 (Image courtesy of Jack Tillmany) Above - Frank Rice (with a moustache) circa 1934. |  | Frank Rice Full name: Frank Thomas Rice 1892 - 1936 |
 (From Old Corral image collection) Above are a stern Tom Tyler and a clean shaven Frank Rice in a crop from a lobby card from TERROR OF THE PLAINS (Reliable, 1934). | | The Internet Movie Database lists Frank Rice as: born 13 May 1892 in Muskegon, Michigan and passed away on 9 January 1936 in Los Angeles of nephritis and hepatitis (both of which affect the kidneys). If anyone has any biographical info on Rice, please shoot the Old Corral webmaster an e-mail. We do know that Rice began film work in the early silent era, doing bit and supporting roles in various films, including silent oaters starring Jack Hoxie, Bill Cody, Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Pete Morrison and Buck Jones. In the late 1920s, he settled in as the mature helper/sidekick to youngster Buzz Barton in Buzz's series at Film Booking Office (FBO). During the 1930s, Rice continued his saddle pal duties, working most frequently with Buck Jones and Ken Maynard. But he also assisted or had support roles in oaters with Tom Keene at RKO, Reliable's Jack Perrin and Tom Tyler, Tim McCoy at Columbia, at Fox with George O'Brien, and John Wayne in his Warners series. I went through Rice's film listing on the IMDb and chuckled a bit at his many screen names which included "Taterbug Watson", "Amos Butts", "Pinwheel", "Banty", "Sagebrush", "Thirsty", "Nevady", "Thunder" ... along with "Shorty" and "Shrimp". He's listed in about 130 silent and sound films during the period from 1912 - 1936. In about a third of those films, Rice is working with Barton or Hoxie or Maynard or Jones. I was skeptical of the 1892 birth year for Rice. I recently viewed about a half dozen of his 1930s westerns and he looks older. Jack Tillmany located a census record on Rice and it appears that his 1892 birth year is correct:
In the 1930 Census, Frank T. Rice is living at 6806 Hollywood Blvd. as a "lodger", age 37, occupation "actor", apparently unmarried. This address is none other than the legendary HOLLYWOOD HOTEL on the NW corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Avenue.
Dale Crawford advised that Rice is interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California (lot 5, Section 6336, Memorial G).
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 (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) Above, Ken Maynard is doing some fiddlin' from what else, THE FIDDLING BUCKAROO (Universal, 1933). Playing the harmonica is Frank Rice (as Maynard's sidekick "Banty") .  (From Old Corral image collection) In TERROR OF THE PLAINS (Reliable, 1934), Tom Tyler has his right arm around Charles "Slim" Whitaker and his left arm is restraining William Gould. In the background are: Herman Hack is on the left with arms raised; Silver Tip Baker has the handlebar moustache; Robert Walker (as the sheriff) is the on the horse in far right background; in the far right foreground, tallish Frank Rice (portraying Tyler's sidekick "Banty") has a hold on an unidentified player.  (From Old Corral image collection) Above from L-to-R are Buck Jones, Charlotte Wynters and Frank Rice (as "Pike") in a re-release lobby card for THE IVORY-HANDLED GUN (Universal, 1935). This was among the last half-dozen or so film appearances for Rice who passed away on January 9, 1936. |
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Frank Rice: