Don 'Red' Barry

(From Old Corral collection)

Above - Wally Vernon and Barry. They paired up in two different western series - the first was at Republic during the 1940s and the second effort was around 1950 at Lippert Pictures where Barry did GUNFIRE (1950), I SHOT BILLY THE KID (1950), more.

In 1970, Wally Vernon and his wife were out walking and were struck by a hit and run driver. Wally passed away from his injuries.

The bay horse with a narrow face stripe is "Banner" and was ridden by Barry in most, if not all, of his Republic oaters. After Barry's series ended, Banner became one of the horses used by Allan Lane (before he assumed the Red Ryder role from Wild Bill Elliott). John Wayne rode Banner in the late 1940s and early 1950s (in ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, for example), and Andy Devine rode him in the movies he made with Roy Rogers.

(From Old Corral collection)

At the conclusion of Roy Rogers' BELLS OF ROSARITA (1945), when the Republic stars entered the circus, Barry is introduced as riding "Cyclone". The above still appears to be from BELLS.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the pressbook cover for SQUARE DANCE JUBILEE (Lippert, 1949). Though the film starred Don 'Red' Barry and the blonde-tressed Mary Beth Hughes (shown in upper right corner), it featured Spade Cooley and his western swing band, Cowboy Copas, Max Terhune, the Tumbleweed Tumblers, former Hoppy sidekick Britt Wood, more. The producer was Ron Ormond who also did the 'Western Adventures Productions' with Lash LaRue in the late 1940s. This was a 'Donald Barry Production' released through the Robert L. Lippert Pictures, and the storyline has talent agents Don Barry and pal Wally Vernon running into cattle rustlers while searching for performers to appear on Cooley's TV show.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Left is a pressbook ad for Barry's RINGSIDE (Screen Guild/Lippert, 1949) which featured pretty Sheila Ryan (lower left), and was another from producer Ron Ormond.

One of the fighters in this boxing tale was lefty John L. "Bob" Cason (as the brutal "Tiger Johnson"). Prior to his Hollywood career playing no goods, Cason was a real boxer. Note the upper right drawing of Barry vs. Cason, the curly haired opponent.

In the photo right are Don Barry and county-western entertainer, singer, and DJ Jimmy Swan (1912-1995). Barry, along with his production crew, actors and actresses, went on location in Mississippi for the filming of the Technicolor JESSE JAMES' WOMEN (Panorama/United Artists, 1954), which was Barry's finale as a leading man. In addition to this photo, Tyrone Roberts provided some info about Jimmy Swan, Barry and the film: film production was around Silver Creek and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and many of the supporting players were locals from the area. Tyrone recalls that the movie premier was at the Saenger Theatre in Hattiesburg. Swan, who at the time was doing records for Trumpet Records, assisted Barry in cutting a record about the Korean War on Trumpet. In return for the help, Barry gave Swan a small role in the film (as a fight manager).		(Courtesy of Tyrone Roberts)
Don Barry sings for Trumpet Records! Bob O'Brien provided additional information on the Trumpet recordings that Barry did circa 1953. He did two songs, "White Cross In Korea" and "Give Me Back The Love I Gave". Barry doesn't talk or recite on these. He actually sings with accompaniment by a gal vocal group. Trumpet Records was a small independent label set-up and owned by Lillian McMurry in Jackson Mississippi. The Trumpet company records are archived at the Trumpet Records Collection (MUM00136) in the Blues Archive, Department of Archives and Special Collections, J. D. Williams Library, the University of Mississippi. Some Don Red Barry info dated 1953 - 1956 is included in that archive. When you get to this webpage, do a search for "Barry": https://libraries.olemiss.edu/cedar-archives/finding_aids/MUM00136.html

Author and film historian Wheeler Winston Dixon reminded me of a good Barry performance in Howard Koch's FRANKENSTEIN 1970 (Allied Artists, 1958). Boris Karloff is Baron Victor von Frankenstein who is broke and needs money. So he rents his castle to a film crew who attempt to do a documentary on the monster. Don Barry plays the director.

Wheeler writes:

"I think it's a solid genre piece, with moody black and white CinemaScope cinematography, and long, doom laden, atmospheric takes. It was shot on sets left over from the John Barrymore biopic, TOO MUCH, TOO SOON, at Warner Bros., but released through Allied Artists. Despite the film's flaws, and the eight day shooting schedule, Barry is really good in his role as an egotistical director - perhaps not so much of a stretch, eh? Boris Karloff, of course, was the star, and most of Barry's scenes were with Karloff. When you can hold your own with Karloff, you must be pretty darned good."

YouTube has the trailer for FRANKENSTEIN 1970: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQfLei8RliE

Wheeler also spotted Barry in another: " I was watching Edward Dmytryk's THE CARPETBAGGERS (Embassy/Paramount, 1964), and during a sequence in which a B western is supposedly being shot under Jonas Cord's (George Peppard) supervision, who pops up as a soundman adjusting a microphone - our old pal Don 'Red' Barry!"

Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Don Barry: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057983/

There's a profile on Lynn Merrick in the Heroines/Leading Ladies section of the Old Corral. And there's a bit more on Wally Vernon is in the Saddle Pals-Sidekicks-Kids-2nd Leads section.

(Courtesy of Minard Coons)		(Courtesy of Minard Coons)
Above photos - Don Barry at a 1972 film convention, and on the right, with Max Terhune of the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters. Same height for both men - I wonder how tall Max Terhune was.