Beau Wann, Jr.
Been so long ago, hard to tell what was real and imagined. I saw Roy and Trigger and Dale and Buttermilk, and Gene Autry and Annie Oakley and I think George "Gabby" Hayes was at one of the Rodeos. Oh, and Pat Butram with his jeep Nellie Bell was at the one with Roy and Dale. At least in my mind, I THINK thats how I remember it. I'm pretty sure I remember Pat buttram driving Nellie Belle on the floor of the arena and it backfiring, you know how it did in the movies...
Yup, the Colliseum was the best venue for the rodeo and fat stock show, in my humble opinion. I rode the rides at the carnival one year, and got sickern a dog. My sisters and cousins, It pains me to say, could ride any ride and not get sickness...not moi...guess I hadnt reached my "manly manhood" status back then. Well who did at 9 or 10 years old.
Cant conjure up any images of any of the other stars when it was at the coliseum, but when it moved to the Astro dome, saw Elvis one year, and Johnny Cash and June carter Cash. Didnt matter the magnitude of the star, the rodeo and fat stock show, was never the same again once it moved to the Atrodome, at least for me.
OH, I think the Lone Ranger (clayton Moore) was at one of the rodeos at the coliseum...and Tonto (Jay Silverheels)...I know yall remember the LRs horse...SILVER, but did you know that in the beginning, he called him "Dusty", that is until a new sponsor took over the show...SILVERCUP BREAD...And Tontos horse was "Scout", and also "White Feller" and "Paint"...
And we all know RR and DE horses were Trigger and Buttermilk respectively...and Gene Autrys horse was "Champion"...Most all the TV/Movie cowboys and girls lived in the San Fernando Valley, until land prices got so redicuously high, you had to be a fool not to cash in on the market. Gene Autry sold all of his holdings, exceopt for about 6 acres, so his horse Champion could live out his life in familiar surroundings. Just somemore useless trivia that my brain conjures up for no apparent reason. I cant remember which teacher we had that said, "if you cant dazzle em with brilliance, snow em with BS" ...I think it was one of our teachers...coulda been a martian I suppose...
Someone mentioned The Cisco Kid, (Duncan Renaldo), and Pancho, (Leo Carillo)...remember their horses names???? Ciscos horse was "Diablo", and Panchos horse was "Loco"...
Zorros Horse???? "Tornado"...Robert E Lees horse??? "Traveler"...Andy Jacksons horse was "Truxton"...Ulesseys S Grants horse was, "Cincinnati"...And the only survivor of the Little Big Horn massacre was "Commanche", and for many years was said to be Custers horse, but it belonged to and was ridden on that day by Captain Miles W. Keough...Custor rode a horse named "Vic", which was slain at the Little Big Horn...General William Tecumseh Shermans horse was "Winchester"
Buffalo Bill, the real Buffalo Bill had two horse he favored, one that he road for show appearances, was a white horse named "Isham"...He used another horse as his hunting horse, "Old Charlie" ..."Old Charlie" died on the boat trip back from one of BB s european appearances, and was buried at sea in the atlantic...
Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) horse was "Toppper"...Here's an easy one, what was the horses name "National Velvet"???? Go ahead, think, I'll wait...time passes...yes, you are all correct, "PIE" was his name.
Here's a harder one...what was Kevin Costners Horses name in Dances With Wolves???
WOW, ok, you all got it right again, "Cisco"...Man, you guys are good...
Lots O useless and worthless trivia crowdin and cloudin up my mind...
I remember the rodeo parades mostly...one year it would be 30 degrees, and the next year 90 degrees...
One year my sisters High school marching band marched in the parade, and it was "blue cold" bout 30 degrees and wind was just a whippin down main street...Seems my sister was the only one that could make the bass clarinet sound like anything other than a frog, so she got selected to play it in the parade. The girls wore skirts...seems the powers to be, idiots mostly, wouldnt let the girls wear long pants, no matter how bad the weather was..."wasnt lady like" ...OH BULLSHOOT...Sometimes peoples stupid gets in the way of common sense...I remember in our highschool days, didnt it have to be below 0 before they would let the girls wear pants????
Oh, well, I liked the parades back then, dont much care for em now though. All they do is clog up the streets, and make bad traffic even worse, and leave horse poo on the road...But, the little kids like em...those folks below 60 years of age...
I've either made your day, or bored you silly with my trivia, so I think I will sign off...Tile folks are about half through...gonna go check on Huckleberry Hound and his sidekick Goofus...
Happy Trails mine friens
Your frien and brother
Beaucephus DOD, and his horse "Big Oliver"
Posr Script: Here's another bit of trivia, (I just cant quit can I) Sgt Preston of the Yukons horse was "Rex and "Blackie" and of course his wonder dog "King"...
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