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. |
Earl Dwire Full name: Earl Dean Dwire 1883 - 1940
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According to Bob Nareau, the author of several books on Bob Steele, Earl Dwire was a personal friend of Steele and his father, Robert North Bradbury ... and they would often go fishing and hunting together.
That close relationship carried over to the film business with Dwire working in 41 oaters helmed by Bradbury:
Prior to Hollywood, Dwire acted - and even did some directing - in traveling repertory companies and stock theater. He was married at least twice - his first wife was named Ruth. In 1923, he married Elizabeth Alice Maddeaux in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and 'Beth' was a stage actress).
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Spelling errors were fairly common in the opening or closing credits in the ol' B western. Occasionally, Earl Dwire's first or last name got mangled. On the left is the cast list / opening title credits from the Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. adventure, CARYL OF THE MOUNTAINS (Reliable, 1936) ... with Earl as "Dwyer". In a few other films, Earl was "Earle". |
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Earl Dwire: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0245429/
You can view/download a bunch of public domain films with Dwire from: The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), the California Death Records database, Internet Broadway Database, newspapers, and other sources have information on Earl Dwire and family:
Find A Grave website has a photo of the military headstone for Earl D. Dwire who is interred at Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. The headstone has Dwire's military unit as the 343rd Battalion, Tank Corps: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3704823/earl-dean-dwire The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), California Death Index, and issues of the Variety and Clipper tradepapers on the Internet Archive have a few tidbits on the Dwire Family. Appears that Earl had at least one brother and one sister, and his father was a doctor. If the 1890 census was available, we'd probably learn more about the Dwire family, but that census was lost in a 1921 fire (and water damage) at the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C.:
It's always interesting to click through newspaper headlines and clippings at the Google newspaper archives. The following links will take you to free articles on Earl Dwire's stage career:
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Earl Dwire - with dark hair and a dark mustache.
(Courtesy of Sam Lawson) L-to-R are Jack Kirk, Sherry Tansey, and Earl Dwire in Johnny Mack Brown's BETWEEN MEN (Supreme, 1935). This is a solid oater with a strong plot, and Earl Dwire is boss of a rustling gang. Henchmen working for him are Jack Kirk and Sherry Tansey. (From Old Corral collection) There's four unidentified players seated and standing on the left. Then there's Bill Cody (red shirt), Earl Dwire (behind Cody), Gilbert Pratt (lawman) and William L. Thorne (seated at table, wearing suit). Lobby card and crop/blowup from Cody's LAW OF THE NORTH (Monogram, 1932). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Fred Kohler, Jr., Ed Cassidy (minus his usual moustache) and Dwire in THE PECOS KID (Commodore, 1935), one of two starring oaters for Kohler Jr. In PECOS, Earl was billed as "Dwyer". Fred Kohler, Jr. was the real life son of movie bad guy Fred Kohler, Sr. He drifted into playing baddies - just like his father - and was in many of the later Roy Rogers films. (From Old Corral collection) Above - a young John Wayne has collared a young and thin Eddie Parker, and on horseback, Yakima Canutt has Earl Dwire under wraps. This re-release lobby card is from THE STAR PACKER (Lone Star/Monogram, 1934), one of eleven 1930s Wayne westerns directed by Bob Steele's father, Robert North Bradbury. (Courtesy of Les Adams) L-to-R are Sonny Chorre, William Gould, Jack Perrin, Charles 'Slim' Whitaker, and Earl Dwire (as 'Red Wolf') in Perrin's WOLF RIDERS (Reliable, 1935). Gould is the boss of some fur thieves. (From Old Corral collection) Above - Tex Ritter has the drop on Earl Dwire in a lobby card from HITTIN' THE TRAIL (Grand National, 1937), which was helmed by Bob Steele's father, Robert North Bradbury. (Courtesy of Ken Jones) Above from L-to-R are Earl Dwire, Steve Clark, Tom Keene, Oscar Gahan, Charles B. Murphy (wearing the badge) and Denver Dixon (Victor Adamson) in a scene from Keene's ROMANCE OF THE ROCKIES (Monogram, 1937), another oater helmed by Robert North Bradbury. (From Old Corral collection) Above, Bob Steele has the drop on Earl Dwire in this blue duotone 1950 re-release lobby card from THE GUN RANGER (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937), one of the A. W. Hackel produced Supreme westerns which were released by Republic Pictures. Robert North Bradbury directed. |
Earl Dwire - with grey hair and a grey mustache.
(Courtesy of Dorothy Hack) Above from left to right are lawman Earl Dwire (standing), Gordon Clifford, Perry Murdock, John Wayne, Herman Hack (as a Deputy) and Reed Howes in a scene from PARADISE CANYON (Lone Star/Monogram, 1935). (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above - Earl Dwire is given an assist by Harry Carey Sr. in GHOST TOWN (Ajax, 1936), one of the half-dozen B grade oaters Carey did for Ajax and Commodore in the mid 1930s. Dwire portrayed a toothless old codger and miner who gets ambushed by no-goods Lee Shumway, Chuck Morrison and Roger Williams. Carey saves Dwire's life ... and his stack of greenbacks. (Courtesy of Carol Murray and her "Jack Hendricks Photo Album") From left to right are Robert Walker, Earl Dwire, Roger Williams and Richard Talmadge with the wounded Jack Hendricks. Scene from STEP ON IT (Reliable, 1936). In this, Dwire was the father of heroine Lois Wilde. |