The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

Earle Hodgins sometimes spelled Earl Hodgins 1893 - 1964

Hodgins film career began in the mid 1930s, and somehow, somewhere, he became typecast as a machine gun talking carnival barker, medicine show huckster, con artist, snake oil salesman, auctioneer, etc., and he played that role in scores of films and TV shows. One of the best examples of Hodgins' doing his Indian remedy Medicine Show bit is in the John Wayne PARADISE CANYON (Monogram/Lone Star, 1935).  He worked in B westerns at Republic, Paramount, and other companies, in films starring the likes of William Boyd, Gene Autry, Allan Lane and Sunset Carson.  He was frequently employed by Republic Pictures, and his film credits at that studio number about 55 from 1936-1950, most all of which are B westerns. During a ten year period (1937-1947), Hodgins did roles in over twenty of the Paramount and United Artists' Hopalong Cassidy releases.

Les Adams has the fast talkin' Hodgins identified in 200+ sound films, and that includes 126 westerns and 5 serials.

Hodgins did have other roles where he wasn't required to demonstrate his rapid fire verbal skills. But my personal recollections of Hodgins remains as:

How can he deliver so many lines of dialog without ever taking a breath!

In the 1950s, he appeared in TVers such as THE CISCO KID, THE RANGE RIDER, WILD BILL HICKOK, GUNSMOKE, RAWHIDE, more.

You also may want to go to the In Search Of ... webpage on the Old Corral.  Then go to the California Death Records at RootsWeb, and you'll find a record on Hodgins: Earl Hodgins (Earl is spelled without the extra e at the end), born 10/06/1893 in Utah, Mother's maiden name of Adarr, and he passed away on 4/14/1964. There is no record in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), probably because the family did not file a claim for the Social Security burial expense.

(Courtesy of Dale Crawford & Jim Sorensen)

Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California, Section 147, Garden Of Peace (Urn Garden).

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R sitting are Stuart James, Bill Cody, Earle Hodgins and L-to-R standing are Roger Williams and Ace Cain.  From THE TEXAS RAMBLER (Spectrum, 1935), one of Hodgins' earliest screen appearances. Above, Earle Hodgins in one of his patented (typecast) roles as the fast-talking boss and pitchman from the visiting medicine show in OREGON TRAIL SCOUTS (Republic, 1947), an entry in the Allan Lane/Red Ryder series.  Sitting in the back of the wagon and wearing the buckskins is Robert 'Bobby' Blake as 'Little Beaver'. Above from L-to-R in the front row are Bob Wilke, Sunset Carson, Rex Lease and Earle Hodgins in FIREBRANDS OF ARIZONA (Republic, 1944), one of the Sunset Carson sagebrush yarns of the mid 1940s. Above, from L-to-R are Earle Hodgins, Bobby Blake as Little Beaver and Bill Elliott tending to Duncan Renaldo in THE SAN ANTONIO KID (Republic, 1944).

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Earle Hodgins.  Click HERE.