On Oct. 12 in 1940, Tom Mix died in a one-car automobile accident. He was a famous and highly-paid star (along with his horse Tony) in silent-film era Westerns, as well as a few early “talkie” Westerns.
Have you seen any of his films? Andersen Library has The Heart of Texas Ryan, a 60-minute film, which is included on The Great Train Robbery DVD (100th Anniversary Special Edition, in 2nd-floor Browsing DVDs/Feature Films, at call number Gre), or you can watch it via the Internet Archive.
Would you like to learn more about him? Search HALCAT and find books such as Life and legend of Tom Mix (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN2287 .M65 M48) and Hall of fame of western film stars (3rd-floor Main Collection, PN2285 .C6). Searching the article databases will find this article: “The Making Of A Legend: Tom Mix In New Mexico” (Journal of the West, 1977, vol.16:no.4, pp.12-18). You also can search the historical newspaper databases, such as the Chicago Tribune, for articles published when his films were appearing, e.g., “A $12.50 Pony Earns 7 Million with Tom Mix” (Chicago Daily Tribune, 1932, Nov. 9, p.27). The Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, OK, provides some information and photos at its web site.
Please ask a librarian if you’d like some assistance with finding materials.
