Hopalong Cassidy

Hopalong Cassidy was a character created in 1904 by author Clarence E. Mulford and he appeared in various books and articles but the popular image we all have today started when Hoppy first appeared in motion pictures and then TV. The name “hoppy” came because of a limp caused by a bullet wound suffered before his first book appearance.

From Wikipedia: “As portrayed on the screen, the white-haired Bill “Hopalong” Cassidy was usually clad strikingly in black (including his hat, an exception to the longstanding western film stereotype that only villains wore black hats). He was reserved and well spoken, with a fine sense of fair play. He was often called upon to intercede when dishonest characters were taking advantage of honest citizens. “Hoppy” and his white horse, Topper, usually traveled through the west with two companions — one young and trouble-prone with a weakness for damsels in distress, the other comically awkward and outspoken.”

The Hopalong Cassidy pictures were filmed not by movie studios, but by independent producers who released the films through the studios. Various male actors were employed over the years but William Boyd is the image that sticks with most of us today. Boyd (1895-1972) made 141 films over his career. He first started in silent films and then was offered a part in a new series called Hop-A-Long Cassidy (Paramount, 1935)

From IMDB: “He changed the original pulp-fiction character to its opposite, made sure that “Hoppy” didn’t smoke, drink, chew tobacco or swear, rarely kissed a girl and let the bad guy draw first. By 1943 he had made 54 “Hoppies” for his original producer, Harry Sherman; after Sherman dropped the series, Boyd produced and starred in 12 more on his own. The series was wildly popular and all at least doubled their profit. In 1948 Boyd, in a savvy and precedent-setting move, bought the rights to all his pictures — he had to sell his ranch to raise the money — just as TV was looking for Saturday-morning western fare. He marketed all sorts of products and received royalties from comic books, radio and records. He retired to Palm Desert, California, in 1953.”

Growing up I loved watching him on our black and white TV Sunday nights, and he is still my father’s favorite movie cowboy.