Cycleppath

Hoppy

2007-09-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

For the next two years or so, Boyd and Hoppy were off the screen. During this time, Boyd purchased the rights to the films and character. He also formed his own production company to resurrect the Cassidy cinema adventures. Brand new Hopalong flicks hit the silver screen beginning with FOOL'S GOLD in 1946. A dozen were made and released by United Artists during 1946-1948, and the Cassidy film finale, STRANGE GAMBLE, arrived at movie houses in late 1948. In this UA dozen, Andy Clyde returned as Hoppy's sidekick and the new member of the team was Rand Brooks who did a creditable job as the impulsive 'Lucky Jenkins'. But this was post World War II time --- film production costs had skyrocketed, people's movie tastes and habits were changing, and the B western was fading. Thus, this final batch of Cassidy westerns are not on par with the earlier films. A newfangled gadget called television arrived to save the day, and the end result was a significant financial windfall to Boyd. The Hopalong Cassidy films were first shown on the Paramount-owned KTLA TV station in Los Angeles. Then they became a network broadcast over NBC, and early Sunday evenings became 'Hoppy night'. Nielsen ratings for the one-hour Cassidy NBC program were solid --- 9th place for the 1950-51 season and in 28th place for 1951-52. The movies were edited down to about 54 minutes to fit both film and commercials into a one hour time slot. I remember being mesmerized when I watched the Hoppy yarns on our first TV set, which I vaguely recall was an Emerson with a ten or twelve inch screen. For the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons, there were 52 half-hour Hoppy adventures. A dozen were created (condensed) from the later United Artists films with Andy Clyde and Rand Brooks. And 40 brand new half hour shows were lensed and featured Edgar Buchanan as 'Red Connors'. The end result of all this air time was that Boyd and the Hoppy character were more popular than ever. In addition to TV, Boyd did circuses, rodeos, personal appearance tours, hospital visits, et al. He brought the Hoppy series to radio ... he opened up his own Hoppyland theme park ... and merchandising included hats, gunbelts, lunch buckets, clothing and more. There was also a long running series of comic books. He was on the covers of magazines such as Life, Look and TV Guide. Gosh ... I was the proud owner of an official Hopalong Cassidy twin capgun set that had black holsters made out of real leather. The Cassidy films, particularly the 1935-1941 Paramount releases, are a definite notch or two above the typical B western, and the production quality and higher budgets are immediately apparent. Plus, the scripting and plots were good, the photography was superb, and about half were filmed at scenic Lone Pine, California. Additionally, the running times were much longer than the normal 55-60 minute western programmer --- as best I can recall, the longest Hoppy film ran a tad over 80 minutes. As to William Boyd the man, he had gone through a personal transformation and re-awakening. Boyd had three unsuccessful marriages (to Ruth Miller, Elinor Fair and Dorothy Sebastian). In 1937, he and actress Grace Bradley tied the knot, and the result was a happy pairing that continued through Boyd's death in 1972 of heart problems and parkinson's disease. A few years prior to his passing, Boyd had cancer surgery. They adored each other, and in interviews, Grace mentions the tough times when they had to sell most everything to come up with the dollars to acquire the Hopalong Cassidy rights. Over the years, William Lawrence Boyd --- and his version of the Hopalong Cassidy character --- blended together to became one and the same. The parents and kiddies of the time loved him. And through personal appearances and such, Boyd returned that love and adoration --- you could see it in his face and smile and hear it when he belted out one of his great laughs. Many kids who grew up in the late 1940s and early 1950s owe some of their personal values and beliefs to William Boyd. That's his greatest accomplishment.

2007-09-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Born in Ohio in 1895 and raised in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, William Boyd arrived in Hollywood around 1918. He became a full-fledged leading man during the silent era, and his best work from that period included many films for Cecil B. deMille. But roles had been tough to find during the early to mid 1930s. Stories and rumors generally mention: that Boyd looked too old due to his prematurely grey hair; and that Boyd was a womanizer and liked parties and alcohol. Then there was the confusion between this William Boyd, and another Tinseltown performer who had the same name. That 'other' William Boyd had been involved in a scandal in the early 1930s, and our William 'Hoppy' Boyd was incorrectly identified in the press and news as the guilty party. The accusations nearly wrecked our William Boyd's career. (The William Boyd that was the subject of the scandal wound up with the moniker of William 'Stage' Boyd. Remember him --- he was the evil 'Zolak' in the awful serial, THE LOST CITY (Krellberg, 1935), which featured Kane Richmond as the hero.) In the mid 1930s, several forces came together. These were Paramount Pictures, a producer named Harry 'Pop' Sherman and Boyd. 'Pop' Sherman was an independent producer, but by the mid 1930s, the states rights distribution channels for low budget, independently produced sagebrush yarns were disappearing. Sherman got lucky and convinced Paramount to release a series of westerns based on the Hopalong Cassidy novels and short stories authored by Clarence E. Mulford. Hollywood history or myth is that character actor James Gleason was a serious contender for the role of Hopalong Cassidy. But when the dust cleared and filming began, forty year old William Boyd had the job. The first in the new series, HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY (Paramount, 1935) had Boyd being helped by James Ellison, a handsome fellah and pretty good actor who portrayed Hoppy's saddle pal 'Johnny Nelson'. (Note that this would later be re-named HOPALONG CASSIDY ENTERS, and become the generally accepted title for that movie.) 1935 was also the year that Republic Pictures was formed, and a singing cowboy named Gene Autry began his starring series at the new studio. The third Cassidy yarn, BAR 20 RIDES AGAIN (1935) included George Hayes as 'Windy' and is one of my favorite westerns. In film #5, THREE ON THE TRAIL (Paramount, 1936), Hayes became 'Windy Halliday' and a full-fledged member of the Hopalong Cassidy trio. Paramount may have been surprised with the enthusiastic fan response to the new series. And it rolled along quite well for the next season or two. But Ellison was being groomed for better things, and Russell Hayden replaced him beginning with HILLS OF OLD WYOMING (Paramount, 1937). Hayden had not been an actor, but was a member of the Hoppy production crew. Hayes was around through RENEGADE TRAIL (Paramount, 1939), and then left because of a salary dispute or some disagreement with Pop Sherman. Hayes immediately signed on with Republic Pictures as the sidekick to Roy Rogers and Bill Elliott ... and that's when he took on the nickname of 'Gabby'. The brief comedic replacement was Britt Wood, the downhome comic with the big hat, who really wasn't too bad as the third member of the trio. Ultimately Wood was let go, and veteran screen comedian Andy Clyde arrived, and his first appearance was in the very good THREE MEN FROM TEXAS (Paramount, 1940). Clyde continued as Hoppy's sidekick through the end of the film series in 1948. Les Adams found an interesting tidbit --- on Monday, May 20, 1940, Film Daily reported that William Boyd had broken his leg while on location filming for DOOMED CARAVAN, but production would continue with Boyd's leg in a plaster cast. Continuing the musical chairs, Hayden exited after completing the 1940-41 releases and went over to Columbia Pictures to help western hero Charles Starrett. Soon after, he was given his own oater series at Columbia. With Hayden gone, Hoppy's new assistant was Brad King, who was OK, but definitely not an Ellison or Hayden.

John Hart

2007-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Who was that other masked man?For one season, in 1952, Clayton Moore was replaced as the Lone Ranger on the popular television series.For 52 episodes, John Hart dashed across the television screen as the man behind the mask.Below is a story about John Hart that I wrote in February of 2001 for the Longmont, Colorado, Daily Times-Call newspaper.

The Other Lone Ranger

2007-09-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

John Hart was also that masked manBy Joe SouthernThe Daily Times-CallContrary to popular belief, the Lone Ranger is not dead.Clayton Moore, the actor who played the character on television in the 1950s and who is most associated with the masked man, passed away in 1999. But there is another actor who played the Lone Ranger on TV who is very much alive and well - a man who is now the lone Lone Ranger.John Hart played the part from 1952 to 1954 on 52 episodes of the show while Moore held out in a contact dispute.Today Hart, 83, is retired and living with his wife in Warner Springs, Calif.With the exception of Klinton Spilsbury, who played the title role in the 1981 big screen flop "The Legend of the Lone Ranger," Hart is the last in a long line of men who donned the mask since the character debuted on WXYZ radio in Detroit on Jan. 30, 1933."I've dined out on it forever," Hart said recently in a telephone interview.While Hart has done numerous television and film projects, he is often most remembered as the "other" Lone Ranger."It's never bothered me at all," he said. "I went on and did 'Hawkeye' and did other things."His counterpart, however, took to the mask and played the role to the hilt."He (Moore) decided to be the Lone Ranger and he made it his job and he did it very well," Hart said.Prior to temporarily replacing Moore, Hart made two guest appearances on the show as one of the heavies opposite the masked man.After the show ended in 1957, he made two cameo appearances as the Lone Ranger on television, once on an episode of "Happy Days" in the 1970s and later in 1981 on "The Greatest American Hero."Hart's last connection to the legendary masked rider of the plains came in 1981 in the last Lone Ranger movie ever made."I worked on 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger.' I played an old editor of a Western country paper," he said.While his character was hanged by the bad guys early in the film, Hart's involvement lasted well beyond the bit part."The guy who played the Lone Ranger was such a disaster," he recalled. "Having been the Lone Ranger they got me into doing all his press conferences and stuff."Working in the lead role on the television series was enjoyable for Hart.He said he made a lot of friends through it and forged a close relationship with Jay Silverheels, who played the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, throughout the series and the two theatrical releases that followed. He was with Silverheels shortly before he died in 1980 following a series of strokes."He was a sweetheart of a person," Hart said.Work on the television series was challenging. The 52 episodes Hart did were all shot in a matter of weeks."We worked six days a week, every other week. We worked Monday through Saturday. The scripts ran 30-some pages ... We shot every (episode) in two days."I'd have anywhere from 15, 16, 17 pages of dialog to memorize. I'd get up at 5 a.m. with a cup of coffee to start memorizing my lines," he said.Being a real cowboy in his younger days, Hart was able to do things that Moore and others couldn't do, especially with the great, white horse Silver."I was very attracted to the horse, Silver. He was half Arabian and half American saddle bred," he said.He said Silver was very jumpy and difficult to ride."Clayton wouldn't ride him, the radio guy (Brace Beemer) wouldn't ride him ... I took him when I know I had the part. I took him out and rode him for a few days ... When we started shooting he was very friendly. I wore spurs, but I didn't have to spur him," he said.In revealing another little-known tidbit about the show, he said Silver and Tonto's horse, Scout, didn't get along."They hated each other, it was really funny. We'd pull up and have some dialog and the horses would start nipping at each other and dancing around," he said.To compensate for that, the saddles were placed on sawhorses for close-up scenes. "Then, they'd bring in the real horses and we'd ride out," Hart said.One of the biggest mysteries of the old '50s television show is why Hart replaced Moore in the middle of the series. Some sources say George W. Trendle, who created the character, fired Moore because he was becoming too closely associated with the Lone Ranger.But Hart subscribes to the more widely held belief that Moore, in a dispute with producer Jack Chertok, held out for more money."I have no idea (why Moore came back)," he said. "I had long been gone and happy doing other things. Clayton was bound and determined to be the Lone Ranger. I'm sure it was over money ... He (Chertok) was the cheapest guy I ever worked for."In addition to "The Lone Ranger," Hart has appeared or starred in many movies and television shows. He wore the hero's mask in "The Phantom" and had lead roles in "Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans," "Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy," and "The Adventures of Captain Africa."On television, he made numerous appearances in "Rawhide" and also showed up on such programs as "Sky King," "Sgt. Preston," "Dallas," "The Addams Family," "Leave it to Beaver," "Perry Mason," "Bat Masterson" and "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," to name a few.His first film appearance was in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Buccaneer." He went on and did several projects with DeMille."He took a liking to me and kept me on the show," Hart said.He has worked with several old Hollywood greats, including Lon Chaney Jr., who was his sidekick in "Hawkeye," and Olympian/actor Buster Crabbe."Buster and I were old friends. I knew him before the '32 Olympics," he said.He also recalled the time he had a "nice scene with Elizabeth Taylor."He said he considers his work as Hawkeye to be his favorite part."The stories were good, the thing was a wonderful show," he said.But only 39 episodes were made, despite the show's popularity, because of a dispute between the producer and the advertisers.In more recent years he has written a cookbook called "Cowboys in the Kitchen." He also sells autographed pictures for $20 each (plus $4 shipping) and is preparing to offer silver bullets and lassoes. He said he makes very few public appearances anymore ("I'm 83 and my knees have gone to hell") and is enjoying his family in retirement

Riverside County Health Board

2007-09-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Michael Tweedell is the excutive director of the Riverside County Health Board. Lawrence Wright is the secretary

2007-08-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

This cactus flower was so small that It was pass over by many people that is why that I said we must slow down to see thje beauty aound us

the Falls

2007-08-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

The Falls preparing to unrep with another ship from the other ship

two actors

2007-08-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

Jerry Marlow met A.R. and Victor Lundin at the same show

Patricia Neal

2007-07-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Jerry Marlow met Patricia Neal at a celebrity Show

hot humid

2007-07-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hot and humid days in July. Temps up to 110 degrees

Campain ribons

2007-07-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

these are the campain ribons awarded to Lawrence Wright. The navy only issued Wright 2 ribons so he never wore my ribons

computer down

2007-07-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

My computer has been down for a week but it is up and running now

2007-07-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Sunset on the bridge of the USNS NIAGARA FALLS make a beautiful picture

RECORD TEMPS

2007-07-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Record temps and drought in Coachella Valley this summer.

4th of JULY

2007-07-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Nation wide holliday fireworks for the fourth of July HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

The USNS Niagara Falls

2007-07-03T02:16:00.000-07:00

The USNS NIAGARA FALLS (T-AFS 3) is a Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ship, specifically designed to deliver large quantities of frozen, chilled and dry provisions, ship’s store resale items, technical repair parts, and general use consumables to fleet task forces operating at sea. Cargo stowage capacity exceeds 596,000 cubic feet. With this stowage capacity, the NIAGARA FALLS can provide the major portion of the logistics requirements that modern naval vessels demand and enables naval combatants to remain at sea for long periods of time conducting uninterrupted operations in support of our national military strategy.

NIAGARA FALLS can best be described as a “Floating Supermarket”. Many of the items found in the typical home are securely stowed here and ready for issue to a needy customer. Everything from clothes to watermelons, office supplies to lobster, all stored within our cargo holds. Our trademark is versatility; our spirit is “Can Do”, our motto is “THE MIGHTY FALLS DOES IT ALL"

USNS NIAGARA FALLS TAFS-3

2007-07-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

Specifications: Displacement 9,200 tons (lt) 15,900-18,663 tons (fl) Length 581' Beam 79' Draft 27' (max.) Speed 20 knots. Propulsion three 580 psi Babcock and Wilcox boilers, one De Laval Turbine, single propeller.
As USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) Complement 44 Officers, 445 Enlisted. Aircraft two CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters. Armament two twin 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts.
As USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS-3) Complement 28 Navy, 115 civilian merchant mariners. Aircraft two MH-60S Knight Hawk, multipurpose helicopters. Armament none.

The Niagara Falls Ship

2007-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Laid down, 22 May 1965, at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, CA.
Launched, 26 March 1966
Commissioned, USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3), 29 April 1967
Decommissioned, September 1994
Assigned to the Military Sealift Command and placed in service, 23 September 1994 as USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS-3), assigned to the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (PM1) MSC Far East

record drought in LA

2007-07-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles faces record drought which effects us in Coachella Valley. Triple diget tempertaures in the valley

Wright visits Doctor

2007-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Wright went to his Doctor today for a physical. Wright's doctor's name is Dr Ann Mishica. Wright phsycal came out ok and is healthy

USNS NIAGARA FALLS

2007-06-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

The USNS Niagara Falls underway replenishing(UNREPING) the USS Ronald Reagan off Iraq. She is still working since April 1967 to now. I hope they never retire her because the White Planes was used for a target and sunk, the Falls sister ship AFS 4. Long Live the Falls

USS NIAGARA FALLS AFS-3

2007-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

A former crew member of the Falls is having the ship's patch made and selling them for cost $12.00 The Niagaga Falls was decommisioned in 1994 and became part of the Naval Aux Fleet run by civiaians. She is doing what she alway did serving the fleet in Iraq underway replenishing the fleet. A floating supermarket

Security Guard one or two days a week

2007-06-26T02:17:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Wright may be getting a position as a security guard one or two days a week. This would give him enough money to make all obligations and his wife Barbara suggested it. Further information on how it goes later.

Paula Leaves her position with the county

2007-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Paula Paddelford left her position with the county. She is doing the same as she did for the county but for a senior apartment complex in Palm Springs. Paula did so much for us, she arranged for us to get a referagtor hospital bed, & transfer bench We still consider her a friend and wish her the best at her new position. We are grateful for what she has done for us

Desert Hot Springs is HOT

2007-06-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today we had temperatures as hot as 115 degrees. The heat is dry but still hot that is why most of the time people stay inside as much as possible

Wright Travels to Cahtedral City

2007-06-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Wright went with his friend to Palm Springs then to Cathedral City with his friend Bob Forbush. Wright wanted to get a salad from Jack In The Box his wife, Barbara, wanted Wright decided to go with Forbush and stop at Jack In The Box on the way home.

spanish soldier

2007-06-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

This spanish soldier painted by Barbara Weber was published by Berbard Publishing company and was very popular. If Bernard Publishing is still in business or if whoever bought them still has the color seperations They would be popular again today because many people are looking for prints of Barbara Weber's paintings

NACHC Conference

2007-06-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the National Assn. of Community Health Center (NACHC)Conference Info.http://www.nachc-chi.com/conference_schedule.cfm The dates of the conference are August 24 to 28. If we go we will be able to see the twin daughters of our Nephew who lives near Dallas

blog is back

2007-06-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

I guess the email I sent to the blog host fixed the problem. Sometime ignorance with computers works best One computer expert said "it is funny people are afraid of something with the intelagence of a banana nat"

Blog site

2007-06-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

It looks like the blog site is back up and running. Welcome back to all

Cat treat Cat

2007-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Natasha is crazy about cat snacks. If she thinks you have them she will stare at you for hours and she butts you with her head or taps your hand with her paw. she will do anything to get someone to give her Cat Snacks. She reminds me of the cartoon dor Skuby Do and skuby snacks. She is very persistant in geting what she wants

Closet Cat

2007-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Natasha was born March 1993 and was an only cat. Her father was a Black wild cat and she picked up the remoteness from her father. When strangers are in the house she stays in the closet thus the name Closet Cat. She deesn't like cat nip cat toys but she is crazy about cat snacks. The cat has warmed up to us over the years her whole porpoise is to have us do her bidding which she does very well. Our cat likes to be alone in dard places, like when we rented a house in Anaheim she got locked in the garage when I opened it up she didn't come out. I left her in there for two more hours then when I opened the door she slowly came out. She is strange but we love her

Lawrence's Employment

2007-06-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Wright is employed by Barbara Wright because of her Arthrites she need helpith some everyday things. Wright is awarded 75.3 houres a month to care for Barbara. That is about 2.51 hours a day.

Riverside County Health Board

2007-06-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

The Riverside County Health Board meets at the County Hospital in Moreno Valley once a month and is the governing body the runs the county health facilities. Paula Paddelford applied for a position as a nurse manager and told Michael Tweedel about Lawrence Wright and since they were planing a health facility in Desert Hot Springs he was interested in having Wright on the board. Wright was interviewed and accepted .

WRIGHT ELECTED SECRETARY

2007-06-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Wright was voted in as secretary to the Riverside County Health Board. Even though the minutes are taken and typed by Michael Tweedel Secretary Wright still has to sign some papers. Wright said" It is a great honor being elected secretary of the board and I will serve with honor." Other news is the roll out of the new computer system is complete and a complete sucess acording to Mike Hinckey .

Riverside County health Board

2007-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

I am a member of the Riverside County Health board the meets monthly at the Riverside County Hospital. This is the governing body of the health facilities in Riverside County. I will keep everyone posted with what happens at the meeting

Everything Paid

2007-06-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

I received my pay check today so I was able to pay the rent and a creditcard payment so everything is paid for the month

Mary is back

2007-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Barbara and my niece from Indiana Mary Constances is back up with her computer and sent me an e-mail She has compuserve and I have AOL so we can IM each other when we are on at the same times. I hope this means she will be on line more and we can IM again I miss her so much

nesting bird

2007-06-08T19:31:00.001-07:00

The pictuew of the nesting Dove and the nest were destroyed by someone b-4 the eggs hatched.

http://community-2.webtv.net/barart/Newbiginnings/

Nesting Bird

2007-06-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

I found one of my pictures of a nesting pigeon andit's nest with eggs in it. Before they hatched,someone destroyed the nest. But at least I have these pictures.

cactus Flower

2007-06-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

The cactus Flower was very small that most people passed it with out seeing it beauty. I took a picture of it to remind people of the beauty around them and they should slow down and "smell the flowers"

Wright reporter

2007-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

I update my web site every month I am always adding new pictures on it to make it more interesting

Barbara Weber

2007-05-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

Barbara is one of the most talented artists in the 20th century

Barbara Weber

2007-05-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Barbara is one of the most talented artists in the 20th century

Blue Moon

2007-05-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

A blue moon is the second full moon in a month May 2007 has a Blue Moon. That is wherer one in a Blue Moon came from. Blue Moons do not happen often. May had a full moon on the second and one on the 31st

Memorial Day, 2007

2007-05-28T07:53:00.001-07:00

Cheryl Hagedorn

2007-05-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Cheryl is one of the most talented writers I have read in a long time.