Hollywood, the Tex Ritter Story

Hollywood, the Tex Ritter Story Review

Of all the Hollywood singing cowboys, there is no doubt that Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were the most popular, but among lovers of western folk music, the most highly regarded was Tex Ritter. His movie career began in 1936 and from then until 1946, he starred in seventy westerns. With the demise of the B western in the late Forties, most of the cowboy stars lost their followings, but not so Ritter. In fact, he achieved even greater fame as a balladeer with his recordings, radio work and personal appearances than he had as a movie cowboy. Ritter's interest in folk music began when he was a student at the University of Texas and over the years he steadily collected native songs, in addition to writing songs of his own. By the time the classic western "High Noon" was made in 1951, only one man was ever considered to voice its celebrated narrative ballad - Tex Ritter. Ritter died of a sudden heart attack in Nashville in 1974, bringing to an end a life that had reached legendary proportions. Not only had he built a backlog of movies and recordings, but he had won even wider audiences on television. In 1965 he began his appearances on Grand Ole Opry and with that famed show he had a lifetime contract. In this video salute to one of the most distinctive men in the history of western culture, host/producer Tony Thomas begins with a selection of songs from such Ritter movies as "Sing, Cowboy Sing" , "Utah Trail", "Hittin' the Trail", and "Arizona Days", and after telling the Ritter story, he presents a complete version of what is generally regarded as the best of the Ritter westerns - "Trouble in Texas".