Albert Victor Adamson
aka Denver Dixon, Art Mix, Al Mix,
California Motion Pictures Enterprises, et al

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)

Albert Victor Adamson (1890-1972) was born in Kansas City, Missouri on January 4, 1890, and he spent time in New Zealand prior to his arrival in Tinseltown.

He began his Hollywood creations around 1920 under the moniker of "Art Mix Productions", and initially, he was the named star.  A few of these silents are available, including ACE OF CACTUS RANGE (1924) and ROMANCE OF THE WASTELAND (1924).  Apparently, he became too busy behind the camera, and so he hired one George Kesterson to be Art Mix (Kesterson continued using that name as he became a busy western film henchie during the 1930s and 1940s).

When talkies arrived, Adamson/Dixon was even busier, churning out grade Z oaters featuring Buffalo Bill, Jr., Wally Wales and Buddy Roosevelt, all second echelon cowboy stars from the silent era who were on the downhill side of their starring career.  His last gasp as a producer was DESERT MESA (Security, 1935) which starred Tom Wynne/Wynn (Wally West).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Adamson/Dixon's production company is often referred to as Superior Talking Pictures.  Superior was not Adamson/Dixon's company, but was a B film outfit which created their own films ... and released others such as Dixon's fodder.  I've yet to understand the exact business relationship, but Superior was intertwined with 1930s Stage & Screen Productions and the Weiss Brothers.  All of these outfits disappeared by the mid 1930s.  Most of the material on Adamson's films show the name of his film company as California Motion Picture Enterprises (and sometimes California Motion Pictures Enterprises with an S added to Picture).

Spelling errors were mentioned earlier, and on the RAWHIDE ROMANCE poster, there are two:  the real life wife of Jay Wilsey/Buffalo Bill, Jr. was Genée Boutell, and her name is spelled Genee Bontell.  And Marin Sais is spelled as Marion Sais.

And yes, the story is true and I did watch the video to re-verify my memory --- the title credit for Buffalo Bill, Jr.'s LIGHTNING BILL (Superior, 1934) is misspelled LIGHTING BILL (and neither the script or film has anything to do with billing for your electric lights).

Larry Imber sent an e-mail noting that "Denver Dixon filmed most of his 'films' in and around Pearblossom, California, north of Victorville. There were several small ranches in the area, and he made use of the buildings, horses, cowboys, and whatever else he could hustle." Genee Boutell (wife of Jay Wilsey/Buffalo Bill, Jr.) was interviewed in Boyd Magers' Westerns Women book. She mentions that she met Wilsey on location "out on the desert up around Lancaster".

Les Adams adds that Victor Adamson was 'location director' for C. C. Burr's Atlas Pictures in 1938.

Adamson, no longer behind the camera, continued working as a henchie and bit player in Hollywood through the 1940s, generally billing himself as Denver Dixon.  This stage of his career totals at least 130 film credits, most of which are B westerns.

During the 1960s, Adamson and his son Al Adamson, returned briefly to the world of film production, with features such as HALF WAY TO HELL (1961) and TWO TICKETS TO TERROR (1963).  Son Al Adamson was murdered in the mid 1990s --- click HERE and HERE for info on Adamson's bizarre death.  Ed Tabor sent me some newspaper clippings on the murder, and I can e-mail those to you if you want (there are 3 jpg images).

Les Adams notes that Adamson had a penchant for utilizing characters who bordered on idiocy (perhaps for comic relief) and he or Tom Palky or Black Jack Ward usually got the assignment. There was always something not-quite-right about most of the characters in his films anyway, and this not-quite-right quality finally hit its peak in the William Barrymore (Boris Bullock) character in THE RAWHIDE TERROR. Les had the following comments on that film in an issue of his Yesterday's Saturdays:

"This film suspends all logic from beginning to end. Half of the cast seems to be suffering from amnesia or faulty eyesight, or both, and everybody is a relative to everybody else, although nobody seems to be too clear on the exact relationships. All hands are either a Blake or a Brent and are quick to answer to either name. Edmund Cobb and William Barrymore are brothers --- maybe --- separated as kids, while Tommy Bupp is a son --- possibly --- of Barrymore. Cobb, an orphan sheriff, is after Barrymore, an orphan villain, while Art Mix and William Desmond, possibly brothers, appear to ride around a lot looking after Bupp, a future second-generation orphan. Cobb and Frances Morris, hopefully not related, ride off into the sunset together. The rest of it is kind of confusing."

Scuttlebutt is that THE RAWHIDE TERROR was originally planned as a serial, but never came to fruition.  If true, then Adamson/Dixon may have slapped this together as a feature, and that could be the reason for the lack of continuity.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is Victor Adamson, Denver Dixon, Art Mix ... pick a name!

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above is George Kesterson, who became Art Mix in the 1920s, and kept the name through scores of henchie roles in the 1930s and 1940s.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a photo of the title lobby card for THE RAWHIDE TERROR (Security, 1934).  Note the "Victor Adamson Presents an Art Mix Production", and a photo of Adamson/Dixon is shown in the upper left.  Edmund Cobb (shown center) was kinda the star, even though he's listed second.  And George Kesterson/Art Mix was there also (enlargement below from the lobby card).  Bill Patton (moustached, wearing dark shirt, gloves, jacket) is to the left of heroine Frances Morris. Mix/Kesterson is scuffling with William Barrymore in his guise as the title character. Leave it to Victor Adamson to pioneer an early version of Hannibal Lecter's mask. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Merrill McCormick, Buddy Roosevelt and Barbara Starr in RANGE RIDERS (Superior, 1934). (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above are a young Jack Evans on the left and Boris Bullock (William Barrymore) in a crop from a lobby card for the Buffalo Bill, Jr. adventure RAWHIDE ROMANCE (Superior, 1934).  You can see the full lobby card by clicking HERE. (From Old Corral image collection) Above, Buffalo Bill, Jr. is in real trouble in this scene from THE FIGHTING COWBOY (Superior, 1933).  Les Adams and Ed Tabor were able to ID several of the players in the photo.  Indian woman is Marin Sais (spelled Marion in the credits); behind Marin Sais is Hamilton Steel; beside Steel is probably Jack Evans; man above BB Jr's hat on horseback is Herman Hack; man just to right of BB Jr is Boris Bullock; next to Bullock is chief bad guy Allen Holbrooke; next man is unidentified; Sheriff is Ken Broeker; man on far right wearing glasses is Tom Pelky.

The Productions of Victor Adamson/Denver Dixon Sound films only Includes westerns and later films Does NOT include Adamson/Dixon's bit and supporting roles in scores of westerns Special thanks to Les Adams for providing this filmography