Hopalong Cassidy: The Clarence E. Mulford Story [Hardcover]

Bernard A. Drew (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810825163 | ISBN-13: 978-0810825161 | Publication Date: December 1991

Clarence E. Mulford (1883-1956) was a Brooklyn City Hall clerk when he wrote the first of his popular Bar-20 Western tales in 1905. Beginning in 1935, Hollywood brought Hopalong Cassidy to the screen in sixty-six films. When actor William Boyd sold the Hoppies to television, he touched off the first merchandising bonanza of the video age. This biography of Mulford shows how he was betrayed by his literary creation at the same time that he made a modest fortune.

This book, first published in 1991, combines a biography of the writer; a detailed examination of his Hopalong Cassidy and other prose works, and works based on his own characters by other writers such as Louis L'Amour; an overview of the motion picture series; a description of the radio and television shows; an overview of the graphic versions of Hoppy in comic books and newspaper comic strips; a listing of merchandising tie-ins; and a bibliography of published critical, biographical and historical works dealing with Mulford and Cassidy.

Because Mulford kept unusually detailed records, this book gives a rare glimpse into the mechanics of writing and marketing popular fiction in the first half of the century as well as a profile of an industrious and fascinating writer and his characters.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... an object lesson in how to make a reference work attractive... (Million )

...will be welcomed by all cowboy enthusiasts for both its documentation and its fervor. (Classic Images )

... a fine job.... most highly recommended. (Coast Book Review Service )

... comprehensive.... a welcome handbook for his many devotees. (Film Review Annual )

... Drew is to be complimented for his in-depth research into the life and soul of the creator of one of the most beloved fictional characters in Western lore. (Movie Collector's World )

... it's all here in this quality publication... (Wrangler's Roost [Uk] )

An essential item for Mulford fans. (Book And Magazine Collector ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bernard A. Drew (BA, English, Northeastern University) is a copy editor for the Lakeville Journal, a weekly newspaper in northwestern Connecticut. He edited the mystery anthology Hard-Boiled Dames (St. Martin's Pres, 1986) and has completed four popular fiction reference guides, including Lawmen in Scarlet: An Annotated Guide to Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Print and Performance (Scarecrow, 1990). He has also written a number of local Berkshire County history books including A Berkshire Photo Album (1999). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810825163
• ISBN-13: 978-0810825161
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,916,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernard A. Drew grew up in the Massachusetts Berkshires and lives with his family in Great Barrington. He is a journalist, editor, newspaper columnist and reference book writer specializing in popular literature. An avid local historian, he is active with Great Barrington Historical Society, Friends of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite, Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail and other organizations. He is past president of the Great Barrington Historical Society and the Berkshire County Historical Society. His favorite Berkshire history topics include electrical inventor William Stanley, Canadian heroine Laura Secord, poets Elaine and Dora Read Goodale and iron bridge builder Charles E. Ball. He has hiked the woods to discover remnants of 19th century charcoaling. He has researched the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp 196 at Sandisfield State Forest and the sighting towers used in the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel. He has investigated original sections of Henry Knox's 1776 cannon trail and uncovered fascinating stories of the community that grew around Lake Buel in New Marlborough/Monterey, Mass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Clarence E. Mulford, June 13, 2007

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hopalong Cassidy: The Clarence E. Mulford Story (Hardcover)

Clarence Edward Mulford was a thorough researcher of Western history for his novels, and kept 17,000 reference cards on various topics. Mulford didn't think much of the Hollywood versions of his stories. William Boyd always looked as if he just came from a clothing store, not like a working cowboy [for style or class?]. This book has a biography of Mulford, an examination of his works, the films, TV and radio shows, and comics. Chapter Two tells of the plots of each book. [Note how "rustling", disputes over cattle, form the basis of conflict for these stories. Who owned the open range and the animals found there?] Does this match the real history of that area (mining and farming was as valuable)? The stories of a young man whose courage and actions win him love and fortune seem like another version of the Horatio Alger stories. When did they fall out of fashion? Mulford began writing in Brooklyn NY before he ever visited the Western states (p.63). [A good writer can derive his stories from known facts, like Steven Crane.] Only Zane Grey and "Max Brand" outsold Mulford (p.66). Mulford collected Western maps and diaries for background information and veracity. He preferred pistol shooting to golf, more practical in snowy winters (p.75). Mulford kept detailed records (pp.82-84). His books were sold in Britain and translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, and German.

Chapter Three tells of the films. Harry Sherman modified the stories and made them the most successful of the B Westerns (pp.98-99). William Boyd created the movie version (pp.103-104). Their early success was due to the use of Mulford's plots. Some authors refused to have their books filmed (p.104.) [Gardner didn't want "Perry Mason" to be a drunk.] But films are visual rather than verbal, and this required changes (p.105). Chapter Four lists the books written when Mulford lived in Maine. Mulford's last book "Hopalong Serves a Writ" had no gunshots or romance (p.119). Mulford escaped a house fire that affected his lungs (p.121). William Boyd changed filming for the small screen (p.122) and portrayed a character without blame (p.123). Boyd sold everything he owned to buy all television rights to Hopalong Cassidy and hit the jackpot on TV (p.125). Mulford's novels used the background of historical events for his stories. [Did he ever use the Great Cowboy Strike of 1883 in his novels?] The world of Hopalong Cassidy seems like a corporate ideal. Hired hands are happy in their job, loyal to their employer, with no thought of ever owning their own ranching business. They give no thought to their future or illness or old age. Was all this historically true? In fact, any cowboy who owned a ranch would be fired and blacklisted in those days.

Appendix One lists all known published works. Appendix Two lists the film, radio, and television plays. Appendix Three looks at the West of popular fiction. [What need did they fill? Were they a variation of morality plays?] Appendix Four lists the reference books. Mulford's novels are still in print, Hopalong Cassidy films are on videotape (p.282).