Classic Movie Chat blog refuses to learn about Ken Maynard

SOUND MOVIE MAIN is the spot to discuss non-comedy SOUND films. Go figure.
Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Classic Movie Chat blog refuses to learn about Ken Maynard

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:18 pm

Hmm, this morning I came upon this blogsite article:

http://classicmoviechat.com/mystery-cow ... ment-60676

Well, I should have figured if they didn't know who Ken Maynard was, and it took their readership a month before someone figured out who Ken Maynard was, that they weren't going to want to print these corrections to their article that I sent them:

A few corrections, Ken Maynard did not make the majority of his films for “Poverty Row Studios”, as you claim, he was one of the major Cowboy stars of the late 20’s-early 30’s, most of his silent westerns were released by First National, and were some of the most elaborate and well made westerns of the Silent Era. Ken then moved to Universal, where he made his first talkies, making one season of eight westerns before Carl Laemmle dumped all of his western stars in late 1930. Though Maynard then moved to Tiffany on 1931, he was still making top-dollar working for a studio that was shooting at being a major, and his 11 films for them were popular and successful, as were the 7 he made for K.B.S Productions-World Wide Pictures, another conglomeration of major independent producers like Mack Sennett, Al Christie and E. W Hammons that shot for major status, but ended up being a disastrous business venture, even though Maynard’s westerns were successful.

Maynard was then back at Universal for the 1933-34 season, making 9 successful films for them before fighting with Carl Laemmle again over cost overruns and being shown the door. He was picked up by Nat Levine’s Mascot Pictures, and his serial for them, MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (1934) was their most successful serial to date, but after one more feature, IN OLD SANTA FE (1934), Maynard’s difficult personality led to Levine replacing him with a young Gene Autry in the follow-up serial, THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (1935).

Yet Maynard then went over to Columbia and made 8 more westerns for Columbia that were produced by Larry Darmour, so basically, he was a major western star until 1936, when he had finally wore out his welcome. Then he spent the rest of his career appearing in Wild West Shows, or making films for Grand National (4), Colony Pictures (4) and Monogram (6). Maynard never made any westerns for Astor, those were reissues of the Grand National westerns.

But any way you want to count it, the majority of his starring westerns were made for major studios (44) as opposed to “poverty row” studios (39) and, as you say, he was one of the top Hollywood Cowboy stars and top 10 highest paid personalities of the 1930’s. It was more his own personality and personal problems that hurt him, but even in his sadder late years, he was basically living on a modest monthly stipend sent to him by Gene Autry, who was always a fan of his and never forgot that he himself had his big break from Maynard’s own firing from THE PHANTOM EMPIRE. Maynard indeed did have acting talent, no matter his off-screen surliness, he projected a likeable and capable personality onscreen, you even see it in his last released film, BIGFOOT, where he capably holds his own in moments with scene-stealer extraordinaire John Carradine.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Gary Johnson
Cugine
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:15 am
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Re: Classic Movie Chat blog refuses to learn about Ken Mayna

Postby Gary Johnson » Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:46 pm

Richard, sites like ClassicMovieChat could keep you awfully busy constantly correcting their articles and educating them on film history. Once you start wading into Mom & Pop sites like those and the one that houses the JohnWayneLoonies, why you'll never find time to ever write another book, do research on Billy Franey, make fun of N-Ville or even be able to log on here to browbeat us over how funny Danny Kaye ain't.

I think it's best if you stay in your own pond.

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Classic Movie Chat blog refuses to learn about Ken Mayna

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:53 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:Richard, sites like ClassicMovieChat could keep you awfully busy constantly correcting their articles and educating them on film history. Once you start wading into Mom & Pop sites like those and the one that houses the JohnWayneLoonies, why you'll never find time to ever write another book, do research on Billy Franey, make fun of N-Ville or even be able to log on here to browbeat us over how funny Danny Kaye ain't.

I think it's best if you stay in your own pond.



One does not waste that much time trying to lift the bar of accuracy in the blogging world, but you make an effort once in awhile when you come upon a place claiming to be a font of knowledge on classic film and even inviting you to disagree and discuss with them.....and they can't even recognize who the hell Ken Maynard is. Then when someone points this out to them, they can't even read the imd(um)b correctly to grab their "expertise" from.

Besides, it's getting so boring over at Nitratevile, we're looking for new places to make fun of.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Classic Movie Chat blog refuses to learn about Ken Mayna

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Nov 27, 2014 7:21 am

Awwww, now lookee what they went and done:

http://classicmoviechat.com/ken-maynard-a-major-star/


RICHARD M ROBERTS


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests