Iris Meredith was Charlie's leading lady in twenty films.
(Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above and below - pretty Iris Meredith with Charles Starrett in RIDERS OF THE BLACK RIVER (Columbia, 1939). Iris was the main heroine to Starrett, and she worked in twenty of Starrett's Columbias which were released during the years 1936-1940. (Courtesy of Minard Coons) |
Starrett portrayed a Canadian mountie in six films.
(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is the title lobby card for OUTPOST OF THE MOUNTIES (Columbia, 1939) which starred Charles Starrett and featured pretty Iris Meredith and the Sons of the Pioneers. Starrett portrayed a mountie in six films: UNDERCOVER MEN (J. R. Booth/Dominion, 1935) SECRET PATROL (Columbia, 1936) NORTH OF THE YUKON (Columbia, 1939) OUTPOST OF THE MOUNTIES (Columbia, 1939) THE ROYAL MOUNTED PATROL (Columbia, 1941) LAW OF THE NORTHWEST (Columbia, 1943). |
(Courtesy of Bill McCann) | Charles Starrett / Durango Kid comics.
|
The Starrett Gunbelt. Charles Starrett wore a variety of gunbelts during his lengthy stay with Columbia Pictures.
|
The (many) Starrett Horses.
(Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above, Charles Starrett and two Raiders. And no, you're not seein' double. Many of the western heroes had several mounts which were their own, rentals or studio cayuses - one was the primary (and valuable) horse for closeups and tricks and the other(s) was less valuable and used as a chase double, etc. (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Charles Starrett's note on the picture above reads: "Of all the 33 white horses I rode here was the best. Charles Starrett". Check out the Trusty Steeds page on White Hoss #3 - "Silver/Silver Chief" as Starrett's favorite white hoss is Silver/Silver Chief which was ridden by Lee Powell and Bob Livingston in the two Lone Ranger serials, by Sunset Carson, and several other heroes. |
On the trail of Charles Robert Starrett.
The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), the California Death Index, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), and the Newspaper Archive have information on Charles Starrett and family:
(Courtesy of Dick Fulcher) Thanks to Dick Fulcher, above is further confirmation on Starrett's March 28, 1903 birth date. Dick owned some Starrett memorabilia, including Charlie's passport dated December 1, 1967. The above is a crop from that passport. |
Starrett at Worcester Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts; he graduated in 1922) and Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire; he graduated in 1926).
The Newspaper Archive had various blurbs on Starrett doing sports at Worcester Academy. Following are a few excerpts from January and May, 1922 articles:
"Starrett was the only academy boy to score a win for his team, taking the 50-yard swim."
"Charles Robert Starrett |
There are photos and info on Charles Starrett's horses - both Raider and Bullet - in the Trusty Steeds section on the Old Corral. And in the Stuntmen and Women section, there's a profile and photos on Ted Mapes and Jock Mahoney.
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Charles Starrett: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0823633/
The Internet Broadway Database has Starrett in the November, 1929 New York play "Claire Adams": https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/charles-starrett-60909
The New York Times and Los Angeles Times newspaper websites have obituaries on Starrett:
https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/26/obituaries/charles-starrett-dies-at-82-actor-on-stage-and-screen.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-25-me-127-story.html
Tim Kirk has a blog entitled "Charles Starrett - One Fan's Journey" and he's working on reviews for all of Starrett's films. Included are many stills and lobby cards: https://stevesomething.wordpress.com/
James Gurney has info about Charles and Mary Starett's son Dave, who taught art in the Los Angeles area for many years: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/real-lee-crabb.html
Learn more about the L. S. Starrett Tool Company of Athol, Massachusetts: https://www.starrett.com/blog/post/starrett-blog/2018/08/29/the-starrett-story
Charles Starrett was involved in the formation of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in the early 1930s: https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1930s
YouTube and the Internet Archive have the Charles Starrett mountie adventure UNDERCOVER MEN (J. R. Booth/Dominion, 1935):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s9pbcI9bl8
https://archive.org/details/UndercoverMen