William
Boyd
Born:
June
5,
1895
-
Died:
Sept.
12,
1972
By
Tom
Mason
 My
first
really
strong
memories
of
Hoppy
started
in
the
fifties
with
the
screenings
of
his
old
movies
on
Los
Angeles
TV
Station
KTLA.
His
films
were
showcased
on
Sunday
nights
in
prime
time,
hosted
by
local
celebrity
Dick
Garten
and
sponsored
by
Barbara
Ann
Bread.
Hoppy's
movies
were
almost
required
viewing
in
our
area
and
especially
at
my
house.
Next
to
Space
Patrol,
he
was
my
favorite.
Hoppy
merchandise
was
everywhere.
I
bought
six-guns
and
holsters,
hot
chocolate
cups,
milk
glasses,
lots
of
Barbara
Ann
Bread, comic
books,
and
even
a
Hoppy
pocket
knife.
It
was
great
fun.
Once,
my
80
year
old
Italian
grandfather
and
I
took
the
bus
to
the
Long
Beach
Pike
oceanfront
amusement
center
and
found
a
theater
showcasing
6
back
to
back
Hoppy
Westerns
and
the
admission
was
a
dollar.
We
went
in
and
spent
the
entire
morning
and
part
of
the
afternoon
watching
him
up
on
the
big
screen.
My
grandfather
enjoyed
them
as
much
as
I
did.
Hoppy
made
personal
appearances
all
over
the
southland
and
I
tried
to
make
everyone
of
them.
He
was
especially
impressive
in
the
Pasadena
Rose
Bowl
parade
astride
Topper.
The
smile
and
laugh
were
all
there
as
I
remembered
them
and
he
was
gracious
to
all
those
that
called
out
his
name.
He
was
my
hero.
I
listened
faithfully
to
his
radio
show,
and
watched
his
new
made-for-tv
show.....
I
bemoaned
the
loss
of
California
Carlson
(Andy
Clyde)
and
did
not
much
care
for
his
new
overweight
sidekick,
but
it
was
still
Hoppy.
 When
he
became
ill
and
would
not
appear
in
public, due
to
his
appearance,
I
realized
that
he
might
not
be
with
us
much
longer,
even
though
he
had
always
appeared
ageless.
When
word
came
of
his
death,
(Boyd
passed
away
in
Laguna
Beach,
CA
in
1972
of
parkinsons
disease
&
heart
failure)
I
mourned
him
like
a
family
member.
The
actor
William
Boyd
had
transformed
a
scruffy mean
spirited cowboy
that
Clarence
Mulford
had
written about
in
many
novels, into
a
cowboy
legend
and
he
had
become
that
black-clad
hero
in
his
personal
life.
Just
as
Hopalong
Cassidy
had
a
profound
influence
on
the
lives
of
many
of
the
youth
of
America,
so
Hopalong
had
done
the
same
to
William
Boyd.
Today,
I
have
come
to
realize
that
Hopalong
Cassidy
will
never
really
die,
he
is
with
us
in
cherished
memories
and
the
miracle
of
modern
day
video
and
audio
recordings
and
the
Encore
Western
Channel.
Tom
Mason
aka
The
Crimson
Collector
Click
HERE
for
more
info
and
a
Filmography
on
William
'Hoppy'
Boyd
Return
to
The
CRIMSON
CORRAL
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