The Cowboy Boot

Few men across all walks of life have been collectively mourned in death the way Tom Mix was. A symbol of the West for a time during his heyday, Tom Mix is not your regular actor –he was a hero and is still is a hero to many.

Upon his death, Tom Mix was remembered as a well-loved friend and a man who would drop anything to fight for the good. Some may think of this as an exaggeration but Tom Mix did not only bring entertainment in people’s lives but also served as an inspiration to many young Americans in his time. He was a hero and an adviser to every man or boy who went to see his films and listened to him on the radio.

Tom Mix’s advise to the younger generation was based on his down to earth type of living and a code that gives emphasis on honesty, courage, and fair play.

His life was a blast and he and his wife Victoria Ford lived their lives together to the fullest. His life, according to those who knew him, was as adventurous as any of the fictitious characters the actor portrayed in the movies.

During the Cuban campaign in the time of the Spanish-American War, Tom Mix served as a scout for Col. Theodore Roosevelt.  Later on he was sent to the Philippines for the Luzon campaign. Mix also went to South Africa before returning to the United States to be a professional peace officer. Mix served as a peace officer in Oklahoma and Texas, accounts say.

Another amazing thing about the actor is that he served as a Sheriff in different parts of the West and then became a US Marshall later on.

He was offered a project in the movie industry afterwards but during the Mexican revolution in 1910, Tom Mix dropped everything. He went back to moviemaking of course and became one of America’s most loved entertainers.

The American silent film entertainer William S. Hart may not be today’s Orlando Bloom, Gerard Butler or Brad Pitt but he is definitely someone a lot of people looked up to during his heyday.

William S. Hart is not just a film actor though but now also a name for a ranch and museum and one high school –an indication that William S. Hart is well-remembered even in this era where silent films are no longer in existence.

Deemed as a storybook hero and the original on-screen cowboy, Hart may be remembered by many as a villain in most of his films but he will always be remembered by his contemporaries as “ever forthright and honest”.

The 6’2” Hart’s first film His Hour of Manhood released in 1914 was a two-reeler. The next year, he signed another contract and joined Triangle Film Company.

During his retirement, Hart was disturbed by the sound of a plane that kept flying over his house. The plane was owned by Amelia Earhart. For him to complain about the noise that Earhart’s plane makes, he invited the lady to dinner. The two later on became very good friends.

Before his retirement, William S. Hart also went into producing movies and directing them.

One of his most memorable films is Tumbleweeds released in 1925. His career as a film star started with him on a New York stage. However, one has to note that his passion for the American West did not start in his boyhood but when he was already a young man traveling to the West. This is as much a good story as any of his films shown in cinema in those days.

What is most interesting about Hart is that he was ahead of his time and developed a deep respect for the native American culture.