 | Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang (or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse or cow herders) who had minimal or no dialog. They are generally not listed in the film credits. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names. |
Tex Palmer appeared in at least 230 westerns and 10 serials Blackie Whiteford appeared in at least 245 sound era films, including 160 westerns, 12 serials and 42 shorts (including many of the Columbia Three Stooges shorts)  Above, a crop from a lobby card from ROGUE OF THE RANGE starring Johnny Mack Brown. From L-to-R are Tex 'Squint' Palmer (?-?), Jack Rockwell, and John 'Blackie' Whiteford (1873-1962) (in purple shirt). You can see the full lobby card by clicking HERE.  (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). |
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Black Jack Ward, unidentified player, Blackie Whiteford and Bobby Nelson in THE GHOST RIDER (Argosy/Superior, 1935) which starred Rex Lease. |
 |  | Jerome 'Black Jack' Ward 1891-1954 appeared in at least 140 westerns and 16 serials |
Boyd Magers includes some history on Ward and the infamous Gower Gulch gunfight in one of his film reviews: BEYOND THE SACRAMENTO (1940 Columbia)In Lodestone, Cannonball ('Dub' Taylor) recognizes saloon-keeper Bradley Page and newspaper owner Frank LaRue as notorious swindlers and sends for his pal, Wild Bill Hickok (Bill Elliott), to expose the crooks phony bond scam. Bill tries to enlist the aid of banker John Dilson and his daughter Evelyn Keyes, unaware Dilson is in league with Page and LaRue. When the chips are down, Page prepares to flee, but in his robbery of the bank, Keyes is wounded causing Dilson to realize the error of his ways and go gunning for Page. Good, but town-bound --- not Elliott's best. It was Keyes only B-western. The actress went on to major acclaim in GONE WITH THE WIND (Suellen, Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister), FACE BEHIND THE MASK, HERE COMES MR. JORDAN, DESPERADOES, MRS. MIKE etc. Page's gunslicks are Norman Willis, Bud Osborne, Steve Clark and Blackjack Ward. Ward (1891-1954), basically a minor player in westerns from the '20s, gained national attention on 2/23/40 when he was involved in a real-life shootout with movie extra John A. Tyacke at Hollywood's Gower Gulch, the unofficial name of the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Gower St. where cowboys hung out waiting to be hired by production units. Tyacke, said to have a police record, had been harassing Ward for sometime when Ward became fed up with Tyacke's pestering, blew his top and fired at Tyacke. When Tyacke ran, Ward chased him down and killed him. Onlookers testified at Ward's trial Tyacke looked "high on dope", was "pizen mean" and had pulled a knife on Ward. Ward was acquitted 7/18/40 but worked only sporadically thereafter. His last known film is Hopalong Cassidy's COLT COMRADES ('43). |
 (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 background are unidentified. |
Charles 'Art' Dillard appeared in at least 206 westerns and 25 serials  (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above from L-to-R are Max Terhune, Bud Osborne, unidentified player, Art Dillard (1907-1960), and Ray Corrigan in the Three Mesquiteers' RIDERS OF THE BLACK HILLS (Republic, 1938). Dillard can also be seen on many episodes of the GENE AUTRY, ROY ROGERS, WILD BILL HICKOK and KIT CARSON TV shows up through about 1952.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Art Dillard, Lee Reynolds and 3/4 of the face of Forrest Burns in a scene from SANTA FE UPRISING (Republic, 1946), one of the Red Ryder yarns starring Allan Lane. |
| Jim Corey (real name: Arthur H. Corey) appeared in at least 194 westerns and 21 serials | ||
 Above is Jim Corey (1889-1950) in a crop from a lobby card from LAND BEYOND THE LAW (Warners, 1937) starring Dick Foran. You can see the full lobby card by clicking HERE. | |  Above, Tom Tyler slugs it out with Jim Corey in BROTHERS OF THE WEST (Victory, 1937). Corey was born in New York state, and was a frequent henchman and also did stuntwork. Click HERE for a photo of Cliff 'Tex' Lyons and Corey taking a horse fall in Buck Jones' OUTLAWED GUNS (1935). Corey is relatively easy to spot --- he was thin and wore that tall hat. |
Thanks to Dale Crawford and Jim Sorensen for investigating Corey, and providing a death certificate which notes that Corey is interred at the Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California. | ||
