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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, barflies, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names.




Wes Warner

Full name:
John Wesley Warner

1887 - 1960

John Wesley Warner was born August 27, 1887 in Blair, Nebraska.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has him in about thirty acting jobs scattered over the years 1932-1937. It looks like his Hollywood career was more extensive as his occupations on his 1917 marriage license, World War I draft registration, 1920 and 1930 census were "Moving Pictures", "Motion Picture Work", "Asst director - Moving pictures", and "Horse trainer - Motion pictures". Warner served in the U. S. Navy during World War I.

Examples of Wes Warner in B westerns and serials:

  • he's a lawman in Gene Autry's SAGEBRUSH TROUBADOUR (Republic, 1935) and OH, SUSANNA! (Republic, 1936).
  • Wes plays a guitar and sings along with Jack Kirk, Oscar Gahan, Frankie Marvin and others in Autry's THE SINGING COWBOY (Republic, 1936).
  • in the serial THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING (Republic, 1936), Wes can be spotted as a Russian cossack as well as vigilante rider.

In the 1940s, Wes's movie career ended, perhaps due to injury, illness ... or lack of jobs. When he registered for the World War II draft in 1942, he was working in Oakland, California for the Nucleus Building and Loan of San Jose, California.

He was married twice - the first was a 1917 marriage to Florence Marie Reynolds and she passed away in 1950. Wife number two was Dorothy Marie Housel and they are interred together at Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California.

John Wesley Warner passed away January 13, 1960 in the Santa Clara, California area.

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription) and the California Death Index provide more on Wes Warner:

  • 1890 census is unavailable - it was lost in a 1921 fire (and water damage) at the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C.
  • 1900 census summary and census takers worksheet - living in Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, Colorado were 49 year old Rebecca E. Warner (born Pennsylvania; widowed), 20 year old son James S. (born Nebraska), 13 year old son John W. (born Nebraska), 11 year old daughter Rosie S. (born Nebraska) and 8 year old son Benjamin F. (born Nebraska): https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQMH-85B
  • 1910 census summary and census takers worksheet - living in Los Angeles, California were 58 year old Rebecca E. Warner (born Pennsylvania; widowed), 22 year old son John W. (born Nebraska; occupation "Laborer-Butcher shop"), 20 year old daughter Rose S. Hender (born Nebraska), 18 year old son Benjamin F. (born Nebraska) and 18 year old roomer Roy Hall (born Illinois): https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVL9-SXQ
  • California marriage license of 29 year old John Wesley Warner (born Nebraska; occupation "Moving Pictures") to 22 year old Florence Marie Reynolds (born Illinois) on January 10, 1917 in Los Angeles, California. This is the first marriage for both. His parents were B. F. Warner and Rebecca Nannah: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR9P-226?i=487&wc=96PN-6TG%3A146762401%3Fcc%3D1804002&cc=1804002
  • World War I draft registration dated June 5, 1917 in Los Angeles - 29 year old John Wesley Warner was born August 27, 1887 in Blair, Nebraska. He was married and lived at 138 North Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles. Occupation was "Motion Picture Work" but was unemployed at the time of his draft registration: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-91SG-JSH?wc=9FHP-YWG%3A928312301%2C928592101%3Fcc%3D1968530&cc=1968530
  • 1920 census summary and census takers worksheet - 32 year old John W. Warner (born Kansas) and his 25 year old wife Florence (born Illinois) lived in Los Angeles. His occupation was "Asst director - Moving pictures", and her occupation was "Cashier - Tea Room": https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQ2-PCY
  • 1930 census summary and census takers worksheet - 42 year old John W. Warner (born Kansas) and his 34 year old wife Florence (born Illinois) lived in Los Angeles. His occupation was "Horse trainer - Motion pictures", and her occupation was "Cashier - Cafe". He was a World War I veteran: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCV3-6H1
  • 1940 census summary and census takers worksheet - 52 year old John W. Warner (born Nebraska) and his 44 year old wife Florence (born Illinois) lived at the St. Moritz Hotel in Los Angeles. No occupation listed for him; wife Florence was a "Checker - Cafe": https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CD-B4F
  • 1942 World War II draft registration - 54 year old John Wesley Warner was born August 27, 1887 in Blair, Nebraska. Home address was 1474 Iris Court, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. He lists his employer as "Nucleus Bldg & Loan, San Jose, California", and his work location was Oakland, California: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-3DXB-J?i=3156&wc=SP9P-YWL%3A190629101%3Fcc%3D1861144&cc=1861144
  • California Death Index for his first wife, Florence Marie Warner - she passed away November 30, 1950 in the Los Angeles area. She was born October 3, 1894 in Illinois, father's last name was Reynolds, and her mother's maiden name was Bennett: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VG5R-P1S
  • California Death Index - John W. Warner was born August 27, 1887 in Nebraska and passed away January 13, 1960 in the Santa Clara, California area: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPCH-FP2
  • Ancestry.com had the military veteran marker/headstone request from Dorothy Warner, 76 East Julian Street, San Jose, California for her husband, John Wesley Warner. He was born August 27, 1887 and died January 13, 1960 and is interred at Golden Gate Cemetery, San Bruno, California. He served from August 13, 1918 to February 2, 1919 in the "USNRF" (abbreviation for United States Naval Reserve Force) and rank was "Chief Prtr" (abbreviation for Painter).

Find A Grave website has a photo of the grave marker for John Wesley Warner and second wife Dorothy Marie Housel Warner who are interred together at Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California. They share the same headstone:
John Wesley Warner: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114970101/john-wesley-warner
Dorothy Marie Housel Warner (1897-1966): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117476244/dorothy-marie-warner

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Wes Warner: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0912611/



 

Bud Pope
Full name:
William Emerson Pope
188? - 1967

 

Bud Pope's fifteen year movie career ran from about 1925 - 1939. He acted in about a hundred movies in mostly uncredited roles as a henchman, lawman, townsman, barfly, rider, etc. He picked up paydays at Columbia, Monogram, and Republic as well as Poverty Row companies Reliable, Willis Kent, Spectrum, Resolute, others. He also did stuntwork in several dozen films, most of which were fisticuffs when playing a henchman.

When Bud registered for the World War II draft, he was an employee of Ken Maynard in Reseda, California.

There were several marriages - to Katherine Carpi in 1923; then to Elsie Fanny Hannam in 1934; and in the 1940 census, he has a 29 year old wife named Lucretia who was born in Florida. And when Bud registered for the World War II draft in 1942, his contact was Jacqueline Pope and they lived together in Burbank, California. Unsure if Jacqueline was his wife, sister or daughter.

William Emerson 'Bud' Pope passed away May 30, 1967 in the Los Angeles area.

  Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Bud Pope: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0691090/

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), California Death Index, Social Security Death Index (SSDI), ProQuest obituaries, and newspapers have information on Bud Pope.

But his trail is confusing - there's birth locations of Texas or Illinois ... birth years that vary between about 1881 and 1888 ... and several name variations of his father who was a farmer. However, a common thread in the information below is Bud's mother, Laura Alice Morefield / Moorefield, and I've highlighted her name in this color.

Find A Grave website has a photo of the grave marker for William Emerson Pope who is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California. The marker has his birth year as 1888: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85928472/william-emerson-pope



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above - a crop/blowup from a still from Bill Cody's SIX GUN JUSTICE (Spectrum, 1935). L to R are Bill Cody, Bud Pope (as the sheriff) and leading lady Ethel Jackson. This must have been filmed back-to-back with Cody's THE VANISHING RIDERS (Spectrum, 1935) as Pope and Ethel Jackson had identical roles.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above from L-to-R are lawmen Barney Beasley and Bill Cody about to meet up with Bud Pope, Buck Morgan (moustache) and an unidentified baddie in a still from Cody's THE CYCLONE RANGER (Spectrum, 1935).



 


Art Felix
Real name: Arthur Louis Feliz
1900 or 1901 - 1980
 

The Internet Movie Database has Art Felix in about 150 films and TV shows and his thirty five year career ran from 1930 - 1965. Most were uncredited roles as a henchman, townsman, barfly, cowhand, etc. A June, 1940 newspaper column on Hollywood happenings mentioned Art along with several others:

"Making a good living playing dead are four Hollywood cowboys, Cliff Parkinson, Art Felix, Clem Fuller and Dean Spencer. They are the ones who always 'dead fall' from their horses in chases at $25 a fall."

Searching Ancestry.com, Family Search, and newspapers didn't yield much info. And there were no family trees on Ancestry.com. In the 1920 census and a 1923 marriage license, Arthur L. Feliz is employed in the movie business.

Interesting tidbit - Felix shows up in about twenty films for producer Harry 'Pop' Sherman during the years 1937 - 1948. And seventeen were Hopalong Cassidy adventures. Good probability is that Art had a connection with someone on Sherman's production team that cared for hiring.

Couple examples of Art Felix in Harry 'Pop' Sherman westerns:

  • he has an unbilled role as a henchman in the Hopalong Cassidy BORDER PATROL (Harry Sherman/United Artists, 1943).
  • and another uncredited role as a cowhand in Richard Dix's THE KANSAN (Harry Sherman/United Artists, 1943).
Sometimes when I catch a glimpse of Art Felix in those Hoppys, I immediately think "is that Wayne Morris?".

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Art Felix: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0271294/

The Family Search website (free), Social Security Death Index (SSDI), and California Death Index have information on Arthur Feliz / Felix:



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above from left to right are Joan Barclay (billed as Geraine Greear), Art Felix, Tom Tyler, Buck Morgan, Francis Walker, Jack Evans (moustache), John Elliott, unidentified bearded player, and on the ground is Roger Williams. Scene from Tyler's RIDIN' ON (Reliable, 1936).



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