(Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above, Rex Lease and pretty Dorothy Gulliver in a romantic interlude from IN OLD CHEYENNE (Sono-Art/World Wide, 1931).

1932 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above are Lease and Muriel Evans in the auto racing flick, 10 LAPS TO GO (1936).

Depending on the source material, Rex Lease was born either February 11, 1901 or 1903, most probably in Central City, West Virginia, and the biographies also note that he attended Ohio Wesleyan College.

Some years ago, Gary Spencer authored a piece on Lease in Favorite Westerns magazine and debunked the Ohio Wesleyan issue --- he had written to the school, and the registrar had found no info on a 'Rex Lease' though a 'Leland J. Lease' was listed as a senior in the 1920 School of Oratory.  But he could not confirm that 'Leland' was in fact, Rex Lease of Hollywood.

Thanks to the Internet, a check of the SSDI (Social Security Death Index) and California Death Records database shows his name as Rex L. Lease, birthdate of February 11, 1903, his mother's maiden name was Lovette, and he passed away in the Los Angeles area on January 3, 1966.The SSDI also has a record for an Ohio born 'Leland Jacob Lease' who passed away in 1953.

If you check the webpage on Les Adams' Prolific Performers, you'll note that Lease was one of the busier actors during the sound era, working in over 200 films up through the late 1950s --- of those, 119 were B westerns and 16 were serials.

Lease was another hopeful who arrived in Hollywood in the mid 1920s, and he found some work including a couple of the MGM silent westerns starring Tim McCoy.  Like Bob Custer, Buddy Roosevelt and others, Lease made the transition to 'talkies'.  In his early thirties, and good looking and thin, he was able to star in about a dozen low-budget sagebrush yarns and western themed serials.

However, he only made one series of oaters, a half dozen for Superior in 1935 --- George M. Merrick and Louis Weiss were at the production helm; Elmer Clifton was the regular director; and a youngster named Bobby Nelson was also in the cast to add some juvenile appeal.  For a photo of Nelson a couple years later with Johnny Mack Brown in BOOTHILL BRIGADE (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937), click HERE.  Merrick and Weiss would also star Lease in their CUSTER'S LAST STAND (Stage & Screen, 1936) chapterplay.

By the mid 1930s, Lease's starring career was over, and he migrated to supporting roles and bit parts.  As time progressed, he added some poundage around his waist and played heavies, sheriffs, etc.  His later roles included many of the Abbott & Costello and Ma & Pa Kettle comedies.

As noted above, Lease did cliffhangers ... and lots of 'em.  He and strongman Joe Bonomo were the heroes of THE SIGN OF THE WOLF (Metropolitan, 1931), and one of Lease's last starring roles was in CUSTER'S LAST STAND (Stage & Screen, 1936).  But he also played a helper/assistant to the hero in THE CLUTCHING HAND and THE MYSTERIOUS PILOT.  And you can spot him in lots of other chapterplays, including THE CRIMSON GHOST, PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS, and THE LONE RANGER RIDES AGAIN.

Rex Lease was one of many who had a fling at B western stardom ... and failed.  This could have been because his screen persona was relatively mild ... or because there was a glut of new and old cowboy heroes riding the cinema trails in the 1930s, and they were more dynamic and well known, thereby increasing the probability of film profits.  On the upside, Lease was able to move into bit parts and supporting roles, and his Hollywood career, both silents and talkies, lasted about thirty five years.  He was often employed by Republic Pictures, mostly in programmer westerns and serials, and his film credits at that studio number about 85 from 1937 - 1953.

Apparently, Lease was another of the steady, dependable folks that could be counted on to fill those background roles.

(From Old Corral image collection) Above, Rex Lease during his brief run as a western film hero in the 1930s. (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above, Lease in the red vest and a cast of thousands in CYCLONE OF THE SADDLE (Argosy/Superior, 1935).  L-to-R in the front row are Milburn Morante (in buckskins), young Bobby Nelson, Janet Chandler, Lease shaking hands with William Desmond, and on the far right in the black suit and top hat is Herman Hack. (From Old Corral image collection) George W. Merrick and Louis Weiss had Lease as the star of CUSTER'S LAST STAND (Stage & Screen, 1936), 15 chapters, directed by Elmer Clifton.  The players in the insets are: bottom left - Dorothy Gulliver (as 'Red Fawn') and Rex Lease; and on the right are Nancy Caswell and William Farnum. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from left to right are Edward Peil, Eleanor Hunt and Yakima Canutt in a scene from the John Wayne BLUE STEEL (Lone Star/Monogram, 1934). Eleanor Hunt was a Ziegfeld girl and her biggest movie role was the leading lady to Eddie Cantor in WHOOPEE! (Samuel Goldwyn, 1930). She was married several times and her husbands included Rex Lease and producer George A. Hirliman. (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above, Lee 'Lone Ranger' Powell and Charles 'Slim' Whitaker are about ready to jump this quartet of no-goods in ROLLING DOWN THE GREAT DIVIDE (PRC, 1942), one of the Frontier Marshals trio series. Unaware of their pending doom, the four baddies are, from left to right: Rex Lease, Charlie King, Eddie Dean and Glenn Strange. Note the lineup as being shortest to tallest - and check the height of Glenn Strange vs. Rex Lease.