 | Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse riders or cow herders. They had minimal or no dialog, not much screen time, and were generally not listed in the film credits. Some would show up as a face in the crowd, portraying townspeople, barflys, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names. |
Tex 'Squint' Palmer Real name: Luther Palmer appeared in at least 240 westerns and 10 serials. Right is a crop/blowup of a young Tex 'Squint' Palmer from a still from the John Wayne THE LUCKY TEXAN (Lone Star/Monogram, 1933). |  |  |
| There's a genealogical website with info on Tex Palmer (links below). In summary, he was one of four children born to Frank Perle Palmer and Bertha Alice Perrine Palmer, and the family lived in Xenia, Ohio. Luther left home at around 15 years of age and headed west, winding up at the LaSalle Ranch which is in/near Newhall, California. There he met Francine Marie La Salle. They married and circa 1940, adopted daughter Saundra.
Tex Palmer's Hollywood career lasted about thirty years, from approximately 1930 through TV shows in the late 1950s - early 1960s. His movie and television work was mostly uncredited roles as a henchman, posse rider, barfly, townsman, etc. And he frequently drove a stagecoach or wagon. On television, you can spot Palmer in background roles in many programs churned out by Gene Autry's Flying A production company (THE GENE AUTRY SHOW, BUFFALO BILL JR., ANNIE OAKLEY, ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION). And while Tex only appeared in one Hopalong Cassidy film, he turns up in 25 Hoppy TV adventures. As to his B western career - Palmer can be seen in oaters with Tim McCoy, Buck Jones, Ken Maynard, Tim Holt, Bill Elliott, Charles Starrett, George O'Brien, Bob Allen, Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue. But roughly half of Tex's work occurred in films starring the following:
You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). There you will find a record for: Luther Palmer, born July 31, 1904, Social Security number was issued in California, he passed away March, 1982 at age 78, and his last residence was Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The Family Search website has information on Tex Palmer and family:
Genealogy website on the Palmer family:
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 (From Old Corral image collection) In the above lobby card from ROGUE OF THE RANGE (A. W. Hackel/Supreme, 1936), a two-gunned Johnny Mack Brown points an accusing finger at Jack Rockwell. Thx to Les Adams for help in identifying several of the players - from L-to-R are Tex Palmer, Jack Rockwell, Blackie Whiteford (in purple shirt), Art (Arturo) Felix, unidentified player (behind Brown), Brown and George Ball.  (From Old Corral image collection) Above is a crop from the ROGUE OF THE RANGE lobby card shown above. From L-to-R are Tex Palmer, Jack Rockwell, and 'Blackie' Whiteford.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Tex Palmer, Oscar Gahan, Merrill McCormick, Charlie King and Denver Dixon (Victor Adamson) in a scene from the Tex Ritter WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM (Monogram, 1938) .  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Jack Randall, Tex Palmer and Frank Yaconelli in a crop from a lobby card from Randall's THE CHEYENNE KID (Monogram, 1940). |
 | | Blackjack Ward Real name: Jerome Bonaparte Ward Nickname: "Black Jack" or "Blackjack" 1891-1954 appeared in at least 144 westerns and 17 serials. |
| In February, 1940, Blackjack Ward was involved in a real gunfight with western movie bit player John Tyke (sometimes spelled Tyacke). Newspaper reports indicate that 45 year old western bit player John Tyke was shot and killed in Los Angeles by Jerome B. "Blackjack" Ward, age 49 or 50. The shooting occurred on or near Sunset Boulevard near Columbia studios and bystanders initially thought that a movie was being filmed. Ward said that Tyke had been threatening him for many months. At the time, police said they were hunting for Tyke for questioning in a recent gas station robbery. After the shooting, Ward drove away in his car, but was apprehended by police. Police said that he "fanned" the hammer of his gun at them, but it was empty and Ward was captured. On July 18, 1940, Ward was acquitted as it was determined he had shot in self defense. Appears that Ward had a temper. There's newspaper reports from April, 1942 in which he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon which occurred in a December, 1941 altercation with bit player Henry Isabell/Isabelle at the Roundup Cafe drinking establishment. During the brawl, Ward pulled a gun on Isabelle. There were other violent incidents, and you'll find a link below to some 1951 police booking photos of Ward who was arrested for assault ... with a meat cleaver. If anyone wants a bunch of newspaper clippings on Ward, Tyke, Isabelle and the incidents, e-mail the Old Corral webmaster. The Family Search website has more information on Ward:
The University of Southern California (USC) Digital Library has two Los Angeles Examiner newspaper photos of an old and well worn Jerome Bonaparte Ward being booked as a suspect in a meat cleaver assault in August, 1951:
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 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Black Jack Ward, unidentified player, Blackie Whiteford and youngster Bobby Nelson in THE GHOST RIDER (Argosy/Superior, 1935) which starred Rex Lease.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above, Fuzzy Knight (left) has a banana on Black Jack Ward (right) in this scene from THE MAN FROM MONTANA (Universal, 1941), one of the Johnny Mack Brown series. Players in the background are unidentified. |
Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Tex Palmer: