#Silver screen cowboys movie#
#Silver screen cowboys tv#

Sundays or by appointment.įor information and reservations, call (316) 293-7527. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5:30 p.m. Box 304, Halstead, KS 67056.Īdmission to the museum is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2.50 for children 12 and younger. In addition to providing an education, another aspect of the museum is it can be a destination spot for those living in the area.īecause of the high price of gasoline, those wishing to stay in the area for a short vacation can have a 'nice little day trip,' David said, visit the museum and eat in the area. 'It will give a sense of education and a sense of history to the kids who come through here,' David said.

#Silver screen cowboys tv#

The museum collection starts with the 1894 Edison documentary of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, into the silent films, through the 'talkies' and the era of the singing cowboy to the 'B' westerns in 1954, TV movies and shows, 'A' westerns and to today, according to the brochure. '(The museum) is just in its infancy now.' 'I think this will be a really nice room when it gets done,' David said, since the museum still is a work in progress. There also will be a stage in there - it'll be a place museum-goers can go to relax. To the south of that room are three more display rooms and another large room, which will be turned into a saloon, complete with a western-type bar, where patrons can purchase saspirilla and other soft drinks. The main room isn't the only location for artifacts. Soon, he was giving presentations to a variety of places, such as senior centers and retirement communities.Īfter he moved to Kansas, he attended cowboy film festivals, meeting stars and look-alikes and acquiring items for his collection. That worked out so well, another teacher asked him to make a presentation, and then he made a presentation at another school. The teacher asked Birdeno to give a presentation to the class and, at the time, he had enough items to cover a table, he said. When Birdeno attended his son's third-grade open house at school one year, he started talking to the teacher about old cowboy movies.

#Silver screen cowboys movie#

Jones was the voice of Pinocchio in the 1937 Walt Disney movie and was the 'Range Rider' in the 1950s.īirdeno has been collecting silver screen cowboy items for 28 years, he said. 'Many remember Ojala as the gunfighter in the opening shot of 'Gunsmoke,'' Birdeno said.Īnother silver screen cowboy honored, who also is a friend of Birdeno's, is Dick Jones. Ojala, who was a personal friend of Birdeno's, was the Hollywood quick-draw instructor and gun coach from the 1950s until his death a few years ago. In a display case along the north wall, a variety of artifacts are housed, including Arvo Ojala's Hollywood prop guns. Items on display, most of which were collected by curator and western film expert John Birdeno of Buhler, include films, posters, memorabilia and artifacts. There are movie posters on such flicks as 'Under Fiesta Stars' and 'Shine On Harvest Moon.' Also on view are cowboy hats and saddles. This room also houses a variety of displays, most of which are divided into areas devoted to particular silver screen cowboys, such as Buck Jones, Hoot Gibson, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Tom Mix. 'It'll be just kind of a (mixture) of different scenes that will set the tone for what we're trying to do here,' said Linda David of Sedgwick, museum event coordinator who is painting the mural.īeyond the entrance will be a gift shop, complete with bathrooms marked 'cowboys' and 'cowgirls' - at least that's how they were marked Tuesday.ĭuring the grand opening, the main room will be set up with tables.