Ask B-Western fans to name their favorite movie cowboys and you’ll get responses ranging from Tom Mix to Clint Eastwood. Falling between these iconic bookends, the golden age of oaters (1935-1950) produced a long list of horseback heroes, with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Hopalong Cassidy generally regarded as The Big Three. As such, the uninformed fan may assume their films are correspondingly alike. In many ways, of course, they are similar, but there are bona fide differences that set Hopalong Cassidy apart.

The first clue is hidden in plain sight on most Hopalong Cassidy movie posters: Clarence Mulford’s name in big letters at the top. A dedicated student of Western history and cowboy lore, Mulford was known for the historic integrity of his stories. From 1907 through 1941 the most popular character in his best-selling Western novels was an ornery, hard drinking, quick-on-the-trigger cowpoke who walked with a pronounced limp. Thus Hopalong Cassidy was already a familiar name to millions of readers when producer Harry Sherman launched the Hoppy film series in 1935.

This factor alone set Hoppy apart from Gene and Roy, who played themselves as characters with no defining historic context. Packed with fast action and quality music, their films were fun to watch vehicles that capitalized on their appeal as entertainers. Hoppy, though, was not a singer or fancy-Dan. He was a wily, working cowboy whose non-flashy clothes and tall black hat were usually covered with trail dust. Depth of experience was another difference. William Boyd had already made more than 60 films before taking on the role, whereas Gene and Roy were musicians who had gained notice as singers prior to jumping on the Hollywood bandwagon. It was a skilled actor playing a complex fictional character versus singers pretending to be cowboys.

The period setting is another defining aspect. Routinely including Jeeps, two-way radios, telephones and even a touch of science fiction, Gene and Roy made no attempt to establish a credible historic reference relating to the suggested wild west setting of their films. The Hoppy films, on the other hand, were clearly set in the 1880-1900 time period when cattle drives, outlaws, and territorial clashes were still a part of life on the vast open range. You won’t see a radio, telephone, airplane, or modern car in a Hopalong Cassidy movie.

In Hopalong Cassidy-An American Legend, a new Gemstone book written with co-author Michael Cochran, allows Grace Bradley Boyd, now 95, to tell the story of Hoppy from his first appearance in a 1905 Mulford story to the transforming effect the character had on her husband William Boyd, leading to his eventual fame as an American role model and television’s first superstar. In addition to the great love story revolving around Bill and Grace, the 368-page coffee table book is loaded with rare photographs, poster illustrations, and an insider’s perspective on 1930s-1940s Hollywood. The popular edition of the book will soon be available at major bookstores nationwide, with pre-orders now being taken at gemstonepub.com. For a preview of its content and information about the leather bound limited edition, visit russcochran.com. If you’re a fan of Hoppy or B-Westerns in general, or know someone who is, this book is a must have.