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(From Old Corral collection)		Bob Steele would proceed as a rangeland hero because that a few more years, and also his following job was at Monogram photos to include some life come the Ken Maynard/Hoot Gibson trail Blazers oaters. Tom Tyler, Steele"s partner at Republic, to be nearing the finish of his starring career. He would make THE PHANTOM (Columbia, 1944) cliffhanger, and also then drift right into supporting roles and also bit parts, often portraying a baddie. By the mid 1940s, major arthritis would afflict him, period him, and also be an underlying reason of his early death in 1954 from a heart attack.Robert Emmett Tansey was the jack-of-all-trades at Monogram who remained in charge that the trail Blazers. He had been working in low-budget oaters because that years, act chores favor script writing, film editing, directing and producing, and also he worked under a range of names including Robert Emmett, Bob Tansey and also Robert Emmett Tansey. His best talent was the he could duty within meager budgets, a need at tiny Monogram.Tansey would certainly leave Monogram a year or so later for anemic producers Releasing corporation (PRC). There, he would experiment through a two-strip color process called CineColor and also use it in a couple of color westerns certification songster Eddie Dean and also the black-garbed Al "Lash" LaRue. Before that, he and Steele walk a shade film with each other for activity Pictures/Robert L. Lippert.The initial three Trail Blazer films (sans Steele) were OK, as Hoot and Ken worked well together. Bob join the group in number four, death VALLEY rangers (Monogram, 1943) and was billed third. The still looked young and also could conveniently handle the fisticuffs, activity sequences, and also romantic entanglements.Supposedly, the cantankerous Maynard want him turn off the series. Instead, Ken was pursued film number six, and also that basically finished his western movie career. Involvement Hoot and also Bob for the following two yarns was Victor Daniels who dubbed himself chief Thunder Cloud and had depicted Tonto in Republic"s 2 Lone Ranger serials.Then Thunder Cloud was gone, Tansey was gone, and also so were the follow Blazers. That left Hoot and also Bob come star in three an ext non-Trail Blazers: marked TRAILS (Monogram, 1944), create LAW (Monogram, 1944) and also THE UTAH son (Monogram, 1944). Afterwards, Gibson retired and also Steele began looking because that a new job.Though he wasn"t the first, Steele was among the few B great cowboys to execute "color" films. The first was WILDFIRE (Action Pictures/Lippert, 1945), which provided a wild hoss together the base for the story, and also singin" cowboy Eddie Dean to be the second lead. Robert Emmett Tansey to be the director. The other shade epic was NORTHWEST trail (Action Pictures/Lippert, 1945), through Steele put on the red coat of a Canadian mounted policeman.

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(From Old Corral collection)		Left space Steele and John Litel in NORTHWEST TRAIL, one of Bob"s 2 Cinecolor movies in 1945 for action Pictures.John beach Litel (1892 or 1894 - 1972) was one of the most known supporting football player in films and early TV. He played Carson Drew, the dad of Nancy attracted (played by Bonita Granville) and also was also the display screen father that Jimmy Lydon in the Henry Aldrich comedy flicks. In the 1950s and also early 1960s, he appeared in scores the TVers, consisting of an ongoing duty on Bob Cummings" first series, mine HERO, i m sorry co-starred Julie Bishop (Jacqueline Wells).

Steele returned to anemic PRC because that his last starring roles. And also in THUNDER town (PRC, 1946) and also AMBUSH trace (PRC, 1946), the sported a moustache. Veteran harry Fraser directed every four and also an older, more heavier Charlie King was in three.

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Some authors have said that his PRC moustache was necessary for the duty of "Canino", the sadistic gunman in THE big SLEEP (Warner Bros., 1946), that is gunned under by Humphrey Bogart in the finale. Not certain if a moustache was part of the original "Canino" character, however Steele was clean shaven in the finished movie (see picture left). Wikipedia and Filmsite have prolonged articles ~ above THE big SLEEP ... And solve the moustache question - many of the filming was done in late 1944, long prior to Steele did those PRC oaters. And also there were two versions of the film - the 1945 unreleased "original cut" and also the 1946 release which had significant changes including more "chemistry" in between Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Further down this webpage are links to the Wikipedia and also Filmsite writeups on THE large SLEEP.After the starring work-related ended, "Battlin" Bob" did several bit and also supporting components for the next twenty-five years. Approximately 1950, he toured with the Clyde Beatty Circus, and also he may have actually done other circus work. A graying and older looking Steele to be "Dancer", the gunman encountering Bill Elliott in THE SAVAGE HORDE (Republic, 1950). And also he also popped increase in countless A grade functions such as his function as the sympathetic prisoner "Jenkins" in the Clint Eastwood hang "EM HIGH (1968). In the mid 1960s, he remained in a couple of nostalgia westerns created by Alex Gordon which featured countless old cowboy heroes consisting of Rod Cameron, Tim McCoy, Johnny Mack Brown and also others - the movies were REQUIEM because that A GUNFIGHTER (Embassy, 1965) and THE BOUNTY KILLER (Embassy, 1965).Steele likewise did TV and also one that his much more poignant duties was playing movie cowboy "Chaps Callahan" in a 1970 illustration of household AFFAIR i beg your pardon starred Brian Keith. Keith"s TV kids are fascinated through Callahan"s movies which room being displayed on newfangled television. Naturally, once they fulfill him, he is much older ... And also not the energetic, young guy that is ridin" and also fightin" top top the tiny screen. Steele also shows increase in number of episodes that the Hugh O"Brian TV show, THE LIFE and LEGEND that WYATT EARP. However, his many remembered TV task was illustrating "Trooper Duffy" top top the mid 1960s F-TROOP comedy which starred Forrest Tucker and also Larry Storch."Battlin" Bob" had great luck "stepping out" the his traditional hero role, and one the the best examples is that of mean spirited Curley in of MICE and MEN (1939), i beg your pardon starred citizen Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr. I can still mental the step of Chaney, Jr. (as Lennie) crushing Steele"s hand throughout their struggle scene. An additional early badguy function was together Lee Jessup/Morgan Reynolds in the Roy Rogers" THE CARSON CITY boy (Republic, 1940). Bob"s critical film appearances were bit parts in the 1970s: SOMETHING huge (Cinema Center, 1971) v Dean Martin and also NIGHTMARE HONEYMOON (MGM, 1973) ... And if you clock closely, Steele is a bank guard in the Walter Matthau CHARLEY VARRICK (Universal, 1973).Of all the Hollywood cowboys, multi-talented Bob Steele had the longest energetic film job (equating to fifty add to years, from around 1921 through 1973). And also the quantity of his starring work-related - which quantities to 120+ films from 1927 - 1946 - is amongst the greatest of the B west heroes. Bob Steele was one of the an initial recipients that a golden Boot award, and he received that recognition during the 1983 ceremonies. If girlfriend want more info, walk to the gold Boot Awards page on the Old Corral.In looking end the Steele filmography, over there MAY have actually been a friendship with John Wayne together Steele walk bits and also minor supporting duties in several Wayne movie of the 1950s and later. Had are ISLAND IN THE sky (Warner Bros., 1951), RIO BRAVO (Warner Bros., 1959), THE COMANCHEROS (20th Century Fox, 1961), McLINTOCK! (United Artists, 1963), and RIO LOBO (National General, 1970).In ill health throughout the last dozen or so years of his life, Steele passed far at the St. John medical Center, Burbank, California ~ above December 21, 1988 native a mix of pneumonia and also emphezema. That is interred at forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles) through twin brother bill (1907-1971). Strangely, the grave marker shows Steele"s name as "Robert N. Bradbury" (not Robert Adrian Bradbury) and also his year of death as 1989 (should it is in 1988).In the beforehand days that TV, many of the Bob Steele westerns were shown. And also a new and young audience, who had never seen him on the large screen, became fans. Right here was a man of smallish stature through penetrating eye - mine guess ~ above Steele"s height is no more than 5 foot, 5 inches, probably less (although his world War II breeze registration lists him as 5 feet, 6 inches tall. Probably that height measurement was taken through him wearing cowboy boots). However he was standing in a boxing stance and also pounded the daylights out of everyone on the wrong next of the regulation ... And also we applauded because he made it look believable. He could ride with the finest of "em ... The did "other roles" to store bread on the table ... His screen career lasted much longer than any type of of the various other cowboy heroes ... And most fans of the ol" B west fondly psychic Battlin" Bob Steele as one of the best. A pretty good legacy because that a durn an excellent Hollywood cowboy.