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. |
John Bridges Full name: John Arthur Bridges 1886 or 1888 - 1973 | Above is a crop/blow up of John Bridges (as "Pop Carson") from the Trail Blazers scene still shown below. |
(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above, from L-to-R are Betty Miles, Bob Steele, John Bridges, and Hoot Gibson in SONORA STAGECOACH (Monogram, 1944), one of the Trail Blazers entries after Ken Maynard exited the series. |
(Image courtesy of "Sunny" Campbell) Above - John Arthur Bridges, circa 1905 | Following are some excerpts from e-mails from "Sunny" Campbell who writes about her grandfather, John Arthur Bridges: "In his early years, he was a Methodist Minister in Repton, Alabama, and also in Gonzoles, Florida (and other areas). Then he left that, went to Hollywood and got started there doing vaudeville kind of acts. I remember hearing he was a ventriloquist with the dummy on the knee, etc. How he actually got into the movies - I don't know the ins/outs. My mother said he later died in 29 Palms, California, and I think it was due to heart related issues." |
I received more information on John Bridges from his granddaughter Karen Gauny Crisalli who has been doing research and genealogy on her family. Karen writes:
You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for: John A. Bridges, born 10/24/1888 in Alabama, passed away on 7/11/1973 in the San Bernardino, California area. There is also a record for Bridges in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), and it shows his birth date as 24 Oct 1886 and last residence as Twentynine Palms, California 92277.
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on John Bridges, and it lists 15 films during the period 1943-1946: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108756/
Thanks to "Sunny" Campbell and Karen Gauny Crisalli for the biographical info on their grandfather. Prior to their input, John Bridges was a "mystery man" who appeared in several 1940s Monogram and PRC oaters during the period from 1943-1946. Most of his films were for prolific producer-director-scriptwriter Robert Emmett "Bob" Tansey, and that suggests that he was a friend of Tansey or the Tansey family. See film listing below.
Film | Series/Star | John Bridges' role | Robert Emmett "Bob" Tansey involvement |
WILD HORSE STAMPEDE (Monogram, 1943) | Trail Blazers | Judge Black | Tansey was Producer-Story-Assistant Director; Alan James directed |
THE LAW RIDES AGAIN (Monogram, 1943) | Trail Blazers | Jess | Tansey was Producer-Story; Alan James directed |
BLAZING GUNS (Monogram, 1943) | Trail Blazers | Judge Foster | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
DEATH VALLEY RANGERS (Monogram, 1943) | Trail Blazers | Henchman Cal Wilkins | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
ARIZONA WHIRLWIND (Monogram, 1944) | Trail Blazers | Stage Agent Tompkins | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
WESTWARD BOUND (Monogram, 1944) | Trail Blazers | Ira Phillips | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
SONORA STAGECOACH (Monogram, 1944) | Trail Blazers | Pop Carson | Tansey was Producer and Director |
OUTLAW TRAIL (Monogram, 1944) | Trail Blazers | Rancher Ed Knowles | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
DELINQUENT DAUGHTERS (PRC, 1944) | non western | Candy Store Owner | no Tansey involvement; director was Al Herman |
HARMONY TRAIL (Maddox, 1944) Re-released in 1947 by Astor as WHITE STALLION | Ken Maynard & Eddie Dean | Sheriff | Tansey was Director-Story-Production Manager |
THE LOST TRAIL (Monogram, 1945) | Johnny Mack Brown | Dr. Brown | no Tansey involvement; director was Lambert Hillyer |
WILDFIRE (Action Pictures/Screen Guild, 1945) | Bob Steele & Eddie Dean | Jess Stolton | Tansey was Director-Production Manager |
WILD WEST (PRC, 1946) | Eddie Dean & Al LaRue | Constable | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
DRIFTIN' RIVER (PRC, 1946) | Eddie Dean | Barfly | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |
COLORADO SERENADE (PRC, 1946) | Eddie Dean & Dave Sharpe | Doc Wills | Tansey was Producer-Director-Story |