Beverly Washburn      257
Marie Windsor      267
Jane Withers      277

Index      285

“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; “a fun read and a relevant book for film, feminist, and western American studies”—Western American Literature; “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.