Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?

none By Bill Keith

Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott? By Bill Keith Whatever happened to Randolph Scott? was the title of a 1960s' popular song by the Statler Brothers. I heard it on YouTube last week and it brought back a lot of happy memories. The lyrics go like this: Whatever happened to Randolph Scott Ridin' the trail alone? Whatever happened to Gene and Tex and Roy, and Rex, the Durango Kid? Oh, whatever happened to Randolph Scott His horse plain as could be? Whatever happened to Randolph Scott, Has happened to the best of me. Randolph Scott was a western/action genre movie hero who starred in dozens of movies. The lyrics, as you can see, also refer to Western stars Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen and "the Durango Kid," a role played by Charles Starrett. These actors starred during the Golden Age of Western "B" Movies, "B" meaning they were usually run as the second movie in a double feature. Each Saturday morning, during the World War II years, my Mom gave me a quarter to go to the picture show. She said, "Billy, you be home before dark." Well, there wasn't really any other place to go in a small town and the Sequoyah Theater closed around 6 p.m. to ready itself for the evening shows. The movie cost 10 cents. I met up with my friends and we watched the cowboys and Indians, the good guys and the bad guys, until noon. Then I asked a friend to "save my place" because there always was standing room only on Saturday mornings. I went to the little Donald Duck restaurant next door where I bought a hamburger for 10 cents and a Coke for a nickel. Then I went back to the theater and watched the westerns -- sometimes over and over -- until evening. Those movies captured my fantasy and I can truly say "Whatever happened to Randolph Scott, happened to the best of me." It was a wonderful time when good was good and bad was bad and gray areas did not exist. I knew all of the so-called "main guys" by name. The most famous star was Roy Rogers, who was known as the "King of the Cowboys." His girl friend Dale Evans was dubbed the "Queen of the Cowgirls." Roy and Dale always played together and it was inferred that they had moments of romance; but he never kissed her. Kissing was not for cowboys. Then there was Gene Autry, Lash LaRue, Hopalong Cassidy, Wild Bill Elliott, Sunset Carson, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Don "Red" Berry, Bob Steele, Johnny Mac Brown and the Bob Noland and the Sons of the Pioneers. Many years later I was invited to appear on the old PTL Network television program in Charlotte, North Carolina. After a night's rest in the Guest House, I went to the breakfast room where several people had gathered and said, "Good morning, I'm Bill Keith." A vivacious lady looked up at me and said, "Well hello, Bill Keith, I'm Dale Evans." Our cowboys always had sidekicks, like George "Gabby" Hayes, who was Rogers' friend, and Smiley Burnett a.k.a Frog Milhouse, Autry's partner. Frog's son was nicknamed "Tadpole" in his movies. And I knew the names of the stars' horses such a Trigger (Roy Rogers'), Champion (Gene Autry's), Silver (the Lone Ranger's), Tonto's Scout and Stardust (Randolph Scott's). Chills ran up and down my spine and I sat up straight in my seat when the trumpets sounded and we heard the opening stanza of The William Tell Overture, which heralded the Lone Rangers appearance on screen. The announcer said: "A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust ...The Lone Ranger with his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoof beats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!" And all of us kids went wild, yelling and clapping our hands. It was a high moment at the Saturday morning movies. Then the Lone Ranger cried out, "Hi Yo Silver, away," and Tonto said, "Get 'em up Scout" as they rode across the plains looking for the bad guys. "Short Subjects" ran between each movie. One was the Gangbusters movie serial (more of a 1930s' thriller), Frank Buck's Bring 'em Back Alive and the Three Stooges. Buck was a big game hunter who went to Africa to kill wild animals. The short subjects only lasted about 15 minutes but we kids loved them. Cowboys and Indians were determined foes. Even back then, I felt sorry for the Indians for they always lost the battles. The giant Hollywood movie houses depicted the cowboys as good and the Indians as bad. They failed to point out the Indians had a right to fight for their lands. When the neighborhood kids and I played "cowboys and Indians," we all wanted to emulate our favorite cowboy hero, but nobody wanted to be an Indian. The B Westerns were the forerunners of the first so-called "adult western" High Noon, which some believe was the greatest western ever made. I've seen it several times. High Noon had a plot, a setting and credible actors. None of the B Westerns ever had a plot, only a lot of shootouts, saloon brawls and fast horses. The B Westerns spawned numerous western television series such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, the Big Valley, the High Chapparal, Cheyenne, Wyatt Earp and a host of others. But they all started with the B Westerns that millions of kids like me watched every Saturday morning back in the late 1940s and 1950s. When the Statler Brothers recorded Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott they were remembering the great movie stars and the days when we had real heroes with deep convictions, high morals and the good guys always won. Life was simple back then and the most exciting day in a young boy's life was Saturday at the movies. And as I look back on those days, I truly believe what happened to Randolph Scott happened to the best of me. See you again, along the way. Note: Please share your comments on this article with me at [email protected]. Or, if you would like to check out some of my books please go to www.billkeithbooks.com. You can also find several of my books check out some of my books please go to www.billkeithbooks.com. You can also find several of my books on Amazon/Kindle.

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