 (Courtesy of Bill Sasser) |  | Sunset's Fan Club During the mid 1940s, Sunset even had his own fan club and these are the front and back of the info sheet that was provided to entice prospective members. |
 (Courtesy of Bill Sasser) | ||
Thx to Lansing Sexton for the following info on the comic book series of Sunset Carson:
Sunset Carson's comics career began in Charlton's Cowboy Western Comics #27 dated August 1950. It features a photo cover, and an adaptation of his Astor film SUNSET CARSON RIDES AGAIN. Although specific adaptations do occur in western hero comics, they are not the rule. This series is somewhat unusual in its adaptation of all of Sunset's Astor films. Issue 28 adapts both BATTLING MARSHAL and FIGHTING MUSTANGS. Issue 29 adapts RIO GRANDE as well as James Stewart's WINCHESTER 73 and features a five page biography of Sunset. Issue 30 has an adaptation of DEADLINE. Issues 30 and 35 have photo covers and the later also has a photo on the inside front. Sunset was still featured in issue #37. I'm not sure about issues #38 and #39, but he was definitely out with issue #40 which became Space Western Comics.
Charlton also published Sunset Carson comics, beginning with #1 dated February, 1951. Only four issues were published. Issue #1 has a retouched photo cover rather like a painting, while #2 and #4 have drawn covers. All four issues have a black and white photo medallion of Sunset in the upper left corner. There are no adaptations of Sunset Carson films in these comics, but there is an adaptation of Audie Murphy's film KANSAS RAIDERS in issue #2.
 (Courtesy of Donn & Nancy Moyer and Tommy Scott) | | WITH THE TOMMY SCOTT WILD WEST SHOW Left, the last B western hero to work on the Tommy Scott Wild West Show was Sunset Carson, who at that time was being billed as Sunset 'Kit' Carson. 'Doc' Tommy Scott is pictured on the right, and recalls that Carson worked on the show for about 3 years. |
 (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above, Sunset Carson and Art Davis (1976 photo). Davis is best known as a country-western singer, but he appeared in some western films, including one of the three leads in the short-lived 'Frontier Marshals' trio series at PRC in the early 1940s. |
 (Courtesy of Donn & Nancy Moyer) Above, early 1980s photo of Sunset Carson. | |  (Courtesy of Donn & Nancy Moyer) Above, Dave Twomey as 'Happy the Clown' with his special guest Sunset Carson. |
 (Courtesy of Larry Blanks) Above, from L-to-R are Larry Blanks having dinner with Sunset Carson and his wife Jeannie Carson at the Lone Star Cafe in Fayetteville, Georgia in 1990. Less than two weeks after this photo was taken, Sunset Carson passed away (on May 1, 1990, in Reno, Nevada). Carson was married four times --- to Patricia Hussey, Betty Jo Price, Margaret Nesbitt, and Jeanne Davis. |
In early 2003, Virgil Johnson and ye Old Corral webmaster connected. Virgil grew up in the late 40s and early 50s in a small town in North Carolina that had two movie houses which were both owned by the same man. And he worked in those two theatres as a "general helper" during his senior year in high school (1954-55) when the B westerns were fading away. During that time, many of the B-western performers were still doing personal appearances, and Virgil had a chance to meet and work with some of them. Virgil writes:
"Of the many B-Western stars that made personal appearances in Murphy (North Carolina) during this period, the one that really stands out is Sunset Carson. I recall the manager calling me to the front of the theatre and telling me to go outside and show Sunset how to drive around the block to the rear of the movie house so he could unload. Doing as directed, I got into the back seat of the car and directed him accordingly. I kept staring at him, thinking to myself, this person really does not look like Sunset Carson, it must be an impersonator. Halfway around the block, I took my eye off the driver and glanced at the person riding on the passenger's side of the car and then realized I was looking at the real Sunset Carson! Somehow I expected to see him driving. I do not recall the name of the driver except that he looked very much like Paul Guilfoyle --- although I am relatively sure it was not him.
When we got out of the car, I was really surprised at how tall he was (I am 5'11" and he towered over me). I was extremely excited because Sunset asked me if I wanted to appear in the show with him. Needless to say, I said yes. I recall he was very cordial, and was very "down to earth". He did not come across as a "big star" and was very helpful in unloading and preparing for the show. After helping with the unloading and preparation (this was in the afternoon), I went back to my duties to help prepare for the evening's performance. Since I was going to "appear in the show", I went home (we lived three stores away from the movie house over my father's meat and grocery store) and changed into my special black shirt and black trousers.
Sunset was introduced by his driver (assistant/manager?), and he essentially talked to the audience about his movie experiences. His act consisted of placing a safety background in front of the screen and then moving back about 20 rows in the aisle (there was only the middle aisle in this theatre) and having someone hold a piece of chalk between his fingers whereupon Sunset would shoot the chalk out of the holder's fingers with a .22 calibre rifle. I can assure the kind readers that this was not a trick shot of any kind. He actually shot a standard piece of chalk out of my hand --- the only negative aspect was that as the chalk exploded, my front of my "black outfit" was covered with chalk dust. There is no question that he was a "crack shot". The show was a success in that the people loved him and his act, and I still have all my fingers.
As an end note to this story, while in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1958 (3-4 years later), I saw Sunset on the island of Taiwan (then the Republic of Free China) where he was doing a personal appearance tour. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity of seeing his show, due to my military duties."
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Sunset Carson. Click HERE.
Jim Tipton's Find-A-Grave website reports that Carson is buried at Highland Memorial Gardens, Madison County, Tennessee: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6359110
Charles E. Powell's website on Sunset Carson is at: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cepowell/sunsetcarson/
Confused about Sunset's birth date, birth location, etc. Click HERE for the Old Corral webpage with "genealogy" and family info that may help ... or add to the confusion.
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