Quite a few cowboy stars began their careers as leading men in movies far removed from the western genre.... how many can you name?

Johnny Mack Brown would be one--he starred in a whole lot of silent dramas with Joan Crawford, Mae West, and others.

That's one, but there are quite a few more......

I'll add Allan Lane and Gordon "Bill" Elliot who both started non-cowboy.....

Let's see. Randolph Scott. Bill Boyd. Allan Lane. Wild Bill Elliott. Gary Cooper. John Wayne. Don Barry. Robert Livingston. Dave Obrien. Lash Larue. Hmm? Let's add Larry Buster Crabbe to the list too.

Everyone was correct, but Phillip sure had a nice list. It is interesting to see some of these actors in early films where the were just regular fellas. I remember a film with Bill Elliott where is acting style was quite animated and full of inflection. A big difference from the almost monotone speech pattern he adopted in his later westerns.

How about Charles Starrett? I never have seen the early Bill Elliott, but I know that the Bill Elliott of the late '40's and early '50's was not the same as the Wild Bill Elliott of the late '30's and early '40's. That Bill Elliott was just about perfect as a Saturday afternoon cowboy. Next to Roy and Gene, he was the best.

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