Cowboy film extras Joe Phillips and Harry Willingham at hearing of Jerome (Blackjack) Ward, charged with the murder of Johnny Tyke in Gower Gulch, Los Angeles, February 27, 1940
Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds. Cowboy extras Joe Phillips and Harry Willingham at an inquest for Jerome (Blackjack) Ward, who is charged with the murder of Johnny Tyke in “Gower Gulch.” Gower Gulch is the name given to the area near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street where film extras hang out waiting for work; many of the nearby studios produce westerns so often actual working cowboys come here to break into the film business. Allegedly, Blackjack shot Tyke with a .45, but many of the hundreds of Gower Gulch extras who came to the inquest testified that Tyke had started the fight and was “doped up” at the time. Handwritten annotation from nitrate negative: Joe Phillips & Harry Willingham Text from original nitrate sleeve: "Gower Gulch" crowd at hearing of Jerome (Blackjack) Ward; Driscoll, Tex; King, Jack; Cord, Bob; Adams, Doc; Phillips, Joe; Willingham, Harry
Type
Image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
uclamss_1387_22847-02 22847 ark:/21198/zz002802ts
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Crime Homicides--California--Los Angeles Legal Motion picture industry--California--Los Angeles Investigation--California--Los Angeles Entertainment Cowboys--California--Los Angeles Willingham, Harry, 1881-1943 Phillips, Joe
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
