Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns

by Paul Green

  “Bat Durston, Space Marshal”

  [Magazine fiction; SW]

  Author: G. Richard Bozarth; First publication: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (September-October 1978).

  Satisfied with the proton blaster, Bat Durston returned it to the holster and stood up with a lethal, yet moral, agility. He strapped the weapon onto his narrow hips, his thin lips in an even straighter line than usual. He did not like to carry a proton blaster, but he knew someone had to if these parsecs were ever to be safe for decent, respectable folks.

  A cowboy is surrounded by high technology on an alien landscape but still remains a cowboy in a traditional genre plot. This light-hearted Space Western story has been called lazy, unimaginative writing by ex-Galaxy editor H. L. Gold.

  Bat Lash

  [Comic book character; WW]

  First appearance: Showcase #76 (August 1968); Creators: Joe Orlando, Carmine Infantino, Sheldon Mayer, Sergio Aragones; Publisher: DC Comics.

  Bartholomew Alouysius Lash alias Bat Lash was never an official Weird Western character but a light-hearted, vain cowboy with an eye for the ladies and good taste in cuisine and music. With the failure of his own title he was bunched together with Jonah Hex, Scalphunter and El Diablo in Weird Western Tales and ultimately became linked with them in various time travel adventures and other Weird Western storylines.

  Bates, Harry

  (1900-1981) [Author]

  A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Hiram Gilmore Bates III adopted the pseudonym Anthony Gilmore for his Hawk Carse series of stories which he co-wrote with Desmond W. Hall. He also worked under the pseudonyms H.G. Winter and A. R. Holmes. From January 1930 to March 1933, Bates served as the first editor of Astounding science fiction magazine.

  20th Century-Fox assistant story editor Maurice Hanline purchased the screen rights to Bates' 1940 Astounding short story Farewell to the Master for $1,000. Bates was never contacted or involved in any negotiations between 20th Century-Fox and his publisher Street & Smith. His story was adapted and filmed as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) starring Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal. Bates received a mere $500. In 1987 Bates told Cinefantastique magazine, “I thought the movie was very good but it had nothing to do with my story.” A remake starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly was released in December 2008.

  Selected works: As Anthony Gilmore with Desmond W. Hall: Hawk Carse (1931), The Affair of the Brains (1932), The Bluff of the Hawk (1932), The Passing of Ku Sui (1932), The Return of Hawk Carse (1942), Space Hawk (1952).

  Batman

  1. [Comic book]

  The early pulp-influenced origins of The Batman as created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane soon gave way to stories aimed at a younger audience with the introduction of Robin the Boy Wonder in 1940. Despite being set in 20th century Gotham City, Batman and Robin did venture out West on a few occasions.

  “THE STREAMLINED RUSTLERS” [WW]

  First publication: #21, February-March 1944; Story: Jack Schiff; Art: Dick Sprang; Publisher: DC Comics.

  When a cattle rustler feeds an unconscious Batman local loco-weed, he wakes up and thinks he's a cowboy.

  “BATMAN-FRONTIER MARSHAL” [SFW]

  First publication: #99, April 1956; Story: Edmond Hamilton; Art: Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris; Publisher: DC Comics.

  Batman and Robin travel back in time to the Old West and discover a case of mistaken identity between Batman and Bat Masterson. This story emphasized Batman's policy of never wearing or using a gun.

  2. [TV Series; 1966]

  Main Cast: Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Burt Ward as Dick Grayson/Robin the Boy Wonder, Yvonne Craig as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Alan Napier as Alfred Pennyworth, Neil Hamilton as Police Commissioner Gordon.

  This live-action series based on the popular DC comic book characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger dismayed comic book purists with its camp style but proved to be an international ratings winner.

  “COME BACK SHAME” (2:25), “IT'S THE WAY YOU PLAY THE GAME” (2:26) [SFW]

  Air dates: November 30, December 1, 1966; Guest Cast: Cliff Robertson as Shame, Joan Staley as Okie Annie; Executive Producer: William Dozier; Story: Stanley Ralph Ross; Director: Oscar Rudolph; 30 min.; 20th Century-Fox; Color.

  Batman and Robin find themselves staked to the ground as a herd of stampeding cattle head in their direction. Meanwhile, cunning cowboy Shame and his nefarious gang of outlaws have hijacked the Wayne limousine.

  “THE GREAT ESCAPE” (3:21), “THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY” (3:22) [SFW]

  Air dates: February 1, February 8, 1968; Guest Cast: Cliff Robertson as Shame, Dina Merrill as Calamity Jan, Hermione Baddeley as Frontier Fanny; Executive Producer: William Dozier; Story: Stanley Ralph Ross; Director: Oscar Rudolph; 30 min.; 20th Century-Fox; Color.

  Batman and Robin turn into pathetic cowards after inhaling cowboy Shame's Fear Gas. Shame takes advantage by kidnapping Batgirl. Shame was a parody of the famous Western character Shane.

  Batman: The Animated Series

  (1992) [Animated TV series]

  “SHOWDOWN” (3:12) [SFW]

  Premiere: September 12, 1995; Voice cast: Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Loren Lester as Dick Grayson/Robin, William McKinney as Jonah Hex, David Warner as Ra's al Ghul; Malcolm McDowell as Arkady Duvall, Senator Patrick Leahy as Governor, William Bryant as Sheriff, Elizabeth Montgomery as Barmaid; Teleplay: Joe R. Lansdale; Story: Bruce W. Timm, Paul Dini, Kevin Altieri; Director: Kevin Altieri; 30 min.; Warner Bros. Animation; Color.

  The story of criminal mastermind Ra's al Ghul's confrontation with renegade bounty hunter Jonah Hex in the Old West of 1883 as Ghul attempts to destroy the transcontinental railroad with a blimp. This episode featured the final work of Bewitched actress Elizabeth Montgomery.

  Batman: The Brave and the Bold

  (2008) [Animated TV series]

  Based on the DC Comics comic book featuring various DC Comics superheroes with Batman as the central character.

  “RETURN OF THE FEARSOME FANGS” (1:12) [SFW]

  Premiere: February 20, 2009; Voice cast: Diedrich Bader as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Phil Morris as Jonah Hex, Gary Sturgis as Bronze Tiger, Paul Nakauchi as Wong Fei; Story: Todd Casey; Director: Brandon Vietti; 30 min.; Warner Bros. Animation; Color.

  Sentenced to death by the Royal Flush Gang, Jonah Hex is tied to the railway lines at Sergio Station. Four horses wait for the signal to pull him apart until Batman comes to the rescue. The main story features Batman teaming up with Bronze Tiger to tackle Fox, Vulture and Shark after they steal the Wudang Totem and transform into mystical creatures.

  Battle Beyond the Stars

  (1980) [Film; SW]

  Premiere: September 8, 1980; Main Cast: Richard Thomas as Shad, Robert Vaughn as Gelt, George Peppard as Cowboy, Sybil Danning as Saint-Exmin, John Saxon as Sador; Executive Producer: Roger Corman; Story: Anne Dyer, John Sayles; Director: Jimmy T. Murakami; 105 min.; New World Pictures; Color.

  A group of mercenaries gather to protect the people of the planet Akir from destruction by space tyrant Sador (John Saxon). This successful Roger Corman production borrows from The Seven Samurai and the American remake The Magnificent Seven to create a Space Western. The film features Robert Vaughn (from the original The Magnificent Seven) and George Peppard, who stars as a cigar-chewing space cowboy.

  Beany and Cecil

  (1962) [Animated TV series]

  Voice cast: Jim MacGeorge as Beany Boy and Captain Huffenpuff, Irv Shoemaker as Cecil, the Sea-Sick Serpent, and Dishonest John; 30 min.; Bob Clampett Productions; Color.

  “DISHONEST JOHN MEETS COWBOY STARR” (1:11)

  Air date: March 17, 1962.

  Cecil, Little Homer and Twinkle the starfish disguise themselves as movie hero Cowboy Starr as they confront Dishonest John under the ocean.

  “PHANTOM OF THE HORSE OPERA” (1:12)

  Air date: March 24, 1962

  Entering Badman's Land, Beany and Cecil journey through Unpassable Pass to Horr
ors Heights and Withering Heights where they encounter the invisible Phantom of the Horse Opera.

  “VILD VAST VASTELAND” (1:15)

  Air date: April 14, 1962.

  Beany and Cecil and the gang travel by submarine to the underwater Old West town Second Hand Dodge City where they encounter Black Jack a.k.a. the Loan Arranger, Marshal Villain and Slopalong Catskill.

  “DRAGON TRAIN” (1:20)

  Air date: May 19, 1962.

  Pop Gunn tells fantastic tales of the Old West as he rides his Dragon Train.

  The Beast Master

  [Novel; Juvenile: SW]

  Author: Andre Norton; First publication: 1959; Publisher: New York: Harcourt, Brace.

  First appearance of Navajo exile and telepathic beast master Hosteen Storm as he seeks a new home on the hostile frontier planet of Arzor. With the assistance of his team (Surra, a cunning dune cat, Baku, an African eagle scout, and saboteur meerkats Hing and Ho), Storm is on a mission of revenge to track down the man who killed his father.

  See: Lord of Thunder

  Beast Master's Ark

  [Novel; SW]

  Authors: Andre Norton, Lyn McConchie; First publication: 2002; Publisher: New York: Tom Doherty Associates/Tor.

  An unknown animal is eating horses and local cattle alive after first paralyzing them. And now it's developed a taste for humans. Hosteen Storm teams up with Tani, the daughter of the late fellow Beast Master Bright Sky, despite the fact that she views all Beast Masters as evil. Together they work through hostilities to tackle the problem of the animal with a taste for animal and human blood.

  Beast Master's Circus

  [Novel; SW]

  Authors: Andre Norton, Lyn McConchie; First publication: 2004; Publisher: New York: Tor.

  A circus arrives on Arzor with the enigmatic Laris and her performing cat-like creature Prauo. Laris is invited to the ranch by Storm and his half-brother Logan Quade but trouble ensues when animals are stolen.

  Beast Master's Quest

  [Novel; SW]

  Authors: Andre Norton, Lyn McConchie; First publication: 2006; Publisher: New York: Tor.

  Orphaned Beast Master Laris lives with her foster family of Arzor ranchers and her cat-like companion, Prauo. When she inherits a spaceship, she decides to journey to Prauo's mysterious home planet with her fellow Beast Masters Tani and Hosteen Storm. But Prauo's planet of origin is more dangerous than they ever imagined.

  Beast of Fire

  [RPG Book; WW]

  First published: 2006; Deadlands Dime Novel #1; System: Deadlands: Reloaded; Publisher: Legion Publishing.

  The deadly Manitou “He Who Stalks The Pines” is on the loose again.

  The Beast of Hollow Mountain

  (1956) [Film; WW]

  Premiere: August 1956; Main Cast: Guy Madison as Jimmy Ryan, Patricia Medina as Sarita, Carlos Rivas as Felipe Sanchez; Producers: Edward Nassour, William Nassour; Original Story: Willis O'Brien; Screenplay: Robert Hill; Directors: Edward Nassour, Ismael Rodríguez; 81 min.; Nassour Brothers-Peliculas Rodriguez Productions, United Artists; Color.

  Theatrical trailer: “Starring Guy Madison, as the courageous rancher who tried to solve the secret of Hollow Mountain, hiding place of a monster spawned in the dawn of time. He dared to ride where no man had ever set foot before. Patricia Medina. The menace of the beast stood between her and the man she loved....”

  A Mexican-based rancher (Guy Madison) discovers his cattle are being eaten by a dinosaur in this first feature to use miniature rear projection in color to combine the stop motion and live action film. A technique called Regiscope, developed by Edward Nassour, was similar to George Pal's replacement animation process and involved filming several models of the same character in slightly different positions to create the illusion of movement. The mix of cowboys and dinosaurs would be developed to greater effect by Willis O'Brien in The Valley of Gwangi thirteen years later.

  Becoming Coyote

  [Novel; WW]

  Author: Wayne Ude; First publication: Amherst, Mass.: Lynx House Press, 1981.

  Pursued by the law for breaking into an Indian museum, two Native Americans enter the Missouri Breaks a.k.a. Coyote Land where myth and magic intermingle with reality.

  “The Bee's Nest”

  [Pulp fiction; WW] Author: Lon Williams; Story character: Lee Winters; Real Western Stories (April 1958).

  Dardeen Blackwood had loved bees, always had them around her—but Dardeen Blackwood was dead, murdered years ago. But now Lee Winters and Doc Bogannon both heard the sound of bees, and Winters had seen a woman who looked like Dardeen Blackwood get off the incoming stage....

  Beetlejuice

  (1989) [Animated TV series]

  Voice cast: Stephen Ouimette as Beetlejuice, Alyson Court as Lydia Deitz; Executive Producers: Tim Burton, David Geffen; 30 min.; Geffen Film Company, Tim Burton Inc., Nelvana, Warner Bros. Television; Color.

  Loosely based on the 1988 comedy horror film starring Michael Keaton as Neitherworld ghost Beetlejuice.

  “PEST O' THE WEST” (1:08) [WW]

  Air date: October 28, 1989; Story: J. D. Smith; Director: Robin Budd.

  When Beetlejuice decides to visit a Neitherworld Old West town with Lydia, he is made sheriff to keep Bully the Crud at bay. But Bully takes a romantic liking to Lydia and insists on a wedding.

  “PRAIRIE STRIFE” (4:43) [WW]

  Air date: November 6, 1991; Story: Julianne Klemm.

  A peaceful life on Auntie Em's Old West milk farm is threatened by outlaw Jesse Germs' plan to take over the land. Beetlejuice and Lydia have plans of their own to scare him away.

  The Bells of Innocence

  (2003) [Film; WW]

  Premiere: April 6, 2003; Main Cast: Chuck Norris as Matthew, Mike Norris as Jux Jonas, Scarlett McAlister as Dianna, David A.R. White as Conrad Champlain, Carey Scott as Oren Ames, Grant James as Emeritus, Marshall R. Teague as Joshua Ravel; Story: Chris Bessey, Mike Norris; Executive Producer: Mike Norris; Director: Alin Bijan; 110 min.; Norris Films, Media World; Color.

  In the small town of Ceres, the children are under the power of satanic forces led by the town elder Joshua (Marshall R. Teague). Local Christian rancher Matthew (Chuck Norris) becomes involved in a spiritual battle that could damn souls for eternity if he doesn't prevail.

  The Best Little Hellhouse in Texas

  [RPG book; WW]

  First publication: 2008; Publisher: Talisman Studios.

  Supernatural horror in the town of Sweetwater as demon-possessed prospectors and townsfolk along with monsters inhabit the Western landscape. Vampire hookers tempt clients to Hellhouse, the local saloon and brothel owned by the Reverend Rasp.

  The second adventure toolkit for the Suzerain multi-genre, multi-world game system in the world of Untamed Empires.

  Best of the West

  [Comic book; WW]

  First publication: 1951; Publishers: Magazine Enterprises; AC Comics.

  This anthology title which ran to twelve issues between 1951 and 1954 featured Magazine Enterprises' most popular Western strips including Ghost Rider, Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders, Tim Holt as Red Mask, The Durango Kid and Straight Arrow.

  In 1998, AC Comics (under the editorship of Bill Black) began publishing black and white reprints of the title with Ghost Rider renamed Haunted Horseman and subsequently The Haunter. The title also reprinted other Golden Age Western comic strips including Red Mask, Lemonade Kid, Masked Rider, Black Phantom, Latigo Kid, American Eagle, The Lone Rider, Rocky Lane, Black Diamond, Lash LaRue, Black Bull, Arizona Raines, Sunset Carson, Monte Hale, Wild Bill Hickok, Wild Bill Pecos, The Whip, Calamity Kate and Roy Rogers.

  Black introduced new material into the title with work from renowned artist Dick Ayers recreating his classic Ghost Rider creation. Best of the West ran to 71 issues before cancellation in January 2009.

  Cover of Best of the West #43. Art: Dick Ayers, Ed Coutts. © 2009 AC Comics/Nightveil Media, Inc. Used with permission.

  The Best Rooti
n' Tootin' Shootin' Gunslinger in the Whole Damned Galaxy

  [Novel; SW]

  Author: Mike Resnick; First publication: New York: New American Library, 1983.

  Galactic carnival entrepreneur Thaddeus Flint arranges a money-spinning showdown between trick shot artist Billybuck Dancer and his enemy, Doc Holliday.

  The Big Book of the Weird Wild West

  [Graphic novel; WW]

  First publication: 1998; Publisher Paradox Press.

  An anthology of Weird Western comic strips featuring Butch Cassidy, Jesse James, Doc Holliday and Judge Roy Bean, among others.

  Big Calibre

  (1935) [Film; WMW]

  Premiere: March 8, 1935; Main Cast: Bob Steele as Bob O'Neill, Peggy Campbell as June Bowers, Earl Dwire as Sheriff of Gladstone, Bill Quinn as Otto Zenz/Gadski, Georgia O'Dell as Arabella; Producer: A. W. Hackel; Story: Perry Murdock; Screenplay-Director: Robert North Bradbury; 58 min.; Supreme Pictures; b/w.

  An unusual early horror Western featuring a disfigured mad scientist (Bill Quinn in a dual role) hunted by rancher Bob O'Neill for murdering his father with poison gas.