Ken Maynard
Encyclopedia
Ken Maynard was an American
motion picture stunt
man and actor
.
, he was one of five children. His younger brother, Kermit Maynard
, also became a stuntman and actor.
Working at carnival
s and circus
es, starting at age 16, Maynard became an accomplished horseman. As a young man, he performed in rodeo
s and was a trick rider with Buffalo Bill
's Wild West Show. During World War I
, he served in the United States Army
.
After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California
, actor Buck Jones
encouraged Maynard to try work in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios.
He first appeared in silent motion pictures
in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. His white stallion
, "Tarzan", also became famous. He became one of the first singing cowboy
s with Columbia Records
, recording two songs, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament". Maynard moved to Universal Studios
, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle (1930).
In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several instruments and was featured playing the fiddle
in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo (1933) and the banjo
in The Trail Drive (1933). Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934.
With his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and pair of six-shooters
, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s, Maynard appeared in more than 90 films. However, his alcoholism
severely impacted his life and his career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fair
s and rodeos.He then owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. The significant amount of money he had earned vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown mobile home
. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry
.
More than 25 years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to two small parts in films in 1970 and 1972.
Ken Maynard died penniless in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3056 in Cypress, California
. Maynard's funeral is described in detail in James Horwitz's book They Went Thataway
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motion picture stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
man and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Biography
Born Kenneth Olin Maynard in Vevay, IndianaVevay, Indiana
Vevay is a town in and the county seat of Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, he was one of five children. His younger brother, Kermit Maynard
Kermit Maynard
Kermit Maynard was an American actor and stuntman. He appeared in 280 films between 1927 and 1962. He was a younger brother of actor Ken Maynard. He was born in Vevay, Indiana, and died in North Hollywood, California, from a heart attack. He is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park...
, also became a stuntman and actor.
Working at carnival
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
s and circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
es, starting at age 16, Maynard became an accomplished horseman. As a young man, he performed in rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s and was a trick rider with Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
's Wild West Show. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, actor Buck Jones
Buck Jones
Buck Jones was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, best known for his work starring in many popular western movies...
encouraged Maynard to try work in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios.
He first appeared in silent motion pictures
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. His white stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
, "Tarzan", also became famous. He became one of the first singing cowboy
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
s with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, recording two songs, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament". Maynard moved to Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle (1930).
In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
Sono Art-World Wide Pictures was an American film distribution and production company that existed from 1927 to 1933. Among their feature films was The Great Gabbo starring Erich von Stroheim and directed by James Cruze for James Cruze Productions, Inc...
before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several instruments and was featured playing the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo (1933) and the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
in The Trail Drive (1933). Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934.
With his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and pair of six-shooters
Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy Action Shooting , also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s...
, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s, Maynard appeared in more than 90 films. However, his alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
severely impacted his life and his career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fair
State fair
A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
s and rodeos.He then owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. The significant amount of money he had earned vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown mobile home
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
.
More than 25 years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to two small parts in films in 1970 and 1972.
Ken Maynard died penniless in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3056 in Cypress, California
Cypress, California
Cypress is a suburban city located in the northern region of Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 47,802 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Maynard's funeral is described in detail in James Horwitz's book They Went Thataway
They Went Thataway
They Went Thataway is a non-fiction book written by James Horwitz and published in 1976. It analyzes the Western film genre from a nostalgic, yet jaded point of view....
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.