Rudy Robbins
Encyclopedia
Rudy Warner Robbins was a Western
entertainer known for his singing
, songwriting, acting
, writing
, and his past performance of film
and television
stunts. He is also affiliated with a real estate
firm in his adopted city of Bandera
, Texas
.
in Avoyelles Parish in south central Louisiana
to Charles Robbins, a native of Mississippi
, and the former Mary Alice Grimble. His middle and last names coincidentally are the same as a city in Georgia
but with one additional "b": Warner Robins
. When Rudy was two years old, the family moved to Port Arthur
on the Texas Gulf Coast
, where he was reared. He graduated in 1952 from Thomas Jefferson High School
, now known as Memorial High School, and then, for one academic year, attended Lamar University
in Beaumont
, Texas
, known at the time as Lamar Technical Institute. Himself a Baptist
, Robbins graduated in 1956 from East Texas Baptist University
in Marshall
in east Texas with credentials in business administration and sociology
.
From 1957-1959, Robbins served in the United States Army
and was on the Fourth Army track
team. He set a record for the javelin throw
, the same event in which he had lettered at ETBU. In the Army, he met the son of a film
producer
who told him about job opportunities in Hollywood as a stuntman.
which calls itself "The Cowboy Capital of the World". He worked there for a time as a wrangler
at the Dixie Dude Ranch
until he was offered a speaking but unnamed role as one of the Tennessee
Volunteers in John Wayne
's epic
The Alamo
, which was filmed not in San Antonio but near Brackettville
in Kinney County
in south central Texas. In The Alamo, Robbins was involved in a short dialogue
repeated several times during the film: a fellow-Tennessean would review a developing situation and ask Robbins, "Do this mean what I think it do?" Robbins would reply, "It do." Thereafter, John Wayne called Robbins by the nickname "It Do"; one of Robbins' treasured possessions is a souvenir
Alamo mug
addressed to "It Do" from "Duke", Wayne's nickname.
After The Alamo, Robbins went to Hollywood but returned semi-permanently to Bandera in 1971 though he was on tour for many of the following years.
John Ford
, who hired him as an actor in Two Rode Together
with James Stewart
and Richard Widmark
(also filmed near Brackettville) and later for stunts in Cheyenne Autumn
, also with Widmark, and in three other Wayne films, McLintock!
with Maureen O'Hara
), The Green Berets
and Rio Lobo
(1970). Robbins' other parts were for uncredited stunts in The Rounders
(1965) and Sugarland Express (1974). He also appeared as a mechanic
in Sugarland Express. He did stunts for CBS's Gunsmoke
in 1964, acting as a double for series star James Arness
.
In 1966, Robbins played Josh Cutler in NBC
's Daniel Boone
with Fess Parker
. Robbins holds Parker, later a large Los Angeles
developer, in high esteem because Parker paid him in advance: "He knew I was hard up. When I showed up on Monday morning, he handed me an envelope with my first episode’s pay in advance," recalls Robbins.
Along with Wayne, Clint Eastwood
, and Charlton Heston
, Robbins was awarded honorary membership in the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. Robbins also trained horse
s for other stuntmen and became a production manager for various shows.
to go to Europe
as a "Cowboy Goodwill Ambassador" to introduce and promote the sale of denim
jeans.
Later, he joined Montie Montana
, Jr., to re-create Buffalo Bill
's Wild West Show. With a cast of 125 cowboy
s, cowgirls, and Indians and 135 bison
, longhorns
, and horses, the show toured worldwide from London to Brazil
to Singapore
. The group was particularly well received in Japan
, where it performed four to five shows daily for four months. The last wild west show performance was near Glacier National Park in northern Montana
. Back in Texas, Robbins produced the Rudy Robbins Western Show and the All American Cowboy Get-Together, a two-day event of music, poetry
, cooking
, arts, crafts and demonstrations. He is also active in the "Keep Bandera Western" campaign.
Robbins formed The Spirit of Texas, a western harmony group, which in 1991 was named by the Texas State Senate as the "Official Cowboy Band for Texas". Modeled on the old Sons of the Pioneers
, the band performed for such celebrities as Roy Rogers
and Dale Evans Rogers, Johnny Cash
and June Carter Cash, and Tom Selleck
, as well as General
H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Texas Governors Ann W. Richards and George W. Bush
. Robbins and the Canadian
yodeler Shirley Field
co-authored How to Yodel the Cowboy Way, which can still be obtained through Amazon.com
. After the death of two members, the Spirit of Texas disbanded.
Robbins has also written short stories
for Cowboy Magazine. Robbins is featured in the Museum of the Gulf Coast, which is administered by the Port Arthur Historical Society. He resides in Bandera, which is nestled in the Texas Hill Country
. In 2008, he was seeking to sell a television series tentatively entitled Intriguing Mysteries of the Old West. One episode would focus on the unsolved ambush
killing in 1908 of Sheriff
Pat Garrett
of New Mexico
.
Among his awards, Robbins has been made honorary town marshal
of Tombstone
, Arizona
, honorary deputy sheriff
of Pima County
(Tucson
), Arizona, and "Outstanding Cowboy of the 20th Century" for Bandera County
, Texas. He was commissioned an admiral in the Texas Navy by former Governor Bill Clements
. He was awarded a plaque for excellence by the Texas Stuntmen's Association.
Though he lived a healthy lifestyle and was always fit and strong, he eventually suffered from two forms of cancer, one of which took his life after a difficult two-year struggle. After multiple stays in the Audie Murphy V.A. Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, he was taken home for hospice care. He transitioned from this life to eternal life with Jesus after a few short days at home, with his son, his sister, and several close friends by his side as he breathed his last breath on earth, and his first in heaven. He was only 77.
His memorial service at First Baptist Bandera (where he had been head usher for many years) was packed to overflowing. His longtime friends evangelist Larry Taylor, western performer Montie Montana, Jr., and his only child, Jody Eldred gave eulogies, many of which were filled with fun stories. His sister Barbara Miles and brother "Doo" Robbins also reminisced warmly about their beloved brother.
A mule-drawn wagon carried his flag-draped coffin to the cemetery through Bandera, with the mounted Bandera Posse in the lead, and dozens of other riders in traditional cowboy apparel (including native Americans) following behind. Immediately behind the wagon was the "riderless horse" with Rudy's empty saddle, and his boots backwards in the stirrups. People lined the streets with hats off and hands over their hearts, remembering their longtime friend and originator of "Keep Bandera Western" as he passed by one last time.
His tombstone reads, "Rudy Warner Robbins: A Western Performer Who Loved the Lord".
Robbins was the divorce
d father of one son, Jody Eldred (born 1956) of Marina del Rey
, California, who is an author, writer, producer, director, and cameraman in the television and film industry.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
entertainer known for his singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, songwriting, acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, and his past performance of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
stunts. He is also affiliated with a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
firm in his adopted city of Bandera
Bandera, Texas
Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States,in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 957 at the 2000 census, and according to a 2009 estimate, the population had jumped up to 1,216 people...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Early years, education, military
He is the youngest of four children born in EvergreenEvergreen, Louisiana
Evergreen is a town in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 314 at the 2000 census. Evergreen is located east of Bunkie.The Western singer, songwriter, and actor Rudy Robbins was born in Evergreen in 1933...
in Avoyelles Parish in south central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to Charles Robbins, a native of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and the former Mary Alice Grimble. His middle and last names coincidentally are the same as a city in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
but with one additional "b": Warner Robins
Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804...
. When Rudy was two years old, the family moved to Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
on the Texas Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
, where he was reared. He graduated in 1952 from Thomas Jefferson High School
Memorial High School (Port Arthur, Texas)
Memorial High School is a public, co-educational secondary school located in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. It was established in August 2002 after a merger of Thomas Jefferson High , Abraham Lincoln High and Stephen F. Austin High . Since then, Memorial High has been the only high school in...
, now known as Memorial High School, and then, for one academic year, attended Lamar University
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
in Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, known at the time as Lamar Technical Institute. Himself a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Robbins graduated in 1956 from East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University is a private, coeducational Christian university in Marshall, Texas, United States associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.- History :...
in Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
in east Texas with credentials in business administration and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
From 1957-1959, Robbins served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was on the Fourth Army track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team. He set a record for the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, the same event in which he had lettered at ETBU. In the Army, he met the son of a film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who told him about job opportunities in Hollywood as a stuntman.
Moving to Bandera, Texas
After military service, Robbins moved to Bandera, a small community west of San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
which calls itself "The Cowboy Capital of the World". He worked there for a time as a wrangler
Wrangler (profession)
In North America, a wrangler is someone employed to handle animals professionally, especially horses, but also other types of animals. Wranglers also handle the horses and other animals during the making of motion pictures...
at the Dixie Dude Ranch
Dude Ranch
Dude Ranch is the second studio album by American punk band Blink-182. Recorded at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino, the album was first released on June 17, 1997 in the United States on independent label Cargo Music...
until he was offered a speaking but unnamed role as one of the Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
Volunteers in John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
The Alamo
The Alamo (1960 film)
The Alamo is a 1960 American historical epic released by United Artists. The film was directed by John Wayne, who also starred as Davy Crockett. The cast also includes Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William B...
, which was filmed not in San Antonio but near Brackettville
Brackettville, Texas
Brackettville is a city in Kinney County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kinney County...
in Kinney County
Kinney County, Texas
Kinney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,379. Its seat is Brackettville. Kinney County is named for Henry Lawrence Kinney, an early settler.-Geography:...
in south central Texas. In The Alamo, Robbins was involved in a short dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
repeated several times during the film: a fellow-Tennessean would review a developing situation and ask Robbins, "Do this mean what I think it do?" Robbins would reply, "It do." Thereafter, John Wayne called Robbins by the nickname "It Do"; one of Robbins' treasured possessions is a souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
Alamo mug
Mug
A mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Usually a mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid; double a tea cup...
addressed to "It Do" from "Duke", Wayne's nickname.
After The Alamo, Robbins went to Hollywood but returned semi-permanently to Bandera in 1971 though he was on tour for many of the following years.
Acting and stunts
Wayne introduced Robbins to legendary directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
, who hired him as an actor in Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together is a western film directed by John Ford, and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire...
with James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
(also filmed near Brackettville) and later for stunts in Cheyenne Autumn
Cheyenne Autumn
Cheyenne Autumn is a 1964 western starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. Regarded as an epic film it tells the story of a factual event, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878-9, although it is told in 'Hollywood style' using a great degree of artistic license...
, also with Widmark, and in three other Wayne films, McLintock!
McLintock!
McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The film is notable, perhaps even infamous, for its two spanking scenes, in which mother and daughter are each paddled with coal shovels: the daughter by her...
with Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
), The Green Berets
The Green Berets (film)
The Green Berets is a 1968 war film featuring John Wayne, George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton and Aldo Ray, nominally based on the eponymous 1965 book by Robin Moore, though the screenplay has little relation to the book....
and Rio Lobo
Rio Lobo
Rio Lobo is a 1970 Western movie starring John Wayne. The film was the last film directed by Howard Hawks, from a script by Leigh Brackett. The film was shot in Technicolor with a running time of 114 minutes...
(1970). Robbins' other parts were for uncredited stunts in The Rounders
The Rounders (1965 film)
The Rounders is a lighthearted 1965 film starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. The comedy was based on the novel of the same name by Max Evans.-Plot:...
(1965) and Sugarland Express (1974). He also appeared as a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
in Sugarland Express. He did stunts for CBS's Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
in 1964, acting as a double for series star James Arness
James Arness
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
.
In 1966, Robbins played Josh Cutler in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (TV series)
Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
with Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
. Robbins holds Parker, later a large Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
developer, in high esteem because Parker paid him in advance: "He knew I was hard up. When I showed up on Monday morning, he handed me an envelope with my first episode’s pay in advance," recalls Robbins.
Along with Wayne, Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, and Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, Robbins was awarded honorary membership in the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. Robbins also trained horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s for other stuntmen and became a production manager for various shows.
Later activities
In 1967, he was selected by the United States Department of CommerceUnited States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
to go to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as a "Cowboy Goodwill Ambassador" to introduce and promote the sale of denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
jeans.
Later, he joined Montie Montana
Montie Montana
Montie Montana , was a rodeo trick rider, actor, stuntman and cowboy inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994....
, Jr., to re-create Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
's Wild West Show. With a cast of 125 cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s, cowgirls, and Indians and 135 bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, longhorns
Texas longhorn (cattle)
The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and tip to tip for bulls. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse coloring...
, and horses, the show toured worldwide from London to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The group was particularly well received in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where it performed four to five shows daily for four months. The last wild west show performance was near Glacier National Park in northern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Back in Texas, Robbins produced the Rudy Robbins Western Show and the All American Cowboy Get-Together, a two-day event of music, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, arts, crafts and demonstrations. He is also active in the "Keep Bandera Western" campaign.
Robbins formed The Spirit of Texas, a western harmony group, which in 1991 was named by the Texas State Senate as the "Official Cowboy Band for Texas". Modeled on the old Sons of the Pioneers
Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of America's earliest Western singing groups whose classic recordings set a new standard for performers of Western music. Known for the high quality of their vocal performances, musicianship, and songwriting, they produced finely-crafted and innovative recordings...
, the band performed for such celebrities as Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and Dale Evans Rogers, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and June Carter Cash, and Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, as well as General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Texas Governors Ann W. Richards and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Robbins and the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
yodeler Shirley Field
Shirley Field
Shirley Field may refer to:People* Shirley Anne Field, actress* Shirley Adele Field, Oregon legislator and judgePlaces*Shirley Field , listed on the NRHP in Louisiana* Shirley Field, Laredo, Texas, athletic stadium...
co-authored How to Yodel the Cowboy Way, which can still be obtained through Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. After the death of two members, the Spirit of Texas disbanded.
Robbins has also written short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
for Cowboy Magazine. Robbins is featured in the Museum of the Gulf Coast, which is administered by the Port Arthur Historical Society. He resides in Bandera, which is nestled in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
. In 2008, he was seeking to sell a television series tentatively entitled Intriguing Mysteries of the Old West. One episode would focus on the unsolved ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
killing in 1908 of Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Among his awards, Robbins has been made honorary town marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
of Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, honorary deputy sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
(Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
), Arizona, and "Outstanding Cowboy of the 20th Century" for Bandera County
Bandera County, Texas
Bandera County, formed in 1856 from Bexar and Uvalde counties, is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,645. Its county seat is Bandera. Bandera is named for the Spanish word for flag...
, Texas. He was commissioned an admiral in the Texas Navy by former Governor Bill Clements
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
. He was awarded a plaque for excellence by the Texas Stuntmen's Association.
Though he lived a healthy lifestyle and was always fit and strong, he eventually suffered from two forms of cancer, one of which took his life after a difficult two-year struggle. After multiple stays in the Audie Murphy V.A. Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, he was taken home for hospice care. He transitioned from this life to eternal life with Jesus after a few short days at home, with his son, his sister, and several close friends by his side as he breathed his last breath on earth, and his first in heaven. He was only 77.
His memorial service at First Baptist Bandera (where he had been head usher for many years) was packed to overflowing. His longtime friends evangelist Larry Taylor, western performer Montie Montana, Jr., and his only child, Jody Eldred gave eulogies, many of which were filled with fun stories. His sister Barbara Miles and brother "Doo" Robbins also reminisced warmly about their beloved brother.
A mule-drawn wagon carried his flag-draped coffin to the cemetery through Bandera, with the mounted Bandera Posse in the lead, and dozens of other riders in traditional cowboy apparel (including native Americans) following behind. Immediately behind the wagon was the "riderless horse" with Rudy's empty saddle, and his boots backwards in the stirrups. People lined the streets with hats off and hands over their hearts, remembering their longtime friend and originator of "Keep Bandera Western" as he passed by one last time.
His tombstone reads, "Rudy Warner Robbins: A Western Performer Who Loved the Lord".
Robbins was the divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d father of one son, Jody Eldred (born 1956) of Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey, California
-Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile...
, California, who is an author, writer, producer, director, and cameraman in the television and film industry.