Monte Hale
Encyclopedia
Monte Hale was a Country singer and movie actor of B-Western films. Often reported to have been born in San Angelo, Texas
, Hale was really born in Ada, Oklahoma
, but a Texan location sounded better for the movies. Starting to sing and play the guitar at an early age, Ely started playing in cities of Texas as well in Vaudeville
and local rodeo
shows. Hale then got a job during World War II
as a replacement guitarist with the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive. He had joined with several Republic Pictures
celebrities and staff. When signing to the company for seven years, he changed his name from Buren Ely to Monte Hale. Soon, Hale starred in his first major role in Home on the Range in 1946.
During his B-Western film run of the early 1950s, Hale started to sing at rodeos and circuses. Hale soon retired from movies and begin to appear at western conventions.
On November 12, 2004 for his work in movies, he received a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
He was also instrumental in the foundation of what is now the Autry National Center
of the American West.
He died at the age of 89 in Studio City, California after a long illness; he was survived by his wife of 31 years, Joanne.
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
, Hale was really born in Ada, Oklahoma
Ada, Oklahoma
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,008 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the city population was estimated at 17,019....
, but a Texan location sounded better for the movies. Starting to sing and play the guitar at an early age, Ely started playing in cities of Texas as well in Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and local rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
shows. Hale then got a job during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a replacement guitarist with the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive. He had joined with several Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
celebrities and staff. When signing to the company for seven years, he changed his name from Buren Ely to Monte Hale. Soon, Hale starred in his first major role in Home on the Range in 1946.
During his B-Western film run of the early 1950s, Hale started to sing at rodeos and circuses. Hale soon retired from movies and begin to appear at western conventions.
On November 12, 2004 for his work in movies, he received a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
He was also instrumental in the foundation of what is now the Autry National Center
Autry National Center
The Autry National Center of the American West is an intercultural center and museum in Los Angeles, California that celebrates the diversity and history of the American West through three important institutions: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West, and the...
of the American West.
He died at the age of 89 in Studio City, California after a long illness; he was survived by his wife of 31 years, Joanne.