Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang, or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse riders, or cow herders. They had minimal or no dialog, not much screen time, and were generally not listed in the film credits. Some would show up as a face in the crowd, portraying townspeople, barflys, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names.

Bob Reeves Full name: Robert Jasper Reeves 1891 or 1892 - 1960

(Courtesy of Jack Tillmany) Above - Bob Reeves circa 1919.

(Courtesy of Boyd Magers) Above is a vending machine card showing the cigar smokin' Bob Reeves circa early 1930s. The "Ex. Sup. Co., Chgo" marking in the lower left stands for the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago, a firm which manufactured vending machine novelties from about 1901 to the mid-1960s. It went out of business around 1979.

Robert Jasper 'Bob' Reeves was a tall galoot that hailed from Texas. He did military service during World War I but did not serve overseas. Private First Class Robert Jasper Reeves, 12th Company, Los Angeles, Coast Artillery Corps., United States Army was honorably discharged at Fort MacArthur, California on December 12, 1918. Some biographies have Reeves attending Texas A&M University, perhaps on a baseball scholarship. Am unsure of that - in the 1940 census, Reeves reported only one year of college attendance. Circa 1919, he began his Hollywood career. Among his earliest films were a couple of cliffhangers for Universal: ELMO THE MIGHTY (Universal, 1919) with Elmo Lincoln and THE GREAT RADIUM MYSTERY (Universal, 1919) which starred Eileen Sedgwick and Cleo Madison. During the 1920s, there were many western movie heroes. Topping the list were Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, Buck Jones and a few others. A secondary bunch were also riding the range - guys like Bob Custer, Dick Hatton, Bob Curwood, Don Coleman, Jay Wilsey (Buffalo Bill Jr.) ... and Bob Reeves. Reeves got more paydays from Universal which utilized him in their Hoot Gibson adventures and even starred him in some western shorts. And there was the "Cactus series" of two-reelers with Reeves as the lead. Distributed by the Western Pictures Exploitation Company, the Cactus shorts were helmed by Albert S. Rogell and the female interest was Maryon Aye (1903-1951), a 1922 WAMPAS Baby Star. Bob's finale as a cowboy hero was a batch of sagebrush adventures for Anchor Distributing. After his Anchor series ended, Bob transitioned to support/character roles in silent oaters starring Jack Perrin, Tom Tyler and others. When talkies arrived, he was approaching forty years of age. In the 1930s, he shows up as a henchman, lawman, etc. in sagebrushers with Ken Maynard, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Tom Tyler, Tom Mix, more. He also worked in many 1930s cliffhangers - there were five for Mascot producer/owner Nat Levine and five Universals with McCoy, Tyler and Jones. By the 1940s and later, he did mostly uncredited background/bits as a bartender, barfly, townsman, police officer, etc. in westerns as well as other films. A Christmas classic is a good example of Reeves pickin' up a days pay for a ten second appearance in an A grade film: At the end of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (20th Century Fox, 1947), lawyers John Payne and Jerome Cowan are chatting with Judge Gene Lockhart ... and Payne announces that the U. S. Postal Service has officially recognized Edmund Gwenn as Santa Claus. The court room doors are opened and in walks many uniformed police officers carrying sacks of Santa mail. One of the last officers is Bob Reeves. He stayed busy, working extensively in 1950s television programs. Examples: you can spot him in several of the Warner Bros. TV westerns (MAVERICK, SUGARFOOT, CHEYENNE) as well as a couple dozen of the WYATT EARP series with Hugh O'Brian. One of Bob's final movie jobs was the cigar chomping barkeep in the John Wayne and Dean Martin RIO BRAVO (Warners, 1959). Reeves passed away from heart disease on April 13, 1960. Newspaper reports indicate he was filing for unemployment compensation and collapsed and died in the State Department of Employment office in Van Nuys, California.   Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Bob Reeves: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716162/ Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website confirms that Reeves is interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8740005

Above is a portion of a multi-page, purple colored advertising section in the April 12, 1924 edition of the Universal Weekly trade publication. Jack Hoxie and Hoot Gibson were starring in Universal's full length western features. Among the Universal heroes doing two-reel oaters were Harry Carey, Roy Stewart, Pete Morrison ... and Bob Reeves. Above is a full page tradepaper ad from July, 1925 for Reeves' western features for Anchor. Bob Reeves, "The Miracle Man of the Plains", was about 34 years old when he starred in these.

Above and left are screen captures of Bob Reeves as one of Charlie King's henchmen in the early sound western UNDER MONTANA SKIES (Tiffany, 1930) which starred Kenneth Harlan and Dorothy Gulliver.

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), Newspaper Archive (subscription), California Death Records database, and the death certificate provide more information on Bob Reeves and family. Note the confusion with his 1891 or 1892 birth date which I've highlighted in red:

• Bob's parents were George Patton Reeves and Frances Luella Garrett, and the family resided in Marlin, Falls County, Texas during the 1900 and 1910 census:
  1900 census: in addition to 8 year old son R. J. Reeves (born Texas), there are two daughters and another son: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3GM-KKD
  1910 census: in addition to 18 year old son R. J. Reeves (born Texas), there are two daughters and another son: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M292-J1P
• World War I draft registration dated June 5, 1917: Robert J. Reeves is single and had prior military experience as a Private in the Coast Artillery. He's a self-employed farmer living in Bishop, California, and his birth date and location are January 26, 1891 and Marlin, Texas: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-26180-44741-29?cc=1968530&wc=M9W1-3JN:837169292
• 1920 census: 29 year old Robert Reeves (born Texas) is single and a roomer living in Lankershim, Los Angeles County, California at the home of Harry K. and Lillian A. Wheat. Family Search and Ancestry have his middle initial as "S", but it is difficult to read from the census takers worksheet: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHQH-PLF
  Ancestry had the 1920 census takers worksheet: Reeves' occupation is "Actor - Moving Pictures".
• 1940 census: 48 year old Robert J. Reeves (born Texas), 39 year old wife Mary Lee Reeves (born Kentucky), 16 year old stepdaughter Winifred L. Woody (born Indiana), 16 year old stepdaughter Gloria D. Woody (born Indiana), 37 year old brother-in-law Arnold R. Turner (born Illinois), and 32 year old sister-in-law Sammye V. Turner (born Kentucky) are living in the Los Angeles area: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9H2-SMQ
  1940 census takers worksheet: Reeves owns his home at 11945 Hartsook Street in North Hollywood, California. He completed one year of college. His occupation is "Actor - Motion Picture Studio", and in 1939, he worked 40 weeks and earned $3000.00: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-27797-1172-14?cc=2000219&wc=M9Q8-Y68:2112604142
• Ancestry had a couple of Los Angeles City Directories: Bob and Mary Lee Reeves are living at 11945 Hartsook Street, North Hollywood. In the 1937 directory, he's listed as "actor"; in the 1939 directory, he's a "studio worker".
• World War II draft registration: Robert Jasper Reeves is still residing at 11945 Hartsook Street in North Hollywood. His birth date and location are January 28, 1892 and Marlin, Texas. His occupation is "Free Lance Actor" and contact is his mother, Mrs. Frances L. Reeves and she still lives in Marlin, Texas: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16371-44387-18?cc=1861144&wc=MMRW-1VV:1818083642
• The Newspaper Archive had several California newspapers which carried the UPI story on Reeves' death. "Excerpt: VAN NUYS, Calif. Character actor Robert Reeves, 68, Wednesday filled out a form for unemployment compensation and then collapsed and died in the State Department of Employment office."
• Death certificate: Robert Jasper Reeves was born January 28, 1892 in Texas; occupation was "Actor - Freelance - Motion Picture"; parents were George P. Reeves and Francis L. Garrett. He passed away from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular heart disease on April 13, 1960 at the Valley Receiving Hospital, Van Nuys, California, and there was a coroner's investigation. There is no mention of Reeves collapsing and/or dieing at the State Department of Employment office. Burial at Valhalla Memorial Park. He and wife Mary Lee Reeves still lived at 14151 Burbank Boulevard, Van Nuys, California and she was the death certificate informant.
• The California Death Records database mirrors the death certificate: Robert J. Reeves, born January 28, 1892 in Texas, mother's maiden name of Garrett, and he passed away in the Los Angeles area on April 13, 1960.
• Ancestry has the Application for Headstone or Marker for a veteran: wife Mary Lee Reeves (14151 Burbank Boulevard, Van Nuys, California) submitted the request on April 15, 1960 for husband Robert Jasper Reeves, born January 28, 1892 and died April 13, 1960. His National Guard enlistment date was September 22, 1916, and Reeves was honorably discharged on December 12, 1918. Application was for a bronze marker for Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.

For those with a subscription to Ancestry.com, you may want to view Bob Reeves information at the Tannich Family Tree and the Wise Family Tree. There you will find scanned copies of his military discharge papers, more. There is also a birth certificate for "R. J. Reeves (initials only)". It includes affidavits dated June, 1942 confirming his January 28, 1892 birth date and a birth location of Stranger, Texas (which is located about ten miles from Marlin in eastern Falls County, Texas).