Stan Paregien, Editor
Jimmy Stewart
(Deceased)
Jimmy Stewart, actor and poet, was born as James Stewart on May 20, 1908. He attended Princeton University, studying architecture, and graduated in 1932.
When James Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar in 1940, for his role in "The Philadelphia Story," he sent it to his father in Indiana, Pennsylvania. His father set it in his hardware shop and the trophy remained there for 25 years.
James Stewart was the first movie star to enter the service for World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed. He became a Colonel, and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and 7 battle stars. In 1959, serving in the Air Force Reserve, he became a brigadier general. No other actor has ever achieved a rank that high in the military. His only son died while serving in the Vietnam War
Jimmy Stewart's Western credits included Destry Rides Again (1939), Broken Arrow (1950), Winchester '73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954), The Man from Laramie (1955), Night Passage (1957), Two Rode Together (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), How the West Was Won (1962), Cheyenne Autume (1964), The Rare Breed (1966), Firecreek (1968), Bandolero! (1968), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) and The Shootist (1976).
John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart in "The Shootist" (1972).
This was John Wayne's last film appearance as he, like the
character he played in the movie, was dying from cancer.
It was also Stewart's last Western movie.
The American Film Institute presented Stewart with a Life Achievement Award in 1980. The James Stewart Museum was dedicated in Indiana, PA on May 20, 1995.
Jimmy Stewart is seen in "It's A Wonderful Life" at least once each Christmas season on every TV station known to man.
Jimmy Stewart died of a pulmonic blood clot on July 2, 1997. His remains are buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery (The Wee Kirk Churchyard Space 2, Lot 8 ) in Glendale, CA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Jimmy Stewart.
Robert Stokesberry
At last count, Robert Stokesberry had sold some 20 novels and a slew of non-fiction articles and software manuals. His westerns, all published by Berkley Publishing Group, include Outlaw Trail (1984), Colorado Silver Queen (1985), Maximilian's Gold (1985), The Longest Manhunt (1986), Brewer's War (1986), Train Ride to Hell (1987), Vengeance Trail (1987), The Northwest Railroad War (1987), Badlands Patrol (1987), and Border War and Shadow War.
Robert Stokesberry's non-western novels include a "Nick Carter" novel (Charter, 1978) and seven "Nichole" and "Christina" novels (Berkley, 1981-83). He says, "I started writing professionally way back in college, when I wrote some textbook material concerning anthropology. Since 1972 I've made my total living from writing. I started writing Westerns because Berkley said they would give me money if I wrote Westerns. Future writing plans pretty much center on genuine historical novels (as against historical romance) and men's adventure."
Cliffie Stone
(Deceased)
Cliffie Stone, singer and musician and producer-promoter, was born Clifford Gilpin Snyder on Mar. 1, 1917 in Stockton, CA. He was reared in Burbank. His father was an entertainer (comedian & banjo player) well-known as "Herman The Hermit".
Stone began his career in the late 1930's as bass player for big bands such as Anson Weeks and Freddie Slack, before playing bass for country-Western star Stuart Hamblen. By the early 1940s he was bandleader and featured comedian on "The Hollywood Barn Dance" on the CBS radio network. He produced over 14,000 TV and radio shows including "Hometown Jamboree" and "Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch".
Cliffie Stone was Tennessee Ernie Ford’s manager and executive producer for Capitol Records; president of Central Songs, executive for ATV Music, consultant and director of Gene Autry Music Group.
This California native has also worked as a musician, signer, comic, songwriter, band leader and disc jockey. His special honors included being inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and receiving his own Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Stone wrote or co-wrote many hit songs, including "Anticipation Blues," "Smokey Mountain Boogie" and "The Shot Gun Boogie" for Ford, and "Divorce Me C.O.D.," "No Vacancy" and "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" for Merle Travis.
Mere Travis and Cliffie Stone co-wrote the smash hit song, "No Vacancy" in 1946. In a 1973 interview Travis spoke of how the song was born: "Right after World War II, the most popular sign all over the country was the 'No Vacancy' sign. Returning veterans and other people as well had a hard time finding a place to live. One night after playing a date, Cliffie Stone and I drove a couple of hundred miles from California looking for a motel to spend the night. Every motel we passed had a 'No Vacancy' sign, and this gave us the idea to write the song" (Merle Travis, interview, Nashville, TN, 8 Jul 1973 or telephone interview, 7 Sep 1973, reprinted in Dorothy Horstman, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, New York, NY, 1976, p. 250).
In 1946 Stone joined Capitol Records as an A&R man, but also did at least four major daily radio shows ("Dinner Bell Round Up," "Rhythm Ranch," "Cliffie Stone's Western Party" and "Western Stars") on local stations as a disc jockey or performer. His "Hometown Jamboree," originally a radio show, became a pioneering TV show in Los Angeles and was nationally syndicated.
As an artist, Stone had several chart hits, including two Top-5 hits in the late 1940s: "Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes Of Blue" and "Peepin' Thru The Keyhole (Watching Jole Blon)" on Capitol and later started his own Granite label.
His Hometown Jamboree, originating from KXLA in Pasadena (and later from El Monte), was a radio staple for years before moving over to television in the ‘50s. That show was a touchstone for nearly all of the West Coast country crowd, including the Maddox Brothers and Rose, Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant and Ferlin Husky. Through that program, Stone provided a venue for important new talent such as songwriter Dallas Frazier, Molly Bee and the Kentucky Colonels.
In his later years, Cliffie Stone co-wrote several songs with his second wife, Joan, and collaborated with his son, Curtis Stone (a founding member of the group Highway 101). In 1991 he also published a book, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Songwriting But Didn’t Know Who to Ask. He also wrote, You Gotta Be Bad Before You Can Be Good, edited after his death by his wife and published in January, 2000.
In the 1960s, Stone was a founding member of the Academy of Country Music and was honored by that organization in 1972 with their prestigious Pioneer Award. In 1989 he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Cliffie Stone, one of the legendary figures of the country music scene, died at his home in Canyon Country (Santa Clarita) north of Los Angeles. Stone, just weeks shy of his 81st birthday, suffered a heart attack at around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 17, 1998.
CLICK HERE to go to a nicely done Cliffie Stone web site.
Irving Stone
Irving Stone won a Spur Award for his Western nonfiction book, Men to Match My Mountains (Doubleday). He was a member of Western Writers of America in 1959 (see his photo in the May issue of The Roundup and his photo & bio in the Aug., 1959 issue)
Milburn Stone
(Deceased)
Milburn Stone, actor, was born on July 5, 1904.
His is best-remembered for his role as "Doc Adams" on the long-running TV Western, "Gunsmoke".
Milburn Stone died of a heart attack on June 12, 1980. His remains are in the El Camino Memorial Park Cemetery (Vista del Lago, 401-D) in La Jolla, CA.
N.B. Stone, Jr.
(Deceased)
N.B. Stone, Jr.'s family had come over the Trail in 1849 and settled in Oregon. So he walked, talked and wrote western. He studied at the University of Oregon at Eugene, then moved to Hawaii and for several years worked as an investigator for an insurance company. When war broke out in 1941, he joined the Navy. And during his hitch he began to write and sell short stories. He wrote articles for such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and others.
N.B. Stone, Jr., known as "Bo," was a co-screen writer (with Richard Wilson) of the 1955 movie, "Man with the Gun" (aka "Deadly Peacemaker"), starring Robert Mitchum. He wrote the script for the 1962 film "Ride the High Country," directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea. And he also worked on the script for the 1965 film, "The Town Tamer". He also wrote episodes of such TV shows as "Bonanza".
N.B. Stone, Jr. died on Sept. 27, 1967. (See the Dec., 1967 issue of The Roundup for a tribute to him by William R. Cox; also, his photo and bio are in the March, 1962 issue).
Gale Storm
Gale Storm was born Josephine Owaissa Cottle on April 5, 1922 in Bloomington, Texas.
She won a talent contest during her junior year in high school, and that got her a trip to Hollywood. The studio execs at RKO recognized her talent and rare beauty and quickly signed her to a contract. They also gave her the stage name, "Gale Storm." 
Gale Storm & Roy Rogers mug it upGale Storm appeared in such Western films as "Red River Valley (1941), Jesse James at Bay" (1941), "Saddlemates" (1941), "Man from Cheyenne" (1942), "The Dude Goes West" (1948), "Stampede" (1949), "The Kid from Texas" (1950), "Curtain Call at Cactus Creek" (1950), "The Texas Rangers" (1951) and "Al Jennings of Oklahoma" (1951).
However, Gale Storm is probably best remembered for being the star of the 1952 TV comedy, "My Little Margie" and of the 1956 TV comedy series, "The Gale Storm Show."
Gale Storm made her debut on records in the fall of 1955 on Dot Records. Within four months three of her songs were among the top twenty best sellers in the nation.
CLICK HERE to go to a web site full of Gale Storm info, photos and links.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Gale Storm.
Doc Stovall
Doc Stovall, singer and musician and cowboy poet, is resident of Lithia Springs, GA., Doc regularly entertains across North America as a feature performer at Cowboy Gatherings, Western Festivals as well as corporate and private events. He has been recognized by the Georgia Senate as the "Official Cowboy Balladeer of the State of Georgia". His work has garnered him several nominations from the Academy of Western Artists as well as the Southwest Nighthawks Storytellers Association.
Doc Stovall hails from the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia. His work consists of trail songs, songs of ranch life, songs of the western range and mountains, as well as humorous looks at the West through parody and satire. Doc is a BMI songwriter and publishes with Carolina Sage Brush Publishing. His album "Western Journeys" features original music and poetry and is availablea at the address below.
Doc Stovall is a regular co-host of the TV series "Love of the West." His personal knowledge and insight into the history of the West gives the programs a unique flavor and authenticity.
Stovall also performs in "Trails Plowed Under" with Jim Dunham. While Jim, as Charlie Russell, recreates a Charles M. Russell painting, Doc entertains the audience with cowboy poetry and song. They are scheduled to appear in several productions across the United States in the coming year. Their performance at the Booth Museum of Western Art is available on VHS or CD to parties interested in booking the show.
Doc Stovall and Jerry Warren are the co-founders of COPAS, the Cowboy Performing Arts Society. You may contact him at: Doc Stovall, PO Box 574, Lithia Springs, Georgia 30122. Or Phone: 770-948-5570.
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.
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
--- Bible: Psalm 105:1-2
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
