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The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
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Wikipedia article
'The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok' (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and the studio's first Western serial. The serial was the first to be produced by Columbia personnel; Columbia's previous three serials had been produced by the independent Weiss Brothers company, using Columbia's facilities.
Plot
Wild Bill Hickok, U.S. Marshal in Abilene, Kansas, is sent to stop the mysterious "Phantom Riders" from disrupting the cattle drives across the Chisholm Trail and construction of a new railroad.
Cast
*Bill Elliott as Wild Bill Hickok, U.S. Marshal
*Monte Blue as Mr. Cameron
*Carole Wayne as Ruth Cameron
*Frankie Darro as Jerry/Little Brave Heart
*Dickie Jones as Buddy
*Sammy McKim as Boots
*Kermit Maynard as Kit Lawson, Army scout
*Roscoe Ates as Oscar 'Snake-Eyes' Smith
*Monte Collins as Danny, printer
*Reed Hadley as Jim Blakely
*Chief Thundercloud as Chief Gray Eagle
*Ray Mala as Little Elk
*Robert Fiske as Morrell, villain and leader of the Phantom Raiders
*Walter Wills as Joshua Bruce
*J.P. McGowan as Scudder, trail leader
*Eddie Waller as Stone
Stunts
*Gene Alsace*Chuck Hamilton
*Ted Mapes
*Carl Mathews
*Kermit Maynard
*Tom Steele
*Francis Walker
Production
The serial was shot on location in Utah (Johnson Canyon, Three Lakes, and Parry Lodge). The production budget was an exceptional $200,000, this when the average western feature cost $10,000 to produce, and the film featured a great deal of elaborate outdoor scenes, including cattle drives and stampedes.
Reception
The 'Motion Picture Herald' called this serial "a compliment to its title." It became a huge success in theaters, according to a tally published in 'Motion Picture Herald' and 'Film Daily'. The serial firmly established Columbia as a major serial producer, and Gordon Elliott as a western star. Elliott became so identified with the Wild Bill Hickok role that Columbia changed his name to Bill Elliott, and promoted him to feature films as a character named "Wild Bill Saunders" and then "Wild Bill Hickok." In addition to his screen name, he gained such trademarks as buckskins, reversed holsters and the catchphrase "I'm a peaceable man," from this serial.
Chapter titles
# The Law of the Gun
# Stampede
# Blazing Terror
# Mystery Canyon
# Flaming Brands
# The Apache Killer
# Prowling Wolves
# The Pit
# Ambush
# Savage Vengeance
# Burning Waters
# Desperation
# Phantom Bullets
# The Lure
# Trail's End
References
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