Publisher's Synopsis
If you went to a big rodeo in the 1960s, you might have seen Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker, Bonanza's Ben, and Hoss Cartwright, acting out a skit from the show. In the 1940s, you might have seen Gene Autry singing and jumping his horse, Champ, through a flaming hoop. In the same era familiar rodeo personalities like Texas Rose Bascom could be seen in movies and television shows. Stars like Slim Pickens and Tom Mix were familiar in all of these venues. This reference book provides career profiles of both types of performers who crossed over between acting and cowboying in the period from the 1930s to the 1970s, when Hollywood and the rodeo circuit were closely linked. The first part, ""Rodeo Personalities with a Hollywood Connection,"" traces the careers of notable rodeo stars who appeared on film or television. A second section, ""Movie and TV Western Performers at Rodeos,"" details the rodeo appearances of the stars that made their names in electronic entertainment first. A third section, ""Rodeo-Related Films,"" is an alphabetical listing of cowboy, western adventure and related films from the era. Appendices present further information on golden age rodeo personalities, rodeos presenting western stars, and eleven special rodeos held for the military or as fundraisers for charitable causes.
