Hoot Gibson
Hoot Gibson was a colorful figure, a light-hearted, fun-loving personality on screen and off. Hoot’s cheerful westerns included a significant amount of comedy. His mild, peaceful character rarely carried a gun. As an expert horseman, Hoot was always impressive on a galloping horse. Gibson’s film career began in 1910 with a few films for the Biograph Company interspersed among rodeo competitions. In 1914 he was a stuntman for the serial The Hazards of Helen, doubling the serial’s star Helen Holmes. His stunts included fights on trains and transfers from a train to a horse. He had supporting roles in numerous Western short films, including playing the villain in A Knight of the Range (1916) opposite popular western star Harry Carey. He appeared in three of the Westerns made by Carey and director John Ford in 1917: Straight Shooting, The Secret Man, and A Marked Man. Hoot’s starring career at Universal Studios was launched in two films directed by Ford, Action (1921) and Sure Fire (1921). In these films, Hoot plays a wandering cowboy who rescues the pretty young co-star from outlaws. Hoot became a popular western star for Universal. Film titles such as Ridin’ Wild (1922), Thrill Chaser (1923), Hit and Run (1924), Hurricane Kid (1925), and Galloping Fury (1927) guaranteed Hoot’s fans five reels of action and fun. Hoot’s easygoing approach gave his films a lighthearted tone. A deft comedian, he featured as much comedy as drama. As talkies arrived, Hoot continued as a Western star, but with lower budget producers such as M.H. Hoffman Inc. (distributed on a state rights basis by Allied Pictures Corporation) and Walker Futter Productions (Diversion Pictures). In 1935, Hoot co-starred with Harry Carey in Powdersmoke Range, advertised by RKO as the "Barnum and Bailey of Westerns" (whatever that means). The cast list of this "all star" (B western stars) film included Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Tom Tyler, William Farnum, and other Westerners from the silent era. In 1937 at Republic, he made a serial, The Painted Stallion, in support of new cowboy star Ray Corrigan. An aging Hoot retained his fine horsemanship and comic flair, but fan interest had moved to the new singing cowboys, especially Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Hoot’s Westerns had lost their appeal. In the late thirties, out of movies, Hoot toured with circuses and appeared at rodeos and fairs. In 1943, after seven years off the screen, Hoot returned in the Trail Blazer series at Monogram Studios. In these Westerns, Marshall Hoot Gibson, initially co-starred with Ken Maynard and later with Bob Steele and Chief Thundercloud, upholds the law and captures outlaws and crooked businessmen threatening the lives and property of innocent citizens. Hoot made eleven Trail Blazer films; the last was Trigger Law (1944). John Ford brought Hoot back for a cameo role in The Horse Soldiers (1959). His last screen appearance was as a sheriff’s deputy in Ocean’s Eleven (1960), another cameo.
Burning the Wind
(Richard Gordon Jr)
Sure Fire
(Jeff Bransford)
The Fire Eater
(Bob Corey)
Spurs
(Bob Merril)
The Denver Dude
(Rodeo Randall)
40-Horse Hawkins
(Luke Hawkins)
Ride for Your Life
(Bud Watkins)
The Man from the East
(Butler)
The Telltale Knife
Ridin' Wild
(Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson))
Let 'er Buck
(Bob Carson)
The Silent Rider
(Jerry Alton)
Galloping Fury
(Billy Halen)
Life in Hollywood No. 3
(Self)
The Horse Soldiers
(Sgt. Brown)
His Only Son
Cavalcade of the West
(Clint Knox)
The Flyin' Cowboy
(Bill Hammond)
Judge Not; or The Woman of Mona Diggings
A Knight of the Range
(Bob Graham)
The Passing of Hell's Crown
(The Cowboy)
The Wedding Guest
Cowboy Sports and Pastimes
A Four-Footed Hero
(Broncho Rider (uncredited))
In the Secret Service
The New Superintendent
Kid Pink and the Maharajah
Shotgun Jones
(Tom Lattier - the Son)
The Hazards of Helen
(Messenger / Etzer)
Buckshot John
(Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited))
Stampede in the Night
(Jack Harding)
The Death Train
(Etzer - Doyle's Pal)
In Danger's Path
(Train Crew (uncredited))
The Capture of Red Stanley
(Stanley's Henchman)
The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine
(Messenger on Motorcycle)
The Ring of Destiny
(Jack)
The Mysterious Cipher
(Blanding)
The Voice on the Wire
The Night Riders
A 44-Calibre Mystery
(Joe)
The Golden Bullet
('Red' Johnson)
The Wrong Man
(Chip's Pal)
The Painted Stallion
(Walter Jamison)
Clearing the Range
(Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont)
Frontier Justice
(Brent Halston)
Wild Horse
(Jim Wright)
The Hard Hombre
(William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton)
Roarin' Dan
(Roarin' Dan)
West Is Best
The Sheriff's Oath
Runnin' Straight
Hair Trigger Stuff
The Texas Kid
Held Up for the Makin's
Masked
The Shootin' Kid
Wolf Tracks
The Broncho Kid
The Champion Liar
Thieves' Clothes
The Smilin' Kid
The Winged Horseman
(Skyball Smith)
Hit and Run
('Swat' Anderson)
The Big Catch
(Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch)
The Sawdust Trail
(Clarence Elwood Butts)
The Cowboy Counsellor
(Dan Alton)
The Shootin' Fool
The Tell-Tale Wire
(Steve Larmon)
A Trick of Hearts
(Benjamin Franklin Tully)
Clearing the Trail
(Pete Watson)
Riding for Fame
(Scratch 'Em Hank Scott)
Play Straight or Fight
(Dick Rankin)
Courtin' Wildcats
(Clarence Butts)
Painted Ponies
(Bucky Simms)
The Wild West Show
(Rodeo Bill)
The Danger Rider
(Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle)
The Midnight Flyer
(Danny Morgan)
The Branded Man
(Sheriff)
His Buddy
The Four-Bit Man
The Lone Hand
(Jeffrey Halley)
The Black Horse Bandit
Trigger Tricks
(Texas Ranger Tim Brennan)
The Fighting Heart
The Jack of Hearts
(The Prairie Dog)
Kingdom Come
Danger, Go Slow
Ace High
The Mounted Stranger
(Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid)
The Crow
(Tim McKenzie - the Crow)
The Trail of the Holdup Man
(Bob Watson)
The Face in the Watch
The Double Hold-Up
(The Broncho Kid)
The Lone Hand
(Laramie Lad)
A Gamblin' Fool
Trimmed
(Dale Garland)
The Fightin' Terror
The Jay Bird
(Tom Jackson)
The Grinning Granger
One Law for All
'in Wrong' Wright
('In Wrong' Wright)
Cinders
(Bing Davidson)
Double Danger
(Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers))
Marked Trails
(Hoot Parkford)
Lucky Terror
(Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson)
The Two-Fisted Lover
(Scot McHale)
Step on It!
(Vic Collins)
The Loaded Door
(Bert Lyons)
The Galloping Kid
('Simplex' Cox)
Kindled Courage
(Andy Walker)
The Gentleman from America
(Dennis O'Shane)
Single Handed
(Hector MacKnight)
Dead Game
('Katy' Didd)
Double Dealing
(Ben Slowbell)
Shootin' for Love
(Duke Travis)
Out of Luck
(Sam Pertune)
Blinky
(Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip)
The Ramblin' Kid
(The Ramblin' Kid)
A Man's Land
(Tex Mason)
Broadway or Bust
(Dave Hollis)
Tipped Off
(Billy Steele)
Hook and Ladder
(Ace Cooper)
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River
(Bud Watkins)
The Hurricane Kid
(The Hurricane Kid)
The Two Brothers
The Phantom Bullet
('Click' Farlane)
A Hero on Horseback
(Billy Garford)
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
(Jimmie Roberts)
The Local Bad Man
(Jim Bonner)
The Stranger
Superstition
(Dave Bodie)
The Man with a Punch
(The Stranger)
Fight It Out
(Sandy Adams)
The Brand Blotter
The Saddle King
The Trail of the Hound
The Driftin' Kid
(The Driftin' Kid)
Winning a Home
Sweet Revenge
Double Crossers
The Fightin' Fury
The Wild Wild West
Crossed Clues
Out o' Luck
The Cactus Kid
(Dick Harris)
Who Was the Man?
(The Texas Ranger)
The Movie Trail
Kickaroo
Bandits Beware
The Man Who Woke Up
Hollywood or Bust
Smilin' Guns
(Jack Purvin)
Points West
(Cole Lawson Jr.)
The Lariat Kid
(Tom Richards)
Trailing Trouble
(Ed King)
The Concentratin' Kid
(Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid)
The Boiling Point
(Jimmy Duncan)
Beating the Game
Headin' West
(Bill Perkins)
The Winning Track
The Bear Cat
(The Singin' Kid)
The Dude Bandit
('Ace' Cooper posing as Tex)
By Indian Post
(Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend)
Sunset Range
(Reasonin' Bates)
Rainbow's End
(Neil Gibson Jr.)
The Calgary Stampede
(Dan Malloy)
The Rattler's Hiss
The Riding Avenger
(Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner)
The Fighting Parson
(Steve Hartley)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
((archive footage))
Wild Horse Stampede
(Marshal Hoot Gibson)
The Woman in the Web
(Vassily - Ivan's Brother)
Flight to Nowhere
(Sheriff Bradley)
Outlaw Trail
(Hoot)
The Governor's Special
(2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson))
The Law Rides Again
(U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson)
Blazing Guns
(Marshal Hoot Gibson)
Death Valley Rangers
(Hoot Gibson)
Westward Bound
(Hoot Gibson)
Arizona Whirlwind
(Hoot Gibson)
Straight Shooting
(Danny Morgan)
The Last Outlaw
(Al Goss)
Chip of the Flying U
(Chip Bennett)
The Pay Train
(Orturo)
Ocean's Eleven
(Roadblock Deputy (uncredited))
The Buckaroo Kid
(Ed Harley)
The Saddle Hawk
(Ben Johnson)
The Flaming Frontier
(Bob Langdon)
Taming the West
(John Carleton)
The Spirit of the West
(Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey)
The Prairie King
(Andy Barden)
Trigger Law
(Hoot Gibson)
The Utah Kid
(Marshal H.R. Higgins)
The Texas Streak
(Chad Pennington)
Swifty
(Swifty)
Spook Ranch
(Bill Bangs)
The Marshal's Daughter
(Marshal Ben Dawson)
The Man from Texas
(Deputy (uncredited))
Powdersmoke Range
(Stony Brooke)
The Gay Buckaroo
(Clint Hale)
Sonora Stagecoach
(Hoot Gibson)
We're switching to Hollywood
(Self (uncredited))
Feud of the West
('Whitey' Revel)
Cheyenne's Pal
(Cowboy)
The Secret Man
(Chuck Fadden)
A Marked Man
(Undetermined Role)
The Soul Herder
(Chuck Rafferty)
Action
(Sandy Brouke)
The Fighting Brothers
(Lonnie Larkin)
Gun Law
(Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens)
The Gun Packer
(Gang Leader)
The Rustlers
(The Deputy)
Headin' South
The Long, Long Trail
(The Ramblin' Kid)
Arizona Sweepstakes
(Coot Cadigan)
Roaring Ranch
(Jim Dailey)
Hello, 'Frisco
(Hoot Gibson)
Red Courage
(Pinto Peters)
The Thrill Chaser
(Omar K. Jenkins)
King of the Rodeo
(Chip Jr.)
The Rawhide Kid
(Dennis O'Hara)
The Man in the Saddle
(Jeff Morgan Jr.)
Pride Of The Range
I Married Joan
(The Cowboy)
The Squaw Man
(Stunts)
The Hazards of Helen
(Stunt Double)
The Fightin' Terror
(Director)
The Shootin' Kid
(Director)
The Smilin' Kid
(Director)
The Champion Liar
(Director)
The Shootin' Fool
(Director)
Riding for Fame
(Story)
The Shoot 'Em Up Kid
(Director)
The Fightin' Fury
(Director)
Out o' Luck
(Director)
Double Crossers
(Story)
The Long, Long Trail
(Producer)
The Thrill Chaser
(Producer)