Sunset Carson
| Sunset Carson | |
|---|---|
Sunset Carson as he appeared in a scene in the 1948 film Sunset Carson Rides Again.
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| Born |
Winifred Maurice Harrison November 12, 1920 Gracemont, Oklahoma |
| Died | May 1, 1990 (aged 69) Reno, Nevada |
| Occupation | Film actor, rodeo rider |
Sunset Carson (November 12, 1920 – May 1, 1990) was an American B-western star of the 1940s.
Born Winifred Maurice Harrison on November 12, 1920, at Gracemont, Oklahoma, to Maurice Greely Harrison and Azalee Belle McAdams. He moved to Plainview, Texas as a child (1930 US Census Hale County, Texas). Carson became an accomplished rodeo rider in his youth. For a time he worked in a western show owned by early cowboy actor Tom Mix. In 1940 he traveled to South America, where he competed in rodeos for two years. After his return to the U.S., he played small parts in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen, and the 1944 film Janie, both having him billed as "Michael Harrison". Catching the attention of Republic Pictures executive Lou Grey, he was signed to a contract and given his own series of B-westerns, along with having his name changed to "Sunset Carson".
Within two years, Carson was on the top-10 list of money makers for western stars. He was given a horse named "Cactus", and starred in a string of semi-successful western genre films. In 1944 he starred in Bordertown Trail, Code of the Prairie, and Firebrands of Arizona opposite Smiley Burnette. 1945 was by far the peak of his career, with his first film of that year being Sheriff of Cimarron. He followed that up with Sante Fe Saddlemates, Bells of Rosarita, Oregon Trail, Bandits of the Badlands, Rough Riders of Cheyenne and The Cherokee Flash.
In 1946, Carson began the year strong, starring in Days of Buffalo Bill and Alias Billy the Kid. He followed those with The El Paso Kid, Red River Renegades, and Rio Grande Raiders. However, by the end of 1946, Carson and Republic Pictures were having disputes. He claimed the disputes were over his contract. Republic Pictures would later claim that he was fired by Republic creator and executive officer Herbert Yates after attending a studio function while intoxicated and in the company of an underage girl. At any rate, by the years end he and Republic Pictures had parted company. He would never again achieve any large success as an actor.
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