tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615216183987547892024-02-20T19:59:44.064-08:00Hollywood Cowboy DetectivesPAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-75705998059609234992016-05-10T12:53:00.000-07:002016-05-10T14:34:26.009-07:00FREE SAMPLE CHAPTER "MYSTERY OF THE HORNED MONSTER" <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>FREE EXCERPT MYSTERY OF THE HORNED MONSTER</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Aging Cowboy Stars Ride to Help Karloff and Lugosi Menaced by a Real-Life Monster</strong></span></div>
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I drove my DeSoto up to the gate at
Republic Pictures and awaited entry approval. Blue-uniformed, security guard John
McCabe had been a Los Angeles County deputy once, which took place during the
lifespan of an adult mayfly. Apparently, the one thing he learned in that law
enforcement position was to always exude authority. The immaculately dressed
gatekeeper swaggered up to the driver’s side of my car, looked me over and
checked to make sure I wasn’t trying to smuggle in an unapproved line of chorus
girls.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Identification,” he said.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Johnny,” I answered. “It’s me,
Curly Woods. I’ve worked here for two years.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Identification,” he repeated.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I showed him my driver’s license
and he stepped back, stood at attention and waved me through the gate for the
umpteenth time that year. As I drove onto the lot, I thought about the daily
challenges that a Republic gate guard had to face. Although I thought McCabe
should have learned to relax and just wave those of us he recognized through
without giving us the third degree, I was sure he had to keep on his toes as he
daily faced a tenacious crowd of teenage autograph seekers. And it would have
been a tremendous blow to his ego if he had mistakenly approved the entry of a
13-year-old girl wearing a Gene Autry mask.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Unlike the gate guard, Rick Danby’s
secretary, Lorelai, smiled and waved me through the door to his office. Rick
always looked like he just walked off a film set where he was the immaculately
tailored stand-in for William Powell, right down to the pencil-thin mustache. Sitting
with Rick at a large coffee table in the center of the circus-tent-sized room
were his brother, Republic chauffeur Nick Danby, and rodeo champion and classic
film star Hoot Gibson. Over the last several years, I had relied on my two best
friends, Nick and Hoot, during many life-threatening situations.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Sit down and pour yourself a cup
of coffee, Curly,” Rick said. “I’m sure I don’t have to introduce these two
reprobates.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
We shook hands and garbled a
variety of howdies. Gibson was dressed in his personal-appearance, western
outfit of boots, Levis, bright red western shirt, yellow bandanna and 10-gallon
white hat. Nick, as always, looked sharp in his gray chauffeur’s uniform
complete with cap, flared jodhpurs and English riding boots.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I asked all of you here today
because I know how well you work together in dealing with possibly threatening
situations,” Rick said as he put flame to a cigarette. “The movie business is
full of competing personalities with big smiles and promises of faithful
support for creative ideas. We take our ideas and construct fantasies with
light, shadow and, now, sound effects. Those fantasies make us or break us,
depending on the public’s reaction. And, if the public doesn’t throw money at
our productions, we also recognize that those aforementioned promises are as
shallow as the silver screen.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That’s show business,” Gibson
said. “The only thing you can trust about some people is that, sooner or later,
they will stab you in the back. I’ve found that, pretty much, the only folks I
completely trust are in this room right now.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“You don’t want to add any of your
ex-wives to that list?” Nick said.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Especially not them.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Throughout my life I’ve always
been able to trust my brother,” Rick said. “And, over the last few years, you
two have also earned my trust equally. Nick, you and Curly are already on the
payroll. I’d like to put you on as well, Hoot, to complete my team.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Well, I am kind of between jobs,”
Gibson said as Nick elbowed me in the ribs and snickered. “But whatever you’ve
got planned for these two, you do need somebody who knows what he’s doin’ to keep
them from falling off a cliff.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Good,” Rick said. “Now, you guys
all know that Herbert Yates created Republic Pictures through a tenuous
partnership between several Poverty Row studios. He basically forced the
studios to unite under his leadership or he would use his film lab to force
them into bankruptcy. In that process, Republic acquired Gene Autry from Mascot
and John Wayne from Monogram, as well as a variety of other actors, facilities
and equipment.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Yeah,” I said, “but the marriage
didn’t last long, as the Monogram boys didn’t care much for Mr. Yates’
dictates. That company is back in business as an independent studio.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Exactly, Curly,” Rick said.
“Monogram is no longer part of Republic, but some of us at Republic still have
ties to Monogram.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Economic ties?” Gibson asked.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Yes,” Rick answered, “and
philosophical ties.” </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“You aren’t thinking of switching
studios, are you?” I asked.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“It’s a possibility,” Rick said. “I
have some differences with Republic on the studio’s focus on musical westerns.
They may currently be profitable, but they just aren’t that exciting. I still
think there is a big market out there for good old-fashioned adventure
westerns, like Hoot used to make. And I’ve found out there are a few folks over
at Monogram who agree with me.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Well, you certainly know that we
agree with you,” I said as Hoot and Nick nodded. “But what can we do to help
right now?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Monogram is struggling to get back
on a profitable level,” Rick said. “If that studio is to have a future, it must
make it through this year without any great losses.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I scratched my head and sipped some
coffee.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“What makes you think the studio
might fail?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I have an uncle who is currently
working on some productions at Monogram and he tells me there have been a few
problems over there,” Rick answered. “A couple of sets have been torched and
some equipment destroyed. It very well could be someone or some group trying to
take the legs out from under Monogram. You guys have been pretty successful at
investigating this kind of trouble and sniffing out the culprits.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Do you think it might be the mob
or another studio?” Gibson asked.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I don’t know, but I want the
Hollywood Cowboy Detectives to find out. I’ve talked to Uncle Bill….”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Uncle Bill!” Nick exclaimed with a
smile.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“…and he’s built you some cover at
Monogram so you can investigate.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Uncle Bill was married to our
mom’s sister from 1920 until ’22,” Nick said. “But we still keep in touch. He’s
one of the nicest men you’ll ever meet.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Rick handed his brother a card.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Here’s your gate pass. Uncle Bill is
expecting you,” Rick said. “Good luck and keep in touch.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I left my car on the lot and joined
Hoot and Nick in the studio Packard. We had a relaxing ride through town on our
way to Monogram. Gibson was still the happy-go-lucky cowboy who was going
through a not-so-lucky period of his life. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“The traveling shows all want me to
perform, but they also want me to invest,” he said. “I’ve already invested, and
lost, all my money in wild-west shows. I’m just glad Rick came up with the idea
to pay me to do something, whatever it is.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Yeah, me too,” I said. “I hope we
can help him and Uncle Bill. How’ve you been, Nick?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Same old thing,” he said. “It’s
either feast or famine. Last week I was driving Autry and Burnette. This week
it’s you two.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
That brought a growl out of Gibson.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“He didn’t mean anything by that,
Smiley, I mean, Hoot,” I said.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
He growled again.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That reminds me,” Nick said.
“Let’s stop by Rinty’s Bar for a drink later.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
We pulled up to the Monogram gate.
Nick showed the pass to the guard and we were waved in. He parked the Packard
near what looked like a bunch of executives’ vehicles – Packards, Cadillacs and
Lincolns. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“The sedan will rest better here
with its own kind,” Nick said. “There’s no room for DeSotos here.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“You may think your company’s sedan
is special,” I said, “but I own my DeSoto – and it can kick that Packard’s ass
anytime!”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Oh, yeah?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Knock it off, kids,” Gibson said,
“or I’ll ride by someday on my horse and drop fresh biscuits on both your
hoods.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Nick led the way to the entrance to
Stage Five. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
It took us a minute for our eyes to
adjust to the dark interior of the large stage building. We walked past stacks
of boxes and unused furniture into an open area where lights, cameras, sound
equipment, chairs and even a ladder stood in anticipation of the next scene. On
one side of the equipment was a three-walled living room set next to what
looked like the inside of a barn with a haystack, pitchforks and three stalls.
On the other side was what seemed to be a surrealistic alleyway in San
Francisco’s Chinatown.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Wow! That’s a rather dark, spooky,
deserted street,” Gibson said. “I’d feel a little better about it if there were
some lights on around here – or at least a script girl or two.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I chuckled at Hoot’s reaction,
turned and walked through a door into one of the set businesses. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“There’s got to be someone around
here someplace,” I said, closing the door behind me.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“There is,” said a deep voice that
rumbled out of Hell from close to my right ear.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I turned slowly and then lifted my
head to look up into the most evil looking eyes I had ever seen. Light glancing
through the window glass from some other part of the set illuminated a side of
the man’s face from below showing arched eyebrows, high cheekbones and a rock-like
jaw that framed his thin-lipped smile. The man, dressed in a dark suit, reached
down and placed a huge hand on my shoulder. At that point, I felt like I was a
piece of rancid fish looking up at Spade.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“You must be Curly,” the man said in
his deep British accent as the door flew open.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Uncle Bill!” Nick said.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Little Nicky, so good to see you.
How’s your big brother?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“He’s fine. I see you’ve met Curly.
And I’m sure you know Hoot.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Gibson walked in.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Well, well,” Gibson said. “Uncle
Bill Pratt a.k.a Boris Karloff. How ya doin’, Pug?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Just peachy, cowboy,” Karloff
laughed. “In case you didn’t know, Nicky, I played a character named Pug Doran
in a 1928 Hoot Gibson oater. But we go back a lot farther than that.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“We sure do, Bill,” Gibson said.
“We met back in the early 20s while hamming it up in the silent days.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Yeah,” Karloff said. “You had top
billing back then and I usually didn’t get any billing at all. I’m really glad
to see you, Hooter. You’re still the all-American good guy.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“And you seem to be making a
fortune out of being all kinds of bad guys.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I do,” he said. “And I love it.
However, as Mr. Wong, I’m a good guy. What were they thinking?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Slowly I thawed my frozen position
and shook hands with Boris Karloff, also known as William Pratt.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
A man wearing a flipped up fedora,
white shirt and brown vest carrying a clipboard walked up to us.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Hey, Boris,” he said. “Nice work
yesterday. The fog machines really did their stuff here in Chinatown. The boss
loved the dailies this morning.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That’s great, Allen,” Karloff
said. “I do my best work surrounded in fog.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I’ll have the boys get the
machines out of here,” Allen said. “We’ve got a couple of close-ups to shoot this
afternoon near the lamppost.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I’ll be ready, Allen. My cowboy
friends and I are going to chew the fat a bit, and then I’ll get in character.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Uncle Bill,” flanked by his nephew
“little Nicky” and his old cowboy pal Hoot Gibson, led the way to the Mr.
Wong’s dressing room in the far back of Stage Five. I trailed along behind them,
hat in hand.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Relax, gentlemen,” Karloff said,
as he removed an oriental robe from one of the four chairs in the room. “I’m
pleased to see all of you.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“So, what do I call you? Boris,
Bill, William?” I asked.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“You can call me Bill, Curly,” he
said. “With my nephew and the Hooter here, you are now family. When I’m on
stage or promoting my work, I go by Boris. But to family like you guys, I’m
still old Bill Pratt.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Well, Bill, do you have time to go
over what we are up against and how you think we can help?” </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“I do,” Karloff said. “I’ve got a
couple of hours before I have to become Mr. Wong again for a few close-ups. </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Rick and I came up with a cover
story for all of you. I’m going to be taking a week off starting tomorrow and
I’ve told several people that my old cowboy buddy Hoot Gibson and I will be
hanging out together, perhaps doing a little fishing. And, as of today, Nicky
is my new chauffeur.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“What about Curly?” Gibson said.
“He’s pretty well known as Republic’s cowboy flack.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That’s true, Hoot,” Karloff
answered. “And many show-business types also know that he was once a reporter
with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Examiner</i>. So as
far as anyone is concerned, Curly is working with an un-named investor on the
development of a new fan magazine targeted for those folks who love
Frankenstein, The Mummy and other monster movies.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That’s kind of a stretch, isn’t
it?” Nick said. “Aren’t most fan magazines designed for lonely housewives and
teenage girls? Do you think a picture of Lionel Atwill on a magazine cover
could outsell one of Gable?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Not if they know Lionel,” Karloff
said, “but one of me might. Of course the idea of a spooky fan magazine is
bogus, but this is Hollywood and people will believe anything. The explanation
is that the publication is targeted toward young people who love a good scare.
And Curly, being a good feature writer, is working with me to develop a style
of PR for a new group of fans.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“That sounds like a good plan,
Bill,” I said. “Now, what are we really looking into?”</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“At the moment, I’m not sure. We’ve
had some destroyed props, torched sets and what looks to be sabotage. At this
time, I don’t know who would want to do such things, or why. One thing is, it
has to be stopped before someone gets hurt.”At that moment, the dressing room
shook as a large explosion sent all of us up and out of our chairs. I yanked
the door open to a stage filled with dust and the sound of pieces of scenery
dropping to the floor. We fought our way through the smoke and debris toward
the stage entrance. As we got near what used to be the Chinatown set, I
tripped, falling on top of two legs sticking out from under part of a
storefront and lamppost.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Allen must have been right near the
center of the blast.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FENUZ7K" target="_blank">Mystery of the Horned Monster eBookspecial introductory sale price $1.99</a> </div>
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<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-60603692278330266122016-05-09T12:47:00.000-07:002016-05-10T14:33:50.179-07:00The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives Ride to the Rescue of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in Newest Series Book<br />
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.25pt 0pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives Ride to the Rescue of Boris
Karloff and Bela Lugosi in…</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>MYSTERY OF THE HORNED MONSTER</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Newest Pulp-Style Novel in B-Movie
Inspired Series</span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Available in eBook
& Paperback</span></i></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.25pt 0pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BHMlOCKwju1hvkZiRKP62CmVxvaXhHTQ0KBtvgeDkQ-aCFZmdGF10jQTJMR_aQ7vxGPhcVw8b1xrDzJlagA6KXbLtzxqxurmS80vels3Gf7bime3-nO-XxK1ucTOjFrGSyxvz9HHBOY/s1600/Horned+Monster+HCD+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BHMlOCKwju1hvkZiRKP62CmVxvaXhHTQ0KBtvgeDkQ-aCFZmdGF10jQTJMR_aQ7vxGPhcVw8b1xrDzJlagA6KXbLtzxqxurmS80vels3Gf7bime3-nO-XxK1ucTOjFrGSyxvz9HHBOY/s320/Horned+Monster+HCD+smaller.jpg" width="192" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.25pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s 1939 and
someone seems to be trying to kill famous monster stars Boris Karloff and Bela
Lugosi, shooting a horror film at Monogram Studios. Sets are being burned down
and the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives – PR flack Curly Woods, studio chauffeur
Nick Danby and cowboy star Hoot Gibson – are asked to find out who is behind
the arson and why. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.25pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With the help of
Karloff and Lugosi, longstanding rivals (who find it difficult to bury the
hatchet and work together even when their lives are in danger), the Hollywood
Cowboy Detectives pursue the trail of a monstrous honed figure whose goal may
be to destroy Los Angeles itself. Fighting their way through flying torpedoes,
suicide bombers, brown-suited thugs, and weapons that fire liquid electricity,
the HCD’s and their actor allies finally find themselves trapped and
outnumbered in the underground lair of a real-life monster that makes Universal
Studios’ horrors pale in comparison. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In this
cliffhanger, pulp-style adventure, author Darryle Purcell’s Hollywood Cowboy
Detectives find themselves up against their most dangerous nemesis yet. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hollywood
Cowboy Detectives is a unique new series – featuring real-life, old-time
western movie stars Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Tom Mix, and PR man Curly Woods –
set in 1930s Hollywood and the whole Southwest</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cover
and six interior illustrations by award-winning animator and writer Darryle
Purcell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Available
in Kindle and paperback. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FENUZ7K" target="_blank">eBookspecial introductory sale price $1.99</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Paperback
special introductory price $9.99</span><br />
<a href="http://hollywoodcowboydetectives.blogspot.com/2016/05/free-sample-chapter-mystery-of-horned.html" target="_blank">Read free excerpt click here.</a></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-85468234019418935822015-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:55:02.832-08:00Great Review for Hollywood Cowboy Detectives from Paul Green, author the Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Classic B-western stars ride again</span> <!-- .entry-header --></div>
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<img alt="Alien Banshee" class=" size-medium wp-image-4188 alignleft" height="300" src="https://weirdwesterns.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/alien-banshee.jpg?w=181&h=300" width="181" />Several almost-forgotten B-western stars of the past have found work in a new series of historical fiction westerns.</div>
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Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Crash Corrigan, William S. Hart, Tom Mix and other film-cowboy heroes from the 20s through the 50s have returned to battle Nazis, saboteurs and old-fashioned bad guys in the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives (HCD) series published by Page Turner’s Buckskin Editions in both Kindle and paperback versions.</div>
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Darryle Purcell, a long-time Mohave County, Ariz., resident known for his topical newspaper columns and political cartoons, has reset his editorial sights on historical western fiction.</div>
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“I grew up enjoying the B-western movies and serials made during the 1930s through the ’50s,” the former <em>Mohave Valley Daily News</em> managing editor said. “Many of those films were contemporary to the years they were produced. Western heroes such as Col. Tim McCoy would board a train in the metropolitan east of, say, 1936 and arrive in the old west (quite often Arizona) to battle evil doers. We all remember films where the Three Mesquiteers fought the Nazis in the early 1940s.”</div>
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Purcell is writing and illustrating the 1930s-contemporary western series, which embraces the adventurous world of pulp publishing while also saluting the great western movie serials of that era. The first publication, Mystery at Movie Ranch, is comprised of 12 cliffhanger chapters set in the San Fernando Valley area of southern California during the filming of the 1934 Mascot Pictures serial, Mystery Mountain, starring Ken Maynard.</div>
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“I do a lot of research on what was being filmed, where, by which studio within a specific time frame,” he said. “I then carve a window in the time period where certain people could have joined together to deal with an adventure.”</div>
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Sean “Curly” Woods, former <em>Los Angeles Examiner</em> crime beat reporter and current studio flack, is Purcell’s main fictional character who appears in all HCD publications. In Movie Ranch, Woods’ assignment is to write fluff public relations articles about the serial and its stars and keep Maynard out of trouble while looking into the possible sabotage of the Mascot production.</div>
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“From a variety of sources, Ken Maynard was a temperamental alcoholic,” Purcell said. “Nobody’s perfect. He was still a skilled rodeo, circus and film cowboy idolized by youth from the 1920s through the ’50s.”</div>
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While helping Maynard battle his personal demons, Woods discovers real enemies are not only targeting the western production, but the American way of life. Joined by western movie star and World Champion Rodeo Cowboy Hoot Gibson, Maynard and Woods engage in a series of deadly encounters with an army of anti-American terrorists ruled by a sinister mastermind known only as the Viper. The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives deal with organized crime, a sniper attack, aerial combat against an experimental German flying machine, interrogation by a sadistic enemy scientist in an underground stronghold, an ungodly creature who is the product of evil experiments, and a variety of battles with those who would eliminate all who believe in freedom and justice.</div>
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“With this series, I hope to revive the lessons of the straight shooters while introducing a new generation to some of the great cowboy heroes of the past. Besides having served in the First World War, most of them had been working cowboys on ranches, rodeos and wild-west shows before joining the motion picture studio system. Often, their movie careers began as stuntmen for other, less-talented, film stars. The HCD series honors the hard work, amazing action talents and ethical lessons of the B-western film stars of the past,” Purcell said.</div>
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--Paul Green, author the Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns <br />
Mystery of the Alien Banshee (illustrated) can be found at <a href="http://amzn.com/B00U450FFQ" target="_blank">Amazon's Alien Banshee page</a>.<br />
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-71716473752768664422015-02-18T19:59:00.000-08:002015-02-18T19:59:26.298-08:00HCD AUTHOR, DARRYLE PURCELL, FEATURED IN MOHAVE COUNTY AZ NEWSFormer County Public Information Officer Publishes Illustrated Western Series<br />
Lake Havasu City, AZ – Mohave County’s former Public Information Director, Darryle Purcell, has been quite busy since retiring from public life. Since his retirement in 2013, Purcell has been<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ja3NCoSq0_UFS2JPTHjyx6GDpo2OBFfgoUuAE6Sp7EzCrm7M2lFpIi5cMfZ0i_VJeWG6WFbUEx1FlQPAHAr-8tlEhGwCbFpRLNBHntNgjb36j9PM7NpfCbxtmMBvnxWGuY9Mq3_-6os/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ja3NCoSq0_UFS2JPTHjyx6GDpo2OBFfgoUuAE6Sp7EzCrm7M2lFpIi5cMfZ0i_VJeWG6WFbUEx1FlQPAHAr-8tlEhGwCbFpRLNBHntNgjb36j9PM7NpfCbxtmMBvnxWGuY9Mq3_-6os/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a>writing and publishing a series of western novels. “This illustrated series showcases Darryle’s talent,” Supervisor Buster Johnson stated. “He has taken his love for writing and illustration and <span id="goog_1849601223"></span><span id="goog_1849601224"></span>combined it into this magnificent series,” Johnson continued. Purcell’s illustrated series is called the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives (HCD). Published by Page Turner’s Buckskin Editions, the series embraces the adventurous world of pulp publishing while also acknowledging the great western <br />
movie serials of the 1930s. “The first publication, Mystery at Movie Ranch, is comprised of 12 cliffhanger chapters set in the San Fernando Valley area of southern California during the filming of the 1934 Mascot Pictures serial, Mystery Mountain, starring Ken Maynard,” Purcell stated. Page Turner’s Buckskin Editions currently has published two of the books in Purcell’s series<br />
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<a href="http://justsaynews.com/former-county-public-information-officer-publishes-illustrated-western-series/">http://justsaynews.com/former-county-public-information-officer-publishes-illustrated-western-series/</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank">Read Mystery at Movie Ranch Kindle edition only $1.99 at Amazon.com Click Here </a></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://buckskineditions.blogspot.com/2014/09/watch-free-hoot-gibson-ken-maynard.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">See "The Law Rides Again - a Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard "Trail Blazers" movie free Click Here </span></a></div>
<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-10630961725880812172014-12-20T17:08:00.003-08:002015-12-31T15:55:28.000-08:00ORSON WELLES, KEN MAYNARD, HOOT GIBSON AND A BUS LOAD OF ENTERTAINERS GET MIXED UP WITH 1930s ESPIONAGE IN "MYSTERY OF THE MATINEE MURDERS"<span id="goog_179343465"></span><span id="goog_179343466"></span><br />
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A PRESS JUNKET BECOMES A CELEBRITY-FILLED TRAIN RIDE TO DEATH! </h3>
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"B<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">reezy and entertaining." -<i>Henry's Western Round-Up</i></span></div>
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In the newest installment of the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives series, writer Darryle Purcell's homage to the B-movie westerns and movie serials of yore, Curly Woods, Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard join forces with action star "Crash" Corrigan, plus radio Mercury Theatre stars Orson Welles and Ray Collins. Together the team pool their unique talents to entertain children, battle Nazi zombies, and uncover the identity of a diabolical assassin, while fighting their mutual desire to strangle each other – on a wild Hollywood junket aboard a celebrity and danger filled bus from southern California to the Golden Gate. Their fellow passengers include a roster of other actors and actresses, a radio announcer, a mute sound- effects specialist, a photographer, G-men, plus a talentless reporter and a psychic (who are both killed by the bites of a king cobra). The action begins when fascist saboteurs place bounties on the heads of Curly, Hoot and Ken. From there the story hurtles pell-mell to San Francisco – or bust! And in a story within the story, the author tips his hat to one of the great old-time radio program, The Shadow, which Welles starred in during the mid-1930s.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Matinee-Murders-Hollywood-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00QFXT9WG" target="_blank">Buy Mystery of the Matinee Murders now - only $1.99 for Kindle at Amazon.</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank">Or start with Book 1, Mystery at Movie Ranch, Free on Kindle Unlimited at Amazon, or Own for just 99 cents.</a></div>
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<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-81203143684467660932014-12-01T21:46:00.001-08:002015-01-15T13:00:22.163-08:00New Portrait of William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy by Animator D. Purcell<div style="text-align: center;">
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Suitable for Framing</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQw9MiR8WEOQzFzTBih4XTEnqhIRUMOR2oXBFJl8GgzkEK6u3WpeNjKG605iJ8qJO9n85TglXYYxSRjNJnkRyd208H5E8zT5nbaKzgULHxd0zyQ04PMcs3cWsRaB4BQNmSwoJmFvoFIxI/s1600/Dragon's+Revenge+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQw9MiR8WEOQzFzTBih4XTEnqhIRUMOR2oXBFJl8GgzkEK6u3WpeNjKG605iJ8qJO9n85TglXYYxSRjNJnkRyd208H5E8zT5nbaKzgULHxd0zyQ04PMcs3cWsRaB4BQNmSwoJmFvoFIxI/s1600/Dragon's%2BRevenge%2Bcover.jpg" height="640" width="409" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright 2014 D. Purcell<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Animator on <i>My Favorite Martians </i>and<i> Mission Magic. </i></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Stuntmans-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00QFUJPXW/" target="_blank">Created for the Cover of Mystery of the Stuntman's Ghost, only 99 cents, click here to buy</a>.</h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank">FREE read Book 1 of Darryle Purcell's Hollywood Cowboy Detectives series, Mystery at Movie Ranch, Free on Kindle Unlimited at Amazon, or Own for just $1.9.</a></span></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-42883573331922989782014-11-15T17:22:00.000-08:002015-01-27T16:37:56.722-08:00WATCH FREE TOM MIX IN THE 15 CHAPTER "MIRACLE RIDER" W/ TRAILER AND POSTERS - ONE OF MY FAVORITE SERIALS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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DARRYLE PURCELL </div>
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AUTHOR OF THE HOLLYWOOD COWBOY DETECTIVES BOOKS</div>
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SAYS...</div>
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<b>The Miracle Rider is...</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">...one of my favorite western serials. <i>The Miracle Rider</i> (1935) was the last film of Tom Mix. His character, Tom Morgan, battles veteran villain actor Charles Middleton (Flash Gordon’s Ming the Merciless) as Zaroff to protect Indian lands. There are a lot of great action scenes that show Mix, at 55 years old, was still able to portray the western hero.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I always loved “contemporary” westerns such as this where cowboys meet up with (1935) technology and science fiction elements such as the “Firebird” rocket plane and a mysterious explosive that can only be found on the Indian reservation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">One of the uniquely jarring parts of the film was after Mix has dispatched the villains. The young Indian girl who has obviously been in love with Tom throughout the picture is sad that her hero is leaving to go back East for a better job. Instead of Mix taking off his hat and holding it up to cover a kiss to show they will be together, he shakes her hand and offers her a job as his secretary. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b>WATCH THE MIRACLE RIDER THEATRICAL TRAILER</b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c-PDcKXlBVk" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b>WATCH ALL 15 CHAPTERS!</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 1</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kjR765SHJWU" width="420"></iframe><br />
<b>CHAPTER 2</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Azwwkdhp2so" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 3</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Gs3Ax5O7DvA" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
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<b><span id="goog_1619656844"></span><span id="goog_1619656845"></span><span id="goog_1619656846"></span><span id="goog_1619656847"></span>CHAPTER 4</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8POD5t-X2Ac" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>CHAPTER 5</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/j53EJlOjdTE" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://hollywoodcowboydetectives.blogspot.com/2014/11/watch-miracle-rider-chapters-6-10-one.html" target="_blank"><b>Click here to watch Chapters 6-10 free.</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1C48_lIghIDtqg7o1UzMOiYbZmY52cov1Vvu5gZZB20sEPVXAk4VWjvYliOFO3JCC7BWgN2nygu-sJq9gD5Fd_YjLlh4mkLblIezlnu1jDi4CyCE5yIajUcd8NmWiSb07vYspw7SYqb4/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1C48_lIghIDtqg7o1UzMOiYbZmY52cov1Vvu5gZZB20sEPVXAk4VWjvYliOFO3JCC7BWgN2nygu-sJq9gD5Fd_YjLlh4mkLblIezlnu1jDi4CyCE5yIajUcd8NmWiSb07vYspw7SYqb4/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Inspired
by The Miracle Rider - Read The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives in Mystery
at Movie Ranch - pulp novel free for Kindle Unlimited, iwn for $1.99 at
Amazon.com Click Here </span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><b> </b> </span></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-44165615744101822912014-11-15T17:18:00.003-08:002014-11-15T17:18:42.281-08:00WATCH THE MIRACLE RIDER CHAPTERS 6-10 - ONE OF MY FAVORITE B-WESTERN SERIALS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv566h8ZeV1NONF1-qkchXnzCquYdURYkgYu7Lj9ngrjW49F2690b3XcDriWmJw0fbX3q3C8-26T_YDOdy1EELi8kJMZY2SOdC8vU-Lqzj0oUJGdTYFFASLH7vpXs5Lpz4tzXY0aY3U68/s1600/miracle-rider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv566h8ZeV1NONF1-qkchXnzCquYdURYkgYu7Lj9ngrjW49F2690b3XcDriWmJw0fbX3q3C8-26T_YDOdy1EELi8kJMZY2SOdC8vU-Lqzj0oUJGdTYFFASLH7vpXs5Lpz4tzXY0aY3U68/s1600/miracle-rider.jpg" height="640" width="404" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 6</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ygG2y6NY2CE" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b>
<b>CHAPTER 7</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/W1wEjMXXYoE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<b>CHAPTER 8</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eTtoWD8ohgs" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b>
<b>CHAPTER 9</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/43FE90MgCss" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b>
<b>CHAPTER 10</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iJpJhzaLYb0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Inspired by The Miracle Rider - Read The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives in Mystery at Movie Ranch - Kindle edition only $1.99 at Amazon.com Click Here </span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUTn9kv3J7SmVzOdR_s9wWAwSuqo9u1UjQWxII0Tw1RNXlRW7am4QBWByi4Ig-IcmHdeHQXk4ac3JpmVqvaT3PQRW6cG1jDPmZQoUfktvon6pWUQgw0RXrPsTGCgCTcUW8LF57Lo348w/s1600/the-miracle-rider-1935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUTn9kv3J7SmVzOdR_s9wWAwSuqo9u1UjQWxII0Tw1RNXlRW7am4QBWByi4Ig-IcmHdeHQXk4ac3JpmVqvaT3PQRW6cG1jDPmZQoUfktvon6pWUQgw0RXrPsTGCgCTcUW8LF57Lo348w/s1600/the-miracle-rider-1935.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://hollywoodcowboydetectives.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-miracle-rider-chapters-11-15.html" target="_blank"><b>Click here to watch Chapters 11-15.</b></a> </span></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-37135786292318081902014-11-15T17:17:00.004-08:002014-11-15T17:17:56.744-08:00THE MIRACLE RIDER CHAPTERS 11-15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw1Wf2i82QpO8MZSA9O3if8svkuNCSUqMRmrkWo3jIC39JwvI7q13J5Q-PrZH4Z5D1nJq2QalvzqFtngMR9VKSuFenO8MjyZGD6g3hvSg7O9Ixo_BZcbKiRwLzFnSAcLVrObn2A9XLMY/s1600/Hollywood+Cowboy+Detectives+banner+155-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw1Wf2i82QpO8MZSA9O3if8svkuNCSUqMRmrkWo3jIC39JwvI7q13J5Q-PrZH4Z5D1nJq2QalvzqFtngMR9VKSuFenO8MjyZGD6g3hvSg7O9Ixo_BZcbKiRwLzFnSAcLVrObn2A9XLMY/s1600/Hollywood+Cowboy+Detectives+banner+155-4.jpg" height="99" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">PRESENTS</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> TOM MIX</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>IN</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">CHAPTERS 11-15</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> The Miracle Rider</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"> Original Lobby Card</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMNJM-yVcug88eiBnYrq_d3yGF7mOMOXFJW42f33AXSyxVcMdVeHp68eKPvAw9Bra-a9vVp5mbL3lA8CmqRi3RMDEPPlhyXh2_6z0Lndo92yBHF991mDYLP_qtCWLAZ75UBDQILDVTdE/s1600/02_Miracle_Rider_LC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMNJM-yVcug88eiBnYrq_d3yGF7mOMOXFJW42f33AXSyxVcMdVeHp68eKPvAw9Bra-a9vVp5mbL3lA8CmqRi3RMDEPPlhyXh2_6z0Lndo92yBHF991mDYLP_qtCWLAZ75UBDQILDVTdE/s1600/02_Miracle_Rider_LC.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b></b><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 11</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C3C89gDgkLY" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 12</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PHoU6rHuU28" width="420"></iframe><b></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>CHAPTER 13</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MEGv9bnAdmk" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 14</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5JM2FILCbh0" width="420"></iframe><b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CHAPTER 15</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/e9TKUdboXPg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Inspired by The Miracle Rider - Read The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives in <i>Mystery at Movie Ranch </i>- Kindle edition only $1.99 at Amazon.com Click Here </span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></b></div>
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<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-15393944107044642852014-11-14T11:24:00.001-08:002014-11-14T12:41:55.686-08:00FABULOUS REVIEW FOR HOLLYWOOD COWBOY DETECTIVES SERIES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Mystery at Movie Ranch by Darryle Purcell</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> A Buckskin Editions Western</b></div>
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<b> Reviewed by Jonathan G. Jensen at <a href="http://adventurecontinuesthe.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Adventure Continues Blog</a></b></div>
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This first turned up in my emails wanting me, ME! To do a review of it. Well, hell, why not, I mean I like western pulp stories as well as the next guy or gal. I mean I write about plenty of the ones I get out there, so why not? As it turns out, I don't like reading BOOKS on line, yet that is, so I asked for a print edition of it and got sent one. Pretty cool, I must say on their part. I just like having the thing in hand, its that collector of paper in me that's the culprit! I'm excited about reading my first "new" pulp story, OK, I have read some in Planetary Stories and have drawn some illo's for same, and yeah, guilty of reading on line, you can read them also at Planetarystories.com Back to Darryle's story. As <br />
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it turns out Darryle is a retired reporter for a LA newspaper and political cartoonist to boot! He did the cover and several illustrations for the interior, not too shabby! I would like to see a beautiful babe on the cover, like Earl Bergey would have done for say Startling Stories, brass bra's and all! But, that's me and my pulp tastes, a cowboy, smoking gun, Bi-plane, and strange monster, will do the job nicely! Suffice it to say there is no brass bra-ed woman in the story, but boy is there everything else!<br />
Seems to me that Mr Purcell was out to write only one pulp western as he has everything going into this one from flying-saucers to the FBI and the mafia. Its everything a pulp story has going for it, wild situations, oh, and a beautiful love interest too, gotta have one of those, but usually not in the pulps as a rule. It reads like a story from Ray Palmers' Fantastic Adventures, a little humor: "That's me-Sean Woods ( the Hollywood in- house press dude/detective in the story). Everyone calls me Curly because, well, they're assholes." And, a lot of action, it starts right out with Ken Maynard ( yup that KM) falling out on his face, dead drunk, so much for slam-bang action, that will start tomorrow on the movie set. Just in the first few pages alone, fast cars, snipers, the posse, movie making descriptions of a low budget outfit, fights and woman! <br />
I enjoyed his descriptions of how movies are made in different sequences and assembled later to fit the continuity. His (Ken Maynard in the story) conversation of movie horses was pretty cool in and of itself, how they could make any cowboy look good, stop on their marks and smile for the camera too!<br />
Can order the Kindle edition or possibly the print edition also. <br />
I find overall that the print edition was well done, I especially appreciate the the large print size helps me plenty! I think too, that it lives up to being a real page turner, very easy to read, love the guest appearances by Hoot Gibson, Thelma Todd and others of that era. I had a good time reading this, recommend it to you all who like old western movies and serials too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ" target="_blank">To read Mystery at Movie Ranch, the first Hollywood Cowboy Detectives novel, click here</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ" target="_blank">. Only $2.99 in Kindle at Amazon..</a></div>
<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-67017132302942015072014-09-26T16:35:00.000-07:002014-09-26T16:35:13.363-07:00Why I Love B-Westerns By Darryle Purcell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">B-westerns
bring out the good in all of us!</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Darryle Purcell</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Who’s your favorite cowboy?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.2in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmy_vgkF7W8UxbvV4vWygA6MsI7mx9iABsp07mviIhwRv2Q5wGOnvuxG5De5CK61ARljOu3m3UEa6FmoAwrzOOWVdOF_RFPGqwJaaD8rmkJP7qa-dAuMMb05DHr06wdMMS4kebMgE5hw/s1600/flaming-frontiers-movie-poster-1938-1020200661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmy_vgkF7W8UxbvV4vWygA6MsI7mx9iABsp07mviIhwRv2Q5wGOnvuxG5De5CK61ARljOu3m3UEa6FmoAwrzOOWVdOF_RFPGqwJaaD8rmkJP7qa-dAuMMb05DHr06wdMMS4kebMgE5hw/s1600/flaming-frontiers-movie-poster-1938-1020200661.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I remember debating that question with other children on the
playgrounds, backyards and pastures during my youth in the 1950s. Depending on
the year, the answers were Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Lash LaRue, Johnny Mack Brown, Tim McCoy, Tom
Tyler, Tex Ritter, Hoppy and other great B-western heroes whose movies of the
1930s and ’40s were saturating early television. We often watched the films
with our parents who had enjoyed them during their first runs in theaters. In
the late ’50s and early ’60s, television series stars such as Steve McQueen,
James Garner, Richard Boone, Will Hutchins, and James Drury were added to the
discussion.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismUzoFBt5CilMlUuCYuBcSryFMoKWLb0nnbypcL0sNuYE0frA09SHgfZ9JOWQkCe5pLO4rqarAsKkM3BxaNAF1hdn2IxCrX0a_rYROurHgboS_H9uY086WFV7aEbYH40Qa_wR_sVueeQ/s1600/annie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismUzoFBt5CilMlUuCYuBcSryFMoKWLb0nnbypcL0sNuYE0frA09SHgfZ9JOWQkCe5pLO4rqarAsKkM3BxaNAF1hdn2IxCrX0a_rYROurHgboS_H9uY086WFV7aEbYH40Qa_wR_sVueeQ/s1600/annie.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It was a great time to be a kid. And it wasn’t just us guys who
got a kick out of these shows. I remember watching Annie Oakley save her little
brother Tagg and Deputy Lofty Craig from some villainous situation or another
every week on tv for a few years. They were truly fun adventure programs. Gail Davis’
Annie Oakley character lived by the same standard as the male cowboy heroes. In
later years, major motion picture star Barbara Stanwyck rode herd on
television’s <i>The Big Valley</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3gqMyrbOWWELRofxFA3Yz4kI9DGnlOJgremrfwFKO-uDdCQjZIq-qE2yrpxlIXNOuxscb-mGpi5mEgNXk91fg3M49eI7iFgxJbW2-paLxBqv1BEz_JV7VKfyS8Hhfpje9O0hFmj3n6Y/s1600/220px-Ganfronpos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3gqMyrbOWWELRofxFA3Yz4kI9DGnlOJgremrfwFKO-uDdCQjZIq-qE2yrpxlIXNOuxscb-mGpi5mEgNXk91fg3M49eI7iFgxJbW2-paLxBqv1BEz_JV7VKfyS8Hhfpje9O0hFmj3n6Y/s1600/220px-Ganfronpos.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">These wonderful action stories contained very important morality
lessons for the children of the 20th century. Thinking back, I believe the
Saturday matinee westerns were probably the only sermons on good versus evil
that some of the children of the Great Depression, and later, came in contact
with. And, likewise, those of us from the late 1940s into the early ’60s all
wanted to grow up and be strong, good and heroic. And although that didn’t work
out for all of us, it was a good start on life. As we became adults and reality
started to smack us around, most of us did our best to hold on to those western
values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">These movies and early television characters all shared their
visions of the Code of </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UuSGAt33w-vrdDaLWrQHUDb6TD3eFQ5-J9CBg3KCUAaLrJtVJwPW0h_Xv3GBZpF0xeRuHi0Ju5V_8P4_oE1uEyL4rGeUbAGJgNp3sA4n3r-Y-1TO5BsI2S34Vjyg6ubO1F2mSHAcrIY/s1600/LIFE-061250-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UuSGAt33w-vrdDaLWrQHUDb6TD3eFQ5-J9CBg3KCUAaLrJtVJwPW0h_Xv3GBZpF0xeRuHi0Ju5V_8P4_oE1uEyL4rGeUbAGJgNp3sA4n3r-Y-1TO5BsI2S34Vjyg6ubO1F2mSHAcrIY/s1600/LIFE-061250-001.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">the West. They taught the beliefs of self-reliance,
honesty and fair play. Every leading B-western star was a straight shooter who
always told the truth, paid his debts, was kind to animals and courteous to the
ladies. Only bad guys lied, stole, cursed, back-shot, and mistreated horses,
women and children.</span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Good guys always fought fair, no matter what sleazy tricks the
bad guys used. In the long run, bad guys were always brought to justice.
Honesty and fair play was a reward in itself.</span><br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZY0Z7l5LAEm4kP3jHq9JUy3jGg2v5DWJBvLlvpvdSqJ7prWmfvs5HUYZyi631HZGnJMCRFQPv2VTq9zCjLekHOe80JdGbtKJuAI2sxPcY0DpllA8U108p9nbTd_UhuZxFxqt-0YsmNZg/s1600/threewayne.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZY0Z7l5LAEm4kP3jHq9JUy3jGg2v5DWJBvLlvpvdSqJ7prWmfvs5HUYZyi631HZGnJMCRFQPv2VTq9zCjLekHOe80JdGbtKJuAI2sxPcY0DpllA8U108p9nbTd_UhuZxFxqt-0YsmNZg/s1600/threewayne.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">That’s why today I still love the old B-westerns. When I’ve read
or heard too much bad news about war, crime and politics, I simply pop in a DVD
and watch Ken Maynard round up the rustlers, Hoot Gibson take down the crooked
banker or John Wayne and the Three Mesquiteers save the settlers from the
clutches of an attorney’s evil land scheme. You can call it therapy; I think of
it as pleasure. </span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I’ve always followed local politics closely. The things I read
about that just scream political cronyism or payoffs to members of small-town
political machines could very well be re-imagined into a B-western script. Of
course, in that situation Randolph Scott would ride into town and clean things
up within 90 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Although great western films can still be seen on some cable
stations as well as at </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtJjldzZ7ipqQOEBcqlTFjLbjXlk5XlDq8qT7JTqxFJqnHZVL6awn5Ko79bQJKug4k8g7bqYsr1s5QF7DzOHLX5EytdwyfEawOyS9HaA4J_9Jk50Syhqy57L1uyR9McJwEoceWpSuZp0/s1600/Ken_Maynard10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtJjldzZ7ipqQOEBcqlTFjLbjXlk5XlDq8qT7JTqxFJqnHZVL6awn5Ko79bQJKug4k8g7bqYsr1s5QF7DzOHLX5EytdwyfEawOyS9HaA4J_9Jk50Syhqy57L1uyR9McJwEoceWpSuZp0/s1600/Ken_Maynard10.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Internet sites, today’s children quite often debate
their favorite video games or “reality” shows. I would love to see youths
rediscover B-westerns like so many have with the classic films of Bogart and
Chaplin. I think they would be amazed at the trick riding found in the 1930s
Gibson and Maynard films, which contain no Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)
special effects. When we watch these films, the stars of that bygone era live
again, as does the message that justice always wins. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">With the Hollywood Cowboy
Detectives book series, I believe the characters and their messages also live
again. If asked, “Who’s your favorite cowboy?” today I have to answer, “All of
them.” Obviously, I give a Hoot about the great old western films. And I
believe that as more people are reintroduced to the genre, Hoppy days could be
here again.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Read Darryle Purcell's enthralling Hollywood Cowboy Detectives series, a pulp novel inspired book series, featuring Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Tom Mix, and other great cowboy stars solving crimes and fighting fiendish villains in 1930s Hollywood.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Begin with Mystery at Movie Ranch, a delightful mashup of gangsters, gunmen, Nazis and Klansmen. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ" target="_blank">Click here to purchase the ebook - only $1.99 in Kindle at Amazon. </a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaA8XxceSAOWkTWHhhWmzqfRSp6GwIO_pB27su45QQLJpDhHosU3OVnZn0XVYW1jEtY_ETXJi2GFM5FRqWLMyqCc66UKQgnx82HMKjfgzwYO8mqNW61KMYo73vT55Ogy2p7a6xzzCDJPs/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" height="320" width="192" /><span id="goog_1301619156"></span></a><span id="goog_1301619157"></span></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-16970127398916767402014-09-09T09:25:00.000-07:002014-09-09T09:25:04.019-07:00WATCH FREE - HOOT GIBSON, KEN MAYNARD "TRAIL BLAZERS" B-MOVIE - INSPIRATION FOR PURCELL'S "HOLLYWOOD COWBOY DETECTIVES" BOOKS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">GIBSON AND MAYNARD "TRAIL BLAZERS" MOVIE</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">THE LAW RIDES AGAIN - 1943</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iqDijfVaR0pn8Ax8RzztoV2FQTnQol8CbbpsMhtNpaeyjcbniL3S6-eHhaJF7s0Q29ufPTG8KMMA_pLOf_d7NoQ8TlkhRWBo0kz7Z3Vs3Gv2yNJEC0kUhH9EmEA1aV9UamvHPNVwmX4/s1600/220px-Poster_of_the_movie_The_Law_Rides_Again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iqDijfVaR0pn8Ax8RzztoV2FQTnQol8CbbpsMhtNpaeyjcbniL3S6-eHhaJF7s0Q29ufPTG8KMMA_pLOf_d7NoQ8TlkhRWBo0kz7Z3Vs3Gv2yNJEC0kUhH9EmEA1aV9UamvHPNVwmX4/s1600/220px-Poster_of_the_movie_The_Law_Rides_Again.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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This great movie series inspired Darryle Purcell to write his new Hollywood Cowboy Detectives novel series in which Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson join forces to fight evildoers in 1930s Los Angeles.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" mozallowfullscreen="true" replaced="true" s10215921400172954408="true" src="https://archive.org/embed/TheLawRidesAgain" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Movie-Hollywood-Cowboy-Detectives-ebook/dp/B00N59V1KQ/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Read the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives in Mystery at Movie Ranch Kindle edition only $1.99 at Amazon.com Click Here </span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jm-aAOYfGflCZ_MkON1uiSzp3FFWAxI4O8aPBaM-fNOdH_kehqm2mP8p3T8YXS1YNxE1MmR865RvK6Y7kRXItW9PEpDoAtJbsrKW599UiMjCOdu8fzTBUULQLjXPlMoc0flRXi28Jf0/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jm-aAOYfGflCZ_MkON1uiSzp3FFWAxI4O8aPBaM-fNOdH_kehqm2mP8p3T8YXS1YNxE1MmR865RvK6Y7kRXItW9PEpDoAtJbsrKW599UiMjCOdu8fzTBUULQLjXPlMoc0flRXi28Jf0/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span id="goog_1308330141"></span><span id="goog_1308330142"></span><br />
<br />PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-35509803153720870082014-09-06T20:18:00.000-07:002015-12-31T15:56:07.370-08:00READ FREE CHAPTERS "MYSTERY AT MOVIE RANCH" INSPIRED BY "TRAIL BLAZERS" B-MOVIE SERIES NOW SHOWING ON TCM<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: small;">HOLLYWOOD COWBOY DETECTIVES NOVEL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: small;">Featuring Hoot Gibson & Ken Maynard</span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: x-large;">MYSTERY AT MOVIE RANCH</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">By </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">DARRYLE PURCELL</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Copyright 2014 </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Darryle
Purcell</span></div>
<h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" style="page-break-before: always;" /></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
CHAPTER 1. GET MAYNARD TO THE MOUNTAIN</span></h1>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The new, burgundy 1934 Cadillac sedan
pulled up to the curb in front of Rinty's Hollywood Bar two blocks south of
Mascot Pictures. The driver got out, opened the back door and a large man
dressed in black stepped out, smiled and fell on his face.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 9.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Your star has arrived," driver
Nick Danby said.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Veteran of the Great War, trick-riding
and -roping cowboy star, idol of western fans and symbol of the all American
good guy, Ken Maynard belched and tried to find his feet.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Thanks, Nick. Let's get him to the
studio house before he takes up residence on the sidewalk. The toilet is not
very private here."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Mascot keeps a bungalow for out-of-town
investors to stay or producers who need a place to entertain a friend or two
away from home. A lot of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">special</i>
casting interviews take place in the studio house. Also, it becomes valuable
when Mascot needs to keep a wayward star away from the press or, in this case,
to sober one up.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Nick and I threw the big guy back in the
sedan and we headed through the gate and, quickly, to the bungalow. We
deposited Maynard in the back bedroom and locked the door, which was designed
for such an occasion.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"He's all yours, Curly," Nick
said as he left. "See ya in the funny papers."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">That's me – Sean Woods. Everyone calls me
Curly because, well, they're assholes. Sure, when I was young reporter on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Examiner</i> I had a healthy
head of wavy hair. But my locks are now thin enough to give many a chuckle when
I'm introduced as Curly.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Maynard was my first assignment for
Mascot. I had just started as the in-house press dude. That means I use my
journalism experience to keep real bad news from hitting the streets and to
fluff up the soc-pages with phony news concerning the studio's B-film
Barrymores. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Maynard was working on "Mystery
Mountain," an action-packed serial that was designed to bring the kids
back into theaters 12 weeks in a row. My immediate job was to get Maynard to
the "Mountain" on time and sober for filming.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I was warned that the cowboy would be a
handful. Maynard had a reputation of being rambunctious at times as well as
having a close relationship with the recently legalized sauce. No big deal.
Since Happy Days are Here Again, many of us imbibe a bit, especially since we
no longer have to worry about going blind from some unethical bootlegger's
poisonous wood alcohol. As a former newspaperman, I wasn't about to judge
someone for taking a drink or two now and then. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">On that subject, with Maynard tucked away
for the night, I went to the icebox and grabbed a cold beer. It was not quite
midnight and I needed something to calm my demons so I could catch a couple of
hours of sleep. We needed to be up at 6 a.m. and at the movie ranch in the
Valley by 7:30. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Being a studio flack wasn't always my
dream. It still isn't.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I spent a lot of years as a newspaper
crime reporter in L.A. But then I made a big mistake. I wrote an accurate,
balanced series of articles on a candidate for Congress who had too much
discretionary money for fairness. It's amazing how pressure from slimy
activists, threats of cancellation from weak advertisers, and rumors of
litigation will bend the ethics of fearless watchdog publications.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The candidate was a well-heeled trial
attorney with a serpentine smile who believed every child molester, thief,
woman beater and drug peddler deserved a strong defense, as long as they could
handle his fees.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The city editor gave me a choice of
backing off, writing laudatory fluff features on the swine and planting my lips
firmly on his ass or finding a new career.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">If I had to write phony fluff news, I
might as well get paid well for it. I told the editor where he could deposit
his assignments in the future and called Nick who had mentioned his boss was
looking for an in-house PR writer. I figured it was a better opportunity than
staying on at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Examiner</i> as an
out-house PR writer.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I interviewed with one of Mascot's lesser
moguls, Max Gorn. He had been a midlevel bootlegger with a reputation for
handling the good stuff during the recent unpleasant years. He was rough around
the edges, dressed like a racetrack tout and had the soul of a meat grinder. I
spoke his language; we got along fine.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"We've got some expensive
properties," Gorn said as he used a gun-shaped lighter to ignite a
cigarette. "I'm talking stars, directors, stuntmen and dames. Some of them
are actually talented. Others just have the look. Whatever they have, people
pay to see their work."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gorn was in his mid-fifties with
hard-gray eyes and an enviable crop of salt-and-pepper hair. He obviously hadn't
taken care of himself when he was young as his skin was rough and pitted. The
bags under his eyes were a shade darker than his face. He had a scar running
across his forehead above his right eye. Gorn had the essence of Hollywood
success: the smell of a combination of cigarettes, booze and possibly a starlet
or two. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Some of these properties have unique
interests," he said. "Your job will be to make sure their unique
interests don't make it into the press. You will also write some wonderful,
heart-warming, sincere articles about their good works, families and lovable
personalities whether they have them or not."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none none dotted; border-width: medium medium 3pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 31pt;">
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">For $50 a week, it sounded like heaven to
me. At that price, I could make Fatty Arbuckle seem wholesome enough for
children's parties. We shook hands, had a drink and I went directly to Rinty's
Bar for the aforementioned meeting.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">At 6 a.m. Nick showed up at the bungalow
with a clean shirt for me and a fresh, black, cowboy outfit for Maynard.
Together we hauled him into the shower and left him there while I got ready and
Nick made coffee. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I would hope the star's young fans would
never hear him spout the creative use of profanity that was wafting from the
bathroom. After a while, he quieted.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You ready to go to work?" I
asked the tall, naked man holding on to the shower curtain. "There's
coffee in the other room."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Who the hell are you," the
39-year-old western hero slurred, his coal-black hair hanging wet in his face. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I'm your friendly Mascot PR dude,
Sean Woods. Some folks call me Curly."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Why?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I ignored the question.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Now that you've got the smell of
saloon hopping off you, your clean duds are on the chair. We've got to get you
to Mystery Mountain."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We left the bungalow looking like a
traveling vaudeville act: six-foot-plus Maynard in his black cowboy outfit and
white hat, Nick at five foot six in a gray chauffeur uniform and me at five
nine in my ill-fitting, three-piece, W.T. Grant brown suit and fedora. The
Cadillac moved along swiftly and by the time we dropped down into the Valley,
Maynard was almost friendly.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Guess you boys kept me out of the
hoosegow last night," Maynard said in his best western drawl. "I'm
much obliged."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You were about to throw a waiter
and two Nancy-boys through a window when I found you," Nick said. "I
got a call you were drinking pretty heavy at the new Trocadero hangout on the
Strip."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Yea. I was having a few drinks when
some folks came up and asked for autographs. They were friendly and we all
laughed and carried on a bit. Then this waiter told me I needed to quiet things
down a tad and it went downhill from there. I was doing my best to keep things
in control when these two swishes came up and acted a little too friendly."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Well, Mr. Maynard," I said. "That's
one reason not to get blotto in Hollywood. Your buckaroo outfit may have given
those boys the wrong message in that part of town."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Nick gave a one-sided smile at that and
Maynard clammed up for the next few miles until the windshield exploded.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We were on a dirt road about four miles
from the movie ranch when the shooting started.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The first shot hit the windshield and
sent glass flying over all of us. Nick held tight to the wheel and kept us on
the dirt road as he floored the accelerator pedal. I found the floorboards
welcoming, although I doubt I will ever be able to fold into that position
again if I wanted to. We slid off onto the rough shoulder raising dust and
brushing a few branches as he took a turn at top speed. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"What the hell was that?" Nick
yelled.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I think someone is shooting at us,"
I said as a second bullet hit the left front tire sending the Cadillac out of
control.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You think so?" Maynard said as
the car traveled sideways toward a 10-foot drop into a dry creek bed. </span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 16.0pt;"><br clear="all" style="page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">CHAPTER
2. ROUNDUP AT THE MOVIE RANCH</span></h1>
<br />
<div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none none dotted; border-width: medium medium 3pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 31pt;">
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
</div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The Caddy came to rest halfway over the
cliff. The front passenger door had swung open and I was hanging from it over
the creek bed. As I dropped to the ground, Maynard and Nick flew through the
right doors and landed next to me. We took cover against the bank. Whoever was
shooting at us was in some high rocks above the other side of the road. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Don't put your head up," I
said as Maynard peeked over the ledge and got a face full of dirt when a bullet
ripped into the soil near him. "You'll get your head blown off."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Oddly enough, like a true movie cowboy,
his white hat stayed on the whole time.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We surveyed our situation. The shooter
was well concealed in the rocks. We were currently out of his field of fire
thanks to the depressed creek bed, which was about a mile long leading toward
the ranch. We either could have stayed where we were and hoped the sniper didn't
move in on us and finish us off or try to run for it using the creek bank for
cover. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Stay close to the cliff and start
running," I said as I did just that. Nick and Maynard followed suit. As we
ran, we heard a couple more shots break Cadillac windows.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">A few minutes later we came to an area
where some brush was hanging over the cliff. I grabbed some branches and
climbed to the edge to look back at where the car and, possibly, where the
shooter had been. All was quiet.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Did you check for snakes before you
pulled yourself into that brush?" Nick asked.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Thanks, Nick. Next time."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Then my throat tightened as I heard more
shooting coming from in front of us. These shots seemed muffled.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Look yonder, boys," Maynard
said. "It's a posse."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Four riders in full western gear were
headed our way in a cloud of dust, firing pistols into the air.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Howdy, Ken," the lead rider
said as the group reined their horses to stop in the creek bed. "We were
shooting some chase footage when we saw your car and heard the shots. Think we
chased them off?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Looks to be," Maynard said. "Howdy
Kermit, Mo, Blackie, Red Eye. Thanks."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Nick and I looked at each other realizing
at the same time that these four silver-screen clodhoppers had just ridden in
like Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders to save the day, only with
smoke-puffing, blank-shooting, movie pistols.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Hey Nick. Who's your pard?"
Maynard's tall, sandy-haired brother, Kermit, said as he dismounted his pinto
cayuse.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Hey, Kermit," I said. "I'm
Sean Woods, the new Mascot flack. I recognize you from your films." </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"We call him Curly," Nick said.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Why?" asked Kermit.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I bristled. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"What in the ding-danged flimbaloozy
is goin' on?" said a strange-looking bearded man with baggy pants, a torn
vest and mangled western hat.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Curly, meet Jack Brown,"
Maynard said. "We call him Red Eye, for obvious reasons."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He really didn't have much of a white
part to his eyes. I thought he might have kidney problems until I got close
enough to smell the odor of reefer. I assumed he was the token, in more ways
than one, western comic.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"And this is our set wrangler Mojave
Burns, Mo to his friends, and the wildest stuntman in the business, Arlis 'Blackie'
Knight," Maynard said. "Mo. Is Tarzan onsite?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Polished and ready, Boss."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We rode double to the ranch house. Nick
seemed scared to death as he climbed on with Blackie. I believe the stuntman
relished Nick's displeasure as he brought his quarter horse to a brisk sprint.
The Maynard boys rode together. And I hung close to Red Eye while doing my best
not to inhale too much.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The ranch house was your typical turn-of-the-century,
shiplap home with shade trees in the front yard and a white picket fence. There
were two large barns – one for the horses and one for wagons and vehicles –
with a corral between them. Behind the horse barn was the bunkhouse.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There was a wind-powered well pump that
filled a tall, wooden water tower. This was a working movie ranch that housed
stars, stuntmen, equipment, a camera crew, bit players and other staff. All the
buildings also served as sets for Mascot's action-oriented features and
serials. The ranch was a full section – 640 acres of wild west rocks, cliffs,
trails, a lake, a couple of line-shack sets and at least two mine entrances.
Cowboy heroes had battled villains here since Bronco Billy Anderson first
saddled up.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We dismounted in front of the house and
Mo and Blackie led the horses to the barn for a drink and a snack. We all
slapped the dust off our clothes except for Red Eye, who probably considered it
part of his character.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Max Gorn was seated, smoking, in a wooden
chair on the front porch. A big-eyed, bottle blonde with It-girl, bee-sting
lips rocked in the porch swing. She wore a loose-fitting white blouse and tan
riding pants. She wasn't my type. Too cute.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You made it," Gorn said. "What
was the trouble?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"A sniper almost finished us off a
few miles back," I said. "It seems that not everyone in this neck of
the woods is a fan of Mascot westerns." </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"The flap-dippin' varmint plum near
wasted Ken," Red Eye said. "Twarn't fur us, the buzzards'd be feastin'."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The fuzz-faced raconteur punctuated his
story by spitting in the dust.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"The boys with the smoke pistols did
show up at an opportune moment," I said. "Then again, we had been
running up that dry creek bed for quite some time. I believe we were probably
out of the sniper's rifle range by the time we met up with our heroes."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Red Eye snorted and turned away to leave,
with one unhealthy eye giving the blonde quite the once over.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I'd like to take a car back and
check the area out where I think the shooter waited for us," I said. "We
also need to get Nick's chariot off the rocks."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"We'll send a tow truck out to bring
the car in and you can go along," Gorn said. "Sounds like quite an
adventure. I'll be interested in what you find at the site. This is just not
good news with all that has been happening. Why would anyone want to shoot Ken,
or you, for that matter? Doesn't make sense."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Perhaps it was the Trocadero waiter or
one of the Nancy boys from the night before.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I went to the bunkhouse where Maynard was
cleaning himself up and getting ready for a shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inside looked like the typical cowboy
barracks except there were several large mirrors and makeup tables at one end
of the room. That way, the other end could be used as an inside set for bunkhouse
scenes as long as the cameraman kept the beautification area out of the frame.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Any idea who might have wanted to
ventilate you, Mr. Maynard?" I asked. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Nope. And call me Ken," he
said. "Ever since we started Mystery Mountain, there have been some odd
occurrences. First, an unexplained fire destroyed three days worth of film.
Then Tarzan (Maynard's horse) got sick and we had to adjust schedules. And
finally, Toosie, twisted her ankle. That was Toosie in the porch swing. She
stunt doubles all the women and kids in the Mascot serials."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"She looks more like a vamp than a
tough and tumble stuntwoman," I said.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Yea, she's got a notion she wants
to be the next Thelma Todd," Maynard said. "About the only thing she
has in common with Thelma is they both like to snuggle up to gangsters."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"So you're saying there's been a run
of bad luck on this shoot," I said. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Yep, we're way behind schedule. I
took advantage of the last delay to go raise a little hell in town. Guess I
went a little too far last night at the Trocadero. That's when you and Nick came
in."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"What's Red Eye's story? Is he the
comic sidekick in Mystery Mountain?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Naw. He's working with Blackie on
some stock chase scenes for another Oater Mascot is getting ready to shoot. I
worked with him a few times in the silent pictures. But, like a lot of
character actors of the silents, he just didn't transition well to the talkies.
His funny dialogue just doesn't lead to laughs in the theaters. Of course, some
top silent film stars found their newly recorded voices led to a lot of laughs,
destroying their careers. Also, Red Eye is just not that dependable these days.
He can still fall off a horse without getting hurt. In fact, he falls down a
lot. But his timing stinks and he's just not that funny anymore."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Mo opened the door and waved.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Ken. I got Tarzan all set and the
boys are ready for your first scene," he said. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Mascot serials were filmed on a tight
budget. Several scenes were shot each day and sometimes at night. Usually only
one take was shot per scene unless something really drastic happened in front
of the camera, such as a horse taking a crap or a stallion waving his
Louisville Slugger and making everyone feel insignificant.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Bud and Shuffles are about to head
over and pick up the car you guys drove into the ditch," Mo said. "You
can tag along if you like, Curly."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Three of us squeezed into the Ford tow
truck cab for the trip back to the scene of the shooting.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The driver, Bud, was a short, stocky,
redheaded handyman with coveralls, a newsboy cap, a short nasty cigar and a
disposition to match. According to him, he painted the buildings, cleaned the
barns, hauled what needed to be hauled and repaired whatever was broken.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Shuffles, on the other hand, was quite a
character. His real name was Arthur Washington.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"So why do they call you Shuffles?"
I asked.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Because I'm a negro," he said.
"And that's the name the studio gave me so every time a director wants to
throw in a negro character to say something really stupid and make the white
actors look smart, I shuffle in, roll my eyes and sputter my lines. And they
hand me a check."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">His grammar was far superior to that of
my former city editor at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Examiner</i>.
I was starting to think he might be a little bitter about his theatrical
options, but my perception was quickly corrected.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I'm no Douglas Fairbanks, but I
make a good living. It sure beats restroom attending. And in between the
speaking parts, I work with Bud on projects here at the ranch."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Bud actually smiled at that. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Shuffles and me – we're a pretty
good team," Bud said. "A lot of the actors, stuntmen and crewmembers
look down on us. They think they're better because of what they do. But they
couldn't do it without us. This ranch and all the equipment have been falling
apart for the last couple of years and Shuffles and I have kept putting it back
together. And as stupid as the lines are that Shuffles has to speak, he never
screws them up, unlike the pretty boys and bimbos who get their names on the
marquees."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Bud wasn't a bad guy after all. He was
just a little gruff and looked like he should be threatening Billy goats from
under a bridge. But he was proud of his work and loyal to his friend. And that
pretty well sums up what people should care about.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">When we arrived at the crash site, Bud
and Shuffles hopped out and got to work hooking the Cadillac up to drag it off
the ledge. I started for the rocks from where I thought the shots were fired.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Take your time, Curly," Bud
said. "Once we get the Caddy on flatland, I want to give it the once over.
I also have a cigar I want to finish."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Taking Nick's earlier advice to watch for
snakes, I crossed the road and started up the rocky hill. Once I got to some
boulders that seemed ideal for an ambush, I started looking for disturbed
ground. I found an area behind a large V-shaped pile of rocks where a couple of
shrubs had been broken. Someone had obviously set up within the cover to await
our arrival. Whoever the sniper was cleaned up his brass pretty well. But as I
kicked a little dust around, I found a shiny, single .30-06 shell, just like
the ones we used in our Army M1903 Springfield rifles in France.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Something about that casing sent a chill
through me that I hadn't felt since my time in the trenches. During the war, I
knew we were up against a well-armed, uniformed, enemy military and, at any
time, a German bullet was just waiting for me to be in the wrong spot. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The war had been over for almost 16 years
and I didn't like to think about those days. But for those of us who served,
some feelings are involuntary. I chalked mine up to the aging process and a slight
case of the willies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I returned to the tow truck with my find
and we headed back toward the ranch.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You guys have any idea why someone
would want to kill Ken Maynard?" I asked. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"There might be quite a few reasons,"
Bud said as, thankfully, he tossed his stinky cigar butt out the window. "Ken
is a complex man. You never know how he is going to react from one moment to
another."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I had seen the drunken dummy side of
Maynard as well as the grumpy hung-over guy, but he hadn't seemed any different
from anybody else on the tail end of a bender. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"One moment Mr. Maynard can be happy
and cracking jokes and the next minute he can just go berserk and start
screaming at you," Shuffles said. "It's like he's two people."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Now, his brother, Kermit, is a
genuine nice guy," Bud added. "I talked to him about Ken and he said
this has been a lifelong condition. They were country boys, part of a large
family, and Ken, the older of the two, was the wildest. Kermit said his brother
would behave just fine and then he would get this look in his eye and start
thinking everyone was out to get him. His wildness helped hone his skills with
trick riding and rodeo events. But competing in that world also increased his
feelings that people wanted to get him out of the way. Becoming a western movie
star didn't make it any easier, either; especially recently since he has taken
a couple of steps downward from Universal and other studios to land at Mascot.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"And his drinking has increased to
the point that he may not be with Mascot much longer."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There are a lot of temperamental movie
stars in Hollywood, and a lot of drunks, but that usually doesn't lead to
someone wanting to murder them. I thought of all the silent movie stars who
didn't make it into the talkies because they sounded like Disney mice. Many of
them became drunks. But they were only abandoned by their hypocritical peers;
not murdered.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"There has to be more to this
incident than just an angry coworker who got his feelings hurt by a prima-donna
cowboy star," I said.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Perhaps someone really was trying to kill
Nick or myself and didn't even care a whit about Ken Maynard. I didn't know how
Nick could have ticked off anyone that much, as he was just a working, family
man who drove folks to and from typical Hollywood functions and workplaces. And
I certainly had made a few enemies in my newspaper career covering crime and
politics, which are pretty much the same thing. But, I don't think my former
city editor would lean toward murder just because I told him where he could
deposit (insert) his future assignments. I'm sure he has been told worse things
he could do to himself. And the venomous Congressional candidate got what he
really wanted, which was a pandering press and my departure from the
newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">When we got back to the ranch house,
things were not getting any better.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I walked from the vehicle barn toward the
ranch house when I heard the breaking of glass and saw the front door swing
open. A large man in western clothing came out not facing the direction he was
traveling. He landed in the dust sounding like a bag of cement. I looked down
and recognized the Oater King of the bad guys, Charlie King, as he puffed dust
through his famous mustache.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Now that's how you throw a
realistic punch," Maynard slurred as he tossed King's black hat toward the
horizontal victim.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I'm goin' to tear you apart, pretty
boy," King sputtered as he jumped to his feet. "You've never been
able to throw a realistic punch on screen and now I'm going to repay that
sucker punch with interest."</span></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gorn stepped between them.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"That's it!" he said. "This
is your last mistake, Maynard. You cause one more problem to me and you're out
of here and no longer with Mascot. Nat Levine is sick of your behavior and so
am I. We're not so far into this picture that I can't put that fairy suit of
yours on just about anybody and complete it."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">His last statement didn't make much
sense, but we all understood what he meant.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"And as for you, Charlie, I
apologize for this drunk. I know you drink a bit too, but you are a
professional and we will work together again, many times; just not on this
picture. We'll talk in town next week."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Thanks, Max," King said. "But
you better get your boy some loony pills. Because if he continues like he is
goin', he will receive a bundle of bruises from any stuntman or black hat he
has to fight a scene with. I guarantee that."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Things quieted down a bit as King dusted
himself off, just like in the movies, and walked over to a little Model A Ford
near the horse barn. Without a word he drove away. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gorn turned to me. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Inside, Curly! Time for you to earn
your keep," Gorn said. "This picture has had too many delays; too
many unexplained and possibly deadly problems. And, you just saw what could be
described as the demise of a once-stellar, now-struggling career. The Mighty
Maynard has almost completely struck out." </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gorn had, with reservations, reported the
shooting incident to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"You need to write a report for law
enforcement that keeps our star out of the picture," he said. "That
means it will keep Mascot out of the picture as well. This kind of press we do
not need. The deputies are spread mighty thin these days, so if you write the
report judiciously, it will be filed and no follow up will take place. And the
press will not have any reason to get involved. You do get what I mean?"</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Loud and clear, boss." </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"And then I want you to try and find
out what is behind all these problems, other than the fact that Charlie is
right about Ken," Gorn said as he paced the room. "Maynard's mood
swings and alcoholism are beyond our abilities to cure. But you still have to
wet nurse the SOB, and keep him out of jail and away from reporters, until this
picture is complete. Then, you can drop him off at the Trocadero for good, for
all I care."</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=315554261760572116" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=315554261760572116" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I asked Gorn about the delays and what he
thought might be motive for someone to hamper, if not shut down, production. He
was obviously frustrated with the problems and the fact that costs continued to
increase with no possibility of the low-budget serial completing on budget. But
he couldn't think why anyone would want to sabotage the film.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Gorn lit another cigarette and sat down
on a wooden chair in front of a roll-top desk.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 31.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"I'm sending some of the crew over
to Griffith Park to get some chase and stunt shots this afternoon," he
said. "Kermit will double for Ken. Verna (Hillie), our leading lady, likes
Kermit better, anyway. You and Nick need to get Ken, sober and pleasant, into
town for a meeting with a new property we have coming along. Nick has the lowdown.
Once the meeting is over, get Ken to the studio house and you can write your
report for the sheriff there.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=315554261760572116" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> <a href="http://buckskineditions.blogspot.com/2014/08/buckskin-editions-catalog.html" target="_blank">See the Buckskin Editions Western Novels catalog Click Here</a> </span></div>
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PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261521618398754789.post-10002196539941997282014-08-29T12:22:00.004-07:002014-09-06T20:15:25.585-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><b>MEET DARRYLE PURCELL </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vz82-cZ7sxlTfBqeO6IB6LypXTRjR628-kn898QGJ3EmmZeVaQQIFyRYnB_snKNAtROXH3Iif11Q72j_Q5OTjfIKEGpHsLRI91n-BYqKa9bE88kndMajKtB7nAQXQc60r4yOGFlI4Iw/s1600/Purcell+mugshot+for+column.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vz82-cZ7sxlTfBqeO6IB6LypXTRjR628-kn898QGJ3EmmZeVaQQIFyRYnB_snKNAtROXH3Iif11Q72j_Q5OTjfIKEGpHsLRI91n-BYqKa9bE88kndMajKtB7nAQXQc60r4yOGFlI4Iw/s1600/Purcell+mugshot+for+column.jpg" height="200" width="188" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I grew up reading Agent G-8, Doc Savage and Fu Manchu, among others. That
was many years ago, and I still enjoy good, clean adventure novels where
justice wins and the good defeat well-defined villains.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jm-aAOYfGflCZ_MkON1uiSzp3FFWAxI4O8aPBaM-fNOdH_kehqm2mP8p3T8YXS1YNxE1MmR865RvK6Y7kRXItW9PEpDoAtJbsrKW599UiMjCOdu8fzTBUULQLjXPlMoc0flRXi28Jf0/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jm-aAOYfGflCZ_MkON1uiSzp3FFWAxI4O8aPBaM-fNOdH_kehqm2mP8p3T8YXS1YNxE1MmR865RvK6Y7kRXItW9PEpDoAtJbsrKW599UiMjCOdu8fzTBUULQLjXPlMoc0flRXi28Jf0/s1600/Mystery+at+Movie+Ranch-small.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As a long-time
cartoonist, newspaper editor and public information specialist, I drew on my
expertise to write a pulp adventure novel, "Mystery at Movie Ranch," which should appeal to young readers as well as B-movie fans,
early-aviation, western and historical-cinema enthusiasts and those who miss
the late Stuart Kaminsky.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
During the 1970s, I worked in television
animation, educational publishing and began a long-term career in editorial cartooning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkglrkxKwb7F6h3BaCukpOHnEDcwLKZPRFFFItGUbr1LX2O135D4ayYTb3cnZIAgoTDj2wZVm2k_SAiaEHQxX3vBpVY4UKDeaQbuhzwsDKYnxlyU1FESrthjto54RT63nqXj3dQLBOv3o/s1600/myfaborite+martians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkglrkxKwb7F6h3BaCukpOHnEDcwLKZPRFFFItGUbr1LX2O135D4ayYTb3cnZIAgoTDj2wZVm2k_SAiaEHQxX3vBpVY4UKDeaQbuhzwsDKYnxlyU1FESrthjto54RT63nqXj3dQLBOv3o/s1600/myfaborite+martians.jpg" height="154" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As far as television animation goes, I was hired by Filmation Associates to work on the animated <i>Star
Trek</i> series. But on my first day I was given storyboards for <i>The
Brady Kids </i>to design into scenes and backgrounds. I then got stuck on
that show,<i> My Favorite Martians </i>and<i> Mission Magic f</i>or the rest of
the season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT4jcMO3OkcRSpjEbMvkRe_qdMVrtVf8NSORQFQoDsWwRcFk5XHp-gXtZPIBXMKwdK6YCHmG0-5vQsVPkKo1d1W_mXEtDKluvKWwYwT74PRaed_t0kASb32DfGnIMmFo6bLwgefqQmvc/s1600/grossestcover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT4jcMO3OkcRSpjEbMvkRe_qdMVrtVf8NSORQFQoDsWwRcFk5XHp-gXtZPIBXMKwdK6YCHmG0-5vQsVPkKo1d1W_mXEtDKluvKWwYwT74PRaed_t0kASb32DfGnIMmFo6bLwgefqQmvc/s1600/grossestcover.png" height="200" width="130" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
I illustrated several young reader books including <i>“Calling
Earth”</i> by Charles Land, an<i>d The Grossest Book of
World Records, Volume 2</i>. From 1976 until
1979, I illustrated and art directed educational comic </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">books, teaching aids
and young reader books for Educational Insights in California.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
I began
editorial cartooning for the Los Angeles Free Press in 1972 and, later,
spent 23 years in daily newspapers in California and Arizona as a full-time
political cartoonist, artist and, for 12 years until 2005, managing editor
of the Mohave Valley Daily News. That year I became public information
director for Mohave County, Arizona. I retired in January, 2013. During
my daily newspaper years, I won many awards from statewide
professional organizations in
editorial writing, column writing, political cartooning and Freedom of
Information honors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In writing the novel "Mystery at Movie Ranch" and its short story sequel "Mystery of the </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUI8jcHYnsnbfbP06DtBDAJfZzvyhdQBcYzdXUFfvj_6ERZ77p9LH6nZQjKKF5C-0u2UizhrChxJLPHjPN7xoeQTYBzxRcU_PI0vhZFn7FhUgzc_Pf0eVA9qiwj_4y-WRKge-Y2QJXXI/s1600/Murdered+Badman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUI8jcHYnsnbfbP06DtBDAJfZzvyhdQBcYzdXUFfvj_6ERZ77p9LH6nZQjKKF5C-0u2UizhrChxJLPHjPN7xoeQTYBzxRcU_PI0vhZFn7FhUgzc_Pf0eVA9qiwj_4y-WRKge-Y2QJXXI/s1600/Murdered+Badman.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Murdered Badman," I reached into my own experiences in news and PR as well as the military, in which I served in
Vietnam as an infantry paratrooper. Over the years, I have dealt with and
written a lot about honorable, funny and/or crooked politicians and
officials. That has helped in the creation of some of the characters in this
book. The writing style reaches back to the pulp publishing adventures,
Whitman and Big Little Books of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Hopefully, this
serial-style adventure will be enjoyed for those who are thrilled by Indiana
Jones and/or Buck Jones and find Stuart Kaminky’s Toby Peters novels just
darn good fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
PAGETURNER EDITIONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01937144714690212539noreply@blogger.com0