Tom Mix

Film Star
1880-1940

Undeniably the most popular and legendary western star of them all, Mix reigned for more than a quarter century as the world’s greatest cowboy screen star performing countless feats of skill and daring in hundreds of Western thrillers. Though often exaggerated, his earlier stints as a Rough Rider, Texas Ranger and champion rodeo rider for the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Show contributed to his cowboy mystique and reputation as “The Fearless Man of the Plains.” In contrast to Wm S Hart’s mythic gun-fighters, Mix’s characters were amiable, likeable types, more expressive of his own temperament.

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Even though Tom Mix has been dead since a fateful Arizona car crash in 1940, there are still fans who remember him. He was, arguably, the most prominent silent era movie cowboy and is still the subject of debate about his extraordinary life story. The simple truths are that he was a working cowboy, a major star in the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show, a circus promoter and star, a huge star in the silent era, and a notable performer in sound films up to 1935.

Another certainty about Mix is that he was flamboyant in dress and appearance, wearing the finest of suits, Western shirts, boots, spurs, buckles and belts, watches, and other accessories. As a stylist, he had a deep influence on other stars of his day from Buck Jones, to Gene Autry and many others. With top pay for his movies, endorsed products, personal appearances, and other involvements. He could afford the finest of homes, cars, boats, and a vast collection of Colt revolvers, Winchester rifles, saddles, hats, and other gear. It is no surprise that when a young Edward H Bohlin first moved to Hollywood that the quality of his leather and silver goods appealed to Tom Mix and that the careers of the two are inextricably tied together. Much of the time from the early 1920s to 1940, Mix favored silver and gold mounted saddles, spurs, belts, buckles, and other gear by Edward H.Bohlin, the "Saddlemaker to the Stars."

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