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.
Movie | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976-05-01 |
Movie | Hollywood Without Make-Up | Self (archive footage) | 1963-07-01 |
Movie | Ocean's Eleven | Roadblock Deputy (uncredited) | 1960-08-10 |
Movie | The Horse Soldiers | Sgt. Brown | 1959-06-11 |
Movie | The Marshal's Daughter | Marshal Ben Dawson | 1953-06-25 |
Series | I Married Joan | The Cowboy | 1952-10-15 |
Movie | Flight to Nowhere | Sheriff Bradley | 1946-09-30 |
Movie | Arizona Whirlwind | Hoot Gibson | 1944-02-21 |
Movie | Outlaw Trail | Hoot | 1944-04-29 |
Movie | Westward Bound | Hoot Gibson | 1944-01-17 |
Movie | Trigger Law | Hoot Gibson | 1944-09-29 |
Movie | Sonora Stagecoach | Hoot Gibson | 1944-06-10 |
Movie | The Utah Kid | Marshal H.R. Higgins | 1944-08-25 |
Movie | Marked Trails | Hoot Parkford | 1944-07-29 |
Movie | Wild Horse Stampede | Marshal Hoot Gibson | 1943-04-16 |
Movie | The Law Rides Again | U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson | 1943-08-06 |
Movie | Death Valley Rangers | Hoot Gibson | 1943-12-03 |
Movie | Blazing Guns | Marshal Hoot Gibson | 1943-10-08 |
Movie | The Painted Stallion | Walter Jamison | 1937-06-05 |
Movie | The Riding Avenger | Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner | 1936-06-14 |
Movie | Lucky Terror | Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson | 1936-02-20 |
Movie | Feud of the West | 'Whitey' Revel | 1936-04-14 |
Movie | The Last Outlaw | Al Goss | 1936-06-19 |
Movie | Cavalcade of the West | Clint Knox | 1936-10-01 |
Movie | Frontier Justice | Brent Halston | 1936-10-01 |
Movie | Sunset Range | Reasonin' Bates | 1935-04-02 |
Movie | Rainbow's End | Neil Gibson Jr. | 1935-07-16 |
Movie | Swifty | Swifty | 1935-12-12 |
Movie | Powdersmoke Range | Stony Brooke | 1935-09-27 |
Movie | The Dude Bandit | 'Ace' Cooper posing as Tex | 1933-04-05 |
Movie | The Fighting Parson | Steve Hartley | 1933-08-01 |
Movie | The Cowboy Counsellor | Dan Alton | 1932-10-14 |
Movie | The Local Bad Man | Jim Bonner | 1932-01-14 |
Movie | The Spirit of the West | Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey | 1932-03-01 |
Movie | The Boiling Point | Jimmy Duncan | 1932-07-15 |
Movie | A Man's Land | Tex Mason | 1932-06-10 |
Movie | Clearing the Range | Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont | 1931-04-01 |
Movie | We're switching to Hollywood | Self (uncredited) | 1931-06-09 |
Movie | The Gay Buckaroo | Clint Hale | 1931-12-02 |
Movie | Wild Horse | Jim Wright | 1931-08-02 |
Movie | The Hard Hombre | William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton | 1931-09-20 |
Movie | Trailing Trouble | Ed King | 1930-03-23 |
Movie | The Mounted Stranger | Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid | 1930-02-08 |
Movie | Roaring Ranch | Jim Dailey | 1930-04-27 |
Movie | Trigger Tricks | Texas Ranger Tim Brennan | 1930-06-01 |
Movie | The Concentratin' Kid | Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid | 1930-10-26 |
Movie | Spurs | Bob Merril | 1930-08-24 |
Movie | The Lariat Kid | Tom Richards | 1929-05-12 |
Movie | Smilin' Guns | Jack Purvin | 1929-03-31 |
Movie | King of the Rodeo | Chip Jr. - Montana Kid | 1929-01-06 |
Movie | Burning the Wind | Richard Gordon Jr | 1929-02-10 |
Movie | The Winged Horseman | Skyball Smith | 1929-05-24 |
Movie | Riding for Fame | Scratch 'Em Hank Scott | 1929-08-19 |
Movie | The Long, Long Trail | The Ramblin' Kid | 1929-10-26 |
Movie | Courtin' Wildcats | Clarence Butts | 1929-12-22 |
Movie | Points West | Cole Lawson Jr. | 1929-08-25 |
Movie | A Trick of Hearts | Benjamin Franklin Tully | 1928-03-18 |
Movie | The Flyin' Cowboy | Bill Hammond | 1928-05-12 |
Movie | The Rawhide Kid | Dennis O'Hara | 1928-01-29 |
Movie | The Wild West Show | Rodeo Bill | 1928-05-20 |
Movie | Clearing the Trail | Pete Watson | 1928-10-07 |
Movie | The Danger Rider | Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle | 1928-11-18 |
Movie | Hollywood or Bust | 1928-09-10 | |
Movie | Hey! Hey! Cowboy | Jimmie Roberts | 1927-04-03 |
Movie | The Denver Dude | Rodeo Randall | 1927-02-13 |
Movie | The Silent Rider | Jerry Alton | 1927-01-02 |
Movie | The Prairie King | Andy Barden | 1927-05-15 |
Movie | A Hero on Horseback | Billy Garford | 1927-06-10 |
Movie | Galloping Fury | Billy Halen | 1927-11-20 |
Movie | Painted Ponies | Bucky Simms | 1927-09-25 |
Movie | Life in Hollywood No. 3 | Self | 1927-08-25 |
Movie | Chip of the Flying U | Chip Bennett | 1926-03-14 |
Movie | Arizona Sweepstakes | Coot Cadigan | 1926-01-10 |
Movie | The Phantom Bullet | 'Click' Farlane | 1926-05-09 |
Movie | The Flaming Frontier | Bob Langdon | 1926-09-11 |
Movie | The Man in the Saddle | Jeff Morgan Jr. | 1926-07-11 |
Movie | The Texas Streak | Chad Pennington | 1926-09-26 |
Movie | The Buckaroo Kid | Ed Harley | 1926-11-14 |
Movie | Taming the West | John Carleton | 1925-03-01 |
Movie | The Hurricane Kid | The Hurricane Kid | 1925-01-25 |
Movie | The Saddle Hawk | Ben Johnson | 1925-03-08 |
Movie | Let 'er Buck | Bob Carson | 1925-03-22 |
Movie | Spook Ranch | Bill Bangs | 1925-09-20 |
Movie | The Calgary Stampede | Dan Malloy | 1925-11-01 |
Movie | Ride for Your Life | Bud Watkins | 1924-02-25 |
Movie | Broadway or Bust | Dave Hollis | 1924-06-09 |
Movie | Hook and Ladder | Ace Cooper | 1924-01-07 |
Movie | 40-Horse Hawkins | Luke Hawkins | 1924-04-21 |
Movie | Hello, 'Frisco | Hoot Gibson | 1924-09-28 |
Movie | The Sawdust Trail | Clarence Elwood Butts | 1924-08-10 |
Movie | Hit and Run | 'Swat' Anderson | 1924-08-10 |
Movie | The Ridin' Kid from Powder River | Bud Watkins | 1924-11-30 |
Movie | Dead Game | 'Katy' Didd | 1923-04-23 |
Movie | Single Handed | Hector MacKnight | 1923-03-25 |
Movie | Kindled Courage | Andy Walker | 1923-01-08 |
Movie | Double Dealing | Ben Slowbell | 1923-05-21 |
Movie | The Gentleman from America | Dennis O'Shane | 1923-02-19 |
Movie | Shootin' for Love | Duke Travis | 1923-06-28 |
Movie | The Thrill Chaser | Omar K. Jenkins | 1923-11-26 |
Movie | Blinky | Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip | 1923-08-17 |
Movie | The Ramblin' Kid | The Ramblin' Kid | 1923-10-14 |
Movie | Out of Luck | Sam Pertune | 1923-07-23 |
Movie | Step on It! | Vic Collins | 1922-05-29 |
Movie | The Bear Cat | The Singin' Kid | 1922-04-03 |
Movie | Trimmed | Dale Garland | 1922-07-03 |
Movie | Headin' West | Bill Perkins | 1922-02-13 |
Movie | The Lone Hand | Laramie Lad | 1922-10-16 |
Movie | The Loaded Door | Bert Lyons | 1922-08-14 |
Movie | Ridin' Wild | Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson) | 1922-11-19 |
Movie | The Galloping Kid | 'Simplex' Cox | 1922-09-11 |
Movie | The Fightin' Fury | 1921-02-05 | |
Movie | The Cactus Kid | Dick Harris | 1921-03-26 |
Movie | Out o' Luck | Unknown | 1921-04-19 |
Movie | Kickaroo | Unknown | 1921-01-22 |
Movie | Who Was the Man? | The Texas Ranger | 1921-04-16 |
Movie | The Driftin' Kid | The Driftin' Kid | 1921-01-08 |
Movie | The Winning Track | Unknown | 1921-01-01 |
Movie | Crossed Clues | Unknown | 1921-04-30 |
Movie | The Saddle King | Unknown | 1921-01-01 |
Movie | Sweet Revenge | Unknown | 1921-01-13 |
Movie | Sure Fire | Jeff Bransford | 1921-11-05 |
Movie | Action | Sandy Brouke | 1921-09-12 |
Movie | Red Courage | Pinto Peters | 1921-10-10 |
Movie | Double Crossers | Unknown | 1921-05-21 |
Movie | Beating the Game | Unknown | 1921-07-30 |
Movie | The Fire Eater | Bob Corey | 1921-12-24 |
Movie | The Man Who Woke Up | Unknown | 1921-07-23 |
Movie | The Wild Wild West | Unknown | 1921-06-04 |
Movie | Bandits Beware | 1921-06-25 | |
Movie | The Movie Trail | Unknown | 1921-07-09 |
Movie | Wolf Tracks | 1920-05-07 | |
Movie | Masked | 1920-05-15 | |
Movie | The Texas Kid | 1920-04-17 | |
Movie | Thieves' Clothes | Unknown | 1920-05-22 |
Movie | The Shootin' Kid | 1920-07-01 | |
Movie | The Rattler's Hiss | Unknown | 1920-03-22 |
Movie | The Fightin' Terror | 1920-06-19 | |
Movie | The Broncho Kid | Unknown | 1920-06-05 |
Movie | West Is Best | Unknown | 1920-01-17 |
Movie | The Smilin' Kid | 1920-08-21 | |
Movie | The Jay Bird | Tom Jackson | 1920-01-03 |
Movie | Winning a Home | 1920-01-01 | |
Movie | Roarin' Dan | Roarin' Dan | 1920-01-24 |
Movie | The Sheriff's Oath | 1920-02-28 | |
Movie | Runnin' Straight | Unknown | 1920-03-13 |
Movie | Hair Trigger Stuff | 1920-03-05 | |
Movie | Held Up for the Makin's | Unknown | 1920-03-20 |
Movie | The Champion Liar | 1920-09-11 | |
Movie | The Stranger | Unknown | 1920-12-04 |
Movie | Tipped Off | Billy Steele | 1920-11-27 |
Movie | The Two-Fisted Lover | Scot McHale | 1920-11-20 |
Movie | The Brand Blotter | Unknown | 1920-12-06 |
Movie | Fight It Out | Sandy Adams | 1920-12-11 |
Movie | The Trail of the Hound | 1920-12-25 | |
Movie | The Man With The Punch | The Stranger | 1920-12-18 |
Movie | Double Danger | Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers) | 1920-11-13 |
Movie | Superstition | Dave Bodie | 1920-12-04 |
Movie | A Gamblin' Fool | 1920-10-02 | |
Movie | Cinders | Bing Davidson | 1920-11-06 |
Movie | One Law for All | Unknown | 1920-10-16 |
Movie | The Grinning Granger | 1920-10-09 | |
Movie | The Big Catch | Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch | 1920-09-25 |
Movie | The Shootin' Fool | 1920-10-23 | |
Movie | 'in Wrong' Wright | 'In Wrong' Wright | 1920-10-30 |
Movie | By Indian Post | Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend | 1919-05-23 |
Movie | The Gun Packer | Gang Leader | 1919-05-24 |
Movie | Ace High | Unknown | 1919-06-07 |
Movie | Gun Law | Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens | 1919-05-10 |
Movie | The Fighting Brothers | Lonnie Larkin | 1919-03-01 |
Movie | Kingdom Come | 1919-06-21 | |
Movie | The Black Horse Bandit | 1919-03-15 | |
Movie | His Buddy | Unknown | 1919-03-29 |
Movie | The Rustlers | The Deputy | 1919-04-26 |
Movie | The Fighting Heart | Unknown | 1919-08-16 |
Movie | The Lone Hand | Jeffrey Halley | 1919-12-13 |
Movie | The Double Hold-Up | The Broncho Kid | 1919-12-20 |
Movie | The Four-Bit Man | Unknown | 1919-08-21 |
Movie | The Trail of the Holdup Man | Bob Watson | 1919-11-29 |
Movie | The Tell-Tale Wire | Steve Larmon | 1919-10-18 |
Movie | The Jack of Hearts | The Prairie Dog | 1919-09-13 |
Movie | The Crow | Tim McKenzie - the Crow | 1919-09-15 |
Movie | The Face in the Watch | Unknown | 1919-10-15 |
Movie | The Woman in the Web | Vassily - Ivan's Brother | 1918-04-08 |
Movie | The Branded Man | Sheriff | 1918-06-13 |
Movie | Headin' South | 1918-02-25 | |
Movie | Play Straight or Fight | Dick Rankin | 1918-06-15 |
Movie | Danger, Go Slow | Unknown | 1918-12-16 |
Movie | The Midnight Flyer | Danny Morgan | 1918-06-29 |
Movie | The Golden Bullet | 'Red' Johnson | 1917-06-26 |
Movie | A 44-Calibre Mystery | Joe | 1917-05-22 |
Movie | The Hazards of Helen | Messenger / Etzer | 1917-02-24 |
Movie | The Voice on the Wire | 1917-03-18 | |
Movie | The Wrong Man | Chip's Pal | 1917-07-07 |
Movie | The Soul Herder | Chuck Rafferty | 1917-08-07 |
Movie | The Secret Man | Chuck Fadden | 1917-09-30 |
Movie | A Marked Man | Undetermined Role | 1917-10-29 |
Movie | Straight Shooting | Danny Morgan | 1917-08-27 |
Movie | Cheyenne's Pal | Cowboy | 1917-08-13 |
Movie | The Night Riders | 1916-04-01 | |
Movie | Stampede in the Night | Jack Harding | 1916-02-26 |
Movie | The Passing of Hell's Crown | The Cowboy | 1916-04-22 |
Movie | A Knight of the Range | Bob Graham | 1916-02-07 |
Movie | The Mysterious Cipher | Blanding | 1916-06-24 |
Movie | The Governor's Special | 2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson) | 1916-04-22 |
Movie | The Wedding Guest | 1916-05-27 | |
Movie | The Capture of Red Stanley | Stanley's Henchman | 1916-05-27 |
Movie | The Death Train | Etzer - Doyle's Pal | 1915-03-06 |
Movie | The Man from Texas | Deputy (uncredited) | 1915-03-02 |
Movie | The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine | Messenger on Motorcycle | 1915-05-07 |
Movie | Buckshot John | Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited) | 1915-02-04 |
Movie | The Ring of Destiny | Jack | 1915-11-18 |
Movie | The Pay Train | Orturo | 1915-06-11 |
Movie | Judge Not; or The Woman of Mona Diggings | 1915-09-27 | |
Movie | The Hazards of Helen Ep33: In Danger's Path | Train Crew (uncredited) | 1915-06-26 |
Movie | Kid Pink and the Maharajah | 1914-03-12 | |
Movie | Shotgun Jones | Tom Lattier - the Son | 1914-04-27 |
Movie | The Man from the East | Butler | 1914-12-15 |
Movie | The Telltale Knife | Unknown | 1914-11-03 |
Movie | Cowboy Sports and Pastimes | Unknown | 1913-02-01 |
Movie | In the Secret Service | Unknown | 1913-05-17 |
Movie | His Only Son | Unknown | 1912-10-09 |
Movie | A Four-Footed Hero | Broncho Rider (uncredited) | 1912-12-10 |
Movie | The New Superintendent | Unknown | 1911-11-16 |
Movie | The Two Brothers | 1910-05-12 |