The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

Above from L-to-R are John 'Dusty' King, Fred Toones, Charlie King, Rex Lease, Bud Osborne, Glenn Strange and and Max Terhune in a lobby card from HAUNTED RANCH (Monogram, 1943), one of the Range Busters' adventures.

Looking back on B westerns and serials --- and Hollywood films in general --- it was common to typecast performers based on their race, ethnicity, etc. This was a time of Hollywood stereotypes --- for example, "all Indians were vicious, rampaging savages" and the "U. S. Cavalry were good guys and always saved the day". One of the more familiar performers of this period was black actor Fred Toones.  Toones used a screen nickname of "Snowflake", and his roles were generally that of a servant, porter, cook, et al. From 1936-1947, he appeared in about 40 films at Republic Pictures, many of which were walk-on or bit parts in which he was uncredited.  Director William Witney's autobiography mentions that Toones ran the shoeshine stand at Republic studios. Les Adams has Toones identified in about 180 sound films, and of that total, 54 are westerns and 7 are serials. Though his roles were often demeaning, Fred Toones was one of the prolific supporting players in B westerns and cliffhangers. As such, he deserves a spot on the Old Corral. Biographical info on Toones notes that he was born in North Carolina in 1905 or 1906, and passed away in California in 1962. However, I was unable to locate any info on him in the California Death Records database or the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) under name variations Toones, Toons, Toon, Toone, et al. However, I did find a California Death record for: Fred Toomes (spelled with an M not an N), born 1/5/1906, and he passed away on 2/13/1962. If anyone has any info on Fred Toones, please e-mail me.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is the pressbook cover for HAIR-TRIGGER CASEY (Atlantic, 1936), one of the final starring roles for Jack Perrin.  Note Toones' photo in the bottom right corner of the pressbook, but he is not listed among the cast members. A larger version of the inset photo of Toones is shown above left. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Milton Kibbee, Don Barry, and Fred Toones in Barry's TWO-GUN SHERIFF (Republic, 1941).  Milt Kibbee's brother was Hollywood actor Guy Kibbee. (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above from L-to-R are Rex Lease, Fred Toones, Julie Duncan, John 'Dusty' King, and Max Terhune in a scene from HAUNTED RANCH (Monogram, 1943). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a blurb from the pressbook for the Range Busters' LAND OF HUNTED MEN (Monogram, 1943), and mentions that John King and Dave Sharpe had departed for WW2 duty ... and Dennis Moore had joined the series and Ray Corrigan was returning. Note the ending sentence: "and the colored comedian, Snowflake."

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Fred Toones.  Click HERE.