Cowboy and Indian Lore-1938

Roy Rogers Christmas Mini-Comic

Brace Beemer in Retirement

Found online here: https://www.facebook.com/TheLoneRangerArchive/ 

Paladin Article-1960

George Montgomery

Gene Autry Comics Ad-1943

Green Lantern-Crime Goes West

In a bit of foreshadowing, this late '40s comic book cover has a tiny superhero and a large cowboy. Soon cowboy comics would spell the end of superhero comics. In fact, in ALL-AMERICAN COMICS, GL's own series was replaced by a western--JOHNNY THUNDER.

Is Maverick a Western?-January 1st, 1959

Whip Wilson For Bazooka

Razzo Bill-French Cowboy

Cowboy Alfalfa

Hoppy Crayon Set

The Lash

The Cooper Kid

Belle Starr's daughter Trade Ad 1948

Official Roy Rogers Shirt Ad

Indian Outfit Ad

Kids in the fifties didn't just want to be cowboys. For all the misinformation in movies and TV, the Native Americans still fascinated youngsters everywhere.

Riders Radio Theater-1998

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2010 AT BOOKSTEVE'S LIBRARY

The only actual radio show I have ever been privileged to see live (besides the trivia shows I actually appeared on and/or hosted or Convention podcasts) was RIDERS RADIO THEATER. On February 13th, 1998, friend and former employee Ginny (still a Facebook bud today) got tickets for my wife, myself and 16 month old bookdave to accompany her to a taping of two episodes of RIDERS RADIO THEATER, the syndicated modern day musical comedy adventure series starring the western retro group Riders in the Sky.

The taping was at Cincinnati's venerable Emery Theater. That was my final visit to the great old, vintage theater where I had spent many a Sunday afternoon in the seventies falling in love with the likes of Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and Claudette Colbert in their classic film revival series.

The series was put on by WVXU, the now legendary college station here which was also where I made my radio debut in 1980. That debut was on the weekly Trivia episode of LIVELINE, a talk show hosted by Larry Ashcraft which is now recognized as the city's first modern day talk radio program.

Along with Jim "Doc" King, the man whose weekly Friday night radio presentations of classic OTR programs stoked my interest there in the late seventies, Larry was one of the folks behind the Riders show. In fact, early on he had offered me passes to see it but for some reason, I had never taken him up on it. By the time we did see it, the series had been running for nearly a decade.

Larry, who passed away in 2000, was an interesting character. He was a large, friendly man highly respected for many years in the field of amateur ham radio. In the 1960's, however, he had served two stints in Vietnam and was reportedly involved in attempts to clear out the village of My Lai before the legendary massacre there. He was later an interpreter to President Johnson. He had attended Xavier University in the mid-seventies after that already eventful life and volunteered for the fledgeling radio station there. Eventually he would serve as news director, development director, program host and director of community relations and special projects...including RIDERS RADIO THEATER. (The first day we met, he offered to drive me home and during the trip became quite inappropriate--especially considering we had just met-- but that's another story entirely. After that, though, I took the bus when I was on his show).

On the night of the shows, we had good seats only a few rows back from the stage. David had grown up hearing the series in the car and around the house. It consisted of Ranger Doug ("The idol of American Youth"), Too Slim, Woody Paul, Joey the Cow Polka King and Texas Bix Bender ("the voice that sold a million baby chicks over border radio.") They sang like the Sons of the Pioneers, had serial adventures that crossed cowboy heroes like Roy and Gene with MAD magazine humor and wowed radio audiences in countries around the world throughout the nineties.

The stage was set up as if for a play only with microphones at the footlights. There were backdrops and scenery and costumes all around and yet most of the show other than the musical parts was done like the radio broadcast it was. At one point during the second taping, Ranger Doug was alone at center stage playing a soft guitar and singing when suddenly young bookdave--who had been drifting off to sleep a bit earlier--joined in. The acoustics being what they were, his surprisingly melodic harmony attracted the attention of the audience, many of whom looked our way as we tried to quiet him down. Ranger Doug glanced down his big toothy smile and nodded as if to say, "Let him sing," so we did. Sadly, when the episode aired a month or two later you couldn't hear the slightest trace of the boy in the song. Sigh.

Overall, though, a delightful and fun evening with a delightful and fun group. As I said, I knew people. I could have gone much earlier and I could have gone a lot...but I only went that once, and that made it very special!

The Hateful Eight-Trailer

The Silver Ranger-1941

Ranger? Silver? Wonder Horse? You don't think they were attempting to make you think of anyone ELSE do you?

Gene and Joel

Current box office star Autry and future movie cowboy Joel McCrea (name misspelled) both appear in this 1938 filler by future Spectre and Hourman artist Bernard Baily.

Charlton Cowboy Comics Ad-1972

Mary Marvel Copies a Cowboy

The Sheriff of Cochise

Trade ad for this little remembered syndicated modern western series. Beginning in 1956, it ran 156 episodes, though, including a season under the title US MARSHAL after the Sheriff got a promotion. 

Have Gun Won't Travel-Bill Ward

From CRACKED, 1958

West and Soda-1965

A marvelous, highly stylized, hand animated feature from Italy's Bruno Bozzetto who would later bring out ALLEGRO NON ROPPO, sort of the anti-FANTASIA.

The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox-1976

Elvis Presley Presents

Other than his name and photo, this 2 page UK western from 1957 has less than nothing to do with Elvis. In fact. I can pretty much guarantee you that he never even knew it existed.

Two Gun Birmingham

Even Charlie Chan dealt with gold mines and dude ranches in 1948's THE GOLDEN EYE, complete with series mainstay Mantan Moreland in cowboy drag.

Max Terhune-Cowboy Ventriloquist

Max was comic relief, yes, but also a major part of the Three Mesquiteers series, The Range Busters, and others, almost always with his friend Elmer backing him up.