He was the man that rode the land, in the cowboy movies days.
Ridin' the range with big John Wayne, Hoppy, Gene and Roy,
He left his mark upon the hearts...of every girl and boy.
Some folks don't remember him...guess that's sad in a way;
But he did it all, had a ball, and made some friends that stayed.
With his tattered hat and grizzled beard, he was just a l-e-e-t-l-e bit sloppy.
But that was all right, back in his day,
when he used to ride with Hoppy.
A born entertainer, he first saw the light of day on May 7, 1885
in Wellsville, New York. As a young man, he began to perform
in vaudeville, touring the well-known Orpheum & Keith circuits.
At 29, he married Olive Dorothy, a Ziegfeld Follies' girl. They
came to Hollywood in the 1920's, where he got work in silent
movies. He learned to ride and started doing Westerns, working
with early cowboy stars like John Wayne and Randolph Scott; and
he would co-star with them in the years to come as the "Gabby"
character developed.
In the Hopalong Cassidy series, shot in the mid-thirties, he
was known as "Windy," telling tall tales and backing Hoppy's play.
"Windy" merged into "Gabby" when he left Hoppy and became the
side-rider to a young Roy Rogers. "Gabby," like "Windy," never
stopped talking and the youngsters loved him. He was also
"Gabby" in the series of Westerns he did with Wild Bill Elliott.
Only once would he return to the name "Windy." It was in 1947
in a bigger budget film with Elliott called "Wyoming." He made
several major Westerns with John Wayne in the 1940's, one
of the best being RKO's "Tall in the Saddle" in 1944. In films such
as "Don't Fence Me In" and "My Pal Trigger," his dramatic skills
were clearly evident.
After doing several enjoyable films with Randolph Scott, he ended
his film career with a Scott production called "The Cariboo Trail"
in 1950. Then he had his own TV show as the same lovable
character all the youngsters had grown up with, hosting
Western movies and telling tales.
Suffering from heart trouble, the greatest sidekick of all time
passed away on February 9, 1969; thirteen years after the
death of his beloved wife.
Keeping the "Gabby" persona alive is more than just nailing
down the familiar nuances of his cantankerous character.
It is a labor of love, born out of a lifetime of respect and
admiration.
His impact on the movie-going youth of yesteryear can never
be measured...except when a grey-haired person with tear-filled
eyes shakes my hand and expresses how much "Gabby" meant
to him or her. To which I reply:
"It's a pleasure ta pump yer paw. Yes sir-reee, Bob!"
Republic, 1947
especially if you are one who remembers ole Gabby....
