Bob Nolan biography

1940–1941

Tumbleweed Topics Fan Magazine * Chicago * Orthacoustic “Symphonies of the Sage” *
Pennsylvania * Second Marriage
Complete list of the movies from 1940 - 1941 that included the Sons of the Pioneers

In 1940, the Sons of the Pioneers began a fanzine of 8 pages named Tumbleweed Topics. Each of the men plus Roy Rogers had his own column so their fans could keep track of their favorite's activities. It was humorously and simply written, appealing to the younger fans as well as adults. Free photographs were offered and their songbooks were advertised. Their manager at that time was Sam Allen and he was also "Snowball", in charge of Tumbleweed Topics. 16,000 copies of the 10th issue alone were printed in 1941.

"...the Prairie Prattler was the parent of this publication. It was a one-page mimeographed masterpiece pecked out on a 1904 Oliver typewriter by our mythical man-of-all-work, Snowball. Well, good or bad, hit or miss, and lots of months we missed, you folks just kept right on writin' and askin' for more. We decided loyalty like that was deservin' of a better deal and real printin' on real paper. From the bottom of our hearts we say 'Thank you' and we hope you'll like Tumbleweed Topics."
(p. 2, Tumbleweed Topics, Vol 1 No 8, June, 1940)

(You can read issues of the Tumbleweed Topics here)

TUMBLEWEED TOPICS FAN MAGAZINE

CHICAGO

By July 1940, the Pioneers had procured their release from Columbia and were considering three options after their planned tour to Chicago: their own series of movies, a series of shorts or joining Roy Rogers at Republic. "Lots o' deals on right now...." (Tumbleweed Topics p. 2, Vol. 1, No. 9, July, 1940)

But first came their planned tour east. From July 21, 1940 to September, 1941 the Pioneers were away from Hollywood on their first national tour, ending up in Chicago for a scheduled one-week's appearance on the Uncle Ezra program.

The group was so much in demand that they took a vote among themselves and remained in Chicago for nearly a year, traveling up to Pennsylvania to appear at the Sleepy Hollow Ranch and other places for shows. They were to open in Appalachian, Virginia on July 25, 1940 with these dates afterward:

August 9-10 Strand, Altoon, PA
August 11-12 Rialto, Lewiston, PA
(Next four days "touring")
August 17-18 Himmelreicht Grove, Womelsdorf, PA
August 21 driving
August 22 Waynsboro, Waynesboro, VA
August 23 driving
August 24-25 C-Bar-C Ranch, Elverson, PA
September 28, 1940 First Uncle Ezra program
September 29, 1940 Canton, Illinois (their wives were with them)

They eventually brought their families to live with them in Chicago for about nine months. Karl Farr Jr. remembers that they stayed in the North Park Hotel. "I talked to my mom and she said they were in Chicago for 9 months so the Pioneers must have made the movie parts or movies early and the movies were released later with the 1940-41 date. I stayed with my grandparents in Bakersfield, California, at that time. Hal asked me awhile back if I knew where the Pioneers stayed in Chicago in 1940 and for some reason I knew it was the North Park Hotel. When the Pioneers were in Chicago at the North Park Hotel. Dad and Roy bowled a lot together."

Bob scribbled the verses to The Wind is Warm Again on hotel stationery.

Lloyd told Ken Griffis that he recalls one performance at a theatre in Chicago that had its anxious moments. Tim was away for a few days and Pat was supposed to fill in for him but that night only Lloyd turned up for the show. As he frantically tried to prepare for a solo performance, Pat appeared and, finally, the Farr Brothers. They decided to put Hugh into the trio because Bob Nolan still wasn't there. Halfway through the evening, they saw Bob slowly walking down the center aisle eating a hamburger. He chose a seat in the front row and watched the show!

Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage

It was while they were in Chicago that they recorded about 200 songs for NBC's Orthacoustic Recording Division for a project called Symphonies of the Sage. The label read "Produced by Roy Rogers, Inc." This set was completed in August 1940.

Bob felt that, because the Pioneers could select and arrange the songs and provide their own instrumentation, these transcriptions were the best examples of how the Pioneers sounded at that time.

These recordings of Bob's songs are considered the closest to what he intended when he wrote them and had them published in American Music's song folios, Bob Nolan's Folio of Original Cowboy Classics No. 1 & 2.
(See about the Sons of the Pioneers' song folios here.)

Pennsylvania

After finishing 39 weeks in Chicago with...Uncle Ezra, we hit out for Pennsylvania and points in the East. Had a great time, thanks to such folks as Uncle Jack and Mary Lou at Himmelreich Grove, the Newman gang at Sleepy Hollow, Cousin Lee at Radio Park, Mr. Schwarz at Clown Park, Shorty Fencher and the gang at Valley View and ....friendly crew up on the Lone Star Ranch at Reed's Ferry, New Hampshire.
(Hugh Farr, p. 2 Tumbleweed Topics, Vol. 1 No. 10, summer 1941)

Photos by fans when the Sons of the Pioneers were on tour. Pennsylvania, 1940 08 04
Left: Bob Nolan Right: Helen Schmuck, Bob Nolan and Karl Farr
(Courtesy of the John Fullerton collection)

Left: Bob Nolan, Pennsylvania, 1940 08 04 Right: Fan club president, Martha Retsch, with Bob.
(John Fullerton Collection)

NOTE: There is some disagreement about dates with these snapshots so we have used the dates written on each snapshot. We do not know if the dates were written on the pictures at the time or added later. The clothing is the same.

[In 1939] a group out of Philadelphia called the Sleepy Hollow Gang were on a big 50,000-watt radio station, WCAU, and had a morning show. They had a big summer park called Sleepy Hollow Ranch out at Quakerstown, Pennsylvania. Every Sunday, this was during the War now, they booked acts like Red Foley, the Hoosier Hotshots and Roy Acuff. It was nothing to have 20,000 people show up in that park.
(Rex Allen, p. 11, Arizona Cowboy by Rex Allen with Snuff Garrett, 1982)

Second Marriage

Clara Brown was a lady so small she was nicknamed "P-Nuts". She had come to Hollywood to find stardom but instead found work at the soda fountain in the Columbia Drugstore on Sunset and Gower near the Columbia Studio lot where Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers dropped in for lunch or coffee. Bob reportedly worked on his song lyrics there, too, using any piece of paper handy. On June 11, 1942 [or August 14 according to the Sons of the Pioneers newsletter], at the age of 34, Bob married P-Nuts. They made their home in Studio City, Hollywood, California.

After an eventful year in the Midwest the Pioneers were back on the West coast. The coming year would reunite them with former bandmate Len Slye, now Roy Rogers, in some of the best-known films of the era of Western Movies.

COMPLETE LIST OF THE MOVIES 1940–1941 THAT INCLUDED THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS

THE PINTO KID (Columbia / Starrett - 1941 02 05)
OUTLAWS OF THE PANHANDLE (Columbia / Starrett - 1941 02 27)
RED RIVER VALLEY (Republic / Rogers - 1941 12 12)
MAN FROM CHEYENNE (Republic / Rogers - 1942 01 16)
SOUTH OF SANTA FE (Republic / Rogers - 1942 02 17)
SUNSET ON THE DESERT (Republic / Rogers - 1942 04 01)
ROMANCE ON THE RANGE (Republic / Rogers - 1942 05 18)
SONS OF THE PIONEERS (Republic / Rogers - 1942 07 02)
CALL OF THE CANYON (Republic / Autry - 1942 08 10)
SUNSET SERENADE (Republic / Rogers - 1942 09 14)
HEART OF THE GOLDEN WEST (Republic / Rogers - 1942 12 11)
RIDIN’ DOWN THE CANYON (Republic / Rogers - 1942 12 30)

NEXT: 1941–1942 >