Hopalong Cassidy (film series)

From 1935 to 1948, 66 American Western films were produced featuring the character Hopalong Cassidy, played in all the films by actor William Boyd. ^[1] The films were at the time collectively known as "Hoppies". In the films, Hopalong, or "Hoppy", and his white horse, Topper, travel through the Old West while dispensing justice, usually with two companions: one young and trouble-prone with a weakness for damsels in distress, the other older, comically awkward and outspoken. ^[2]

The juvenile lead was successively played by James Ellison, Russell Hayden, Jay Kirby, George Reeves, Rand Brooks, and Jimmy Rogers. ^[3] George Hayes (later to become known as "Gabby" Hayes) originally played Cassidy's grizzled sidekick, Windy Halliday. After Hayes left the series because of a salary dispute with producer Harry Sherman, he was replaced by the comedian Britt Wood as Speedy McGinnis and finally by the veteran film comedian Andy Clyde as California Carlson. Clyde, the most durable of the sidekicks, remained with the series until it ended. A few actors of future prominence appeared in Cassidy films, notably Robert Mitchum, who appeared in seven films at the beginning of his career.

List of films

Produced by Harry Sherman for Paramount Pictures

• Hop-Along Cassidy (1935) (reissued as "Hopalong Cassidy Enters") ^[4]
• The Eagle's Brood (1935) ^[5]
• Bar 20 Rides Again (1935) ^[6]
• Call of the Prairie (1936) ^[7]
• Three on the Trail (1936) ^[8]
• Heart of the West (1936) ^[9]
• Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936) ^[10]
• Trail Dust (1936) ^[11]
• Borderland (1937) ^[12]
• Hills of Old Wyoming (1937) ^[13]
• North of the Rio Grande (1937) ^[14]
• Rustlers' Valley (1937) ^[15]
• Hopalong Rides Again (1937) ^[16]
• Texas Trail (1937) ^[17]
• Partners of the Plains (1938) ^[18]
• Cassidy of Bar 20 (1938) ^[19]
• Heart of Arizona (1938) ^[20]
• Bar 20 Justice (1938) ^[21]
• Pride of the West (1938) ^[22]
• In Old Mexico (1938) ^[23]
• The Frontiersmen (1938) ^[24] (sometimes mistakenly listed as "The Frontiersman")
• Sunset Trail (1939) ^[25]
• Silver on the Sage (1939) ^[26]
• Renegade Trail (1939) ^[27]
• Range War (1939) ^[28]
• Law of the Pampas (1939) ^[29]
• Santa Fe Marshal (1940) ^[30]
• The Showdown (1940) ^[31]
• Hidden Gold (1940) ^[32]
• Stagecoach War (1940) ^[33]
• Three Men from Texas (1940) ^[34]
• Doomed Caravan (1941) ^[35]
• In Old Colorado (1941) ^[36]
• Border Vigilantes (1941) ^[37]
• Pirates on Horseback (1941) ^[38]
• Wide Open Town (1941) ^[39]
• Riders of the Timberline (1941) ^[40]
• Stick to Your Guns (1941) ^[41]
• Twilight on the Trail (1941) ^[42]
• Outlaws of the Desert (1941) ^[43]
• Secrets of the Wasteland (1941) ^[44]

Produced by Harry Sherman for United Artists

• Lost Canyon (1942) ^[45]
• Undercover Man (1942) ^[46]
• Hoppy Serves a Writ (1943) ^[47]
• Border Patrol (1943) ^[48]
• Leather Burners (1943) ^[49]
• Colt Comrades (1943) ^[50]
• Bar 20 (1943) ^[51]
• False Colors (1943) ^[52]
• Riders of the Deadline (1943) ^[53]
• Texas Masquerade (1944) ^[54]
• Lumberjack (1944) ^[55]
• Mystery Man (1944) ^[56]
• Forty Thieves (1944) ^[57]

Produced by William Boyd for United Artists

• The Devil's Playground (1946) ^[58]
• Fool's Gold (1947) ^[59]
• Unexpected Guest (1947) ^[60]
• Dangerous Venture (1947) ^[61]
• The Marauders (1947) ^[62]
• Hoppy's Holiday (1947) ^[63]
• Silent Conflict (1948) ^[64]
• The Dead Don't Dream (1948) ^[65]
• Sinister Journey (1948) ^[66]
• Borrowed Trouble (1948) ^[67]
• False Paradise (1948) ^[68]
• Strange Gamble (1948) ^[69]

Home media

After Boyd's death, his company devoted to Hopalong Cassidy, U.S. Television Office, known until 1984 as William Boyd Productions, retained control of Cassidy films but, by the mid-1960s, had withdrawn them from television and sales in home movie markets. This remained the situation until the mid-1990s, after many Cassidy fans had died, when the company made available to The Western Channel a package series of restored and cleaned negative-based prints of the films to cable TV. These remained available on that channel until 2000, when they were again withdrawn.

On June 16, 2009, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released the Hopalong Cassidy Ultimate Collector's Edition, which included all 66 theatrical films on 14 DVDs, packed into a facsimile Hopalong Cassidy tin lunchbox.

As of the present, FilmRise distributes the Cassidy films for YouTube under license from U.S. Television Office, which remains the copyright holder for the franchise.

References

1. "William Boyd". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
2. "William Boyd & Hopalong Cassidy", B-Westerns
3. "Movies" – via NYTimes.com.
4. Hop-Along Cassidy at IMDb  
5. The Eagle's Brood at IMDb  
6. Bar 20 Rides Again at IMDb  
7. Call of the Prairie at IMDb  
8. Three on the Trail at IMDb  
9. Heart of the West at IMDb  
10. Hopalong Cassidy Returns at IMDb  
11. Trail Dust at IMDb  
12. Borderland at IMDb  
13. Hills of Old Wyoming at IMDb  
14. North of the Rio Grande at IMDb  
15. Rustlers' Valley at IMDb  
16. Hopalong Rides Again at IMDb  
17. Texas Trail at IMDb  
18. Partners of the Plains at IMDb  
19. Cassidy of Bar 20 at IMDb  
20. Heart of Arizona at IMDb  
21. Bar 20 Justice at IMDb  
22. Pride of the West at IMDb  
23. In Old Mexico at IMDb  
24. The Frontiersmen at IMDb  
25. Sunset Trail at IMDb  
26. Silver on the Sage at IMDb  
27. Renegade Trail at IMDb  
28. Range War at IMDb  
29. Law of the Pampas at IMDb  
30. Santa Fe Marshal at IMDb  
31. The Showdown at IMDb  
32. Hidden Gold at IMDb  
33. Stagecoach War at IMDb  
34. Three Men from Texas at IMDb  
35. Doomed Caravan at IMDb  
36. In Old Colorado at IMDb  
37. Border Vigilantes at IMDb  
38. Pirates on Horseback at IMDb  
39. Wide Open Town at IMDb  
40. Riders of the Timberline at IMDb  
41. Stick to Your Guns at IMDb  
42. Twilight on the Trail at IMDb  
43. Outlaws of the Desert at IMDb  
44. Secret of the Wasteland at IMDb  
45. Lost Canyon at IMDb  
46. Undercover Man at IMDb  
47. Hoppy Serves a Writ at IMDb  
48. Border Patrol at IMDb  
49. Leather Burners at IMDb  
50. Colt Comrades at IMDb  
51. Bar 20 at IMDb  
52. False Colors at IMDb  
53. Riders of the Deadline at IMDb  
54. Texas Masquerade at IMDb  
55. Lumberjack at IMDb  
56. Mystery Man at IMDb  
57. Forty Thieves at IMDb  
58. The Devil's Playground at IMDb  
59. Fool's Gold at IMDb  
60. Unexpected Guest at IMDb  
61. Dangerous Venture at IMDb  
62. The Marauders at IMDb  
63. Hoppy's Holiday at IMDb  
64. Silent Conflict at IMDb  
65. The Dead Don't Dream at IMDb  
66. Sinister Journey at IMDb  
67. Borrowed Trouble at IMDb  
68. False Paradise at IMDb  
69. Strange Gamble at IMDb