Tim McCoy | WatchedThis
Tim McCoy
Acting
Biography
One of the great stars of early American Westerns. McCoy was the son of an Irish soldier who later became police chief of Saginaw, Michigan, where McCoy was born. He attended St. Ignatius College in Chicago and after seeing a Wild West show there, left school and found work on a Wyoming ranch. He became an expert horseman and roper and developed a keen knowledge of the ways and languages of the Indian tribes in the area. He competed in numerous rodeos, then enlisted in the U.S. Army when America entered the First World War. He was commissioned and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of World War I, he returned to his ranch in Wyoming, only to be called by Governor Bob Carry to the post of Adjutant General of Wyoming, a position he held until 1921. The position carried with it the rank of Brigadier General (a brevet promotion) and it has been reported that this made him the youngest general officer in the U.S. Army. His reputation as a friend to the Wind River Reservation Indians, both Arapahoe and Shoshone, preceded him and in 1922, he was asked by the head of Famous Players-Lasky, Jesse L. Lasky, to provide Indian extras for the Western extravaganza, The Covered Wagon (1923). He resigned from the state position and recruited several hundred Indians to the Utah movie location. When the film wrapped, he was asked to choose several Indians to accompany him to Hollywood. There the production company developed a live 'prologue' to be presented just prior to the movie showing. The idea was a success and McCoy and his Indian group toured the U.S. and eventually, Europe as well. After touring this country and Europe with the Indians as publicity, McCoy returned to Hollywood and used his connections to obtain further work in the movies, both as a technical advisor and eventually as an actor. MGM speedily signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns and McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns. He retired from the army and from films after the war, but emerged in the late 1940s for a few more films and some television work. In 1942 he ran for the Republican Nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. He was defeated and returned to Hollywood and an uncertain future. In 1946 he sold his Wyoming ranch and moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the life of the gentleman farmer. While living there, he met and married Danish writer Inga Arvad. He later built a home in Nogales, Arizona where Inga subsequently died in 1973. He spent his later years as a retired rancher. He died at the U.A. Army hospital at Ft. Hauchuca, Arizona on January 29 1978 at the age of 86. Inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. During World War I, he served as an artillery officer in the US Army in France. Spouse Inga Arvad (1945 - 1973) (her death) Alice Miller (? - 1931) (divorced) (3 children)
Filmography Movies
Acting
Around the World in 80 Days
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.
Voice in the Night
Tim Dale is the son of the president of a big-city telephone company and quits his job following a dispute with his father over company policy. He takes up polo playing. Circumstances force him to give up his polo-playing and take on the job of helping a small-town telephone company overcome a plan by a gang to force the company out of business. He calls in his telephone-company pals Bob Hall and Jack to aid him against the crooks led by Matthews and Jackson, working for crooked lawyer Thomas Benton.
The Thundering Herd
Story of a trader who uncovers a scheme to blame the Indians for a Buffalo massacre.
Sioux Blood
One of John Waters' two Tim McCoy westerns made with MGM in the last years of the silent era. A print is preserved at the George Eastman House in New York but it hasn't been made available to the public and there don't seem to be any plans for it.
The Overland Telegraph
At the beginning of the Civil War, as federal troops start to build the first overland telegraph, Indians, who fear the wires, kill some of the linesmen. In response, Major Hammond, who oversees the troops, requests that President Abraham Lincoln send twenty thousand more soldiers to come to his aid. Lincoln grants Hammond's request, and sends along Capt. Allen, who is knowledgeable about Indians. At his new post, Allen discovers that a Confederate spy has been fomenting trouble with the Indians. Allen eventually uncovers the spy, makes peace with the Indians and wins the love of Dorothy, a young woman who lives at the post.
Two-Fisted Law
Rancher Tim Clark borrows money from Bob Russell, who then rustles Clark's cattle so he will be unable to repay the money. Thus Russell is able to cheat Clark out of his ranch. Clark becomes a prospector for silver and ultimately comes to settle accounts with Russell and crooked deputy Bendix.
Texas Cyclone
When Texas Grant rides into town people think the supposedly dead Jim Rawlins has returned. After a confrontation with Utah Becker, Grant learns Jim's wife, Helen, is about to lose her ranch to Becker, so he decides to stay and pose as Rawlins in an effort to help her.
Aces and Eights
A card sharp steps in when a Mexican family's ranch is threatened by swindlers and cheats.
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
Below the Border
Scully has forced Joe Collins who works on the Garcia ranch to give him information so his men can steal the family jewels. But the Rough Riders are on the job. Buck poses as a wanted outlaw to get into the gang, Tim as a cattle buyer, and Sandy is collecting information as the saloon janitor. As usual they pretend not to know each other. Written by Maurice Van Auken
Production
The Thundering Herd
Story of a trader who uncovers a scheme to blame the Indians for a Buffalo massacre.
The Vanishing American
A tribe of Navajo live on a reservation overseen by an Indian-hating agent.
The Covered Wagon
Two wagon caravans converge at what is now Kansas City, and combine for the westward push to Oregon. On their quest the pilgrims will experience desert heat, mountain snow, hunger, and Indian attack. To complicate matters further, a love triangle develops, as pretty Molly must chose between Sam, a brute, and Will, the dashing captain of the other caravan. Can Will overcome the skeleton in his closet and win Molly's heart?
Gallery
