Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden, actress, was born as Barbara Jean Huffman on Aug. 23, 1934 in Tucson, AZ. She actually grew up in the San Franciso area of California, where she was a cheerleader in high school and acted in school plays. With her striking beauty, she quickly graduated from that to singing in nightclubs.
Soon she had moved to Hollywood and began getting small roles in the movies.
Barbara Eden and Elvis Presley in the 1960
film, "Flaming Star".And in 1965 she got the part of Jeannie in the TV sitcom, "I Dream of Jeannie".
In 1985, Barbara Eden was in the TV movie sequel "I Dream of Jeannie". In 1990-91, Barbara was once again reunited with Hagman when she became a regular on the final season of the TV show "Dallas". In 1991, she was in the TV movie "I Still Dream of Jeannie".
CLICK HERE to go to a web site filled with photos and information about Barbara Eden.
J.T. Edson
John Thomas Edson was born on Feb. 17, 1928 in the mining village of Whitwell in Devonshire County, England. At the age of 18 he was drafted into the English army and became a dog trainer. he was stationed in Germany, Austria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Benghazi, Kenya and Cyprus before retiring in 1958. Some years later he decided to try his hand at writing and sold the first three manuscripts he submitted right on the spot. He is now under contract to provide Berkley Books with three to five books per year. He describes his western novels as escapist entertainment, much like the old B-Westerns in the 1940's and 1950's.
J. T. Edson's career was reviewed by Stan Paregien in, "J.T. Edson: 25 Years in the Saddle," Roundup (April, 1987). The author of more than 140 novels, Edson's publisher calls him the most popular western writer in Europe. Indeed, he even has a fan club of more than 1,500 members--the J.T. Edson Appreciation Society.
J.T. Edson and Stan Paregien visit during the Western
Writers of America convention in Fort Worth, Tx. in 1986.
Photo by Peggy ParegienJ.T. Edson's books include at least eight different series--the Floating Outfit series, the Waco series, the Civil War series, the Calamity Jane series, the Rockabye County series, the Old Devil Hardin series, the Cap Fog series, and the Banduki series which takes place in the jungle!
Among J.T. Edson's books are Trail Boss (1961), The Texan (1962), A Town Called yellowdog (1966), Master of Triggernometry (1981), Decision for Dusty Fog, Wanted! Belle Starr, No Finger on the Trigger, Waco's Badge, White Indians, The Gentle Giant (1979), Fearless Master of the Jungle (1978), J.T.'s Hundreth (1979), and J.T.'s Ladies, and many more.
Cliff Edwards
(Deceased)Cliff Edwards was born in 1895 in Hannibal, MO. Early on he discovered he had a natural talent for singing, and by his teens he was performing for tips in bars around the St. Louis vacinity. He and a friend named Bobby Carlton formed a team. And when Carlton's song, "Ja Da" became a hit in the 1920's, it made them a major attraction on the vaudeville circuit.
As Edwards pursued his own independent career, he sang and danced and played the guitar and/or the ukulele. Someone tagged him "Ukulele Ike," and he liked it and began billing himself as such. He became a best-selling recording star during the late 1920's and 1930's with such hits as "Sleepy Time Gal," Toot, Toot, Tootsie," "June Night," "I Cried for You," and Fascinating Rhythm."
Naturally, Hollywood came calling for the man with such a talent and such a nation-wide following. He did many movies and radio shows during the 1930's.
In 1940 Cliff Edwards became immortalized as the squeaky voice of Jiminy Cricket in the animated movie, "Pinocchio" (1940). It was Edwards who sang the classic song, "When You Wish Upon A Star".
During 1941-42, he became the cowboy sidekick of big-time cowboy star Charles Starrett. They did eight films together.
But when it came time to renew his contract, a mouthy executive told him that guys like him were a dime a dozen. Cliff told the exec to "Go get 'em," and he left Columbia.
Cliff Edwards was grabbed up by RKO as the sidekick of Oklahoma cowboy star Tim Holt. And the folks at RKO doubled his salary. He made six Westerns during a 54-day period with Tim Holt before Holt joined the army during World War II. The studio wanted some movies "in the can" that they could release periodically while Holt was away in the Army, to try to keep the public interested their star.
Cliff's career declined after this, though he did appear on various radio and TV shows. And during the summer of 1949 he had his own nation-wide TV show on CBS called, "The Cliff Edwards Show". It was just 15 minutes long, but he filled it with songs and stories and humor.
Cliff Edwards had several difficulties during his life. His wife divorced him. He went through a bankruptcy after his divorce. His career was ended by the early 60's. And he was in poor health the last few years of his life, often unable to walk. Ironically, this acting and recording and movie star spent his final days in a second-story furnished apartment on Hollywood Boulevard. He died in 1971.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Cliff Edwards.
Don Edwards
Don Edwards' golden voice, his yodeling ability and his focus on Western material and the Western lifestyle have made him one of the most popular cowboy performers today.
Edwards was born in New Jersey. New Jersey? New Jersey. And he was reared in Massachusetts. His father was a vaudeville magician. Edwards' hero was Tom Mix and the other "B-Western" movie stars of the 1930's. He taught himself guitar at age ten, and he struck out on his own at the age of 16.
He became aprt of the Boston folk music scene of the 1950's. Then he became a musician and harmony singer for yodeling star Elton Britt. After that he went West to New Mexico and Texas to work as a teenage cowboy.
In 1960, he went to work at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park in Arlington, Texas. He performed as actor, as a singer and as a stuntman. Soon though he gave that up for better money, hauling oil well supplies by day and playing in bars by night.
In 1968 he moved to Nashville and began recording for Stop Records. Mostly country music, as opposed to Western music. And he was performing in clubs or wherever he found an audience.
Then he moved back to Texas and began performing three nights a week at a barbecue joint in Fort Worth, and he went back to singing mostly Western songs.
In 1974 he was offerred another job a few miles across town and he took it. He would be singing at the historic White Elephant Saloon in the stockyard section of Fort Worth. This has long been the heart of cowboy country. In fact, when cowboy folklorist John Lomax was gathering authentic cowboy material for his book, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads (1910), he interviewed many of the patrons of the White Elephant Saloon.
Anyway, Don Edwards became the resident cowboy performer there. And soon he also became one of the owners.
H recorded four cowboy albums on his own: Songs of Cowboys (1986), Guitars And Saddle Songs (1987), Desert Nights And Cowtown Blues (1989) and Chant Of The Wanderer (1991). "Chant" won a Western Heritage award from The National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, country star Michael Martin Murphey made a decision to spend most of his time doing Western materials. And when he got Warner Bros. Records to establish its western music division and label, "Warner Western, " Edwards became one of its charter signees.
Since that new recording contract, he has issued "Songs Of The Trail" (1992), "Going Back To Texas"(1993), and "The Bard And The Balladeer" with Waddie Mitchell (1994).
In 1994, Don Edwards wrote Classic Cowboy Songs. The book presents 53 songs and poems, with Don's essays about each one. All of these come to life musically on his album, "West of Yesterday".
Richard Egan
(Deceased)
Richard Egan, actor, was born on July 29, 1921.
Ricard Egan's Western credits included "Wyoming Mail" (1950), "Kansas Raiders" (1950), "Cripple Creek" (1952), "The Battle at Apache Pass" (1952), "Love Me Tender" (1956) and "These Thousand Hills" (1959).
Richard Egan died of cancer on July 20, 1987. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery ( AA, T37, 139 ), Culver City, CA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Richard Egan.
Fred R. Egloff
Fred R. Egloff is the author of El Paso Lawman: G.W. Campbell (1982). He writes for the National Tombstone Epitaph magazine.
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 through his e-mail address.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
--- Bible: Psalm 28:7
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
