Heroes, Heavies and Sagebrush
A Pictorial History of the "B" Western Players
Description:... In the "B" western of the 1930s and 1940s, the character's physical movements often revealed whether he was the hero or the villain. Dialogue was held to a minimum; the excitement came from the action, many times through stock situations. The plots were straightforward in their pursuit of action fare. Psychology was usually uncomplicated to the point of being nonexistent. The scenes were also stock situations, and were about the same for each western. It did not really matter to audiences because the things that held their attention were the personalities of the players themselves. While the Roy Rogers', Johnny Mack Browns, Gene Autrys, and John Waynes were grinding out pictures at a prodigious rate, the character (the Gabby Hayes's, Walter Brennans, the Andy Devines) and bit players were involved in dozens of films each year.
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