How Hopalong Cassidy Got His Name

The character of Hopalong Cassidy was first created by author Clarence E. Mulford in 1904. In this popular series of short stories, Hopalong was portrayed as rude, dangerous and with a crude way of talking. He even had a wooden leg, hence the name Hopalong.

Jump forward to 1935 to the film series. William Boyd transformed the character into a clean-talking, polite, sarsaparilla drinking cowboy hero. Only a few of the popular films were loosely based on Mulford’s books. During the first show, Hopalong got his name a second time after being shot in the leg.

The first Hopalong film.

In the films, Hopalong, and his white horse, Topper, usually ride through the west with two companions, saving damsels-in-distress and righting wrongs. Sixty-six pictures were made by various studios and were called “Hoppies”. They were noted for their fast action and beautiful outdoor photography. Paramount tried to cancel the Hopalong series once, but they were so popular, the studio was forced to bring them back.

When the series was finally cancelled in 1944, William Boyd gambled his future by mortgaging most of what he owned to buy the charater rights from Mulford and the backlog of films.

Boyd thought Hopalong belonged on television and approached the newly formed NBC. On June 24, 1949, Hopalong Cassidy became the first network Western Television Series. The success made Boyd a star. His gamble paid off. Boyd earned millions from the character, mostly from merchandising. In 1950, Hopalong was on the first lunchbox to bear an image.

The series and character were so popular that Hopalong was featured on the covers of national magazines such as Life, Time, and Look. The success of the show inspired juvenile television westerns such as The Roy Rogers show, Tales of the Texas Rangers, and The Gene Autry Show.

In 1951, an amusement park named Hoppyland was developed in Los Angeles. It included a roller coaster, pony rides, and a ferris wheel. Despite all of Boyd’s efforts, it closed in 1954.

Louis L’Amour even wrote four Hopalong Cassidy novels, all of which are still in print.

The shows were off the air from the mid-60s to the mid-90s when the advent of The Western Channel restored the films to cable TV.

I watch the old television versions of Hopalong Cassidy and his sidekick, California Carlson, played by Andy Clyde. I love old westerns, and this is one of my favorites.

If you love nice, soft-spoken heros, try Rocky Road Home, the third book in my Harney County Cowboys series. Rocky isn't exactly a cowboy, but he's-- oh my! Find it and my other books on my Amazon Author's Page.

Which do you prefer? Newer westerns or the older ones? Who's your favorite western star?