(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above are Jim Thorpe and Tom Tyler in the chapterplay BATTLING WITH BUFFALO BILL (Universal, 1931).
"James Francis Thorpe was born on May 28, 1887 in a one-room cabin near Prague, Oklahoma. Although there is much confusion on Thorpe's date of birth, this is the date according to his estate. He was born to Hiram Thorpe, a farmer, and Charlotte Vieux, a Pottawatomie Indian and descendant of the last great Sauk and Fox chief Black Hawk, a noted warrior and athlete. Jim was actually born a twin, but his brother Charlie died at the age of nine. His Indian name, Wa-Tho-Huk, translated to 'Bright Path,' something that Thorpe definitely had ahead of him."
Thorpe's professional football career began around 1915 with the pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs and ended in the mid 1920s with the New York Giants and Chicago Cardinals.
(From Old Corral collection) Above are mountie Kermit Maynard and his trusty horse 'Rocky' in a lobby card from WILDCAT TROOPER (Ambassador-Conn, 1936). Kerm's helper on the far right is comedian Fuzzy Knight, and Kerm is giving aid to Jim Thorpe. Crop/blowup of Jim Thorpe from the WILDCAT TROOPER lobby card. (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above from L-to-R are Wheeler Oakman, Kermit Maynard and Jim Thorpe in a lobby card from CODE OF THE MOUNTED (Ambassador-Conn, 1935). However, the scene depicted in the lobby card does not occur in the movie. Jim Thorpe tries to knife Wheeler Oakman but winds up being shot by Dick Curtis. When Thorpe attacks Oakman, Kermit Maynard has not yet entered the scene. Maynard enters after Thorpe is killed. CODE OF THE MOUNTED (Ambassador-Conn, 1935) and WILDCAT TROOPER (Ambassador-Conn, 1936), are among the series of mountie films starring Kermit Maynard, the younger brother of Ken Maynard. (Courtesy of Ken Jones) Hoot Gibson on the left and Chief Thunder Cloud on the right, have apprehended a trio of henchies in OUTLAW TRAIL (Monogram, 1944), an entry in the Trail Blazers series. In the center from L-to-R are Jim Thorpe, Al Ferguson and Frank Ellis. |