Matinee Classics - George 'Gabby' Hayes Biography & Filmography

George 'Gabby' Hayes ACTOR

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GEORGE 'GABBY' HAYES BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Born George Francis Hayes on May 7, 1885, Hayes was a famous American television and film actor. He was one of the most celebrated western-movie sidekicks of the 1930's and 1940's. The actor was first introduced to acting when he was only eight years old, when he performed on the school stage. He continued his interest in the dramatic arts in his youth, and regularly spent time at the Baldwin Theatre in New York, developing some dancing skills. As a teen, he was entered into a talent competition and won, enabling him to tour western New York with a stock company. He later ended up moving to Chicago, joined the circus, and afterward, took up burlesque. In 1910, Hayes started to do vaudeville, and became very successful. In fact, he was so successful that he retired at age forty three on Long Island in New York. However, all of his savings were lost the following year in the 1929 stock market crash. This forced him to return to acting, and upon suggestions by his wife to try his hand in motion pictures, he moved to Los Angeles.

Hayes’ debut part was in the comedic drama “Rainbow Man” (1929). Soon after, he had a chance encounter with low budget western producer Trem Carr at a party in 1931. Carr liked Hayes so much that he cast him in thirty roles over the next six years. Hayes appeared in numerous film genres in movies like “Riders of the Desert” (1932), “Self Defense” (1932), “The Gallant Fool” (1933), and “Skyway” (1933) for the first few years of his motion picture acting career. The actor stuck almost exclusively to performing in westerns in the mid 1930's, though. Many of these roles were in series with recurring characters. One of his returning parts was ‘Windy’ Halliday in a collection of movies, from 1935 to 1939, starring William Boyd, like “Hopalong Cassidy Returns” (1936), “Texas Trail” (1937), and “The Frontiersman” (1938). In 1939, Hayes left Paramount Pictures and moved to Republic Pictures. Here he was given the nickname 'Gabby', which ultimately stayed with him. Another one of his frequent roles was Gabby Whitaker, who was Roy Rogers’ sidekick in twenty pictures, not limited to “Southward Ho” (1939), “Young Buffalo Bill” (1940), “Jesse James at Bay” (1941), and “Sunset on the Desert” (1942). He additionally acted alongside Gene Autry in five films, including “In Old Monterey” (1939) and “Melody Ranch” (1940), William 'Wild Bill' Elliott in fourteen features like “Wagon Tracks West” (1943) and “Bells of Rosarita” (1945), Randolph Scott in six movies such as “Trail Street” (1947) and “Albuquerque” (1948), and John Wayne in fifteen films, which are not limited to “Texas Terror” (1935) and “In Old Oklahoma” (1943).

Hayes was more often present in B-films as 'Gabby', but every once in a while would appear in A-movies like “Dark Command” (1940) and “Tall in the Saddle” (1944), in which he was the sidekick to John Wayne. However, he remained a popular acting cowboy, staying in the top ten actors poll of moviegoers during that period. He also remained in both or one of the Boxoffice Magazine lists of Top Ten Money Making Western Stars and Motion Picture Herald for twelve continuous years. The actor’s last western movie was “The Cariboo Trail” in 1950. Hayes ended his career in the motion picture industry in 1951, with his final film being the romantic adventure “Mask of the Avenger”, in which he had a very small role. After, he shifted his focus to television and hosted “The Gabby Hayes Show”, which ran from 1950 until 1954 on NBC, and then had a new version in 1956 on ABC. This show was geared towards children and told stories of the Old West. After his show, Hayes retired from show business, only making appearances in a few more television series. However, he completely stopped acting in 1958, after appearing on “Wide Wide World” for one episode.

In the beginning of 1969, Hayes was admitted to Saint Joseph Hospital in Burbank, California. On February 9, 1969, at age eighty three, the actor passed away due to cardiovascular disease. For his contributions to television, Hayes was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, he was also bestowed admittance into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Filmography

1958 Wide Wide World

1958 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

1956 Howdy Doody Show

1954 The Name’s the Same

1951 Mask of the Avenger

1951 What’s My Line

1950 The Gabby Hayes Show

1950 The Cariboo Trail

1949 El Paso

1948 The Untamed Breed

1948 Return of the Bad Men

1948 Albuquerque