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.