Tom Mix and crew; the making of Little Hollywood

I spent much of the past forty years researching historic events. Recently, I set out to study lesser- known actors who worked in the early movie industry in Kanab.

The earliest documented moving picture shot in Kanab was the 1924 silent film, The Deadwood Coach. The movie starred cowboy heartthrob Tom Mix heading up a cast of over a dozen actors and actresses. The film was made in the Kanab area, including locations in Zion National Park and Cedar City, and undoubtedly was not the first to be shot here. Chroniclers sometimes failed to record where these early movies were filmed and producers often kept locations secret to deter interruptions by exuberant fans. Sometime during this early heyday of western films Kanab was dubbed, “Little Hollywood.”

Left to right:

• Sid Jordan and Tom Mix, circa 1921. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

• Ed Brady, circa 1920. Photograph by Herbert A. French, Library of Congress.

• Hank Bell, circa 1930. Studio publicity still.

Born in 1880, by 1905 Tom Mix had achieved so much notoriety as an entertainer and cowboy that he was invited to ride in President Teddy Roosevelt’s inaugural parade. By 1924, Mix had played in more than 100 films. Talking films, or “talkies were introduced in 1927 and took the movie industry by storm. Many actors failed to survive this evolution. Although Mix had made and spent literally millions of dollars in the motion picture business, he retired from making movies in 1935 and died in an auto accident in 1940.

Tom Mix rode into the sunset and off the silver screen, but other cast members of The Deadwood Coach appeared in later movies that were filmed in “Little Hollywood.”

Sid Jordan played a character named Need in The Deadwood Coach. He returned in 1934 to portray a henchman named Dunn in The Dude Ranger, based on the Zane Grey novel of the same name.

Jordan was back again in 1941 riding with a posse in Western Union, another movie based on a Zane Grey novel, starring Robert Young with a cast of 75 actors and actresses in supporting roles.

Ed Brady played an unnamed character in The Deadwood Coach and was back as a man named Sam in the 1940 movie Wagon Train. Wagon Train was filmed simultaneously with The Fargo Kid in Kanab and Paria Canyon. Both movies starred Tim Holt. The next year Brady was in Billy the Kid filmed in Kanab Canyon and Paria Canyon. This movie starred Robert Taylor. Brady was listed in the cast as Vagrant #2.

In the Deadwood Coach, Hank Bell also played an unnamed character. When he returned a decade later with Sid Jordan to play in The Dude Ranger he was listed in the credits as Party Guest. When he next appeared in 1943, Hank was playing poker on the set of The Desperados with stars Randolph Scott and Glenn Ford. The Desperados was filmed in Johnson Canyon, Paria, and Kanab.

Sid Jordan was born in Oklahoma in 1889. He played in 130 films from 1913-1944, many of them alongside his close friend, Tom Mix. He died in 1970.

Ed Brady too, was born in 1889. He was a cast member in 350 films between 1911 and 1942. He also appeared on Broadway in The Spy in 1913. He died in 1942.

Hank Bell was born in Los Angeles in 1892. He appeared in more than 370 films from 1920 to 1950. He died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California in 1950.

Sid, Ed and Hank most often played supporting roles and all began their careers on the silver screen long before soundtracks were added to the black and white flashing pictures. The trio survived the transition for decades to come and individually played roles in over 850 films. Some of those were shot in “Little Hollywood” a hundred years ago.

Jefferson Glass is a historian, author, and speaker with a deep love for Western stories and the people who shaped them. Originally from Oregon, he’s spent years uncovering the history of the West through award-winning nonfiction like Reshaw and Empire. His research and storytelling have earned recognition from the Western Writers of America and historical organizations across the region. Now living in Kanab, Jefferson brings his curiosity, humor, and passion for local history to the pages of the Southern Utah News.