Ken Maynard

Acting

Ken Maynard

Born 1895-07-21 · Vevay, Indiana, USA

From Wikipedia Kenneth Olin "Ken" Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. Maynard served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California, actor Buck Jones encouraged Maynard to try working in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios. He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923. Maynard's work included stunt performance. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He and his white stallion, "Tarzan," became famous. His two recorded songs with Columbia Records, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament," made him one of the first of the singing cowboys. Maynard moved to Universal Studios, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle in 1930. In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several musical instruments, and was featured that year on the violin in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo, and on the banjo in The Trail Drive. Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934. Maynard appeared in more than ninety films in twenty years with his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and a pair of six-shooters, but alcoholism so severely affected his life that his acting career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fairs and rodeos. He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. His substantial wealth had vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown trailer. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry. More than twenty five years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to the screen two small roles, in 1970 and 1972, the more notably in The Marshal of Windy Hollow. Maynard died of stomach cancer in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery in Cypress, California. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.

Acting credits

Señor Americano poster
7.0

A U.S. soldier goes after bandits in California, although it is still owned by Mexico.

Señor Americano

1929

Fargo Express poster
9.0

When Mort loses his and Ken's money at poker, Goss gets him to rob the stage. He is captured, identified by his palomino horse. Ken tries to clear him by robbing a stage while riding a palomino, but he also gets caught.

Fargo Express

1933

The Arizona Terror poster
8.0

Captain Porter's scheme is to buy livestock and then have his men show up later to kill the buyer and retrieve the money. When his men kill the next victim, he frames the Arizonian for the murder. The Arizonian escapes the law and joins up with the outlaw Vasquez. Knowing Porter's scheme, he plans to trap him by using Vasquez as the next buyer.

The Arizona Terror

1931

Brass Commandments poster
8.0

"Flash" Lanning returns to Bozzam City from the East to put an end to cattle rustling. Gloria Hallowell, who has known him by reputation, falls in love with Lanning but believes that he loves Ellen Bosworth, an eastern "lady." Campan, the leader of the rustlers, hoping to lure Lanning into a trap, kidnaps both girls. Lanning rescues the girls, punishes Campan, and indicates to Gloria that she is the girl for him.

Brass Commandments

1923

Boots of Destiny poster
9.0

Both Harmon and his men and a Mexican gang are after a treasure hidden on the Wilson ranch. Acey learns of their raid and goes to get Ken only to find him in jail for a murder he did not commit.

Boots of Destiny

1937

The Lone Avenger poster
10.0

A prominent banker commits suicide. His son thinks otherwise and sets out to prove it.

The Lone Avenger

1933

No artwork available
10.0

Two reeler served as Jean Arthur's screen debut.

Somebody Lied

1923

Gun Gospel poster
10.0

From Death Valley in the Mojave Desert to Mount Whittier, the outlaw gangs are wreaking havoc on the gold and money shipments from the mines and ranches. Wells Fargo organizes an express service that will insure the shipments and ensure a guaranteed delivery. Granger Hume is hired to help Wells-Fargo deliver on their promise.

Gun Gospel

1927

In Old Santa Fe poster
5.8

Gangster Chandler and his accomplice Tracy arrive at a dude ranch. Cowboy Kentucky arrives at the same time. When Tracy double-crosses his boss and has the stage robbed, Kentucky finds the outlaws and brings them in. Tracy frames him for the murder of the driver but his pal Cactus gets him out of jail. He returns just as Chandler shoots Tracy and Kentucky finds himself arrested for another murder.

In Old Santa Fe

1934

Phantom Rancher poster
4.6

Cowboy puts on a black mask and a black outfit to fight a gang of land-grabbing crooks.

Phantom Rancher

1940

Harmony Trail poster
5.3

Sent to investigate a payroll robbery, Marshall Rocky meets his old friends Ken, Eddie, and Max. He has the serial numbers and when Pop puts on his medicine show they get one of the bills. This enables Ken to see through Sorrell's scheme that threw the blame on an innocent rancher and he sets out to prove it. Written by Maurice Van Auken

Harmony Trail

1944

Death Valley Rangers poster
7.5

When a fed-up businessman tires of watching gold shipments disappear without a trace, he calls in the Trail Blazers (Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele) -- a legendary trio of law enforcers -- to find the gold and figure out who's behind the thefts.

Death Valley Rangers

1943

Six Shootin' Sheriff poster
6.3

Cowboy star Ken Maynard is Jim "Trigger" Morton, in town undercover while pursuing the man who framed him for robbery. But a well-placed shot tames a band of scofflaws and gains Morton the sheriff's badge. Now, he's riding on both sides of the law. The line is further blurred when old buddy Chuck offers evidence of Morton's innocence in exchange for a blind eye to Chuck's impending postal heist in this classic Western.

Six Shootin' Sheriff

1938

Honor of the Range poster
6.3

After Sheriff Ken puts money in the safe, his brother Clem gives Rawhide the combination. With the money gone the disgruntled townsmen make Boots Sheriff and lock up Ken. Clem, now a prisoner of Rawhide, has a change of heart and sends Ken a message with the outlaw's location. Ken escapes by impersonating the saloon entertainer and rides for the hangout.

Honor of the Range

1934

Haunted Gold poster
5.1

John Mason returns to the Sally Ann mine to claim his half share. Janet Cater also returns although her father lost his half share to Joe Ryan. Ryan and his gang are also there to get the gold. A mysterious Phantom is also present. Mason's plan to expose Ryan as an outlaw and to force him to turn his share to Janet works. But when distracted by the Phantom, John is made a prisoner by the gang.

Haunted Gold

1932

The Overland Stage poster
9.0

At a trading post in the Northern Dakotas, Hawk Lespard, an unscrupulous trader, is opposed by Jack Jessup, posing as a gambler but actually a scout for the Overland Stage Co., and Kunga-Sunga, a wizard with the lariat.

The Overland Stage

1927

Cheyenne poster
8.0

Cal Roberts can ride anything with four legs. He enters the contests held at big rodeo. He wins all honors and meets a girl who races horses to help her father clear pressing debts. Complications follow, but Cal wins the girl.

Cheyenne

1929

Somewhere in Sonora poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Somewhere in Sonora

1927

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch poster
8.5

A Western-genre narrative, loosely woven from old clips from B-Western features.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

1976

Bigfoot poster
3.3

Bigfoot kidnaps some women and some bikers decide to go on a rescue mission to save them.

Bigfoot

1970

Branded Men poster
6.0

When Rod, Ramrod, and Half-A-Rod ride into Steep Gulch, they immediately become Sheriffs. The previous Sheriffs have been killed by Mace and his gang who don't wait long before they make an attempt on the new trio.

Branded Men

1931

Heroes of the Range poster
9.0

A cowboy G-man joins an outlaw gang out to rob a gold shipment.

Heroes of the Range

1936

The Wagon Master poster
7.0

Bill Hollister (Jack Hanlon) organizes a wagon train to break the unfair monopoly held by Jake Lynch (Tom Santschi) on food prices in the mining camps. The Rambler (Ken Maynard) joins the train when it leaves for Gold Hill, and takes command when Hollister is killed from ambush. Jacques Frazelle (Al Ferguson) schemes to get rid of The Rambler and win Sue Smith (Edith Roberts). He plots with Lynch to disrupt the train, but The Rambler beats him in a whip-fight...

The Wagon Master

1929

The Grey Vulture poster
9.0

Fired from his job for shirking his duties, the 'Knight of the Plains' Bart Miller stumbles across a would-be stagecoach robbery and he rescues damsel in distress Betty Taylor. He takes Betty and her pretty girlfriends to the ranch of her father Bill Taylor. Meanwhile Taylor's foreman Luke Hatton is plotting to rustle his boss' herd with the aid of the corrupt lawyer Harkness.

The Grey Vulture

1926

Behind the camera

Señor Americano poster
7.0

A U.S. soldier goes after bandits in California, although it is still owned by Mexico.

Señor Americano

1929

Honor of the Range poster
6.3

After Sheriff Ken puts money in the safe, his brother Clem gives Rawhide the combination. With the money gone the disgruntled townsmen make Boots Sheriff and lock up Ken. Clem, now a prisoner of Rawhide, has a change of heart and sends Ken a message with the outlaw's location. Ken escapes by impersonating the saloon entertainer and rides for the hangout.

Honor of the Range

1934

The Wagon Master poster
7.0

Bill Hollister (Jack Hanlon) organizes a wagon train to break the unfair monopoly held by Jake Lynch (Tom Santschi) on food prices in the mining camps. The Rambler (Ken Maynard) joins the train when it leaves for Gold Hill, and takes command when Hollister is killed from ambush. Jacques Frazelle (Al Ferguson) schemes to get rid of The Rambler and win Sue Smith (Edith Roberts). He plots with Lynch to disrupt the train, but The Rambler beats him in a whip-fight...

The Wagon Master

1929

Sons of the Saddle poster
9.0

Jim Brandon, foreman of the Wind River Ranch, owned by Martin Stavnow, is in love with Ronnie, the rancher's daughter, though he is unaware that Harvey, a youthful cowhand, also loves her. Thus, Jim asks the boy, whom he protects like a brother, to speak for him. When he is spurned by Ronnie, Harvey decides to join Red Slade's gang, who are plotting a raid on the Wind River herd. As Jim forcibly attempts to separate him from the gang, Harvey is killed; and through the aid of his horse, Tarzan, Jim foils Slade's attempt to stampede the herd. Slade takes refuge in a wagon where Ronnie is hiding; Jim rescues Ronnie from the wagon just before the runaway team plunges over a cliff with Slade riding to his doom.

Sons of the Saddle

1930

Mountain Justice poster
7.5

In the Kentucky mountains, Ken McTavish comes to Kettle Creek looking for the killer of his father. Pretending to be deaf so he can investigate, he arouses the suspicions of the Harland clan, a family in a longstanding feud with his own.

Mountain Justice

1930

The Trail Drive poster
10.0

Honest John is pulling off a swindle by buying cattle in Texas with worthless scrip and selling them in New Mexico for cash. Ken is leading the cattle drive not knowing that when they cross the state line Honest John's plan will have succeeded.

The Trail Drive

1933

King of the Arena poster
8.5

Mysterious deaths have been occurring in the same towns as Miller's Circus and the Governor has sent Ken Kenton to investigate. Ken joins the show but when he realizes that Bargoff is involved, Bargoff has fled and taken Mary Hiller as a hostage. The trail leads to Baron Petroff who concocted the deadly chemical and Ken quickly finds himself the Baron's prisoner.

King of the Arena

1933

Wheels of Destiny poster
5.3

Bill, who is about to lead a wagon train to California, has a map to a valuable gold field and Rocky is after the map. When Rocky and his men attack, Ken Manning breaks it up and later identifies Rocky and his men as the attackers. Expelled from the wagon train, they stampede a buffalo herd puting the Indians on the warpath. After the Indians attack the wagon train, Rocky thinks he can get the map.

Wheels of Destiny

1934

Strawberry Roan poster
6.0

Ken Maynard stars as a roving cowboy who tells the tale of taming the stallion that inspired the titular poem.

Strawberry Roan

1933

Song of the Caballero poster
10.0

After El Lobo robs Don Jose he gives one of the stolen items to Conchita. Later when he saves Anita in a runaway coach, Don Pedro invites him to the wedding of Anita and his son Don Jose. But Conchita is at the wedding and recognizes him putting his life in danger.

Song of the Caballero

1930

Gun Justice poster
7.0

Wanting the Lance ranch, Burkett kills Lance and brings in an imposter to pose as the heir Ken Lance. Ken learns of the plan, captures the imposter, and arrives posing as himself. In an ensuing gunfight a man is killed and Ken is in trouble when not only is he accused of the murder, but the imposter escapes and convinces the Sheriff he's the real Ken Lance.

Gun Justice

1933

The Fighting Legion poster
8.0

After being shot, a dying Marshal Dawson gives Dave Hayes his badge and asks him to finish his job. Dave becomes Marshal but when Bowie, the man that shot Dawson appears, he exposes Dave as an imposter. Dave is then in trouble when Edwards incites the mob to lynch him.

The Fighting Legion

1930

Parade of the West poster
9.0

Bud Rand, a cowboy who is charged with the care of Little Billy Rand, accepts an offer to appear with Copeland's Wild West Show to ride a horse called "Mankiller." Dude, Copeland's righthand man, resents Bud's attentions to Mary, one of the performers, and when they fight it out, Bud is the victor. In revenge Dude loosens the cinch on the horse.....

Parade of the West

1930

The Fiddlin' Buckaroo poster
8.0

Government man Fiddlin' has joined Wolf's gang and Banty has become his friend. When Fiddlin' objects to Wolf's kidnapping of Ann, he is left in a burning building. Rescued by his horse Tarzan, he convinces Banty to help bring in the gang.

The Fiddlin' Buckaroo

1933

The Fiddlin' Buckaroo poster
8.0

Government man Fiddlin' has joined Wolf's gang and Banty has become his friend. When Fiddlin' objects to Wolf's kidnapping of Ann, he is left in a burning building. Rescued by his horse Tarzan, he convinces Banty to help bring in the gang.

The Fiddlin' Buckaroo

1933

Lucky Larkin poster
10.0

Colonel Lee, a homesteader, is the object of terrorists who want to drive him off the range so that his horses cannot be entered in the county races, and he refuses an offer of Martin Brierson to buy him out. Pete, Brierson's brother, in hiding because of his criminal record, burns the colonel's barn and injures his horses. Convinced of Brierson's responsibility for the terror tactics, "Lucky" Larkin plans to ride Tarzan, the colonel's pet colt. Brierson does his best to disqualify the horse, but Larkin tricks him and wins the race. Larkin captures Pete and forces him to confess. The Brierson brothers are brought to justice, and Larkin wins Emmy Lou, a homesteader's daughter.

Lucky Larkin

1930