In search of the Sons of Barnum

Without great PR advice, history teaches us that there are many ways to destroy a successful career in the film biz. The most common is shooting inappropriate remarks from the hip. The mighty Tom Mix was a top cowboy of American silent films, known for his daring stunts, and equally famous for his elaborate cowboy outfits. He was the model for the dandyish, squeaky-clean movie cowboy that was much parodied in later years. Mix also had a famous steed, Tony the Wonder Horse. When the great recession hit California, Westerns were axed by the dozen. Mix was stung and troubled, denounced Hollywood producers in Variety, charging that if other businesses were run as extravagantly and wastefully as the film colony, they couldn’t avoid failure and bankruptcy. “Remember the Romans!” he warned grimly. In 1928 Fox didn’t bother to renew his contract, so Mix huffily removed his equine talents to South America. He never made a return and was blacklisted by all the prominent press agents.