B-Western Boot Hill [Paperback]

Bobby Copeland (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0944019285 | ISBN-13: 978-0944019283 | Publication Date: September 22, 2009 | Edition: fourth printing

A final tribute to the cowboys and cowgirls who rode the Saturday matinee movie range. This is the most complete list ever assembled of birth dates, death dates, and real names of those beloved B-Western performers. It includes actual obituaries of B-Western heroes, heavies, helpers, heroines, and sidekicks. Also included is a listing of actual burial locations of many of the stars. Over 1000 entries!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bobby Copeland began going to the Saturday matinee b-western movies as a boy. He was immediately impressed by the moral code of these films, and has tried to pattern his life after the example set by the cowboy heroes. After graduating from high school and attending Carson-Newman College and the University of Tennessee, he set out to raise a family and start a career at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His love for the old western films was put on the shelf and lay dormant for some 35 years. One Saturday, in the mid-eighties, he happened to tune in his television to a Lash La Rue picture. This rekindled his interest. Since that time, Bobby has had some 100 articles published, contributed to twelve books, made several speeches, appeared on television over 20 times, and has been interviewed by several newspapers and four independent radio stations as well as the public radio broadcasting system to provide commentary and promote interest in B-western films. In 1985 he was a co-founder of the Knoxville, Tennessee-based "riders of the silver screen club," serving five times as president. He initiated and continues to edit the club's newsletter. In 1996, his book Trail Talk was published by Empire Publishing, Inc., And in 1988, he published the bob baker story and the Whip Wilson story. Bobby has attended some 45 western film festivals, and met many of the western movie performers. He continues to contribute articles to the various western magazines, and received the "Buck Jones rangers trophy," presented annually to individuals demonstrating consistent dedication to keeping the spirit of the B-western alive. In 1994, he received the "Buck Rainey shoot-em-ups pioneer award," which yearly honors a fan who has made significant contributions towards the preservation of interest in the B-westerns.

Bobby is a deacon, Sunday school teacher and an usher at Oak Ridge's central Baptist church. He retired in 1996 after 40 years at the same workplace. Bobby plans to continue his church work, write more B-western articles, and enjoy his retirement with his faithful sidekick, Joan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Empire Publishing; fourth printing edition (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944019285
• ISBN-13: 978-0944019283
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "One of the Most Complete Literary Achievements in B-Westerns", February 5, 2003

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: B-Western Boot Hill (Paperback)

Empire Publishing presents "B-WESTERN BOOT HILL", author Bobby Copeland's fourth printing and final tribute to the men and women who made each Saturday B-Western possible, remember sitting in our favorite seat at our neighborhood theater --- enjoying and savoring those precious moments, and even today those memories still linger on --- as if it were just yesterday.

Copeland's book does just that, with one of the most complete listings on Birth & Death Dates of B-Western Performers --- Obituaries of Heroes, Sidekicks, Heroines, Heavies and Helpers --- Cowboys & Cowgirls at rest(burial locations of western performers) -- Grave Markers -- Additional Obituaries, each content having their own section with pictures galore --- Now you can put a name with that face you've seen on the big screen a hundred times --- Who wore the white or black hats for the films, whatever the plot called for the B-Western actors saddled up and did their job --- Can remember many of my heroes playing heavies in the early part of their career, then switching to heroes or sidekicks --- one of those was my all-time favorite character actor George "Gabby" Hayes.

Copeland's opening question is one I've asked myself for years "What is a B-Western?" It has been an obsession with me, and still is. Bobby answers the question in six paragraphs on two pages. My sentiments exactly, as Bobby states "Yes, our beloved B-Westerns are gone forever, but wouldn't it be fun if we could turn back the clock and start them all over again?" Well, Mr. Copeland you've done just that --- Because of Les Adams, Boyd Magers, Chuck Anderson and You -- I've started collecting videos (VHS & DVD), Books and CD's on B-Western films. So now that you've got me hooked -- want to share with all the "B-Western-Saturday Matinee-buffs" out there on the range , don't pass this one up...your mind will drift back to those thrilling days of yester-year, when you used to ride those dusty trails...and will again!

Thank you Amazon.Com for keeping this book in stock --- Taking the avid fan of cowboys and cowgirls down the dusty trails of "Saturday Matinee Movie land", when every boy and girl wanted to ride the range with their favorite hero or heroine --- Now, back in my day we had good-guys and bad guys (villains) who were at odds, there was no doubt the good guys were going to win --- The hero would just saddle up his favorite steed (the fastest in the land) and ride the range looking for a good deed to perform or a damsel in distress --- The code of the west was the golden rule to him, and he never went back on his word. I was just a little shaver then, and wanted to be just like Hoppy, Gene, Roy, Buck, Hoot, Johnny Mack, Durango Kid, Wild Bill, Rocky, Lash, Red, Crash, Buster, Rex, Clayton, Tim and Sunset -- and I know each and everyone of you can fill in the last names. As Little Beaver would say "you betch um', Red Ryder".

Total Pages 216 ~ Empire Publishing ISBN #0-944019-28-5 ~ (9/22/2009)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-have publication for B-Western lovers like me, August 27, 2008

By 

Michael Holdridge (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: B-Western Boot Hill (Paperback)

Having spent most of my boyhood Saturday afternoons slumped down in a theater seat while my B-Western heroes -- and heroines -- thundered past me on a big screen a few rows away, I awaited the arrival of Bobby Copeland's "B-Western Boot Hill" with great anticipation.

By and large this book has fulfilled my expectations and I can fully appreciate the vast amount of research that went into its production. This book reveals thousands of facts about those men and women who entertained little buckaroos like me back in the '30s, '40s and '50s.

Many of the obituaries -- taken from well-known sources -- don't identify the exact date of each artist's death, but Copeland and his staff have solved that problem by running a complete list of birth dates, birth places and death dates right after the book's well-written introduction.

If this book has a flaw it's the fact that many of the obituaries are printed without pictures. So if you're looking for the name that goes with a familiar face in one of your favorite cowboy flicks, you might not be able to find it here. Pictures of ALL the folks included in this Last Round-up would have made this the perfect keepsake for all B-Western movie fans.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Are They Now?, July 19, 2008

By 

David T. Kirby "buckarooonthehorizon" (San Juan Capistrano, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: B-Western Boot Hill (Paperback)

John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Randolph Scott, Gail Davis, the Lone Ranger,Lash LaRue, Bill Elliott, Linda Stirling and the list goes on, and on and on. In fact it goes on for over 1,200 entries in this book.
What service has Bobby Copeland done us by roping and corralling all these obituaries and some photos of grave markers into a poorly bound 215-page paperback book? Isn't this all just a little morbid and inconsequential?
Well, not so fast pilgrim! Let's take a paragraph from Copeland's introduction: "For decades, critics have maligned the B-Westerns and regarded them as nothing more than juvenile fare, or simply thought of them as a waste of film. Yet these grand old movies probably did more than any one thing to shape our ideas and ideals. The films gave us action, comedy, music, and good wholesome entertainment for the entire family. They taught us faith, hope, loyalty, honesty, and gave us heroes. We knew they were not real, but we loved them just the same. They made no attempt to show life as it is, but rather how life should be. The B-Westerns were not a substitute for church, but they certainly complimented the message presented by the church. After watching one of these movies you felt a tingle of goodness spread throughout your body ... like your soul had been cleansed".

If you were fortunate enough to have lived during the 1930s, '40s or '50s you may have been sitting in one of those old majestic movie palaces with buckaroos like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas or yours' truly. We were spread out all across the U.S.A. with thousand of other kids every Saturday for shootouts with every breed of outlaw that ever rode the range anywhere. For us, the fortunate few, we don't have to let our dreams lie with the bleached bones on Boot Hill. We can adopt the code of the west once again. We don't need lawyers to draft hundred page documents. Our word is our pledge and our handshake seals all deals like those between John Wayne and John Ford. And nobody has to tell us how to feel and act. We just know. Our sense of honor and justice comes from our heart and conscience. We are a posse deputized to serve others less fortunate andCode of Honor: The Making of Three Great American Westerns love God, family values and the American way.
The memories that Copeland's book conjures up for me are not ghost riders in the sky but a reminder to portray heroes for grandchildren who have no wholesome role models. Thanks Bobby! Your 10 year research project compels me to act it out for another 10 years!