Monte Hale
Acting
Biography
Monte Hale (born Samuel Buren Ely) was an American B-Western film star and country musician. Sometimes reported to have been born in San Angelo, Texas, he was actually born in Ada, Oklahoma but grew up in Shawnee, Oklahoma, attending Washington Grade School and Shawnee High School. (Texas birthplace reportedly sounded better for the movies). After working as a laborer at various jobs in Ada and Enid OK Herod Ely settled in Shawnee and became an evangelist with the Church of God. His oldest son, Buren, was known to use his musical talent during his father's services. The boy had gathered pecans and picked cotton to earn money to buy his first guitar. Soon he was singing and playing the guitar wherever he could find an audience. His parents had divorced and both had remarried with youngest brother Bobby going with his mother. In 1934, 16-year-old Buren left home as many boys did during the Depressions. He headed for Houston and found work playing his music. From there he went to Albuquerque working on a radio station. A man there convinced him to head to California but all he was able to do there was scratch together a small band and play at a winter resort dude ranch. After four years he returned to with the Texas Vaudeville and local rodeo shows. During World War II he got a job as a replacement guitarist with the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive joining several Republic Pictures celebrities and staff. This introduced him to western stars like Chill Wills and convinced Phil Isley to recommended him to Herbert Yates, head of Republic Pictures. Yates agreed to "test" him but he must fund his own trip. Some friends gave him $200 and he flew to Los Angeles. It was 1944 and he signed with the company for seven years and changed his name from Buren Ely to "Monte Hale". He soon starred in his first major role in Home on the Range. He appeared in some of the first westerns filmed in color and was given use of Roy Rogers' musical sidekicks, the "Sons of the Pioneers" for one of his movies. He was often cast as a young cowboy with cameos by Don Barry, Allen Lane and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Hale then played more traditional Western heroes in films set in the late 19th century. By 1947 the formula was set with Paul Hurst joining the series as Hale's sidekick and Riders of the Purple Sage providing the music. At this point he ceased playing the character named for himself. Hale was also a recording star and appeared in a series of Western comics published by Fawcett Comics. Beginning in 1948 Hale had his own title with more than 50 issues. In fact, his comic book stardom lasted longer than his film stardom. Republic began cutting back on the Western genre moving to television. He finished his Republic contract with an appearance in the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans movies Trail of Robin Hood with fellow Republic stars Rex Allen and Rocky Lane. Hale made many public appearances at rodeos and other Western shows. He played a villain role in the 1954's Yukon Vengeance. His last movie appearance was in Giant in 1956, where part of his job was to teach James Dean to use a lariat. He appeared in a few television roles and movies up until 1966. On November 12, 2004, for his work in movies, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also instrumental in the foundation of what is now the Autry National Center of the American West.
Known For
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
Gunsmoke
The Texan was a Western television series starring popular B movie actor Rory Calhoun, which aired on the CBS television network from 1958 to 1960.
The Texan
After her father's death, Honey West takes over his high-tech private-detective firm, assisted by rugged Sam Bolt--and her pet ocelot Bruce.
Honey West
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
Giant
The escape of Bubber Reeves from prison affects the inhabitants of a small Southern town.
The Chase
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
It's Showtime
In the little town of Dorado, widely known as a town with no crime and no bank to rob, young Polish-born Steve Kovacs is fighting a two-edged sword of prejudice; his foreign birth and also the fact that his brother, Nick Kovacs, is the leader of an outlaw gang known as The Missourians.
The Missourians
Posing as wanted men, Chris and Waldorf get hired by Sanderson. He sends them to kill the Sheriff but puts blanks in their guns. When they arrive someone else shoots the Sheriff and Chris is blamed and jailed. The Sheriff's brother then incites the mob to hang Chris.
The Vanishing Westerner
In this north-western set in the Yukon, a Mountie must investigate the violent deaths of three mail carriers.
Yukon Vengeance
A Western-genre narrative, loosely woven from old clips from B-Western features.
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Monte Hale is a stagecoach driver for Jed Baker's stage-line. Jed believes his brother, Ralph, is behind the many hold-ups of his stagecoaches but has no proof. Ralph, in turn, blames Jed for the attacks on the linemen of his pioneer telegraph company. Big Bart, a ruthless gunman and outlaw-gang leader working for crooked banker Jordan Weatherbee, is actually behind the troubles of both companies. Bart plans to frame Jed for a double-murder and then kill him. Monte saves his life and, together, they devise a plan of their own to bring an end to the reign of lawlessness along the timber trail.
The Timber Trail
Having been framed for murder, the half-breed Joe Bearclaws (Douglas Kennedy) escapes from jail and Ranger Steve Howard (Monte Hale) goes after him. He catches up with him in the Cherokee Strip where he has no authority. Joe is then framed for another murder and this time Steve knows he is innocent and goes after the real killer.
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
When unscrupulous rodeo promoter Colonel Winthrop gets the idea of capturing "Outlaw" and making him a show horse, his niece Kay North tricks Monte into believing she is a writer assigned to do an article on the real horse.
Man from Rainbow Valley
Monte Hale has been working as a teller in a Texas bank during the summer to earn money for his medical college expenses during the upcoming year. He is about to leave to return to college when the bank is held up by two members of a notorious gang, headed by Marlowe, leaving Monte with the smoking gun of one of the bandits that killed the bank president. To avoid bringing disgrace on the family of his sweetheart, Julia Collins, by revealing that it was her brother Jeff, supposedly working in Denver, who induced him to open the back door of the bank to let the robbers in, Monte allows suspicion to rest on him until he can clear himself.
Under Colorado Skies
Retired actor Jack Holt is raising Christmas trees for sale at a cost which permits every family to have one. A commercial tree company tries to drive Holt out of business. Roy saves the day, of course.
Trail of Robin Hood
Sunset Carson is a wandering cavalier who rides into the Badlands. Hallie Wayne is bedeviled by bandits who've been raiding the livestock of her ranch.
Bandits of the Badlands
An interesting entry in Republic Pictures' long-running "Red Ryder" B-Western series, this film is not about hardy settlers braving the Colorado winters, as the title would suggest. Instead it's a sort of Reform School Western about a couple of wayward Chicago boys (Billy Cummings and Freddie Chapman) taken in by Ryder's indomitable aunt, "The Duchess" (Alice Fleming.) The boys escaped their very own "Fagin," Bull Reagan (Roy Barcroft), and were given a second chance on the lady's Western ranch. Unfortunately, Reagan returns to do a bit of cattle rustling, once again luring the boys into becoming his accomplices.
Colorado Pioneers
Having been falsely court marshaled for cowardice and sentenced to prison by the Army, Jed Kilton escapes and heads to Nevada Springs to see his kid brother. There he meets his old school friend Sam Ballou. But the two old friends soon find themselves on opposite sides and Sam has Jed arrested. Then when Jed's young brother sees one of Sam's men kill another man, the boy becomes Sam's intended victim.
The Big Bonanza
Singing cowboy Monte Hale plays "himself" in the Republic western Last Frontier Uprising. Actually, he's not really himself, but a federal agent, dispatched to Texas to buy horses on behalf of the government. Hale runs up against a vicious gang of horse thieves, including such veteran western hard cases as Roy Barcroft and Philip van Zandt. The romantic interest is in the dainty hands of Adrian Booth, who used to go by the name of Lorna Gray. Put together with the standard Republic efficiency, The Last Frontier Uprising benefits from the breathless direction of Lesley Selander.