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. |
Birth name: Sheridan James Tansey
1904 - 1961
Sometimes credited as: James/Jim Sheridan
Special thanks to Dave Tansey for sharing memories and photos of his 'Uncle Sherry'. Sherry's brother John was Dave's father. The third Tansey brother was Robert Emmett Tansey and Bob was a prolific writer, production manager, director and producer and is best remembered for the Monogram Trail Blazers and the Eddie Dean series at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). |
A familiar face in B westerns was Sherry Tansey. He was born July 29, 1904 in Queens, New York and was the youngest of three sons born to Harry and Emma (nee Purcell) Tansey.
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Sherry Tansey: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792175/ The IMDb has a "people working together" search function. Sherry Tansey did about 65 films in which his brother Bob Tansey / Robert Emmett Tansey was the writer or director or producer, etc.: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?role=nm0792175,nm0849806 |
Dave Tansey | Dave Tansey remembers his 'Uncle Sherry': "Uncle Sherry was my favorite uncle. He would come by the house, scoop me up, and take me for a four hour adventure - great for a little kid." "When I was on location he included me in everything he did (except the filming of course) - riding, roping, make believe stunts. It was wonderful." Dave didn't recall why Sherry exited the film business: "I heard he worked in the C&H sugar factory in the San Francisco area and was a custodian in Sacramento at the veterans hall and was buried in Woodland, California." |
(Courtesy of Dave Tansey) Above - Sherry Tansey. (Courtesy of Dave Tansey) Above - a Hollywood henchman ridin' the range. No date or film reference on this photo of Sherry. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - Sherry Tansey is about to take a board to Lane Chandler who is poundin' away on an unidentified player in a lobby card from the lost/missing RIDERS OF THE RIO (Round-Up Pictures, 1931). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Al Hoxie, unidentified player, Yakima Canutt, Barney Beasley, Wally Wales, Sherry Tansey and Peggy Djarling in a scene from CARRYING THE MAIL (William Pizor/Imperial, 1934), one of the several two to three-reel (20 minutes to a half hour) oaters churned out by producer William Pizor in the mid-1930s. The Pizor/Imperial series marked the end of Wally Wales' starring career - a few years later, he changed his name to Hal Taliaferro and became a prolific sidekick and supporting player in scores of A and B grade westerns and serials into the 1950s. (Courtesy of Dave Tansey) Above - Sherry Tansey is menacing a very young Fay McKenzie (with blonde hair). And on the right is Barney Beasley. From the short, THE SUNDOWN TRAIL (William Pizor/Imperial, 1934), which starred Wally Wales (Hal Taliaferro). In this,Tansey is billed as "James Sheridan" and gets a lot of dialog and screen time, much more than his usual henchman-in-the-background roles. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - Wally Wales versus Sherry Tansey in this lobby card and crop/blowup from ARIZONA CYCLONE (William Pizor/Imperial, 1934). Directing was Sherry's brother Robert Emmett Tansey. (Courtesy of Sam Lawson) L-to-R are Jack Kirk, Sherry Tansey, and Earl Dwire in Johnny Mack Brown's BETWEEN MEN (Supreme, 1935). This is a solid oater with a strong plot, and Earl Dwire is boss of a rustling gang. Henchmen working for him are Jack Kirk and Sherry Tansey. (Courtesy of Bruce Hickey) L-to-R are Sherry Tansey, Jim Corey, Claire Rochelle, Johnny Mack Brown, Frank LaRue, and Ed Cassidy in a lobby card from BOOTHILL BRIGADE (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Lew Meehan, Sherry Tansey and Bob Steele in a crop from a lobby card from THUNDER IN THE DESERT (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1938). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Ken Maynard has the drop on Carl Mathews (dark hat), Sherry Tansey (light blue shirt), and kneeling is Dave O'Brien. Lobby card from Maynard's PHANTOM RANCHER (Colony, 1940). (From Old Corral collection) Above, an interesting lobby card from RIDING THE SUNSET TRAIL (Monogram, 1941), and from L-to-R are: Betty Miles, Tom Keene, Kenne Duncan, Sherry Tansey, Earl Douglas, and Tom London. Earl Douglas' real name was Lou Yaconelli and he was the brother of Frank Yaconelli. If you look close, you might make out the moustached Arkansas Slim Andrews to the right of Keene's face. Can you spot the error in this lobby card - look at all the gunbelts and the holsters as they are on the left side. Apparently, the photo used in preparation of this card was reversed. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a title card included in the pressbook for WESTERN MAIL (Monogram, 1942). In this one, Keene wore twin gunbelts buckled in the back rather than his usual single gun rig (buckled in the back). The baddies in the background are, from L-to-R, Sherry Tansey, Rocky Camron (Gene Alsace), Karl Hackett and Fred Kohler, Jr.
The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), newspapers, California Death Index, and the death certificate provide more on Sherry Tansey.
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