George "Gabby" Hayes


George Francis "Gabby" Hayes was an American actor. He began as something of a leading man and a character player, but he was best known for his numerous appearances in B-Western film series as the bewhiskered, cantankerous, but ever-loyal and brave comic sidekick of the cowboy stars William Boyd, Roy Rogers and John Wayne.

Early years

Hayes was born the third of seven children in his father's hotel, the Hayes Hotel, in Stannards, New York. He was the son of Elizabeth Morrison and Clark Hayes. In addition to operating the hotel, his father was also involved in petroleum production, an industry which began in that part of the country. His siblings included his brothers, William W., Morrison, and Clark B., and his sisters, Nellie Elizabeth Hayes Ebeling and Harriet "Hattie" Elizabeth Hayes Allen. Morrison Hayes, a corporal in the United States Army, was killed in action on July 19, 1918, during World War I in France and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the war. The American Legion post in Wellsville, New York is named after him. George's uncle on his mother's side was George F. Morrison, vice president of General Electric.
Hayes grew up in Stannards and attended Stannards School. He played semi-professional baseball while in high school. At 17 he ran away from home, joined a stock company, apparently traveled for a time with a circus, and became a successful vaudevillian. He often appeared in comic sketches as "The Rube Constable."
Hayes married Olive E. Ireland, the daughter of a glass finisher, on March 4, 1914. She joined him in vaudeville, performing under the name Dorothy Earle. Hayes had become so successful that by 1928, at age 43, he was able to retire to a home on Long Island in Baldwin, New York. He lost all his savings the next year in the 1929 stock market crash. Olive persuaded her husband to try his luck in films, and the couple moved to Los Angeles. They remained together until her death on July 5, 1957. They had no children.

Film career

After his move to Los Angeles, according to later interviews, Hayes had a chance meeting with the producer Trem Carr, who liked his look and gave him 30 roles over the next six years. In his early career, Hayes was cast in a variety of parts, including villains, and occasionally played two roles in a single film. He found a niche in the growing genre of Western films, many of which were series with recurring characters. Hayes did not come from a cowboy background; he did not know how to ride a horse until he was in his 40s.
Hayes, in real life an intelligent, well-groomed and articulate man, often was cast as a grizzled codger who uttered phrases such as "consarn it", "yer durn tootin'", "dadgummit", "durn persnickety female", and "young whippersnapper". From 1935 to 1939, Hayes played the part of Windy Halliday, the humorous "codger" sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy. In 1939, Hayes left this role at Paramount Pictures after a dispute over his salary and moved to Republic Pictures. Paramount held the rights to the name Windy Halliday, and Republic renamed him Gabby Whitaker, which was virtually the same character. As Gabby, he appeared in more than 40 films from 1939 to 1946, usually with Roy Rogers and with Gene Autry and Wild Bill Elliott, often working under the directorship of Joseph Kane. Hayes repeatedly was cast as a sidekick of the Western stars Randolph Scott and John Wayne. Hayes played Wayne's sidekick in Raoul Walsh's Dark Command, which featured Roy Rogers in a supporting role.
Hayes became a popular performer and consistently ranked among the 10 favorite actors in polls taken of moviegoers of the period. He appeared in either one or both the Motion Picture Herald and Boxoffice Magazine lists of the Top Ten Moneymaking Western Stars for 12 consecutive years and then a thirteenth time in 1954, four years after his last film.
Westerns declined in popularity in the late 1940s, and Hayes made his last film in the genre in 1950: The Cariboo Trail. He had appeared in 174 westerns. He moved to television and hosted The Gabby Hayes Show, a Western series, from 1950 to 1954 on NBC and in a version in 1956 on ABC. The show was sponsored by Quaker Oats, and its products were advertised during the show. In promoting the product, Gabby said to stand back from the screen, and he fired a cannon loaded with cereal at the screen as a tie-in to their ad slogan, "shot from guns". He introduced the show, often while whittling on a piece of wood, and sometimes told a tall tale. When the series ended, Hayes retired from show business. During this time, he made guest appearances on television, including several on Howdy Doody for his friend "Buffalo" Bob Smith. He lent his name to "Gabby Hayes Western" comics, published by Fawcett Publications from November 1948 until January 1957, and to a children's summer camp in New York.

Death

Following his wife's death on July 5, 1957, Hayes first lived at his ranch on Toluca Lake in California. He later stayed at a 10-unit apartment building he owned.
Early in 1969 he entered Saint Joseph Hospital in Burbank, California, for treatment of cardiovascular disease. Hayes died there on February 9, 1969, at the age of 83. He is interred in the Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

Honors

Two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame commemorate Hayes's work in the entertainment industry: one for his contribution to radio at 6427 Hollywood Boulevard and one for his contribution to television at 1724 Vine Street. In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Popular culture

Homage was paid to Hayes in a different way in the 1974 satirical Western Blazing Saddles. The actor and director Jack Starrett, credited as Claude Ennis Starrett Jr., played a Hayes-like character. In keeping with a running joke in the movie, the character is called Gabby Johnson. After Johnson delivers a rousing, though partially unintelligible speech to the townspeople, David Huddleston's character stands up to say, "Now, who can argue with that?!", and proclaims it "authentic frontier gibberish".
In the animated film Toy Story 2, the character Stinky Pete the Prospector, voiced by Kelsey Grammer, is modeled after Hayes. In the film's fictional universe, he is a toy version of a character on the marionette television western Woody's Roundup, where he is a colorful comic relief character. In contrast, the toy is intelligent and well-spoken, a reference to Hayes's contrasting real-life and film personas.
Into a Mighty Carson Art Players sketch on The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson impersonated Gabby Hayes in a sketch with Roy Rogers. This sketch has appeared on Carson's syndicated series Carson's Comedy Classics, which features highlights from his years as host of The Tonight Show.
Every year in early July, from 1983 through 1989, Gabby Hayes Days were celebrated in Wellsville, New York. The event featured a street sale, square dancing, and Hayes look-alike contests for adults and children. This celebration was eventually merged in the mid-July Wellsville Balloon Rally and gradually disappeared. A street is also named after him in Wellsville, Gabby Hayes Lane.
Since April 1969, a band of fishermen has traveled to Kettle Creek, Pennsylvania] for the Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament. These men, known as Gabby Guys, gather annually to celebrate the opening day of the trout fishing season and the memory of Hayes. In April 2019, they celebrated their fiftieth anniversary, which also marked 50 years since Hayes' passing.

Partial filmography

  • The Rainbow Man as Bill
  • Big News as Hoffman - Reporter
  • Smiling Irish Eyes as Taxi Driver
  • Top Speed as Western Union Clerk
  • For the Defense as Ben - Waiter
  • Playing Around as Railroad Ticket Seller
  • She Who Gets Slapped as Poker Player, short film
  • Cavalier of the West as Sheriff Bill Ryan
  • Freighters of Destiny as Jim
  • Oklahoma Jim as Crooked Gambler
  • The Nevada Buckaroo as Cherokee Williams
  • Pleasure as Motorcycle Cop
  • Big Business Girl as Hotel Clerk
  • God's Country and the Man as Stingaree Kelly
  • Dirigible as Parade Official
  • The Stolen Jools as Projectionist
  • Dragnet Patrol as Private Detective
  • Play Girl as Dance Hall Tobacconist
  • Love Me Tonight as Grocer
  • Winner Take All as Intern at Rosario Ranch
  • Ghost Valley as Dave
  • The Man from Hell's Edges as Shamrock Cassidy
  • The Boiling Point as George Duncan
  • Riders of the Desert as Hashknife Brooks
  • Border Devils as Dude Sanders
  • Wild Horse Mesa as Slack
  • Sally of the Subway as Police Lieutenant Paxton
  • Texas Buddies as Si Haller
  • Hidden Valley as Henchman Gavin - Black Hat
  • Broadway to Cheyenne as Walrus
  • Klondike as Tom Ross
  • The Night Rider as Altoonie
  • The Fighting Champ as Pete
  • Crashin' Broadway as J. Talbot Thorndyke
  • Self Defense as Jury Foreman
  • Ship of Wanted Men as Crewman
  • Ranger's Code as Baxter
  • Skyway as George Taylor
  • Galloping Romeo as Grizzly
  • The Fugitive as Judge Taylor
  • Fighting Texans as Pop Martin
  • The Sphinx as Det. Casey
  • Breed of the Border as Chuck Wiggins
  • Devil's Mate as Collins
  • Riders of Destiny as Charlie Denton
  • The Gallant Fool as Dad Denton
  • The Return of Casey Jones as Timothy Shine
  • Trailing North as Flash Ryan
  • The Phantom Broadcast as Police Lieutenant
  • The Brand of Hate as Bill Larkins
  • Monte Carlo Nights as Inspector Nick Gunby
  • The Lucky Texan as Jake Benson
  • West of the Divide as Dusty
  • Blue Steel as Sheriff Jake Withers
  • Randy Rides Alone as Marvin Black aka Matt the Mute
  • The Star Packer as Matt Matlock
  • The Lawless Frontier as Dusty
  • The Man from Utah as Marshal George Higgins
  • 'Neath the Arizona Skies as Matt Downing
  • In Old Santa Fe as Cactus
  • The Man from Hell as Col. Campbell - Banker
  • City Limits as Charlie Carter
  • House of Mystery as David Fells
  • The Lost Jungle as Doctor - Dirigible Passenger
  • Mystery Liner as Joe, the Watchman
  • Beggars in Ermine as Joe Wilson
  • The Lost City as Butterfield
  • Texas Terror as Sheriff Ed Williams
  • Rainbow Valley as George Hole
  • Smokey Smith as Blaze Bart
  • Tombstone Terror as Soupy Baxter
  • The Headline Woman as Police Desk Sgt. Duffy
  • Hitch Hike Lady as Miner
  • Swifty as Sheriff Dan Hughes
  • Bar 20 Rides Again as Windy
  • The Eagle's Brood as Bartender Spike
  • 1000 Dollars a Minute as "New Deal" Watson
  • The Throwback as Ford Cruze
  • Thunder Mountain as Foley
  • Tumbling Tumbleweeds as Dr. Parker
  • Welcome Home as Charles Rogers
  • The Farmer Takes a Wife as Lucas
  • Hop-Along Cassidy as Uncle Ben
  • Honeymoon Limited as Jasper Pinkham
  • Ladies Crave Excitement as Dan McCloskey
  • Justice of the Range as John Coffin known as Pegleg Sanderson
  • The Hoosier Schoolmaster as Pearson
  • The Outlaw Tamer as Cactus Barnes
  • Death Flies East as Wotkyns
  • The Lawless Nineties as Major Carter
  • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as Farmer's Spokesman
  • The Texas Rangers as Judge Snow
  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie as Bearded Man
  • Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Windy Halliday
  • The Plainsman as Breezy
  • Trail Dust as Windy
  • Hearts in Bondage as Ezra
  • I Married a Doctor as Train Station Agent
  • Three on the Trail as Windy Halliday
  • Song of the Trail as Dan Hobson
  • Call of the Prairie as Shanghai
  • Heart of the West as Windy
  • Silver Spurs as Drag Harlan
  • Valley of the Lawless as Grandpaw Jenkins
  • Borderland as Windy Halliday
  • Rustlers' Valley as Windy Halliday
  • Texas Trail as Windy Halliday
  • North of the Rio Grande as Windy Halliday
  • Mountain Music as Grandpappy Burnside
  • Hills of Old Wyoming as Windy Halliday
  • Hopalong Rides Again as Windy Halliday
  • Heart of Arizona as Windy Halliday
  • Bar 20 Justice as Windy Halliday
  • In Old Mexico as Windy Halliday
  • Pride of the West as Windy Halliday
  • The Frontiersmen as Windy Halliday
  • Sunset Trail as Windy Halliday
  • Gold Is Where You Find It as Enoch
  • Silver on the Sage as Windy Halliday
  • Renegade Trail as Windy Halliday
  • Days of Jesse James as Gabby Whittaker
  • Let Freedom Ring as 'Pop" Wilkie
  • Saga of Death Valley as Gabby Whittaker
  • The Arizona Kid as Gabby Whittaker
  • In Old Monterey as Gabby Whittaker
  • Wall Street Cowboy as Gabby Whittaker
  • In Old Caliente as Gabby Whittaker
  • Man of Conquest as Lannie Upchurch
  • Southward Ho as Gabby Whittaker
  • Fighting Thoroughbreds as 'Gramps' Montrose
  • Dark Command as Doc Grunch
  • Wagons Westward as Hardtack
  • The Carson City Kid as Marshal Gabby Whittaker
  • The Border Legion as Honest John Whittaker
  • Melody Ranch as Pop Laramie
  • Young Bill Hickok as Gabby Whittaker
  • Colorado as Gabby
  • The Ranger and the Lady as Texas Ranger Sergeant Gabby Whittaker
  • Young Buffalo Bill as Gabby Whittaker
  • Robin Hood of the Pecos as Gabriel "Gabby" Hornaday
  • Sheriff of Tombstone as Judge Gabby Whittaker
  • Red River Valley as Gabby Whittaker
  • Jesse James at Bay as Sheriff Gabby Whittaker
  • Bad Man of Deadwood as Professor Mortimer 'Gabby' Blackstone
  • Nevada City as Gabby Chapman
  • In Old Cheyenne as Arapahoe Brown
  • Man from Cheyenne as Gabby Whittaker
  • Romance on the Range as Gabby
  • Sons of the Pioneers as Gabby Whittaker
  • Ridin' Down the Canyon as Gabby
  • Heart of the Golden West as Gabby
  • Sunset Serenade as Gabby
  • Sunset on the Desert as Gabby Whittaker
  • South of Santa Fe as Gabby Whittaker
  • Calling Wild Bill Elliott as Gabby Whittaker
  • In Old Oklahoma as Despirit Dean
  • Death Valley Manhunt as Gabby Hayes
  • Overland Mail Robbery as Gabby
  • Wagon Tracks West as Gabby
  • Bordertown Gun Fighters as Gabby Hayes
  • The Man from Thunder River as Gabby Whittaker
  • Mojave Firebrand as Gabby Hayes
  • Hidden Valley Outlaws as Gabby Hayes
  • Tall in the Saddle as Dave
  • The Big Bonanza as Hap Selby
  • Tucson Raiders as Gabby Hopkins
  • Lights of Old Santa Fe as Gabby Whittaker
  • Marshal of Reno as Gabby
  • Sunset in El Dorado as Gabby
  • The Man from Oklahoma as Gabby Whittaker
  • Bells of Rosarita as Gabby Whittaker
  • Utah as Gabby Whittaker
  • Don't Fence Me In as Gabby Whittaker aka Wildcat Kelly
  • Along the Navajo Trail as Gabby Whittaker
  • My Pal Trigger as Gabby Kendrick
  • Heldorado as Gabby
  • Home in Oklahoma as Gabby Whittaker
  • Roll on Texas Moon as Gabby Whittaker
  • Under Nevada Skies as Gabby Whittaker
  • Rainbow Over Texas as Sheriff Gabby Whittaker
  • Badman's Territory as Coyote
  • Song of Arizona as Coyote
  • Wyoming as Windy Gibson
  • Trail Street as Billy
  • Albuquerque as Juke
  • Return of the Bad Men as John Petit
  • The Untamed Breed as Windy Lucas
  • El Paso as Pasky Tees
  • The Cariboo Trail as Oscar aka Grizzly