1944-1950..Saturday mornings....some kids grew up glued to the television set, watching their Saturday morning kiddie shows. Not me. Kinda hard to do when you grew up without television. No, for me it was the Saturday Movies on the square in Springfield, MO. Dad always worked, at least half a day on Saturday at his Air Brake business, Springfield Brake Company that he had started in 1940. Starting in about 1944, I would ride to town with him and he'd give me a dollar to go up College Street to the Square, go to the right and there, in the Southwest corner of the square was the Mozark Theater. For a dollar I could get admitted, grab a root beer, some popcorn, and settle myself up close to the screen so it was just like being in the movie. Saturday was the Western serials that you can still see on some late night cable stations, but then were brand new. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Tex Ritter and one of my favorites....Lash LaRue. Lash LaRue did all his fighting with the bad guys with a bull whip that he could do wonders with. I fashioned myself a bull whip, just like Lash LaRue, with a broken broom handle and a long leather boot lace that I had taken out of one of dad's old boots. Try as I might, I could never get that sucker to pop and crack like his did. Those few years of Saturday morning Westerns were wonderful imaginary adventures, the good guys always won, and the bad guys had a mud hole stomped into 'em as i cheered. Ahhh...sweet memories.
1964-1972. This period was the start of my television career. I did a five day a week live morning show on Channel 5, in Nashville, and had "The Stan Hitchcock Show" syndicated around the country on Saurdays. Doing the early morning live television show, "Country Junction", five mornings a week, Monday-Friday, was a hoot, cause we never knew who was gonna show up as guests and drop-ins. In those days the music community loved to come in, unannounced, and cut-up and sing a song or two. This particular morning, in 1966, our guest were: Chill Wills, Tex Ritter and.....Lash LaRue! Man, was I ever excited! It couldn't get no better than this...and then it did...in walked Louis L'Amour to top it all off. They were having some kind of Western Festival in Nashville and they all decided to come by and visit.
By this time I knew Tex, he had moved to Nashville and was heavily involved in country music, and became one of the founders of the CMA, and I had done some concerts with him. He was every bit as great, in person, as he had been on the big screen.
This group of Super Heroes was almost more than I could take all at one time. Lash LaRue offered to pop a cigarette out of my mouth with his whip, but I explained that I didn't even smoke, so I believed I'd pass. One of the tv crew did the bit with him, and sure enough he popped the cigarette right out of his mouth without tearing his face off, which I thought was pretty neat.
Chill Wills was really a warm, funny guy, just as laid back as you imagined he would be. I loved to hear him talk, just like he always talked on the screen.
But, the topper of the whole crew, for me, was Louis L'Amour. I had been reading his books for years, and he was truly the figure of a Western hero.
We all went to breakfast together and I sat next to Mr. L'Amour and could not get enough of his storytelling. Today, I still collect his leather bound books, and re-read them to savor, once again, his incredible art.
Lash La'Rue also came to Nashville, getting involved in the music and working the circuits of small town high school auditoriums and fairs...cracking his whip, but also playing a fine guitar and singing.
So the Super Heroes of my youth, became acquaintances and friends in my grown up times. The era of the Western B-Movies passed, just like our time of country music passed, but it was a wonderful time in entertainment history. Just like an old, favorite pair of boots, their time might have passed, but they sure feel fine on your feet.
Stan
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