(Courtesy of Minard Coons) Russ Hayden in a scene from one of his starring oaters, WYOMING HURRICANE (Columbia, 1944)

Russell Hayden and James Ellison were two cowboy heroes that rode similar trails during the B western period in Hollywood.  Both began working at Paramount in the mid 1930s.  However, Hayden's film experience began with several jobs as a production crew member. A good lookin' actor who could do his lines pretty well, Ellison went to work on Paramount's new Hopalong Cassidy series in 1935.  His first significant role in a major film was as Buffalo Bill in THE PLAINSMAN (Paramount, 1936), which starred Gary Cooper.  After about two years portraying 'Johnny Nelson', Hoppy's saddle pal, Ellison left for bigger and better roles. Replacing Ellison as Cassidy's new sidekick 'Lucky Jenkins' was production crew member Russ Hayden.  Hayden was in 27 of the Hoppy adventures from 1937 - 1941.  Paramount also used him in several of their fine 'Zane Grey' films.  Then, he too left for greener pastures. Hayden's first stop was as the new sidekick and second lead to veteran Charles Starrett at Columbia Pictures.  Looking good in the saddle, he soon was given his own series ... and those films are among my favorites for they are slick, cram full of action, and Hayden really looks good.  Later, he would star in several Canadian mountie yarns for Screen Guild, and he also had time for the lead in THE LOST CITY OF THE JUNGLE (Universal, 1946) chapterplay.  As the 1940s ended, Hayden was appearing in westerns, often portraying a baddie (which is the same thing that occurred with other western heroes, such as Three Mesquiteer's star Bob Livingston). After exiting the Hoppy series, Ellison hoped to become a leading man in classier, higher budget films.  And he did some good work for the next half dozen or so years at RKO and 20th Century Fox ... but he never achieved 'star' status.  One of his better roles was as the military hero who is engaged to pretty Sheila Ryan --- but falls in love with Alice Faye --- in the Busby Berkeley Technicolor extravaganza, THE GANG'S ALL HERE (20th Century Fox, 1943). As the market for the B western faded in the late 1940s, Hayden and Ellison found they were not in high demand.  For their last hurrah, they signed on with producer Ron Ormond for a series of new oaters with the pair teamed together.  Lippert Pictures would handle the film releasing.  (Pure guess on my part, but it seems that this series was put together because Hayden and Ellison were being seen in the Hoppy films which were being broadcast on TV.  Because of that TV exposure, someone probably figured that the former Hopalong Cassidy sidekicks could generate some box office success.) In the Ormond series, 'Lucky' Hayden put on chaps and 'Shamrock' Ellison wore buckskins and high-top mocassins (these were very different 'costumes' from what they wore in the Hoppy films; and Ellison's buckskin outfit reminds me of what he wore in THE PLAINSMAN).  The story goes that all six of the films were shot together using the same stars and supporting players --- Raymond Hatton and Fuzzy Knight were there, along with Dennis Moore, Tom Tyler, John Cason, I. Stanford Jolley, and George J. Lewis.  Pretty Julie Adams (then billed as Betty Adams) was the heroine --- you might remember her as the female lead in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.  After a month or so of work, the miles of completed film were edited into six B westerns.  (Ron Ormond was responsible for some other sagebrush flicks during the closing years of the western programmer --- click here for an example.) After the Ormond group, Hayden wound up working primarily on the other side of the camera.  In the 1950s, he produced the JUDGE ROY BEAN and 26 MEN TV series.   He was the lead on TV's COWBOY G-MEN with one-time child star Jackie Coogan as his lawman partner.  Hayden's first wife was actress Jan Clayton, the original 'Mom' in the LASSIE TV show with Tommy Rettig. Ellison still had a few more roles to play on the silver screen, including the heroic military officer in I KILLED GERONIMO (Eagle-Lion, 1950).  He returned to being a sidekick and second lead, but this time it was at Monogram and the star was Johnny Mack Brown.  Ellison was in his early forties and Johnny Mack was older ... their film appearances together would be brief, and Brown's Monogram series and starring career was nearing the end of the trail.  Ultimately, Ellison left the acting profession, and became a success in California real estate and contracting. Les Adams added some further info on Ellison: Ellison was the intended lead in Columbia's THE DESERT HAWK serial and, for whatever reason, was replaced by Gilbert Roland.  It got as far as the advertising.  Hold up an original one-sheet poster to the light and you'll find Roland's billing pasted over Ellison's.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Hayden, Shirley Patterson (later, Shawn Smith) and Bob Wills of Texas Playboys fame, in a scene from Hayden's THE VIGILANTES RIDE (Columbia, 1944).

Hayden passed away in 1981 of natural causes.  Ellison died from an accident in 1993 and the details are below.

Jerry Schneider, who has the Movie-Making Locations Guide website on Hollywood film locations, located several newspaper articles relative to Ellison's death in 1993 at his Montecito, California home.  Am not going to reprint the entire article(s), but following are some excerpts and quotes:

•  "... died on Dec. 23 after breaking his neck in a fall at his Montecito home. He was 83."
•  After retiring from the screen around 1952, Ellison got into California real estate and contracting. One of the articles had the following quote from Ellison - "I think I'll be remembered more for Ellison Drive, which I developed in Beverly Hills, than for any of my pictures."
•  "Ellison's first wife, Gertrude Durkin, died in 1970 after 33 years of marriage. He is survived by his second wife, former ballerina Shelly Keats, a son, two stepdaughters and five grandchildren."

In March, 2000, Larry Imber sent me an e-mail about his visit with Russ Hayden:

"He lived in the Judge Roy Bean house (set), a big room with a heater. On the wall was a large and lovely painting of Hoot Gibson. Being a Gibson fan, I was surprised by it. I asked if he was a fan as I was. He told me he loved Hoot. That opened him up and we had a long delightful conversation. He was blind at this time and enjoyed sitting in the sun. Mousie (Hayden's wife) left us alone but hoped I would come back on July 4th when Russ had a barbeque for the whole town. A stable nearby was covered with one sheets and stills from his career. He pointed off to roads used in stagecoach chases and other spots. It was one of my most memorable visits."

The Motion Picture Herald and Boxoffice polls were conducted from about the mid 1930s through the mid 1950s.  With a few exceptions, the annual poll results would list the "Top Ten" (or "Top Five") cowboy film stars.  In most cases, the winners were what you would expect --- Autry, Rogers, Holt, Starrett, Hoppy, etc.  Ellison was able to garner a ranking during his sidekick days in the Hopalong Cassidy films, and Hayden was rated during his cowboy films at Columbia Pictures.

(Courtesy of Donn & Nancy Moyer) Above, Russell Hayden, circa 1980
(Courtesy of Bill Sasser) Above, James Ellison at the podium during the 1991 Charlotte Film Fair		(Courtesy of Bill Sasser) Above, James Ellison, circa 1990