Editing Rex Allen

{{short description|American film actor, singer and songwriter (1920–1999)}}
{{about||his son, the American country music singer|Rex Allen Jr.|the American healthcare architect|Rex Whitaker Allen}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rex Allen
| image = Rex Allen and Koko 1952.jpg
| caption = Allen and Koko, 1952
| birth_name = Rex Elvie Allen
| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|12|31|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Willcox, Arizona]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|12|17|1920|12|31|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Tucson, Arizona]], U.S.
| other_names = Rex E. Allen<br>Rex Allen, Sr.<br>"Cactus Rex"<br>"The Arizona Cowboy"<br>"The Voice of the West"
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|singer|songwriter}}
| years_active = 1930s-1999
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Doris Winsor|1940|<!--unknown?-->|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Bonnie Linder|1946|1973|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Virginia Hudson|1992|1999|end=divorced}}
}}
| children = Five, including [[Rex Allen, Jr.]]
| parents =
}}

'''Rex Elvie Allen Sr.''' (December 31, 1920 – December 17, 1999),<ref name="Obit"/> known as "The Arizona Cowboy", was an American film and television actor, singer and songwriter; he was also the narrator of many [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] nature and [[Western (genre)|Western]] productions. For his contributions to the film industry, Allen received a [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars|motion pictures star]] on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1975, located at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.com/rex-allen |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame – Rex Allen |website=walkoffame.com |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |date=August 20, 1975 |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/rex-allen/ |title=Hollywood Star Walk – Rex Allen |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 19, 1999 |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref>

==Early life==
Allen was born to Horace E. Allen and Luella Faye Clark on a ranch in Mud Springs Canyon, forty miles from [[Willcox, Arizona|Willcox]] in [[Cochise County, Arizona|Cochise County]] in southeastern [[Arizona]], United States.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0851129390|pages=65/6}}</ref> As a boy he played guitar and sang at local functions with his fiddle-playing father, until high-school graduation when he toured the Southwest as a rodeo rider. He got his start in show business on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]].

==Early career==
[[File:Shadows of Tombstone movie poster 1953.JPG|thumb|Poster for ''Shadows of Tombstone'', 1953]]
Allen began his singing career on radio station [[KOY]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], after which he became better known as a performer on the ''[[National Barn Dance]]'' on [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Luptak |first1=Gene |title=Communities to spotlight favorite sons |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54737479/arizona-republic/ |access-date=July 5, 2020 |work=Arizona Republic |date=September 30, 1983 |location=Phoenix |page=81|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

When [[singing cowboy]]s such as [[Roy Rogers]] and [[Gene Autry]] were very much in vogue in American film, in 1949 [[Republic Pictures]] in Hollywood gave him a screen test and put him under contract.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Beginning in 1950, Allen starred as himself in 19 of Hollywood's [[Western movie]]s.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> One of the top-ten box office draws of the day, whose character was soon depicted in comic books,<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/name/Rex%20Allen/sort/chrono/ Grand Comics Database: 'Rex Allen']</ref> on screen Allen personified the clean cut, God-fearing American hero of the [[Wild West]], who wore a white Stetson hat, loved his faithful horse Koko, and had a loyal buddy who shared his adventures. Allen's comic-relief sidekick in his first few pictures was first [[Buddy Ebsen]] and then [[character actor]] [[Slim Pickens]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

==Personal life==
In 1940, Allen married Doris Windsor, with whom he had one child (Rexine Allen). His second marriage was to Bonnie Linder (m. 1946–1973), with whom he had four children. His third and final marriage was to Virginia Hudson, on November 25, 1992. The couple divorced in 1999.

His five children included [[Rex Allen Jr.]], who became a singer like his father.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

Allen was a cousin of the ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' cast members [[Glenn Strange]] (who played bartender Sam Noonan) and Taylor "Cactus Mack" McPeters (who played "Pa" in the episode "Marry Me").<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Dan |date=November 2020 |url=https://retrofan.org/ |title=Strange Relations: Julie Ann Ream, the Niece of Frankenstein |magazine=RetroFan |issue=11 |pages=57-58}}</ref>

==Later career==
Allen wrote and recorded many songs, a number of which were featured in his own films. Late in coming to the industry, his film career was relatively short as the popularity of series westerns faded by the mid 1950s. But he starred in a number of B-Westerns during the 1950s.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

As other cowboy stars made the transition to television, Allen tried too, cast as Dr. Bill Baxter for the half-hour weekly syndicated series ''[[Frontier Doctor]]''.<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0786464777|page=370|edition=2nd}}</ref> In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts for NBC-TV's ''[[Five Star Jubilee]]''.

Allen had a rich, pleasant voice, ideally suited for narration, and was able to find considerable work as a narrator in a variety of films, especially for [[Walt Disney Pictures]] wildlife films and television shows.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The work earned him the nickname, "The Voice of the West." He narrated ''[[The Legend of Lobo]]'', ''[[The Incredible Journey (film)|The Incredible Journey]]'', ''Yellowstone Cubs'', ''Run, Appaloosa, Run'', and [[Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar]]. He also was the voice of the father on [[Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress]], first presented at the [[1964 World's Fair]] and now at [[Walt Disney World]]. A 1993 renovation replaced Allen with [[Jean Shepherd]] as the voice of the father, but Allen was given a cameo as the grandfather in the final scene.

Allen provided the narration for the 1973 [[Hanna-Barbera]] animated film ''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>  He was also the voice behind Purina Dog Chow commercials for many years.  After moving to [[Sonoita, Arizona]], in the early 1990s, he was a viable voice talent almost until his death, recording hundreds of national advertising voice tracks at his favorite Tucson studio, Porter Sound.  In his later years he also performed frequently with actor [[Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez]]. He wrote and sang the theme song for the early 1980s sitcom ''[[Best of the West]]''.

==Death==
Allen died on December 17, 1999, in [[Tucson, Arizona]]. He had collapsed in his driveway after suffering a heart attack and was then accidentally run over by his caregiver.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news |url=http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/1999/12/18/175138-allen-s-death-a-tragic-accident-police-say/|title=Allen's death a tragic accident, police say |publisher=tucsoncitizen.com |author=Michael LaFleur |date=December 18, 1999 |access-date=May 10, 2015}}</ref> He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at Railroad Park in Willcox.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kernut.com/cheezy-americana/willcox-arizona-resting-place-of-warren-earp-rex-allen-and-koko-the-horse/|title=Willcox, Arizona, resting place of Warren Earp, Rex Allen and Koko the Horse.|website=Kernut the Blond|date=18 May 2012|accessdate=12 October 2022}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Rex Allen Museum.jpg|thumb|left|Rex Allen Museum in Willcox|250px]]

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Allen was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1983, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the [[National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum]] in [[Oklahoma City]], Oklahoma.

In 1989, his life story was told in the book ''Rex Allen: My Life, Sunrise to Sunset – The Arizona Cowboy'', written by Paula Simpson-Witt and [[Snuff Garrett]].

The [[Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum and Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame]] in Willcox features an Allen's collection of memorabilia, including photos, movie posters, cowboy outfits, records and musical instruments. His cremated ashes were scattered in Railroad Park, across the street from the museum, near a bronze statue of Allen.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dungan |first1=Ron |title=Willcox remembers cowboy actor Rex Allen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54738426/rex-allen/ |access-date=July 5, 2020 |work=Arizona Republic |date=September 27, 2014 |location=Arizona, Phoenix |page=D 6|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Album
! width="45"| <small>[[Hot Country Songs|US Country]]</small>
! Label
|-
| 1956
| ''Under Western Skies''
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| Decca
|-
| 1958
| ''Mister Cowboy''
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1960
| ''Rex Allen Sings''
| align="center"| —
| Hacienda
|-
| 1961
| ''Say One for Me''
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| Buena Vista
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1962
| ''16 Golden Hits''
| align="center"| —
|-
| ''Faith of a Man''
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| Mercury
|-
| ''Sings and Tells Tales of the Golden West''
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1964
| ''Western Ballads''
| align="center"| —
| Hilltop
|-
| 1968
| ''The Smooth Country Sound of Rex Allen''
| align="center"| 42
| rowspan="2"| Decca
|-
| 1970
| ''Touch of God's Hands''
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1973
| ''Boney Kneed Hairy Legged Cowboy Song''
| align="center"| —
| JMI
|-
| 1980
| ''Love Gone Cold''
| align="center"| —
| Longhorn
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="2"| Chart Positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! width="50"| <small>[[Hot Country Songs|US Country]]</small>
! width="50"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small><br><ref>{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |title=Pop Memories 1890–1954 |year=1986 |publisher=Record Research, Inc. |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |isbn=0898200830 |page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/22 22] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/22 }}</ref>
|-
| 1949
| "Afraid"
| align="center"| 14
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="5"| singles only
|-
| 1951
| "[[The Roving Kind (song)|The Roving Kind]]"
| align="center"| –
| align="center"| 20
|-
| 1951
| "[[Sparrow in the Treetop]]"
| align="center"| 10
| align="center"| 28
|-
| 1953
| "[[Crying in the Chapel]]"
| align="center"| 4
| align="center"| 8
|-
| 1961
| "Marines, Let's Go"
| align="center"| 21
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1962
| "Don't Go Near the Indians"
| align="center"| 4
| align="center"| 17
| ''Sings and Tells Tales of the Golden West''
|-
| 1964
| "Tear After Tear"
| align="center"| 44
| align="center"| —
| single only
|-
| 1968
| "[[Tiny Bubbles]]"
| align="center"| 71
| align="center"| —
| ''The Smooth Country Sound of Rex Allen''
|}

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col}}
* ''[[The Arizona Cowboy]]'' (1950) as himself
* ''[[Hills of Oklahoma]]'' (1950) as himself
* ''[[Redwood Forest Trail]]'' (1950) as himself
* ''[[Under Mexicali Stars]]'' (1950) as himself aka Mike Jordan
* ''[[Trail of Robin Hood]]'' (1950) as himself
* ''[[Silver City Bonanza]]'' (1951) as himself
* ''[[Thunder in God's Country]]'' (1951) as himself
* ''[[Rodeo King and the Senorita]]'' (1951) as himself
* ''[[Utah Wagon Train]]'' (1951) as himself
* ''[[Colorado Sundown]]'' (1952) as himself
* ''[[The Last Musketeer]]'' (1952) as himself
* ''[[Border Saddlemates]]'' (1952) as himself
* ''[[I Dream of Jeanie (film)|I Dream of Jeanie]]'' (1952) as Mr. Tambo
* ''[[Old Oklahoma Plains]]'' (1952) as himself
* ''[[South Pacific Trail]]'' (1952) as himself
* ''[[Old Overland Trail]]'' (1953) as himself
* ''[[Iron Mountain Trail]]'' (1953) as himself
* ''[[Sweethearts on Parade (1953 film)|Sweethearts on Parade]]'' (1953) as Jim Riley (singing voice, uncredited)
* ''[[Down Laredo Way]]'' (1953) as himself
* ''[[Shadows of Tombstone]]'' (1953) as himself
* ''[[Red River Shore]]'' (1953) as himself
* ''[[Phantom Stallion]]'' (1954) as himself
* ''[[The Wetback Hound]]'' (1957, Short) as narrator (voice)
* ''[[The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon]]'' (1960) as narrator (voice)
* ''For the Love of Mike'' (1960) as himself
* ''[[Tomboy and the Champ]]'' (1961) as himself
* ''[[The Legend of Lobo]]'' (1962) as narrator
* ''The Saga of [[Windwagon Smith]]'' (1961) as narrator (voice)
* ''Yellowstone Cubs'' (1963) as narrator (voice)
* ''[[The Incredible Journey (film)|The Incredible Journey]]'' (1963) as narrator (voice)
* ''Swamp Country'' (1965) as Sheriff Jim Turner
* ''Run, Appaloosa, Run'' (1966) as narrator
* ''[[Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar]]'' (1967) as narrator
* ''[[The Virginian (TV series)]]'' (1971) season 9 episode 20 (''Tate: Ramrod'') : as Square Dance Caller
* ''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'' (1973) as narrator (voice)
* ''Starbird and Sweet William'' (1973) as narrator (voice)
* ''[[Vanishing Wilderness]]'' (1974, Documentary) as narrator
* ''The Secret of Navajo Cave'' (1976) as narrator
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Green, D.B. (1998). "Rex Allen." In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music.'' P. Kingsbury, Ed. New York: [[Oxford University Press]]. p.&nbsp;10. {{ISBN|978-0195395631}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0020942|name=Rex Allen}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=2558%7C129266|name=Rex Allen}}
* [http://www.rexallenmuseum.org Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum and Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame Web site]
* [http://www.rexallendays.org Rex Allen Days Web site]
* [http://www.cityofwillcox.org City of Willcox Web site]
* [http://iversonmovieranch.blogspot.com/2014/12/rex-allen-arizona-cowboy-in-shootout-at.html Rex Allen in action at the Iverson Movie Ranch in ''Frontier Doctor'']
* [http://iversonmovieranch.blogspot.com/ Iverson Movie Ranch: History, vintage photos.]
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108037 Rex Allen recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
{{Disney Legends Awards 1990s}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Rex}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Willcox, Arizona]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Arizona]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Singing cowboys]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Jamie Records artists]]
[[Category:Shasta Records artists]]
[[Category:Pedestrian road incident deaths]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in Arizona]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Decca Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Arizona]]
[[Category:Golden Boot Awards recipients]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]