Janfeb03 (Page 2)
January - February, 2003 50 Years Ago... by Carla Whalen The lot was humming with activity in Allen, Slim Pickens, Eddy Waller, Roy the years 1952 and 1953. Republic Pictures Barcroft, Rod Cameron, Forrest Tucker, owned the facility, continued to produce Harry Carey, Jr., John Agar and Jim Davis; feature films, and was beginning to enter with cowgirls Mary Ellen Kay, Penny into television production. Republic made Edwards, Marjorie Lord, Estelita Rodriguez forty-six features in ’52 and ’53, of which and Gale Storm. The most famous feature twenty six were westerns starring big B- of this two-year period was The Quiet Man movie cowboys Allan "Rocky" Lane, Rex starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald and Ward Bond. This was shot mostly on distant location in a very rainy Ireland, with the interiors done back here on the lot on what are now Stages #9 and #10. Republic also continued producing the "cliffhanger" serials it was famous for and Bill Williams, Kit Carson produced four 12-episode Chapterplays during 1952-53; Canadian Mounties vs. over three-hundred fifty B-westerns, Atomic Invaders, Radar Men from the Moon, including fifty-six Gene Autry and eighty- Zombies of the Stratosphere and Jungle Drums two Roy Rogers singing cowboy oaters. By of Africa starring Clayton Moore, who was the early 50’s Republic’s production schedule taking a break from his role as "The Lone was the lowest it had been since 1935, and Ranger." Republic produced Commando Cody most shows were shot on location leaving the – Sky Marshal of the Universe as a television stages available to independent producers.
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