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You can't accuse Rex Bell of using gawdy outfits like that worn by Ken Maynard, Tom Mix and others.

His workmanlike costume consisted of a neckerchief and a dark shirt which was often buttoned at the top.  He wore a gunbelt with a single rightside holster.  His headware was most often a white hat, but he also used a black one.  And he generally wore blue jeans with a long inseam and he had a large rollup on the pants legs (John Wayne also rolled his pants the same way in his Lone Star/Monogram films).

One of Bell's mannerisms was that he pushed his hat up on his forehead. You'll see several examples in the images on these Bell webpages.



(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)

Above - Rex and Clara at a 1933 movie premier.




(Courtesy of Janice Graves)

Above is a shot of Janice Graves' Grandfather, William Conant, with Rex Bell.  "1943" is written on the back of the photo, but I think this shot may be 1950s vintage based on the gray streak in Bell's hair.  No info on the location of this shot either, though Janice mentions that her Grandfather lived in California.



(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)
From January, 1955




(Collage of newspaper headlines on Bell's passing from Old Corral collection)


I have a variety of full-size newspaper headlines and articles on Bell's passing and the above are some examples of the newspaper coverage of his death on July 4, 1962.  Following are some date and information tidbits which I've summarized from those articles which provide additional details to the Bell biography. Have also added a few comments where the information doesn't seem to be in synch or correct.


The Family Search website has information on Rex Bell and family. This is a good example of checking for spelling variations (errors) when searching census data. Below you will find last names of Beldam, Beldan and Belden and I've highlighted those:



LINKS

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on:
     Rex Bell: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068471/
     Clara Bow (1905-1965): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001966

Jim Tipton's Find-A-Grave website has a picture of the marker for Rex Bell and Clara Bow at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2096
A larger version of the grave marker image is at the BillionGraves website: http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/person/649283
Rex's brother Hodson M. Beldam passed away in 1965 and is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Las Vegas, Nevada: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=105701316

Rex A. Bell Jr., retired Clark County, Nevada District Attorney, passed away from cancer on July 8, 2011: http://davisfuneralservices.com/services.asp?page=odetail&id=19367&locid=48

The Internet Archive has several public domain Rex Bell oaters and non-westerns which you can view and download: http://archive.org/search.php?query=%22rex%20bell%22%20AND%20collection%3Amoviesandfilms

The digital collections at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) have hundreds of images of Rex Bell and family: http://d.library.unlv.edu/cdm/search/searchterm/%22rex%20bell%22/order/nosort

It's always interesting to click through newspaper headlines and clippings at the Google newspaper archives. While some of the articles are free, many go to newspaper websites where you have to pay to retrieve the full article. The following link will take you to a mix of free and pay articles on Rex Bell: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22rex%20bell%22%20site:news.google.com/newspapers&source=newspapers&gws_rd=ssl

The Welcome to Silent Movies website has an article on Bell and Clara Bow and their marriage/elopement: http://www.welcometosilentmovies.com/features/clara/clara.htm

Google search on the history and chronology of the Walking Box Ranch, which is now owned by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM): https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22Walking+Box+Ranch%22+history&start=10

And some current photos of the Walking Box Ranch: http://www.birdandhike.com/Postcards/090915_WBRanch/_WBR_index.htm

Apparently Nipton, California was the place where Bell herded his cattle ... and also the railroad stop for the many guests that visited the Walking Box ranch: http://www.nipton.com/nipton-history/

Visit the Rex Bell Elementary School, Las Vegas, Nevada: http://schools.ccsd.net/bell/

William Cramer has a website on Clara Bow, including photos and a biography: http://www.clarabow.net/biography/biography.html



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