Bob Nolan 1944-1946

BOB NOLAN: EARLY LIFE AND CAREER (1944-1946)

On March 17, 1944, after Pearl Harbor, Martha Mears and the Pioneers broadcast a show featuring Half Way 'Round the World, the song Bob wrote in 1943 for Lloyd Perryman who would soon be in the Pacific theatre for the duration of the war. Although the song was dedicated to his US Marine brother, Earl Nolan, Bob had written it for Lloyd shortly after he was drafted, understanding how his friend would feel - separated from his wife and new son. Lloyd didn't record the song himself until 1966. He couldn't, he said, because his throat would tighten at the memory of that long, lonely time he spent so far from his little family. Tim Spencer also wrote a song for the absent Lloyd.

In a letter to Michelle Sundin, Ken Carson wrote:

Bob and I got along extremely well. He could not write the music to the songs he composed and that's where I was able to help him, having studied harmony & composition before I joined the group. When he got an idea for a song he had dreamed up, he'd get on the phone & say, "Hey, Carson, bring your guitar & some paper and come on over" even if it was 1:00 a. m. and I had been in bed three hours. "Oh, this won't take long," he'd say. Well, three hours later, we had it down on paper.

One song I especially remember I wrote down for him was "From Half Way Round the World" which Lloyd later recorded ... and what a beautiful rendition he did of the song. Bob was a master of utilizing words that made the perfect marriage of music and lyrics come together.

In later years, Dale Warren related to Hugh McLennan another little story from Ken which had taken place about that time:

Ken Carson came in and took Lloyd's place during the war. They were on location. Ken was sitting down below the road, fooling around with a little prank. Bob was standing up next to the stagecoach and Karl was up on top of the stagecoach. He could take a little pebble and put it between his fingers and he'd flip it. He flipped that thing and he hit Bob right on the back of the head with it. Bob had to turn around and when he turned around, he was looking right up at Karl and Karl had this funny grin on his face. Bob says, "I'm gonna come there and get you!" Of course, you know Bob Nolan was a huge fellow and he started climbing up that stagecoach right at Karl. Karl had a prop guitar in his hands - not a real one, you know - a prop guitar. And as Bob was coming up, he took it and busted it over Bob's head. 'Course it was made out of balsa wood and this hurt Bob a little, but Bob got tickled. He'd always get tickled, so he started laughing.

Bob, Bobbie, Trigger and Roy

1945

Grace Purdy's Western Music Corral, c 1944

Karl Farr, Tim Spencer, look over Spade Cooley's shoulder (as he looks through Songs of the Songs of the Prairie folio with Bob Nolan), Hugh Farr and Ken Carson

REUNION WITH HIS DAUGHTER

1944 saw Roberta (Bobbie) reunited with her father at last:

My mother relented when I was 15 years old and took me to meet him when he and the Pioneers were performing at the Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, California. After that meeting, I spent a few weeks at a time a couple times a year with him and P-Nuts. He was not difficult to live with unless someone tried to make unnecessary conversation. He would not discuss events or personalities, only ideas. We had many wonderful philosophical conversations. He was always searching, thought there had to be something out there he hadn’t yet discovered; that there was something more to life if he could only find it.

Bob was still writing for the Republic Roy Rogers movies, though less frequently. Fred Goodwin is in possession of a music non-exclusive license for motion pictures for a song Tim Spencer wrote for Lights of Old Santa Fe - Trigger Hasn't Got a Purty Figger. Tim was paid $200.00 for the song so we must assume that is what Bob Nolan received for his own compositions.

The Roy Rogers Show, sponsored by Goodyear.

The Roy Rogers Show went on the Mutual Network Tuesday evenings at 8:30 PM beginning November 21, 1944. Sponsored by Goodyear Tires, the show featured Roy and The Sons of the Pioneers in Western favorites like Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Cool Water and Don’t Fence Me In. Much of the show was banter and song, with Roy and songstress Pat Friday doing vocal solos, Perry Botkin leading the Goodyear orchestra and Verne Smith announcing. Dramatic-skits were offered, but leaned to lighter material than what the show used in later years. Eventually, it became primarily a Western thriller show.

Newspaper clipping courtesy of Fred Sopher

(Courtesy of Fred Sopher)

This photo appeared in card vending machines with similar cards of all the movie cowboys.

Exhibit cards were predominantly found in vending machines in arcades, boardwalks, etc. Featuring primarily athletes, cowboys, movie and TV stars, they were manufactured from the 40s to late 60s. A copy of the performer's signature and "Printed in the U.S.A." are the only words on the card. While most cards are black & white, some are tinted in brown or pink. They measure approximately 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches. This one is green.

Exhibit card from the Calin Coburn Collection with a selection of examples below:

Front and side view of a typical exhibit card vending machine. Exhibit card with 4 stars.

Selectograph No. 5

Stewart-Croxton Studios, 1408 Westwood Blvd., West Los Angeles 24, CA.

Comparing boots with a chorus girl from the film, Utah.

(Courtesy of James d'Arc, Brigham Young University)

Bob, fans and a cougar skin.

Bob Nolan, 1945 10 09 State Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut

(Terry Sevigny Collection)

On a trip to California in 1945, Martha Retsch (President of the Sons of the Pioneers fan club), was treated to several visits to Republic Studios where Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers were making the film, Man from Oklahoma. Here, in her words:

         On March 5th, we really had a treat. Tim arranged for the four of us to visit Republic Studios. That was something we had all wanted to do and we were really thrilled at the idea. A new movie was in the making and the boys were recording the songs for it. While on the set, we had the opportunity of meeting Roy Rogers again and also Dale Evans and Gabby Hayes. Oh, yes, also met Roy's little daughter, Cheryl, and she's a little doll.
        To get back to the songs now. The new movie - Roy's last by the way - is titled "Man from Oklahoma". Roy and the Pioneers did "Prairie Mary", and "Draggin' the Wagon." The Pioneers did "Cherokee" and the whole cast did "Skies are Bluer" or "Oklahoma USA". Oh, yes, Roy and Dale did "The Martins and the Coys." It was really very interesting and a little strange. The songs would be recorded then they'd troupe out of the recording studio and listen to themselves on the screen then back in to do it a little better. It took them from about 10:00 am until about 10:30 pm to get the songs recorded just right. So you can see that things are done right and to a perfection.
        Another day when we were lucky enough to get on the set, a few of the scenes were being filmed. The setting was the interior of a City Hall and the discussion was the wagon race which was to be held. This scene had Dale Evans, Gabby Hayes and Roger Pryor, along with the Sons and Roy. Quite a lot of rehearsing was done before the scenes were shot, too. One incident that was really odd - and comic - featured Roy and Dale. Their families are feudin' throughout the picture and when Dale starts singing, Roy is motioned to sing with her. They're singing "The Martins and the Coys" and keep grabbing the mike from each other. Roy got so enthusiastic he pulled the mike apart. The song was being played back and Roy and Dale were singing a duet with themselves. (Martha Retsch, p. 4, Prairie Prattler Vol. 3 No. 1, 1945)

One other day that we got on the set, we were greeted by six solemn Indians. After taking a second look, we discovered it was the Pioneers made up in Indian outfits for their song "Cherokee." Wait until you see them - they look swell. Bob had a chief's headdress on and I was informed he was "Heap Big Chief Standing Room Only" while Ken informed me that he was "Little Chief Pushum Up Daisies." They worked on the set until pretty late and had to rush for their broadcast - in Indian outfits. Those of you who heard the program on March 27th, may remember all the laughing that was going on. Everyone was completely surprised, including Roy as he had been on location that day and came straight to the broadcast, too. (Martha Retsch, p. 4, Prairie Prattler Vol. 3 No. 1, 1945)

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