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B-Western Boot Hill

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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)

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.

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!

An extremely interesting book that gives the last resting place of our cowboy stars of yesterday

Very informative book on all the western heroes who've 'gone home to be with the Lord'.

Purchased this book and another similar as a gift for my husband. He really likes the book and has spent many hours looking up all facts on B-Western actors and actresses he so enjoyed watching in the past. My compliments to Amazon for making such books available. I am always pleased when I find a gift that my husband enjoys.

Great reading for all B-Western fans who have always wondered what happened to our favorate 'cowboys' and the 'badmen' that we watched at the matinees in the late 1940's and 1950's. A big thank you to Bobby Copeland for his excellent work. (Jop Fourie, South Africa).