Hoot Gibson was a colorful figure, a light-hearted, fun-loving personality on screen and off. Hoot’s cheerful westerns included a significant amount of comedy. His mild, peaceful character rarely carried a gun. As an expert horseman, Hoot was always impressive on a galloping horse. Gibson’s film career began in 1910 with a few films for the Biograph Company interspersed among rodeo competitions. In 1914 he was a stuntman for the serial The Hazards of Helen, doubling the serial’s star Helen Holmes. His stunts included fights on trains and transfers from a train to a horse. He had supporting roles in numerous Western short films, including playing the villain in A Knight of the Range (1916) opposite popular western star Harry Carey. He appeared in three of the Westerns made by Carey and director John Ford in 1917: Straight Shooting, The Secret Man, and A Marked Man. Hoot’s starring career at Universal Studios was launched in two films directed by Ford, Action (1921) and Sure Fire (1921). In these films, Hoot plays a wandering cowboy who rescues the pretty young co-star from outlaws.
Hoot became a popular western star for Universal. Film titles such as Ridin’ Wild (1922), Thrill Chaser (1923), Hit and Run (1924), Hurricane Kid (1925), and Galloping Fury (1927) guaranteed Hoot’s fans five reels of action and fun. Hoot’s easygoing approach gave his films a lighthearted tone. A deft comedian, he featured as much comedy as drama.
As talkies arrived, Hoot continued as a Western star, but with lower budget producers such as M.H. Hoffman Inc. (distributed on a state rights basis by Allied Pictures Corporation) and Walker Futter Productions (Diversion Pictures). In 1935, Hoot co-starred with Harry Carey in Powdersmoke Range, advertised by RKO as the "Barnum and Bailey of Westerns" (whatever that means). The cast list of this "all star" (B western stars) film included Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Tom Tyler, William Farnum, and other Westerners from the silent era. In 1937 at Republic, he made a serial, The Painted Stallion, in support of new cowboy star Ray Corrigan.
An aging Hoot retained his fine horsemanship and comic flair, but fan interest had moved to the new singing cowboys, especially Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Hoot’s Westerns had lost their appeal. In the late thirties, out of movies, Hoot toured with circuses and appeared at rodeos and fairs.
In 1943, after seven years off the screen, Hoot returned in the Trail Blazer series at Monogram Studios. In these Westerns, Marshall Hoot Gibson, initially co-starred with Ken Maynard and later with Bob Steele and Chief Thundercloud, upholds the law and captures outlaws and crooked businessmen threatening the lives and property of innocent citizens. Hoot made eleven Trail Blazer films; the last was Trigger Law (1944). John Ford brought Hoot back for a cameo role in The Horse Soldiers (1959). His last screen appearance was as a sheriff’s deputy in Ocean’s Eleven (1960), another cameo.
as (archive footage)
as Roadblock Deputy (uncredited)
as Sgt. Brown
as Marshal Ben Dawson
as The Cowboy(1 ep)
as Sheriff Bradley
as Hoot Gibson
as Marshal H.R. Higgins
as Hoot Parkford
as Hoot Gibson
as Hoot
as Hoot Gibson
as Hoot Gibson
as Hoot Gibson
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
as U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
as Walter Jamison
as Walter Jamison
as Clint Knox
as Brent Halston
as Al Goss
as Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner
as 'Whitey' Revel
as Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson
as Swifty
as Stony Brooke
as Neil Gibson Jr.
as Reasonin' Bates
as Steve Hartley
as 'Ace' Cooper posing as Tex
as Dan Alton
as Jimmy Duncan
as Tex Mason
as Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey
as Jim Bonner
as Clint Hale
as William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton
as Jim Wright
as Self (uncredited)
as Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont
as Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid
as Bob Merril
as Texas Ranger Tim Brennan
as Jim Dailey
as Ed King
as Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid
as Clarence Butts
as The Ramblin' Kid
as Cole Lawson Jr.
as Scratch 'Em Hank Scott
as Skyball Smith
as Tom Richards
as Jack Purvin
as Richard Gordon Jr
as Chip Jr.
as Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle
as Pete Watson
as Rodeo Bill
as Bill Hammond
as Benjamin Franklin Tully
as Dennis O'Hara
as Billy Halen
as Bucky Simms
as Self
as Billy Garford
as Andy Barden
as Jimmie Roberts
as Rodeo Randall
as Jerry Alton
as Ed Harley
as Chad Pennington
as Bob Langdon
as Jeff Morgan Jr.
as 'Click' Farlane
as Chip Bennett
as Coot Cadigan
as Dan Malloy
as Bill Bangs
as Bob Carson
as Ben Johnson
as John Carleton
as The Hurricane Kid
as Bud Watkins
as Hoot Gibson
as Clarence Elwood Butts
as 'Swat' Anderson
as Dave Hollis
as Luke Hawkins
as Bud Watkins
as Ace Cooper
as Omar K. Jenkins
as The Ramblin' Kid
as Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip
as Sam Pertune
as Duke Travis
as Ben Slowbell
as 'Katy' Didd
as Hector MacKnight
as Dennis O'Shane
as Andy Walker
as Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson)
as Laramie Lad
as 'Simplex' Cox
as Bert Lyons
as Dale Garland
as Vic Collins
as The Singin' Kid
as Bill Perkins
as Bob Corey
as Jeff Bransford
as Pinto Peters
as Sandy Brouke
as The Texas Ranger
as Dick Harris
as The Driftin' Kid
as The Stranger
as Sandy Adams
as Dave Bodie
as Billy Steele
as Scot McHale
as Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers)
as Bing Davidson
as 'In Wrong' Wright
as Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch
as Roarin' Dan
as Tom Jackson
as The Broncho Kid
as Jeffrey Halley
as Bob Watson
as Steve Larmon
as Tim McKenzie - the Crow
as The Prairie Dog
as Gang Leader
as Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend
as Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens
as The Deputy
as Lonnie Larkin
as Danny Morgan
as Dick Rankin
as Sheriff
as Vassily - Ivan's Brother
as Undetermined Role
as Chuck Fadden
as Danny Morgan
as Cowboy
as Chuck Rafferty
as Chip's Pal
as 'Red' Johnson
as Joe
as Messenger / Etzer
as Blanding
as Stanley's Henchman
as The Cowboy
as 2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson)
as Jack Harding
as Bob Graham
as Jack
as Train Crew (uncredited)
as Orturo
as Messenger on Motorcycle
as Etzer - Doyle's Pal
as Deputy (uncredited)
as Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited)
as Butler
as Tom Lattier - the Son
as Broncho Rider (uncredited)
