The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938) is a Columbia movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and their first Western serial. The serial was the first from a new production company, the previous three serials had been produced by Weiss Brothers.
| The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | |
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Richard Fantl |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 chapters |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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:. This serial was the source of actor Gordon Nance's subsequent screenname "Wild Bill" Elliot. He had previously worked under the name "Gordon Elliott".[1] The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok was Wild Bill Elliot's first starring role. In addition to his screenname, he gained such trademarks as buckskins, reversed holsters and the catchphrase "I'm a peaceable man," from this serial.[2][3]
- 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
Production
Stunts
- Gene Alsace
- Chuck Hamilton
- Ted Mapes
- Carl Mathews
- Kermit Maynard
- Tom Steele
- Francis Walker
The serial was shot in Johnson Canyon, Three Lakes, and Parry Lodge in Utah.[4]:287
Critical reception
The Motion Picture Herald called this serial "a compliment to its title."[2]
Influence
The name of Wild Bill Hickok stuck with Bill Elliot so much that Columbia made a series of Hickok Westerns with him.[5]
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
Source:[6]
References
- "Wild Bill" Elliot at B-Westerns, retrieved 10 September 2007
- Stedman, Raymond William (1971). "5. Shazam and Good-by". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 121. ISBN 978-0-8061-0927-5.
- Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "Science Fiction/Westerns "Drop That Zap Gun, Hombre"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
- D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
- Cline, William C. (1984). "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 45. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
- Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 222. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.