To Henchie Homepage


Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang, or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse riders, or cow herders. They had minimal or no dialog, not much screen time, and were generally not listed in the film credits. Some would show up as a face in the crowd, portraying townspeople, barflies, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names.


Robert Walker

Full name: Robert Donald Walker

1888 - 1954

Robert Walker appeared in at least 87 westerns and 17 serials in the sound era. He also worked in nearly a hundred silent films.



(Courtesy of Ed Phillips)

Above from L-to-R are Robert Walker, Frank Ellis, Dick Rush, Edmund Cobb, Charles Starrett, George Morrell (behind and right of Starrett).  In the background on horseback are Steve Clark and Tex Cooper (Buffalo Bill-looking character).  Scene from TWO-FISTED SHERIFF (Columbia, 1937).

Les Adams provides some info on Robert Walker:

The majority of Robert Walker's sound era work was from two sources:

1) Ken Maynard at Universal - he was part of the Maynard henchie brigade that included Bud McClure, Roy and Ralph Bucko, Slim Whitaker, Jack Kirk, Jack King, et al, and seldom billed.

2) a mainstay in whatever Harry S. Webb had going in sound westerns from 1930-1940. If Webb was working, Walker was working.

I only know of two instances where he was billed as 'Bob' Walker, a tag given him later on by some western film historians to separate him from MGM's Robert Walker, who at one time was married to Jennifer Jones (Phylis Isley).

Les has Walker identified in about 125 sound era films and that number includes 87 westerns and 17 serials.

Some additional Walker biographical info from Boyd Magers: Robert Donald Walker (1888-1954) was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  He entered films with Kalem in 1915.

  Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Robert Walker: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908154/

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), newspapers, the California Death Index, and the death certificate provide more about Walker. Note the three wives mentioned in the census and obituary - Cora, Ruth and Vera.

  • 1920 census summary and census takers worksheet - 31 year old Robert D. Walker (born Pennsylvania), 32 year old wife Cora J. (born Georgia), and 32 year old lodger William M. Bunn (born New York) are living in the Los Angeles area. Looks like they reside in a multi-unit building at 4600 Kingswell Avenue, Los Angeles. Walker's occupation is "Actor - Moving Picture": https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHQF-MCW
  • 1940 census summary and census takers worksheet - 52 year old Robert D. Walker (born Pennsylvania) and 32 year old wife Ruth R. (born Missouri) are renting at 704 Westmont (or Westmount) Drive, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills Judicial Township in Los Angeles County, and they lived at the same address in 1935. Walker reports his occupation as "Actor - Motion Pictures", and in 1939, he worked only 10 weeks and earned $750.00: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K97Z-SHN
  • World War II draft registration: Robert Donald Walker was born June 18, 1888 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He and wife Ruth live at 704 Westmont Drive in Los Angeles, and his employer is "Central Casting": https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16386-89689-8?cc=1861144&wc=MMRW-1TF:34016642
  • Death certificate: 65 year old Robert Donald Walker was born June 18, 1888 in Pennsylvania and his parents were George Washington Walker and Carrie Hilliard. He passed away from heart disease on March 4, 1954 at the Hollywood Receiving Hospital, Los Angeles. His wife Vera Walker was death certificate informant, and they lived at 1134 1/2 Lodi Place, Los Angeles. Funeral director was Pierce Bros. Hollywood and burial at Valhalla. (The original death certicate had a March 3, 1954 death date, but there was a corrected death certificate with a March 4, 1954 date.)
  • California Death Index mirrors the death certificate - Robert Donald Walker was born 6/18/1888 in Pennsylvania, mother's maiden name of Hilliard, and he passed away on 3/4/1954 in the Los Angeles area: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP7T-TXZ
  • Obituary in the March 8, 1954 Los Angeles Times - excerpts: "Robert D. Walker, veteran stage and screen actor ... interment in Valhalla Memorial Park. ... leaves his widow Vera.": https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86173001/the-los-angeles-times/

Find A Grave has a photo of the marker for Robert Donald Walker who is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205642640/robert-d-walker



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above - Robert Walker waits for hero Wally Wales to enter the saloon in the above lobby card and crop/blowup from the early sound oater, BREED OF THE WEST (Big 4, 1930).



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is a lobby card and crop/blowup from Chapter 10 of THE BLACK COIN (Weiss/Stage & Screen, 1936). From left to right in the crop/blowup are Robert Walker, bartender William Desmond, Robert Frazer, Roger Williams and Carl Mathews.



(Image courtesy of Carol Murray and her "Jack Hendricks Photo Album")

From left to right are Francis X. Bushman, Jr. (Ralph Bushman) and Jack Hendricks about to be pounced on by the gun-wielding Robert Walker in a still from CARYL OF THE MOUNTAINS (Reliable, 1936), a mountie yarn with Rin Tin Tin Jr.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above top from L-to-R are Frank Yaconelli, Jack Randall and Nelson McDowell getting ready to surprise Bud Osborne (with the Winchester) and Robert Walker in a scene from Randall's PIONEER DAYS (Monogram, 1940).



 

Dick Dickinson

Full name: Milton Arthur Dickinson

1895 - 1956

The face image on the left is Dick Dickinson as a good guy Ranger who's killed in the Bob Steele RIDERS OF THE DESERT (Sono Art-World Wide, 1932).


Dick Dickinson was born in Iowa and did mostly uncredited roles in about 85 films during the period 1929 - 1954. About half were westerns and Dickinson was most often a henchman, townsman, or barfly.

  Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Dick Dickinson: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225513/

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), the California Death Index, and the death certificate provide more information on Dick Dickinson:

  • World War I draft registration: dated June 5, 1917, Milton Arthur Dickinson was born September 16, 1895 in Tipton, Iowa. He is married, has one child under 12 years of age, resides in El Cerrito, California, and is a machinist working for a company in Emeryville, California: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-26248-3722-61?cc=1968530&wc=M9W1-3ML:1366428480
  • 1920 census summary and census takers worksheet - 23 year old Milton A. Dickinson (born Iowa) is one of many lodgers residing at 515 1/2 7th Street, Los Angeles. He's listed as married, but wife is not with him. Occupation is "Actor - Motion Picture": https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQK-VW7
  • 1940 census summary and census takers worksheet - 43 year old Milton Dickinson (born Iowa), 43 year old wife Elinor (born California), and a boarder are renting at 353 S. L??? in Burbank, California, and in 1935, they lived at a different address in Los Angeles. Dickinson reports his occupation as "actor-stuntman-bit actor - Motion Picture Studio", and in 1939, he worked 14 weeks and earned $800.00: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K97N-LK9
  • World War II draft registration: Milton Arthur Dickinson was born September 16, 1896 in Tipton, Iowa and his employer is "Central Casting Corp". There is a wife and an address change from the 1940 census - he and wife Lois are living at 737 North Avon Street, Burbank, California: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16367-6715-56?cc=1861144&wc=MMRW-1VP:n1454227852
  • Death certificate: 59 year old Milton A. Dickinson was born September 16, 1896 in Iowa. His occupation was "Actor - Motion Pictures"; he was a World War I veteran; and he and wife Lois Dickinson, who was the death certificate informant, lived at 115 R. No. Lincoln, Burbank, California. He passed away at his home on July 27, 1956 and burial at Valhalla.
  • California Death Index mirrors the death certificate - Milton A. Dickinson was born 9/16/1896 in Iowa, mother's maiden name of Kyne, and he passed away on 7/27/1956 in the Los Angeles area; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPKZ-HYV
  • Ancestry.com has a headstone or grave marker request for military veteran Dick Dickinson. Wife Lois E. Dickinson, 115 No. Lincoln St., Burbank, California applied for the marker for her husband who is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California. Supporting details on the request: Milton Arthur Dickinson, born September 16, 1895 and passed away on July 27, 1956; enlisted June 25, 1918, discharged January 23, 1919, and was a Private in the Supply Co., 144 Field Artillery, 40th Division, and served in France.
  • Veterans Administration Index record for Milton Arthur Dickinson: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP5T-J75V
Find A Grave website has a photo of the grave marker for U. S. Army veteran Milton Arthur Dickinson who is interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105578802/milton-arthur-dickinson



(From Old Corral collection)

Above is Dick Dickinson readying his knife to throw at Tim McCoy in TEXAS CYCLONE (Columbia, 1932).



(From Old Corral collection)

In the above lobby card and crop/blowup from LIGHTNING STRIKES WEST (Colony, 1940), Charlie King has the drop on Ken Maynard. Dick Dickinson is on the far left and Bob Terry and Reed Howes (mustache) are between Maynard and King.



 


(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Carol Henry

Full name: Carol D. Henry

1918 - 1987

appeared in at least 49 westerns


Above from left to right are Carol Henry (1918-1987), Johnny Mack Brown and House Peters, Jr. in a scene from GUNNING FOR JUSTICE (Monogram, 1948).  Henry was a later member of the B western henchie and stuntman brigade, and his film credits begin around 1943. Les Adams has him in about 50 westerns (and no serials).

He can also be spotted in scores of 1950s and 1960s TV shows including CISCO KID, KIT CARSON, WILD BILL HICKOK and ANNIE OAKLEY.

Dale Crawford and Jim Sorensen provided some additional details on Carol D. Henry: he was born in Oklahoma on 7/14/1918 and died of heart problems in his North Hollywood home on 9/17/1987.  His father and mother were Noah Henry and Eula Howard Henry, respectively.  Henry is interred at the Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California.

  Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Carol Henry: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377754

The Family Search website and the California Death Index have information on Carol Henry:

  • 1940 census: 45 year old Noah Henry (born Oklahoma), 50 year old wife Eula (born Illinois), 21 year old son Carol (born Oklahoma) and several lodgers reside in Shasta, California: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9HW-X6N
    1940 census takers worksheet: The Henry Family is renting at 56 Highway 299 in Shasta, California. They lived in Oklahoma in 1935. Son Carol is single, his occupation is "Rodeo Cowboy - Rodeo", and in 1939, he worked 30 weeks and earned $1000.00: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-27792-4988-32?cc=2000219&wc=MMYH-YM6:n115496761
  • You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the California Death Index where you will find a record for: Carol D. Henry, born 7/14/1918 in Oklahoma, mother's maiden name of Howard, and he passed away 9/17/1987 in the Los Angeles area.

Find A Grave has a photo of the marker for Carol D. Henry who is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10061606/carol-henry



(Courtesy of Dale Crawford & Jim Sorensen)
Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California, Lot 1, Section 4070, Block D.



To Henchie Homepage