James Caan
James Caan, actor, was born March 26, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. He studied acting in college and then joined the Neighborhood Playhouse theatrical troupe. He moved from that to Broadway, for a short time, and then to television. And, finally, to the movies with his first starring role in 1965 in "Red Line 7000". He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "The Godfather" (1972).
James Caan's Western films include "El Dorado" (1967), "Gone With the West" (1975), and "Comes A Horseman".
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of James Caan.
Bruce Cabot
(Deceased)Bruce Cabot, actor, was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac on April 20, 1904 at Carlsbad, NM. Cabot was from a family of diplomats.
By 1932 he had made it to Hollywood and was playing bit roles. He played the leading man in the film "King Kong" (1933). He was the guy who saved Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) from the the big gorilla, and he was somewhat typecast after that huge success.
Bruce Cabot with his first wife,
actress Adrienne Ames, in 1935.
He played in such Westerns as "The Last of the Mohicans" (1937), "Dodge City" (1939), Robin Hood of El Dorado (1937), Bad Man of Brimstone (1940), Wild Bill Hickock Rides (1945), Angel and the Badman (1949), Best of the Badmen (1956), Black Spurs (1966), Cat Ballou (1966(, and "Fancy Pants" (1950). He and John Wayne were close friends and drinking buddies so he was in such Wayne Westerns as The Comancheros (1961), McLintock! (1963), The War Wagon (1967), Chisum (1970) and Big Jake (1971). Bruce Cabot died on May 3, 1972 in Woodland Hills, CA. He was buried in the Carlsbad (New Mexico) Cemetery (Division A, Block 48, Space 5).
Cagney, James
(Deceased)
James Cagney, Jr., stage and movie actor, was born on July 17, 1899. He grew up poor on the Lower Eastside of New York City. One of his first acting jobs was as a female impersonator, and then he toured the vaudeville circuit with his wife. He then acted in plays on Broadway before becoming a major film star through the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's.
He made up for his small size, at only 5' 6", by a in-your-face on-screen bravado. He parlayed that image as a "tough guy" into a long and successful film career. He was paid $500 per week in 1935 for his first film, and then drew top dollar for his talent. Ironically, his only Oscar came not for playing a gangster but for the role of composer-musician George M. Cohan.
Cagney's Western films included "Frisco Kid" (1935), "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939) "Run for Cover" (1959) and "Arizona Bushwhackers" (1968, narration, only).
In 1961 James Cagney retired from acting. In 1974 the American Film Institute presented him with a "Life Achievement Award". In 1975 he wrote his biography, Cagney on Cagney. And in 1984 he received the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a U.S. civilian can earn.
James Cagney, a diabetic, died at his beloved farm near Stanfordville, New York on March 30, 1986. No less a person than President Ronald Reagan, himself a former actor, delivered the eulogy. Cagney's remains are at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne (Westchester County), New York.
His marriage to Frances "Bill" Vernon lasted from Sept. 28, 1922 until his death. His brother, William Cagney, and his sister, Jeanne Cagney, were also accomplished actors.
CLICK HERE to see James Cagney's complete filmography.
Charlie Cahill
Charlie Cahill, cowboy poet, lives in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He says he inherited his knack for writing and entertaining from his grandfather, known as "the Cow Scout Poet." Charlie Cahill often recites his grandfather's poetry, and of course he writes and performs his own material, too.
Calhoun, Rory
Rory Calhoun, actor, was born as Francis Timothy McCown on Aug. 8, 1922 in Los Angeles, CA. Calhoun was a troubled teen-ager who served three years in a federal reformatory for stealing cars and taking them across state lines. After leaving prison, he worked as a logger in California forest country, as a miner in Nevada, and as a cowboy in Arizona.
Acting was not on his schedule when, as fate had it, he happened to meet Alan Ladd (star of "Shane" and other Westerns). Ladd was impressed by the tall, handome young man with a magnificent head of hair and he encouraged him to take a screen test.
His brightest days as a Western star came in the 1950's. His 30-or-so Western movies included "Domino Kid," "Ride Out for Revenge," and "Gun Hawk".
He became a successful businessman, owning several bars, a ranch and a business that sold carpets to hotels. And later in life he took whatever roles were offerred, including some highly forgetable "horror" movies.
Calhoun wrote one Western novel, The Man from Padera (Canoga Park, CA: Major Books, 1978).
Rory Calhoun died on Wednesday, April 27, 1999, at the age of 76 in a Los Angeles hospital after treatment for emphysema and diabetes.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Rory Calhoun.
Call of the West
Oklahoma based "Call of the West" was a trio featuring great musicianship and finely tuned Western harmony. They began performing Western music, regularly, when in 1991 they began performing at a chuck wagon dinner show at the Allen Ranch in Bixby, Oklahoma.
The members of the Call of the West were Jeanne Cahill and Jerome Campbell (of Tulsa, OK) and David Morris (of Henryetta, OK). The group disbanded in about 2001
This listing is far from complete and may contain errors. Therefore, all Western entertainers and/or their agents are requested to submit recommended changes by contacting Stan Paregien
I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.
--Bible: Psalm 13:6
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
