The Hero in Black
Hopalong Cassidy and William Boyd were familiar names during the 1940's and 50's.
The hero in black rode across the plains of the old west and into living rooms across America in his fight for law and order. Whenever a bad guy needed a lesson taught Hopalong Cassidy was there to do the job.
Boyd didn't sing, dance, or play football - he was merely - everybody's favorite cowboy...Hoppy!
So . . . Do You Remember Hopalong Cassidy?
As a baby boomer I grew up during the 'Golden Age' of TV cowboys. I fondly look back on many afternoons rushing home from grade school and turning on the television just in time to have my cowboy hero of the moment come riding, guns blazing, into my living room.Yes, for me and millions of other little Buckaroos of that era Hoppy, was a definite favorite, but he stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, Wild Bill Hickok, The Cisco Kid and many, many others.
Quick, what do you think of Hopalong Cassidy?
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William Boyd the Early Years
William Boyd was born in Ohio in 1895 the son of a day laborer. When he was seven his family moved to Tulsa Oklahoma, which was still considered part of the western frontier in 1902.Both of Boyd's parents died when he was still in his early teens. This tragedy forced him to quit school before graduating. Over the next few years he worked as a grocery clerk, surveyor, and oil field hand. Eventually he found his way to Hollywood in 1919, arriving with an already beautiful head of prematurely gray hair.
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Hello Hollywood!
William Boyd landed his first Hollywood roll as an extra. He soon caught the eye of director Cecil B. DeMille, who eventually offered him the romantic lead in 'THE VOLGA BOATMAN'.By the mid 20's Boyd had become a big time matinee idol earning $100,000 a year. A hugh sum in the late 20's. Unfortunately change was on the way.
By the early '30's with the end of silent movies, Boyd found himself without a contract and going broke. Roles were tough to find because of the stories and rumors that Boyd was a womanizer and liked his parties and alcohol.
(This is the exact opposite of the person he would become in later life.)
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Boyd's and Hoppy's Stars rise
In 1935, a producer named Harry 'Pop' Sherman got lucky and convinced Paramount to release a series of westerns novels and short stories authored by Clarence E. Mulford...HOPALONG CASSIDY.As written, Cassidy was a crude, crusty ranch hand and definitely not intended as a Saturday Matinee hero. Boyd, was ultimately cast in the part and it was decided between himself and "Pop" Sherman that he would not play the character as written. In his first entry in the series, Boyd plays the character with a few rough edges, all of which would disappear in future films. He starts out as "Bill" Cassidy but acquires his nickname when he is wounded in the leg in a gunfight and when asked about his wound, he responds with something like "I'll manage to hop along".
By 1944 Boyd and Sherman had made 54 "Hoppy" films.
Post WWII Up and Downs for Hoppy
The end of WWII brought tough times for Boyd and Hopalong. For the next two years or so they were off the screen.It was during this time, Boyd sold his ranch and almost everything he owned to purchase the rights to the Hopalong films and character. He also formed his own production company to resurrect the Cassidy cinema adventures.
Beginning in 1946 brand new Hopalong flicks began hit the silver screen. They were appreciated by western fans but this was post World War II --- film production costs had skyrocketed, people's movie tastes and habits were changing, and the B western was fading.
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Then a newfangled gadget called television arrived to save the day.The end result was a significant financial windfall to Boyd. The Hopalong Cassidy films became a network broadcast over NBC, and early Sunday evenings became 'Hoppy night'.
The ratings for the one-hour Cassidy program were solid. For the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons, there were 52 half-hour Hoppy adventures. A dozen were condensed from earlier films, and 40 brand new half hour shows were produced.
The result of all this was that Boyd and the Hoppy character became more popular than ever.
The Cassidy Legend grows.
As the public clamored for more and more HOPALONG CASSIDY, Boyd complied with their demands. His popularity was astounding. He received 15 thousand fan letters a week and endless requests to make public appearances. Bill Boyd's television success has never been rivaled.The marketing gurus of that era soon discovered tremendous profits from selling name recognition merchandise to the millions of young Hoppy fans. There soon appeared a plethora of Hopalong Cassidy merchandise including hats, gun belts, lunch buckets, clothing, a long running series of comic books, and much more.
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By the mid 1950's Hopalong Cassidy was everywhere, even on the covers of magazines such as Life, Look and TV Guide.In addition to TV, Boyd met his fans at circuses, rodeos, hospitals and personal appearance tours. To satisfy the appetite of his huge fan base he opened up Hoppyland; America's first fictional character theme park. This was several years before Disneyland opened.
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William Boyd the man.
As to William Boyd the man, he had gone through a personal transformation and re-awakening. Over the years, William Boyd --- and his version of the Hopalong Cassidy character --- blended together to become one and the same. Boyd and Hoppy became a role model and the parents of the time loved him for it. Many kids who grew up in the late 1940s and early 1950s owe some of their personal values and beliefs to William Boyd. That's his greatest accomplishment. The good Stuff - More Hoppy collectibles on eBay
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He was in his sixties by this time, and he personally felt that the Hoppy character could not be properly portrayed at this age. He was also feeling the pressure of being before the cameras month after month. Boyd was reluctant to retire because of his loyal fans and the knowledge that his large production crew would be put out of work. Fortunately, CBS was about to start shooting the series, GUNSMOKE, and Boyd was able to turn over his company to that network, assuring employment for his entire crew. Your Vote Counts
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Hoppy Rides On
The year before he retired, he made 40 Hoppy episodes in as many weeks and one more world tour. Completing that tour, he put his horse out to pasture, hung up his guns, took off his boots, and said adios to HOPALONG CASSIDY, his alter ego. He retired to Palm Desert CA.In 1968 he had surgery to remove a tumor from a lymph gland and, from then on, refused all interviews and photograph requests.
Boyd rode off into the sunset in 1972 of heart problems and Parkinson's disease.
So long, Partner...
Lenses in the spirit of Hopalong Cassidy and the old west
Ride on over to these ranches to see more cowboy and western information that would make Hoppy proud-
Clayton Moore
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Hi Ho Silver, Awayyy . . . CLAYTON MOORE as - The Lone Ranger In today's world of multi-million dollalr sports, rock and television stars and super-stars the term and concept of ROLE MODEL; is often used and abused repeatedly. In the 1950 's CLAYTON...
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Gene Autry
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Gene Autry - succeeded at just about anything he undertook: radio, records, songwriting, movies, TV, real estate and business. Known as 'America's Favorite Singing Cowboy', he is the only entertainer to have five stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He...
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Roy Rogers
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In 1943 Republic Studios declared Roy Rogers to be the "King of the Cowboys". The cowboy superstar from Duck Run, Ohio, fit the silver-saddle throne like no man before or since. As a sagebrush movie hero, he shot the straightest, and rode t...
Hopalong Cassidy Triva
- The name of Hopalong Cassidy's white horse was "Topper."- Boyd was Cecil B. DeMille's first choice for Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' but he turned the role down, fearing the Hopalong Cassidy identification would hurt the movie.
- In an early movie Hoppy kissed Evelyn Brent on the forehead as she was dying. His fans saw this as unmanly, so all future romance was left to his partners and there was a different leading lady in each picture.
Hoppy Fans will love these sites
If you just can't seem to get enough Hopalong Cassidy try roping one of these links
- Hopalong Cassidy Collectibles
- Find William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy collectible merchandise and information on how to determine current market value.
- Hopalong Cassidy
- The Official Hopalong Cassidy Website
- Hopalong page at B-Westerns.com
- Lots of Hoppy info and pics
- Hopalong Cassidy the Early Years
- In depth early Boyd and Hopalong history
Websites by Author
Please visit my other websites!
- Cowboy Kid Corral
- Everything Cowboy or Western for Kids
- The University of Golf
- Your Golf Education Starts Here
- The University of Bowling
- Your Bowling Education Starts Here
- The College of Martial Arts
- Find Apparel, Training Equipment, Books, Videos, and DVDs on over twenty major martial arts.
- Quality Surplus RV Parts
- A site where RV, and motor home owners can easily locate hard to find discount parts and accessories.
- The Old Cookie Jar Shop
- THE online auction portal for finding collectible vintage Cookie Jars at affordable prices, and valuable information for enthusiasts.
- Quality Surplus Big Truck Parts
- A site where 18 wheeler owners can easily locate hard to find discount parts and accessories.
- Old Railroad Watches
- Railroad watches are under valued today. Savvy collectors know this! Invest in some yourself. You'll be glad you did!
- The Old Phone Store
- As collectibles old phones are very under valued today, and knowledgeable collectors know this!
- Discount Crystal Skulls
- Are you one of those that finds yourself drawn to becoming a care taker for crystal skulls?
- Discount Hood Ornaments
- A resource portal for connecting those that are looking for a particular vintage car hood ornament with those that are seeking to sell them.
- Ye Olde Tyme Village Christmas Shoppe
- Everything Christmas for your home. A fun internet site for locating new and used Christmas decorations at discount prices.
- Antler Lamp Shop
- Everything Antlers for your home. A fun internet site for locating new and used Antler Lamps at discount prices.
- Discount Navajo Arts
- Your internet source for substantial discounts on Navajo Indian works of art.
Shout Out For Hopalong Cassidy!
Let's hear what you think!
Hopalong Cassidy the legend, Hoppy the man, or Hoppy the TV persona
Take a moment to tell us how Hopalong Cassidy rode through your life, or how you feel about this lens.
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- Peter Izzi Peter Izzi Jul 2, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
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- ElizabethJeanAllen ElizabethJeanAllen Oct 24, 2008 @ 9:56 am
- You brought back some wonderful memories.
Thank you.
Lizzy
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- Tiggerbea Tiggerbea Jul 23, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
- Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your page on Hopalong Cassidy. I did not grow up in that era...though my mother did. I will have to show her this page of yours. I'm actually doing some research for some items that I own and may sell. It was great to learn some things about this icon from my mothers childhood. Thanks for a job well done!
Tiggerbea
by dewittsenior
Hello world. My name is DeWitt Mosby Sr. My new credo in life "work is a 4 letter word". You see, I recently retired at the age of 62, with a desire t...
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