Whip Wilson
Encyclopedia
Whip Wilson was an American cowboy
film star of the late 1940s and into the 1950s, known for his roles in B-westerns
.
He was one of eight children. Wilson had been a moderately successful singer before coming to Hollywood. Following Buck Jones's death in the famous Cocoanut Grove fire
of 1942, which claimed the lives of 492 people, Monogram Pictures
had been searching for someone to replace him. Producer Scott R. Dunlap
saw Meyers, and thought he looked similar to Jones. This, apparently, was enough to build him into a cowboy star. Because of the fame being generated by Lash LaRue, who used a bullwhip
in his movies, Monogram decided to make Meyers a similar whip-wielding character, rechristening him "Whip Wilson."
, Monte Hale
, Rex Allen
, or Eddie Dean
.
Monogram Pictures
introduced Wilson to the public this way: "He was born on a fabulous ranch in Pecos, Texas
, was a rodeo
champion, has a engineering
degree, is a direct descendant of General Custer, and he was a World War II
Marine hero, and he does his own movie stunts." None of these claims was true. In fact, he had not even one shred of experience that could possibly resemble the fictional persona that Monogram created for him. He was one of the very few western film heroes of the day who was not a "cowboy" in real life. Most had at least some experience as genuine cowboys or cowgirls, and fit the part. Many had also actually served during World War II.
His first film was alongside Monogram's singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely
in the 1948 film Silver Trails, to give him experience in front of the camera. The next year Wilson starred in his own series films, the first being Crashin Thru, followed by Haunted Trails, Range Land and Riders of the Dusk. He first was given a horse named "Silver Bullet", later shortened to "Bullet", then changed to "Rocket" due to Roy Rogers
having a dog in his films named "Bullet."
Wilson may have come along too late to establish himself as a major star; studios were already phasing out low-budget westerns. Veteran comedian Andy Clyde
was a valuable asset as co-star, but the series got little attention. After 12 films, Clyde left the cast, replaced by Fuzzy Knight
and later by Jim Bannon
. In 1950 Wilson starred in Gunslingers, Arizona Territory, Cherokee Uprising, Fence Riders, and Outlaws of Texas. In 1951 his character continued in Lawless Cowboys, Stage to Blue River, Canyon Raiders, and Abilene Trail.
There was nothing novel or original about Wilson to distinguish himself from other cowboy stars. The name of his horse, the bullwhip gimmick, and the false past created by the producers were all derivative. Wilson's career never really took off, and by 1952 his Hollywood career was all but over, with him starring in Night Raiders
, with his last film being that same year, titled Wyoming Roundup. He was hired to do the whip scenes in the Burt Lancaster
film The Kentuckian
. It would be the last film he would work on. He did appear as a guest on TV's 'You Asked for It, giving a bullwhip demonstration.
Wilson made little impact on the western film industry, although a Whip Wilson comic book series was published. Many of his co-stars, in later years, indicated they never really appreciated his work, but they did appreciate his kind demeanor and his character.
He married three times, and lived his last years with his third wife managing an apartment complex in Hollywood. On October 22, 1964, Wilson suffered a heart attack, and died at the age of 53.
Years after his death, his widow
, Monica Wilson, stated; "He was handsome, intelligent, had a beautiful personality, a sense of humor, a good lover and a wonderful husband. Our love was proven love. We were asked many times in Hollywood how we stayed together. Our answer was true love will survive."
Sixteen of his films are available on DVD
today.
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
film star of the late 1940s and into the 1950s, known for his roles in B-westerns
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
.
He was one of eight children. Wilson had been a moderately successful singer before coming to Hollywood. Following Buck Jones's death in the famous Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
The Cocoanut Grove was Boston's premier nightclub during the post-Prohibition 1930s and 40s. On November 28, 1942, occurred the scene of what remains the deadliest nightclub fire, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more...
of 1942, which claimed the lives of 492 people, Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
had been searching for someone to replace him. Producer Scott R. Dunlap
Scott R. Dunlap
Scott R. Dunlap was an American film producer, director, screenwriter and actor. He produced 70 films between 1937 and 1960. He also directed 47 films between 1919 and 1929....
saw Meyers, and thought he looked similar to Jones. This, apparently, was enough to build him into a cowboy star. Because of the fame being generated by Lash LaRue, who used a bullwhip
Bullwhip
A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a tool for working with livestock.Bullwhips are pastoral tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country...
in his movies, Monogram decided to make Meyers a similar whip-wielding character, rechristening him "Whip Wilson."
Movie career
Wilson was a goodlooking man. When he first moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, producers built him up with a lot of press, but it would not be enough to take him to the height of major stardom. He did star in 22 B-westerns, more than Lash LaRue, Sunset CarsonSunset Carson
Sunset Carson, born Winifred Maurice Harrison was an American B-western star of the 1940s.-Early life, acting:...
, Monte Hale
Monte Hale
Monte Hale was a Country singer and movie actor of B-Western films. Often reported to have been born in San Angelo, Texas, Hale was really born in Ada, Oklahoma, but a Texan location sounded better for the movies...
, Rex Allen
Rex Allen
Rex Elvie Allen was an American film actor, singer and songwriter, known as the Arizona Cowboy, particularly known as the narrator in many Disney nature and Western film productions. For contributions to the recording industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Family...
, or Eddie Dean
Eddie Dean (singer)
Eddie Dean was an American western singer and actor whom Roy Rogers and Gene Autry termed the best cowboy singer of all time. Dean was best known for "I Dreamed Of A Hill-Billy Heaven" , which became an even greater hit in 1961 for Tex Ritter....
.
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
introduced Wilson to the public this way: "He was born on a fabulous ranch in Pecos, Texas
Pecos, Texas
Pecos is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is situated in the river valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas and near the southern border of New Mexico...
, was a 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,...
champion, has a engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
degree, is a direct descendant of General Custer, and he was a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Marine hero, and he does his own movie stunts." None of these claims was true. In fact, he had not even one shred of experience that could possibly resemble the fictional persona that Monogram created for him. He was one of the very few western film heroes of the day who was not a "cowboy" in real life. Most had at least some experience as genuine cowboys or cowgirls, and fit the part. Many had also actually served during World War II.
His first film was alongside Monogram's singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely
Jimmy Wakely
James Clarence Wakeley , better known as Jimmy Wakely, was an American country-Western singer and actor, one of the last crooning cowpokes following World War II...
in the 1948 film Silver Trails, to give him experience in front of the camera. The next year Wilson starred in his own series films, the first being Crashin Thru, followed by Haunted Trails, Range Land and Riders of the Dusk. He first was given a horse named "Silver Bullet", later shortened to "Bullet", then changed to "Rocket" due to Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
having a dog in his films named "Bullet."
Wilson may have come along too late to establish himself as a major star; studios were already phasing out low-budget westerns. Veteran comedian Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
was a valuable asset as co-star, but the series got little attention. After 12 films, Clyde left the cast, replaced by Fuzzy Knight
Fuzzy Knight
John Forrest "Fuzzy" Knight was an American film and television actor. He appeared in over 180 films between 1929 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's sidekick.-Biography:...
and later by Jim Bannon
Jim Bannon
Jim Bannon was an actor in radio and Hollywood western films during the 1940s and 1950s. He is best remembered as the fourth cinema Red Ryder from 1949 - 1950...
. In 1950 Wilson starred in Gunslingers, Arizona Territory, Cherokee Uprising, Fence Riders, and Outlaws of Texas. In 1951 his character continued in Lawless Cowboys, Stage to Blue River, Canyon Raiders, and Abilene Trail.
There was nothing novel or original about Wilson to distinguish himself from other cowboy stars. The name of his horse, the bullwhip gimmick, and the false past created by the producers were all derivative. Wilson's career never really took off, and by 1952 his Hollywood career was all but over, with him starring in Night Raiders
Night Raiders
Night Raiders is a 1952 American film directed by Howard Bretherton using a screenplay by Maurice Tombragel. The film was written as a star vehicle for Whip Wilson who portrayed himself in the film. The plot of the film involves Whip saving a town from a corrupt Sheriff and his goons...
, with his last film being that same year, titled Wyoming Roundup. He was hired to do the whip scenes in the Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
film The Kentuckian
The Kentuckian
The Kentuckian is a 1955 adventure film directed by Burt Lancaster, who also starred. It also marked the feature film debut of Walter Matthau. The picture is an adaptation of the novel The Gabriel Horn by Felix Holt...
. It would be the last film he would work on. He did appear as a guest on TV's 'You Asked for It, giving a bullwhip demonstration.
Wilson made little impact on the western film industry, although a Whip Wilson comic book series was published. Many of his co-stars, in later years, indicated they never really appreciated his work, but they did appreciate his kind demeanor and his character.
He married three times, and lived his last years with his third wife managing an apartment complex in Hollywood. On October 22, 1964, Wilson suffered a heart attack, and died at the age of 53.
Years after his death, his widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
, Monica Wilson, stated; "He was handsome, intelligent, had a beautiful personality, a sense of humor, a good lover and a wonderful husband. Our love was proven love. We were asked many times in Hollywood how we stayed together. Our answer was true love will survive."
Sixteen of his films are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
today.
External links
- Whip Wilson at b-westerns.com
- Whip Wilson DVDs
- Whip Wilson Comic Books