Maurice Woodward Ritter
Born: Jan 12, 1905 AD
Died: 1974 AD, at 68 years of age.
Nationality: American
Categories: Actors, Entertainers, Musicians, Singer
Died: 1974 AD, at 68 years of age.
Nationality: American
Categories: Actors, Entertainers, Musicians, Singer
1905 - Tex Ritter, born on the 12th of January in Murvaul, Texas, the son of James Everett Ritter and Martha Elizabeth Matthews. He was an American country singer and actor.
1930 - He debuted on Broadway.
1936 - His first screen appearance was in Song of the Gringo.
1937 - 1941 - He rivalled Gene Autry in popularity as a singing cowboy among movie fans.
1941 - He was married to actress Dorothy Fay; their son is actor John Ritter.
1944 - 1945 - He was on the top-ten Western stars list, and ultimately he appeared in 85 films. He was often referred to as "America's most beloved cowboy."
1946 - He stopped making films, instead touring with White Flash, his horse, in live shows; he also continued his successful recording career. He went on to provide the title songs of five Westerns, narrate a sixth, and appear on TV's "Zane Grey Theater." He moved to Nashville and became a weekly fixture at the Grand Ole Opry. He also founded a restaurant franchise, "Tex Ritter's Chuck Wagons."
1966 - He had a prominent role in the film The Girl from Tobacco Row and was featured in cameos as himself in two others.
1970 - He ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senator in Tennessee, but lost.
1974 - He had a heart attack and died in Nashville on the 2nd of January. He is interred in Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches, Texas.
1980 - He was the only entertainer to be elected to both the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1930 - He debuted on Broadway.
1936 - His first screen appearance was in Song of the Gringo.
1937 - 1941 - He rivalled Gene Autry in popularity as a singing cowboy among movie fans.
1941 - He was married to actress Dorothy Fay; their son is actor John Ritter.
1944 - 1945 - He was on the top-ten Western stars list, and ultimately he appeared in 85 films. He was often referred to as "America's most beloved cowboy."
1946 - He stopped making films, instead touring with White Flash, his horse, in live shows; he also continued his successful recording career. He went on to provide the title songs of five Westerns, narrate a sixth, and appear on TV's "Zane Grey Theater." He moved to Nashville and became a weekly fixture at the Grand Ole Opry. He also founded a restaurant franchise, "Tex Ritter's Chuck Wagons."
1966 - He had a prominent role in the film The Girl from Tobacco Row and was featured in cameos as himself in two others.
1970 - He ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senator in Tennessee, but lost.
1974 - He had a heart attack and died in Nashville on the 2nd of January. He is interred in Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches, Texas.
1980 - He was the only entertainer to be elected to both the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Page last updated: 2:58pm, 29th Mar '07
