Posts from Sterling Price in thread „Sterling Price Photo Restoration Gallery ~ Scrape the mud off your boots B4 entering.“

Looks like I'm gonna have to clarify what I've written about Ben Johnson doubling for Bill Elliott. I just did a more thorough research on both of these men and apparently Ben did do a lot of doubling for Wild Bill including riding and stunt work. If Ben did say what you said he said about Elliott then maybe it is true. IMPO Bill Elliott really didn't look "rugged enough" to be a movie cowboy ~ he looked too "pretty" and maybe that's why the studio had other "more expendable" actors doubling for him ~

I had never personally met Bill Elliott and I also need to clarify an error I made earlier about his being "best man" at Art and Barbara Reeve's wedding in 1961. Bill Elliott and Art Reeves were mutual friends and both men were born in Missouri. When Art Reeves told me about Wild Bill Elliott being "best man" at his wedding when I first started working for Art and Bob Taylor in 1962 ~ I had assumed that he was referring to his then present wife Barbara. But as my ancient memory has now re-arranged itself into proper order once again, I had forgotten that Art had been married once before, in Missouri, and that was when Bill Elliott agreed to be his best-man.

And now of course I've also just uncovered that you've already previously done your own research into what I had previously posted about Bill Elliot's early life and film background. I take my Stetson off to you Paula for being the dedicated film historian that you are. Great website on Shutterfly and a more than interesting body of work.

Let's see if I can sort some of this out for you Paula. Author/Commentator Paul Dellinger has written pretty extensively about cowboy film actor Bill Elliott. Below is a cut and paste of just some of what he's written about him ~

"He was born Gordon Nance, on a ranch in Pattonsburg, Missouri, on Oct. 16, 1903, according to John Leonard's definitive book on his films, appropriately titled Wild Bill Elliott. Nance grew up around horses, riding his first one at age five. His father was commissioner at the Kansas City stockyards, where young Nance saw many actual cowboys riding and roping. By age sixteen, he won first place among those cowboys in the American Royal Horse and Livestock Show. But it was a silent movie he saw at age nine that pointed him in the direction of his career. It was a movie featuring legendary western star William S. Hart, and inspired the young viewer to want to become a cowboy star someday. Many of his later features would use the old Hart storylines of a badman who reforms."

"In every film I've seen him in prior to the Hickok serial, the thing that stands out the most about the actor named Gordon Elliott is that there is absolutely nothing that stands out or even suggests a "screen presence" of any kind. I don't make "best" lists, but on any list I compile of "my favorite" western actor, Bill Elliott will be somewhere in the top four or five. Always. Actually, he is 3rd. But, aside from Westerns, he also qualifies as one of the most-forgettable actors I've ever seen."

There might have been some professional "rivalry" between those two back then, Ben and Bill ~ but who knows? For me at least, it's just hard to imagine someone who was practically "born in the saddle" needing "instructions" from anyone on how to ride a horse.

If Ben Johnson ever did actually double for Bill Elliott, either riding or in fight scenes, then that must have been by way of insistence of the studio brass. With the kind of early background he had, I couldn't imagine Bill Elliott ever voluntarily letting anyone substitute for him. JMO.

Thank you Paula for your post about Robert Taylor. Not entirely accurate but what the heck, just a couple of 'Hollywood type' "wranglers" having a little fun with stretching the truth some. Easily understood back in 1954 ~ but today? Not so easy.

Couple of things they were right about though is Ben Johnson and Joel McCrea being two of the best "real cowboys" making Hollywood movies back then. In my opinion BJ was one of the best genuine cowboy horse riders in Hollywood of that period except maybe for Yakima Canutt (who was more of a stunt rider) ~ and a better rider than even John Wayne himself ~ which these two so-called erudite "Hollywood wranglers" linked together with the likes of film actor Van Johnson who I can't remember ever having seen him on a horse, much less even a western movie.

"Val Valdez" never broke any horses for Bob. Carlos Valdez on the other hand was a very well known and respected horse trainer during that time period and did "train" some of the Taylor's newly acquired horses for use on their new "ranch" in Mandeville Canyon. Whether Carlos actually "broke" any of them first or not would have been before I got there in 1962. After that, no horses were ever "broke" that I was aware of.

Robert Taylor never thought of himself as being a "cowboy actor". He was an actor who simply starred in several cowboy type "movies" and made it look as though he might have been a "real" cowboy ~ but he wasn't. He was just that good of an actor and that's what really good actors are supposed to do ~ make the rest of us believe that they really are the characters who they portray on screen. John Wayne is another perfect example of this. The "Duke" never was a real cowboy either ~ but many people today find that hard to believe.

And lastly, that "Bob" Elliott these two Hollywood wrangler characters referred to in that article as being the #3 cowboy ~ didn't exist. It was Bill ("Wild Bill") Elliott who was the real #3 cowboy (according to their own personal standards). Bill Elliott was "best man" at Art & Barbara Reeves' wedding in 1961 and Art Reeves, who was Robert Taylor's full time ranch foreman at Mandeville Canyon ~ was actually the same man who asked and then hired me to work P/T for him and Bob in '62. Without any hesitation I said yes and the next seven years following that evolved into some of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Sorry for the long dissertation but that's what some old timers like me like to reminisce about and rarely have the opportunity to do so within our own family ~ whereas now, JWMB seems to be the perfect outlet.

You have my support Keith. Ringo ~ please play it cool otherwise this entire "Gallery" may be deleted and I've already put far too much hard work into it so far.

You're a good man and I know you mean well, but at least try to look at it this way ~ Marty made me aware of a great website filled with original works that I will definately make use of in the future. I will give credit to the original artist and "Sterling Price" won't even be mentioned ~ mission still accomplished.

Quote from MartyB2

“I hate it when somehting seemingly has to be PC!!!!!!!!!”…” I get so damned tired of someone making a weak complaint…”My issue with it was that it was out of line and cowardly”...”If he did that on one of the sites I moderate on--he would be spending time in: The Cooler…”It SHOULD have been done PRIVATELY”…




WOW!!!…that’s a lot of vitriol…..


Folks…I wasn’t angry…I wasn’t on a crusade and I certainly wasn’t trying to create trouble…men deal with issues in the open…not in the dark…I like SP’s work…I said so…I hope he continues..


I would, however, ask my fellow members to answer honestly the question, “Would you mind it if someone else put their name on your property?” …I know I wouldn’t…Now, I enjoy this site very much and have only posted a few times for I have had little to say and have enjoyed what was said…I can’t remember ever trying to cause ‘trouble’ before…


So…I’ll do the PC thing…Sterling Price, I like your work…please keep posting…To the offended parties promise I will stop posting and merely enjoy the photos, stories and artwork from this site and cause you no more angst…


However, I will leave you this from ‘The Alamo’ to contemplate…


“Crockett : Step down off your high horse, Mister. You don’t get lard less’n you boil th’ hog…


Crockett: There’s right and there’s wrong. You gotta do one or the other. You do the one and you’re living. You do the other, and you may be walking around, but you’re dead as a beaver hat…”

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Nah, of course not (what Marty said). Funny thing is, this is not even a "real" gallery. It is merely a figment of my imagination and "Sterling Price", in reality, doesn't even exist. My so-called "restoration gallery" is the only thing that I could think of to let everyone know in advance that none of what you're about to see is "original" from me and for which I (my real name) could even take credit for.

I did a lot of research last night into copyright infringement and you can all rest assured ~ what I'm doing doesn't even come close.. There are quite a number of "exceptions" to the law that governs intellectual property, a number of which also includes such things as "fair use" and "derivitive interpretation" as well as any number of ways the original owner of a protected property might be "damaged" for the unauthorized useage of such property.

From strictly a legal standpoint, I could just as easily have placed the name "Mickey Mouse" or "Donald Duck" at the bottom of each of these photos that I've posted. As long as Mickey or Donald or Sterling do not economically "profit" in any way by it, then there are no actual "damages" ~ embarrassing perhaps and definately in poor taste I agree, but not an "infringement" or denial of gain (in the legal sense) upon the copyright holder of the original property itself. Keep in mind, that every image which can be viewed on the Web, is not the "original" ~ it is only an electronic reproduction of the original which is placed on the Web for public display.


All of us have to realize that the World Wide Web is a virtual "minefield" of information, including the written word as well as imagery that may also include world class works of art. Once these words and images are posted on the Web for the World to see and use or misuse, there is no turning back ~ they can never be retrieved. Authors and artists have to accept this caveat and decide beforehand whether or not the "risk" is even worth it. And, that long legal road to actually being able to prove such "damages" is rarely traveled by the faint of heart.

Quote from ethanedwards

OK, we all need to simmer down on this one,
and not now let a continuing argument be aired in thread.
The point taken that SP should have been contacted privately
is hardly helped, by going public.

We suggested that SP re-instate his images,
unless their were complaints from the copyright owners,
of which then, we would have to, as a forum take action.

However this is not the case, and MartyB2,
should also not be vilified publicly,
for making after all, a statement of fact.

Can we therefore gentlemen, draw a line under this and move on

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Both valid points which I hadn't even considered before. The Net is abolutely flooded with tens of millions of random images such as this and most of which the original artist/contributor is not even cited. Had I known about Mr. Timmons's web site and the body of original work he's created, I would never have included my own "interpretation" and posted it on here and for that I do apologize.

I will gladly remove this post and any other of my "restoration" posts that JWMB decides is not appropriate. Also, no "credit name" at all will appear on any future postings of mine

This is a wonderful web site and I certainly don't want to "muck" it up. Thanks once again to both of you for the heads-up.

A few weeks after Robert Taylor's burial in June 1969, Bob's full time ranch foreman and I trailered Show Bars north to his best friend Ronald Reagan's 'small ranch' in Santa Barbara, California. Governor Reagan had delivered the eulogy at Bob's funeral and there wasn't a dry eye amongst any of the mourners who were there that day to say their final goodbye to this once very famous and beloved American actor. I sat next to Don "Red" Barry ~ a well known "heavy" in early western films and he sobbed almost uncontrollably to the point where I put my arm around his shoulder and I too silently cried along with him.