Reviews

The comic strip cowboy Red Ryder who had already appeared in newspaper comic strips, comic books and movies, was featured in two TV pilots of the Fifties. Jim Bannon, who had been the fourth cowboy actor to portray Red Ryder, did a pilot for television in 1954-55. In the copy that exists today, he talks directly to sponsors, urging them to advertise their products. Bannon had already done four low budget westerns as Red Ryder, in Cinecolor. It was on the basis of this series that he was chosen. He mentions the series later in his book, "A Son of the West." In 1956, Allan "Rocky" Lane, who played Ryder in seven Republic features also did a pilot. This film has also become a collector's item, often being on the same video as the Bannon episode. Lane had been a popular Western star at Republic through the Forties an early Fifties. With the advent of TV and the closing of small town theaters, Lane was doing character roles. Because of the number of westerns now on TV, many of which were geared for adult audiences the Red Ryder TV series became a casualty.

One of your bloggers makes the comment that the Hopalong Cassidy films began running on television as early as 1945. Obviously they haven't done their research because (1) television sets were not put on the market for public use until 1947 and Boyd did not begin running his films until mid summer of 1948. Boyd was still making theatrical pictures in 1944, and then went on tour with Cole Brothers Circus for two seasons until 1946, when he began producing his own series for United Artists. These films co-starred Andy Clyde and Rand Brooks. When the series ended, Boyd hocked everything he had to gain the rights to Hopalong Cassidy. His old movies began running on NBC in June, 1948. The statement that Hoppy movies were being seen on television originally came from a video documentary on early television cowboys, featuring Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins.