January 31 Birthday Wishes

Zane Grey [1872 - 1939]

Olive Carey [1896 - 1988]

John Agar [1921 - 2002]

Joanne Dru [1922 - 1996]

William Bryant [1924 - 2001]

Jean Simmons [1929 - 2010]

Howdy Manco!!

Zane Grey was one of the most prolific western and adventure writers to ever put ink to paper. As a long time admirer of Grey's works, I rank him along side Louis L'Amour. Three of his works, of note were, Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Lone Star Ranger, which eventually became the basis for the t.v. series, The Lone Ranger and The Royal Mounted Police, the story that inspired Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon series.

Olive Carey appeared with John Wayne in The Searchers and The Alamo, and other great westerns like Gunfight At The O.K Corrall and Two Rode Together, but she is probably most noted for being the wife of Harry Carey .Sr and the mother of Harry Carey .Jr, one of the all time great western supporting actors. She also had a long career in silent films under the name Olive Golden.

John Agar also appeared with John Wayne in Fort Apache and She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, before becoming involved in a string of b-movies.

Joanne Dru was not only one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen, she was also a fine actress who appeared in many many westerns, including The Horse Soldiers with the Duke and for a time, was married to John Ireland.

William Bryant always looked like one of the most ruggedly handsome actors in film. Although typecast as a supporting actor, mostly in westerns, he was best known for his portrayals of Ulysses .S.Grant.

And the beautiful Jean Simmons. One time wife of Stewart Grainger, know for her roles in The Robe, Spartacus, The Big Country and many other screen epics. She had the role of the innocent, pure woman, down pat. At the end of her career, she did the narration for many of the Biblical programs on the History Channel. She just passed on a little over a year ago.

Ed

Bill Bryant was a personal friend of ours.....besides being a great supporting actor working with the likes of John Wayne & Glenn Ford, Bill had a number of old classic automobiles that he would enter into shows. He was one great guy.
John Agar, whom we also had the pleasure of knowing, also worked with Wayne in some of his later films like The Undefeated & Big Jake. Also with Kirk Douglas in the classic western, Along the Great Divide. He starred in a number of sci-fi films during the 1950's like Revenge of the Creature & The Mole People. Another really nice guy.
Olive Carey, another one we had the pleasure to know (meeting her through her son, Harry Jr.) was one classic lady. Great character actress. She played Ma Clanton in Gunfight at the OK Corral. Funny thing about that was in the film she did not want Billy involved with Ike's doings, and in real life there is a myth legend that Billy said before he died for someone to take off his boots because he promised his mother he wouldn't die with his boots on. In reality, Billy was only around four years old when his mother died and I doubt he ever said that at that young age. But Olive...be it in The Searchers or in Night Passage, she made a great character actress after returning to films after her husband's death and many years away from the camera raising her family. She and Harry Sr. went to Africa in the early 1930's where they filmed the old movie Trader Horn. She told Jim and I about her adventures in Africa during that time. A really nice lady.

There's a good article about Zane Grey and his deal with Famous Players/Laskey (later Paramount Pictures) in the latest True West magazine. He became disenchanted over the treatment of his story The Vanishing American, which was published to coincide with the release of the movie, and the changes demanded by his publishers and how he begrudgingly complied because the film would increase sales of the book.

Olive Carey is best remembered as Mrs. Jorgenson in The Searchers.

John Agar is best remembered from John Ford's cavalry movies, and later in a number of Universal's B movies. He was also the first husband of his Fort Apache co-star, Shirley Temple.

Joann Dru is best remembered by us Western fans from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Red River.

Jean Simmons was a fine actress, be it in Sparticus, Guys and Dolls, The Big Country, or even the 1991 version of Dark Shadows.