Howdy Manco!!
George Bancroft was another Broadway stage actor, who turned to film in 1921. He was cast in westerns early in his career and appeared in, The Deadwood Coach, The Rainbow Trail and The Pony Express. During the 30's, he also appeared in A Doctor's Diary and .Mr Deeds Goes To Town. It was in 1939 that Bancroft hit it big, with his appearance in the classic John Ford western, Stagecoach, as Marshal Curley Wilcox, starring John Wayne. He next teamed up with Cecil.B.DeMille in The Northwest Mounted Police. Just as he was beginning to get roles in really big films, Bancroft decided that he wanted to be a rancher and in 1942, Bancroft retired from acting.
Angie Dickinson had originally intended to be a writer, but after winning a local beauty contest, then placing 2nd in the 1953 .Miss America contest, she was offered a role on the 1950's t.v. series, I Led 3 Lives. She continued to work in t.v. with appearances in The Millionaire, Death Valley Days and had an uncredited role in Man With The Gun. This led to her being cast in Rio Bravo with John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson and she was on her way. She continued to act in westerns for a while, with the lead female roles in, The Last Challenge with Glenn Ford, Sam Whiskey with Burt Reynolds and Young, Billy Young. In 1974 she was offered the role of Sgt. Pepper Anderson on the popular 1974-1978 t.v. series, Police Woman. In 1980, she hit it big again with her role in Dressed To Kill with Michael Caine and followed that up with Death Hunt with Charles Bronson. She has contined to work in both film and t.v. through 2009. A little trivia about .Miss Dickinson!! When she was offered the role in the series, Police Woman, she was asked if she had ever played a sleuth. She didn't know what a sleuth was and thought she was being asked if she had ever played a slut. She replied, oh yes, many times!!
Ben Cooper first showed up in film in 1950. He was soon cast as Turkey Ralston in Johnny Guitar and he must have decided then, that westerns films were what he wanted to do, because he dedicated almost his entire career to them. During the 50's and 60's, he appeared on every western t.v. series on t.v. at one time or another. He was in the episode " The Runt" on Laramie, The Face Of Yesterday" on The Rifleman and With Love, Bullets And Valentines on The Virginian. Along the way, he appeared in films like, Gunfight At Commanche Creek, Arizona Raiders with Audie Murphy, One More Train To Rob with George Peppard and Support Your Local Gunfighter with James Garner. Cooper played the role of "Colorado", a local gunfighter, who challenges Garner to draw, while Joan Blondell is buying Garner a hat. After Garner knocks Colorado out and uses an old stove type hot iron to break his trigger finger on his right hand with, Jack Elam informs Garner that "judging by the way this guy wears his gun, he's left handed", so Garner takes the iron and breaks the trigger finger on his left hand!! Cooper was one of the fastest men with a Colt .45, I've seen in my time. If you ever get a chance to see the the episode "Hand On The Gun", from the 1959 t.v. series, The Westerner, starring Brian Keith, Cooper demonstrates his ability to draw, cock and shove a .45 under your nose, before you can blink. I owe Ben Cooper a debt of thanks. When Robert Fuller of Laramie fame, first showed up in Hollywood, it was Ben Cooper that picked him up and took him to a party. Although they got into a fight, before the night was over, it was Cooper that later taught Fuller to ride, handle a gun and convinced him to go into westerns.
Ed
by Laramie Wed Feb 08, 2023 5:26 pm
Subject: September 30 Birthday Wishes 
