Sweethearts of the Sage

Hundreds of leading ladies have appeared in the thousands of Westerns produced since 1903’s The Great Train Robbery, riding in and out, never to be heard of again. A relative few of the women stayed around to make a name for themselves.
This comprehensive biographical reference book of those rangeland queens is divided into four parts: “Path Finders,” active before 1920; “Trail Blazers,” whose heyday was in the 1920s; “Pioneers,” the 1930s and 1940s; and “Homesteaders,” primarily post–1940. If an actress appeared in at least eight Westerns, or a lesser number of significant oaters, she is in this book. Generously illustrated.

The late Buck Rainey wrote scores of articles for Western and serial fanzines and several books. He lived in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

Buck Rainey
Format: softcover (8.5 x 11 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 652
Bibliographic Info: 246 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012 [1992]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6769-3
Imprint: McFarland

VOLUME 1
A Foreword by Barbara Stanwyck      xi
A Tribute by Charles Starrett      xiii
Author’s Note / Abbreviations / Acknowledgments      xv
Introduction      xvii

PART I: THE PATHFINDERS (Heroines of the Pre–1920 Era)
Vedah Bertram 2 Magda Lane      49
Pauline Bush 2 Louise Lester      51
Olive Carey 6 Ann Little      52
Marguerite Clayton 8 Louise Lovely      55
Goldie Colwell 12 Louella Maxam      56
Grace Cunard 14 Rhea Mitchell      57
Mona Darkfeather 17 Mildred Moore      58
Florence Dye 19 Princess Red Wing      59
Janet Eastman 20 Vivian Rich      61
Bessie Eyton 20 Mann Sais      64
Victoria Forde 24 Evelyn Selbie      69
Helen Gibson 27 Nell Shipman      71
Myrtle Gonzales 31 Myrtle Stedman      74
Winifred Greenwood 33 Edythe Sterling      78
Texas Guinan 36 Blanche Sweet      79
Betty Harte 38 Jessalyn Van Trump      84
Carol Holloway 40 Marie Walcamp      86
Helen Holmes 43 Clara Williams      88
Edith Johnson 45 Kathlyn Williams      89
Winifred Kingston      48

PART II: THE TRAILBLAZERS (Heroines of the Twenties)
Maryon Aye 98 Laura LaPlante      172
Barbara Bedford 98 Louise Lorraine      175
Madge Bellamy 101 Gladys McConnell      178
Sally Blane 105 Molly Malone      179
Evelyn Brent 108 Marilyn Mills      182
Mary Brian 114 Peggy Montgomery      182
Beatrice Burnham 118 Margaret Morris      183
Ethlyne Clair 119 Evelyn Nelson      185
Kathleen Collins 121 Marian Nixon      185
Betty Compson 122 Eva Novak      188
Pauline Curley 129 Jane Novak      190
Marjorie Daw 130 Kathleen O’Connor      194
Marceline Day 132 Peggy O’Day      195
Nancy Deaver 135 Gertrude Olmstead      196
Regina Doyle 135 Marcella Pershing      198
Dorothy Dwan 135 Esther Ralston      199
Virginia Brown Faire 137 Allene Ray      202
Helen Ferguson 141 Alma Rayford      205
Helen Foster 142 Ione Reed      207
Carmelita Geraghty 144 Dorothy Revier      208
Neva Gerber 146 Irene Rich      211
Eugenia Gilbert 150 Fritzi Ridgeway      214
Lillian Gilmore 152 Ruth Roland      215
Ena Gregory / Marion Douglas 153 Ruth Royce      220
Gloria Grey 154 Eileen Sedgwick      220
Dorothy Gulliver 156 Josie Sedgwick      224
Olive Hasbrouck 159 Duane Thompson      226
Wanda Hawley 161 Lotus Thompson      227
Josephine Hill 163 Lois Wilson      227
Hazel Keener 167 Dorothy Wood      232
Dorothy Kitchen / Nancy Drexel 168 Fay Wray      234
Nora Lane      169

PART III: THE PIONEERS (Heroines of the Thirties and Forties)
Jane (Poni) Adams 240 Jean Arthur      247
Iris Adrian 240 Edna Aslin      253
Lona Andre 245 Joan Barclay      253
Armida 246 Lina Basquette      256
Virginia Belmont 259 Jeff Donnell      291
Pamela Blake 260 Cathy Downs      293
Veda Ann Borg 262 Julie Duncan      293
Lucile Browne 266 Penny Edwards      294
Reno Browne 268 Sally Eilers      296
Jean Carmen / Julia Thayer 269 Dale Evans      300
Virginia Carroll 270 Muriel Evans      303
Mae Clarke 272 Dorothy Fay      305
Phyllis Coates 275 Evelyn Finley      306
Mildred Coles 277 Alice Fleming      309
Lois Collier 278 Jane Frazee      310
Joyce Compton 279 Greta Granstedt      313
Carolina Cotton 285 Lorna Gray / Adrian Booth      315
Gail Davis 286 Shirley Grey      317
Claudia Dell 288 Virginia Grey      320
Katherine DeMille 290 Anne Gwynne      324

VOLUME 2
Ellen Hall 326 Sheila Manners / Sheila Bromley      368
Lois Hall 326 Beth Marion      370
Ruth Hall 328 Blanche Mehaffey      372
Virginia Herrick 329 Iris Meredith      374
Doris Hill 330 Lynn Merrick      376
Verna Hillie 331 Gertrude Messinger      378
Jennifer Holt 333 Betty Miles      382
Carol Hughes 337 Lorraine Miller      382
Kay Hughes 339 Geneva Mitchell      383
Mary Beth Hughes 340 Ruth Mix      384
Martha Hyer 343 Pauline Moore      386
Lois January 347 Noel Neill      388
Anne Jeffries 350 Nell O’Day      391
Mary Ellen Kay 353 Sarah Padden      394
Carmen Laroux 354 Dorothy Page      398
Christine Larson 354 Cecilia Parker      398
Mary Lee 355 Jean Parker      401
Nan Leslie 355 Helen Parrish      403
Caryl Lincoln 357 Shirley Patterson      406
Patti McCarty 358 Sally Payne      407
Christine McIntyre 359 Nena Quartaro      409
Betty Mack 363 Marjorie Reynolds      411
Wanda McKay 365 Elaine Riley      414
Fay McKenzie 366 Lynne Roberts      415
Claire Rochelle 418 Linda Stirling      442
Estelita Rodriguez 420 June Storey      445
Ann Rutherford 422 Helen Talbot      447
Sheila Ryan 425 Ruth Terry      447
Nancy Saunders 427 Virginia Vale      449
Billie Seward 429 Victoria Vinton      451
Gloria Shea 430 Luana Walters      453
Marion Shilling 431 Barbara Weeks      455
Dorothy Short 434 Jacqueline Wells / Julie Bishop      456
Louise Stanley 435 Martha Wentworth      459
Eleanor Stewart 437 Joan Woodbury      460
Peggy Stewart 439 Polly Ann Young      462

PART IV: THE HOMESTEADERS (Heroines Who Distinguished Themselves in Nonprogrammer Westerns)

Julie Adams 466 Katy Jurado      520
Lola Albright 468 Dorothy Malone      521
Merry Anders 470 Adele Mara      524
Mari Blanchard 472 Carole Mathews      527
Barbara Britton 473 Virginia Mayo      529
Peggie Castle 475 Patricia Medina      532
Mara Corday 477 Vera Miles      535
Kathleen Crowley 478 Rita Moreno      538
Margia Dean 479 Jeanette Nolan      539
Yvonne DeCarlo 481 Maureen O’Hara      541
Myrna Dell 485 Debra Paget      543
Angie Dickinson 488 Vera Hruba Ralston      544
Ann Doran 490 Ruth Roman      546
Ellen Drew 496 Katharine Ross      549
Joanne Dru 498 Jane Russell      551
Rhonda Fleming 500 Ann Sheridan      553
Beverly Garland 504 Barbara Stanwyck      557
Nancy Gates 506 Stella Stevens      564
Coleen Gray 507 Gale Storm      566
Barbara Hale 509 Gloria Talbott      568
Susan Hayward 511 Joan Taylor      569
Rita Hayworth / Cansino 514 Claire Trevor      570
Adele Jergens 517 Marie Windsor      574

Bibliography      579
Index of Film Titles      581

“delightful for browsing…highly recommended”—Choice; “impressive scholarship…liberally illustrated…beautifully documented…highly recommended”—ARBA; “comprehensive…richly detailed…a labor of love”—American Libraries; “impressive research”—The Courier Times; “spotlights many actresses”—Burlington County Times; “ought to be in every B-western movie buff’s library…is extremely valuable…admirable job”—The World of Yesteryear; “of interest to all researchers”—Big Reel; “comprehensive”—Reference & Research Book News; “comprehensive…some 1,000 films…extensive”—American Cinematographer; “a must”—Featured Alternate.