The Rodeo and Hollywood

At rodeos in the 1940s, Gene Autry sang and jumped his horse, Champion, through a flaming hoop. In 1960s rodeo arenas, Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker acted out a skit from their hit television show Bonanza. In the same era familiar rodeo personalities like Hoot Gibson and Slim Pickens could be seen in movies or television shows.
This book profiles performers who crossed over between film studio and rodeo arena when Hollywood and the rodeo circuit were closely linked. The first part traces the careers of rodeo participants who also contributed to film or television. The next two sections describe rodeo appearances of Western screen stars who entertained at rodeos. Some appeared solo and others with a television co-star or two. A fourth section summarizes rodeo-related films. Appendices introduce golden age rodeo personalities and outline rodeos known for presenting Western stars.

A fan of westerns from his youth in the 1940s, Jim Ryan is a retired Army Signal Corps officer and special education teacher. A member of the Western Writers of America, the Rodeo Historical Society, and the Dublin (Texas) Rodeo Heritage Association, he lives in Colorado Springs.

Jim Ryan
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 408
Bibliographic Info: 289 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013 [2006]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7523-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0314-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
A Note on Institutional Names      x
Introduction      1

I. Rodeo Personalities with a Hollywood Connection      7
II. Individual Movie and Television Actors Performing at Rodeos      101
III. Television Casts Performing at Rodeos      227
IV. Rodeo-Related Films      311

Appendix A—Golden Age Rodeo Personalities      343
Appendix B—25 Rodeos Presenting Western Stars      357
Appendix C—11 Special Rodeos      363
References      387
Index      393

“comprehensive, highly focused reference work…recommended”—Choice; “most interesting and informative”—Wrangler’s Roost; “one of the finest books to come out in recent years”—Western Clippings.