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Wild Bill Elliott

January 01, 1970

Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films.

Wild Bill Elliott
Lobby card for The Devil's Trail (1942)
Born
Gordon Nance

(1904-10-16)October 16, 1904
Pattonsburg, Missouri, U.S.
DiedNovember 26, 1965(1965-11-26) (aged 61)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Other namesGordon Elliott, William Elliott, Bill Elliott
Occupationactor
Years active1925–1957
Spouses
Helen Josephine Meyer
​
​
(m. 1927; div. 1961)​
Dolly Moore
​
(m. 1961)​

Early life edit

Elliott was born Gordon Nance on a ranch near Pattonsburg, Missouri, the son of Leroy Whitfield Nance, a cattle broker, and his wife, Maude Myrtle Auldridge.[1][2]

The young Nance grew up within 20 miles of his birthplace; he spent most of his youth on a ranch near King City, Missouri. His father was a cattle rancher and commissioner buyer for the Kansas City stockyards. Riding and roping were part of Nance's upbringing. He won first place in a rodeo event in the 1920 American Royal livestock show. He briefly attended Rockhurst College, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, but soon left for California with hopes of becoming an actor.[1]

Career edit

 
Elliott starred in the 1952 western Fargo.

By 1925, he was getting occasional extra work in films. He took classes at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared in a few stage roles there. By 1927, he had made his first Western, The Arizona Wildcat, playing his first featured role. Several co-starring roles followed, and he renamed himself Gordon Elliott, but as the studios made the transition to sound films, he slipped back into roles as an extra and bit parts, as in Broadway Scandals, in 1929. For the next eight years, he appeared in over 100 films for various studios, but almost always in unbilled parts as an extra.

Elliott began to be noticed in some minor B Westerns, enough so that Columbia Pictures offered him the title role in a serial, The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938). The serial was so successful, and Elliott so personable, that Columbia promoted him to starring in his own series of Western features, replacing Columbia's number-two cowboy star, Robert "Tex" Allen. Henceforth, Gordon Elliott was known as Bill Elliott. Within two years, he was among the Motion Picture Herald's top-10 Western stars, where he would remain for the next 15 years.

In 1943, Elliott signed with Republic Pictures, which cast him in a series of Westerns alongside George "Gabby" Hayes. The first of these, Calling Wild Bill Elliott, gave Elliott the name by which he would be best known and by which he would be billed almost exclusively for the rest of his career.

Following several films in which both actor and character shared the name Wild Bill Elliott, he took the role for which he would be best remembered, that of Red Ryder in a series of 16 movies about the famous comic-strip cowboy and his young Indian companion, Little Beaver (played in Elliott's films by Bobby Blake). Elliott played the role for only two years but would forever be associated with it. Elliott's trademark was a pair of six guns worn butt-forward in their holsters.

Elliott's career thrived during and after the Red Ryder films, and he continued making B Westerns into the early 1950s. He also had his own radio show during the late 1940s.

In an interview with Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr., Ben recalls teaching many actors to ride a horse, including Bill. Bill didn't just learn to ride a horse but asked Ben many questions about style and technique. According to Ben, Bill become a very good horseman in his own right while the others "looked like a sack of walnuts on a horse."Video on YouTube

His final contract as a Western star was with Monogram Pictures, where budgets declined as the B Western lost its audience to television. When Monogram became Allied Artists Pictures Corporation in 1953, it phased out its Western productions, and Elliott finished out his contract playing a homicide detective in a series of five modern police dramas, his first non-Westerns since 1938.[3]

Elliott retired from films (except for a few TV Western pilots, which were not picked up). He worked for a time as a spokesman for Viceroy cigarettes and hosted a local TV program in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured many of his Western films.

Personal life and death edit

Elliott married Helen Josephine Meyers in February 1927. Their daughter, Barbara Helen Nance, was born October 14, 1927. Elliott and his wife were divorced in 1961. He married Dolly Moore that same year. Following his retirement in 1957, he moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he bought a ranch. He died there from lung cancer on November 26, 1965, aged 61.[citation needed] He is interred at Palm Downtown Mortuary/Cemetery in Las Vegas.[1]

Partial filmography edit

(His 3 serials and 16 Red Ryder films are noted below)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "More About 'Wild Bill Elliott'", Daviess County [Missouri] Historical Society Journal, March 15, 2004.
  2. ^ Debate about the exact year of his birth arose, but his parents' marriage license in Daviess County, Missouri, Marriage Records for 1901 and U.S. Census records and the ages listed for his siblings make clear that he was born in 1904 and no other year. 1910 U.S. Census, Gentry County, Missouri.
  3. ^ Wild Bill Elliott
  4. ^ Blottner, Gene (2011). "The Wildcat of Tucson". Wild Bill Elliott: A Complete Filmography. McFarland & Company. pp. 150–151. ISBN 9780786480258. Retrieved 2017-10-09. Bill Elliott's presence, with a matching performance by Kenneth MacDonald, brings this western saga satisfactorily to the screen. [...] An interesting subplot has heroine Evelyn Young momentarily switching her affection from Stanley Brown to his brother, Eliott. Lambert Hillyer's direction is first rate.
  5. ^ "Red Ryder".

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wild Bill Elliott.
  • Wild Bill Elliott at IMDb

January 01, 1970
wild, bill, elliott, born, gordon, nance, october, 1904, november, 1965, american, film, actor, specialized, playing, rugged, heroes, westerns, particularly, ryder, series, films, lobby, card, devil, trail, 1942, borngordon, nance, 1904, october, 1904pattonsbu. Wild Bill Elliott born Gordon Nance October 16 1904 November 26 1965 was an American film actor He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns particularly the Red Ryder series of films Wild Bill ElliottLobby card for The Devil s Trail 1942 BornGordon Nance 1904 10 16 October 16 1904Pattonsburg Missouri U S DiedNovember 26 1965 1965 11 26 aged 61 Las Vegas Nevada U S Other namesGordon Elliott William Elliott Bill ElliottOccupationactorYears active1925 1957SpousesHelen Josephine Meyer m 1927 div 1961 wbr Dolly Moore m 1961 wbr Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 Partial filmography 5 References 6 External linksEarly life editElliott was born Gordon Nance on a ranch near Pattonsburg Missouri the son of Leroy Whitfield Nance a cattle broker and his wife Maude Myrtle Auldridge 1 2 The young Nance grew up within 20 miles of his birthplace he spent most of his youth on a ranch near King City Missouri His father was a cattle rancher and commissioner buyer for the Kansas City stockyards Riding and roping were part of Nance s upbringing He won first place in a rodeo event in the 1920 American Royal livestock show He briefly attended Rockhurst College a Jesuit school in Kansas City but soon left for California with hopes of becoming an actor 1 Career editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wild Bill Elliott news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2017 Learn how and when to remove this message nbsp Elliott starred in the 1952 western Fargo By 1925 he was getting occasional extra work in films He took classes at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared in a few stage roles there By 1927 he had made his first Western The Arizona Wildcat playing his first featured role Several co starring roles followed and he renamed himself Gordon Elliott but as the studios made the transition to sound films he slipped back into roles as an extra and bit parts as in Broadway Scandals in 1929 For the next eight years he appeared in over 100 films for various studios but almost always in unbilled parts as an extra Elliott began to be noticed in some minor B Westerns enough so that Columbia Pictures offered him the title role in a serial The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok 1938 The serial was so successful and Elliott so personable that Columbia promoted him to starring in his own series of Western features replacing Columbia s number two cowboy star Robert Tex Allen Henceforth Gordon Elliott was known as Bill Elliott Within two years he was among the Motion Picture Herald s top 10 Western stars where he would remain for the next 15 years In 1943 Elliott signed with Republic Pictures which cast him in a series of Westerns alongside George Gabby Hayes The first of these Calling Wild Bill Elliott gave Elliott the name by which he would be best known and by which he would be billed almost exclusively for the rest of his career Following several films in which both actor and character shared the name Wild Bill Elliott he took the role for which he would be best remembered that of Red Ryder in a series of 16 movies about the famous comic strip cowboy and his young Indian companion Little Beaver played in Elliott s films by Bobby Blake Elliott played the role for only two years but would forever be associated with it Elliott s trademark was a pair of six guns worn butt forward in their holsters Elliott s career thrived during and after the Red Ryder films and he continued making B Westerns into the early 1950s He also had his own radio show during the late 1940s In an interview with Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr Ben recalls teaching many actors to ride a horse including Bill Bill didn t just learn to ride a horse but asked Ben many questions about style and technique According to Ben Bill become a very good horseman in his own right while the others looked like a sack of walnuts on a horse Video on YouTubeHis final contract as a Western star was with Monogram Pictures where budgets declined as the B Western lost its audience to television When Monogram became Allied Artists Pictures Corporation in 1953 it phased out its Western productions and Elliott finished out his contract playing a homicide detective in a series of five modern police dramas his first non Westerns since 1938 3 Elliott retired from films except for a few TV Western pilots which were not picked up He worked for a time as a spokesman for Viceroy cigarettes and hosted a local TV program in Las Vegas Nevada which featured many of his Western films Personal life and death editElliott married Helen Josephine Meyers in February 1927 Their daughter Barbara Helen Nance was born October 14 1927 Elliott and his wife were divorced in 1961 He married Dolly Moore that same year Following his retirement in 1957 he moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas Nevada where he bought a ranch He died there from lung cancer on November 26 1965 aged 61 citation needed He is interred at Palm Downtown Mortuary Cemetery in Las Vegas 1 Partial filmography edit His 3 serials and 16 Red Ryder films are noted below The Plastic Age 1925 uncredited The Shamrock Handicap 1926 uncredited Beyond London Lights 1928 Restless Youth 1928 The Passion Song 1928 Smart Woman 1931 uncredited Consolation Marriage 1931 uncredited Left Over Ladies 1931 The Final Edition 1932 Cocktail Hour 1933 uncredited The Goose and the Gander 1935 Moonlight on the Prairie 1935 Trailin West 1936 Boots and Saddles 1937 as Neil Wife Doctor and Nurse 1937 The Lady in the Morgue 1938 The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok 1938 Serial In Early Arizona 1938 Frontiers of 49 1939 Lone Star Pioneers 1939 The Law Comes to Texas 1939 Overland with Kit Carson 1939 Serial The Taming of the West 1939 Pioneers of the Frontier 1940 The Man from Tumbleweeds 1940 The Return of Wild Bill 1940 Prairie Schooners 1940 Beyond the Sacramento 1940 The Wildcat of Tucson 1940 4 Across the Sierras 1941 North from the Lone Star 1941 The Return of Daniel Boone 1941 Hands Across the Rockies 1941 The Son of Davy Crockett 1941 King of Dodge City 1941 Roaring Frontiers 1941 The Lone Star Vigilantes 1942 Bullets for Bandits 1942 North of the Rockies 1942 The Devil s Trail 1942 Prairie Gunsmoke 1942 Vengeance of the West 1942 The Valley of Vanishing Men 1942 Serial Calling Wild Bill Elliott 1943 The Man from Thunder River 1943 Wagon Tracks West 1943 Bordertown Gun Fighters 1943 Death Valley Manhunt 1943 Tucson Raiders 1944 featuring Red Ryder Marshal of Reno 1944 featuring Red Ryder The San Antonio Kid 1944 featuring Red Ryder Cheyenne Wildcat 1944 featuring Red Ryder Vigilantes of Dodge City 1944 featuring Red Ryder Sheriff of Las Vegas 1944 featuring Red Ryder Great Stagecoach Robbery 1945 featuring Red Ryder Lone Texas Ranger 1945 featuring Red Ryder Phantom of the Plains 1945 featuring Red Ryder Marshal of Laredo 1945 featuring Red Ryder Colorado Pioneers 1945 featuring Red Ryder Wagon Wheels Westward 1945 featuring Red Ryder California Gold Rush 1946 featuring Red Ryder Sheriff of Redwood Valley 1946 featuring Red Ryder Sun Valley Cyclone 1946 featuring Red Ryder Conquest of Cheyenne 1946 featuring Red Ryder 5 Plainsman and the Lady 1946 Wyoming 1947 The Fabulous Texan 1947 Old Los Angeles 1948 The Gallant Legion 1948 Hellfire 1949 The Last Bandit 1949 The Savage Horde 1950 The Showdown 1950 The Longhorn 1951 Fargo 1952 Waco 1952 Kansas Territory 1952 The Maverick 1952 The Homesteaders 1953 Rebel City 1953 Topeka 1953 The Forty Niners 1954 Dial Red O 1955 Sudden Danger 1955 Calling Homicide 1956 Chain of Evidence 1957 Footsteps in the Night 1957 References edit a b c More About Wild Bill Elliott Daviess County Missouri Historical Society Journal March 15 2004 Debate about the exact year of his birth arose but his parents marriage license in Daviess County Missouri Marriage Records for 1901 and U S Census records and the ages listed for his siblings make clear that he was born in 1904 and no other year 1910 U S Census Gentry County Missouri Wild Bill Elliott Blottner Gene 2011 The Wildcat of Tucson Wild Bill Elliott A Complete Filmography McFarland amp Company pp 150 151 ISBN 9780786480258 Retrieved 2017 10 09 Bill Elliott s presence with a matching performance by Kenneth MacDonald brings this western saga satisfactorily to the screen An interesting subplot has heroine Evelyn Young momentarily switching her affection from Stanley Brown to his brother Eliott Lambert Hillyer s direction is first rate Red Ryder External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wild Bill Elliott Wild Bill Elliott at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wild Bill Elliott amp oldid 1217791664, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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