Lash LaRue

Lash LaRue

BIOGRAPHY

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alfred "Lash" LaRue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. He had exceptional skill with the bullwhip and taught Harrison Ford how to use a bullwhip for the Indiana Jones movies. LaRue was one of the first recipients of the Golden Boot Awards in 1983. LaRue was originally screen tested by Warner Bros. but was rejected because he looked too much like Humphrey Bogart, then one of the studio's contract stars . He began acting in films in 1944 (at age 27) as Al LaRue, appearing in two musicals and a serial before being given a role in a Western film that would result in his being cast in a cowboy persona for virtually the rest of his career. He was given the name Lash because of the 18-foot (5.5 m)-long bullwhip he used to help bring down the bad guys. The popularity of his first role as the Cheyenne Kid, a sidekick of singing cowboy hero Eddie Dean, not just brandishing a whip but using it expertly to disarm villains, paved the way for LaRue to be featured in his own series of Western films. After appearing in all three of the Eddie Dean Cinecolor singing Westerns in 1945-46, he starred in quirky B-westerns from 1947 to 1951, at first for Poverty Row studio PRC, then for Eagle-Lion when they took over the studio, and later for producer Ron Ormond. He developed his image as the cowboy hero Lash LaRue, dressed all in black, and inherited from Buster Crabbe a comic sidekick in the form of "Fuzzy Q. Jones" played by Al St. John. LaRue played the Cheyenne Kid sidekick in about 8 films, before he starred in his own film series, playing a character actually named "Marshall Lash LaRue". Those 11 films (from 1948-1951) are the ones that western movie fans refer to as the "Lash LaRue" film series. He was different from the usual cowboy hero of the era: dressed in black, he spoke with a "city tough-guy" accent somewhat like that of Humphrey Bogart, whom he physically resembled. His use of a bullwhip, however, was what set him apart from bigger cowboy stars such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. His influence was felt throughout the dying medium of B-westerns; for example, he had an imitator, Whip Wilson, who starred in his own brief series, and even Roy Rogers started picking up and using a bullwhip in some of his Republic Studios Westerns made in the same period. He also made frequent personal appearances at small-town movie theaters that were showing his films during his heyday of 1948-51, a common practice for cowboy stars in those days. However, his skillful displays of stunts with his whip, done live on movie theater stages, also convinced young Western fans that there was at least one cowboy hero who could do in real life the same things he did on screen. He continued working in films and television until he retired in 1990. LaRue died of emphysema in 1996 (age 78) at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, and was cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. He was survived by his wife, Frances Bramlett LaRue, three sons and three daughters.
Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
15 June 1917
Death Day
21 May 1996
Place of Birth
Gretna, Louisiana, USA
Also Known As
Alfred Wilson LaRue, Alfred LaRue, Alfred La Rue, Al LaRue, Al La Rue, Al 'Lash' La Rue, 'Lash' LaRue, 'Lash' La Rue, Lash Larue, Alfred 'Lash' LaRue, Alfred 'Lash' La Rue

MEDIA

Example 1

FILMOGRAPHY

Lash LaRue: A Man and His Memories

Lash LaRue: A Man and His Memories

1992-01-01
The Dark Power

The Dark Power

1985-06-01Actor, Executive Producer
Law of the Lash

Law of the Lash

1947-02-28Actor
King of the Bullwhip

King of the Bullwhip

1950-12-20Actor
Border Feud

Border Feud

1947-05-10Actor
Please Don't Touch Me!

Please Don't Touch Me!

1959-01-01Actor
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

1976-05-01Actor
The Master Key

The Master Key

1945-04-24Actor
Cheyenne Takes Over

Cheyenne Takes Over

1947-12-17Actor
Alien Outlaw

Alien Outlaw

1985-01-01Actor
Pair of Aces

Pair of Aces

1990-01-14Actor
The Daltons' Women

The Daltons' Women

1950-02-25Actor
The Caravan Trail

The Caravan Trail

1946-04-19Actor
Frontier Revenge

Frontier Revenge

1948-12-26Actor
Stage to Mesa City

Stage to Mesa City

1947-09-13Actor
The Frontier Phantom

The Frontier Phantom

1952-02-02Actor
Dead Man's Gold

Dead Man's Gold

1948-09-09Actor
Mark of the Lash

Mark of the Lash

1948-10-15Actor
Outlaw Country

Outlaw Country

1949-01-07Actor
Son of a Badman

Son of a Badman

1949-04-15Actor
Son of Billy the Kid

Son of Billy the Kid

1949-04-02Actor
Heartaches

Heartaches

1947-06-28Actor
Ghost Town Renegades

Ghost Town Renegades

1947-07-26Actor
The Thundering Trail

The Thundering Trail

1951-07-02Actor
The Vanishing Outpost

The Vanishing Outpost

1951-11-01Actor
The Black Lash

The Black Lash

1952-01-02Actor
Escape

Escape

1989-11-27Actor
Song of Old Wyoming

Song of Old Wyoming

1945-10-11Actor
Wild West

Wild West

1946-12-01Actor
The Fighting Vigilantes

The Fighting Vigilantes

1947-11-15Actor
Pioneer Justice

Pioneer Justice

1947-06-28Actor
Return of the Lash

Return of the Lash

1947-10-10Actor
Stagecoach

Stagecoach

1986-05-18Actor
Hard on the Trail

Hard on the Trail

1971-01-01Actor
Lanton Mills

Lanton Mills

1969-11-03Actor
Lady on a Train

Lady on a Train

1945-08-03Actor
Guns Don't Argue

Guns Don't Argue

1957-01-01Actor
Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys

Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys

1992-10-01Actor
The Enchanted Valley

The Enchanted Valley

1948-03-24Actor
A Tribute to Houdini

A Tribute to Houdini

1987-01-01Actor
Christmas Holiday

Christmas Holiday

1944-06-17Actor
Cheyenne

Cheyenne

1955-09-20
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

1955-09-06
Racket Squad

Racket Squad

1951-06-07
26 Men

26 Men

1957-10-15
Judge Roy Bean

Judge Roy Bean

1955-09-01
Gang Busters

Gang Busters

1952-03-20
Lash of the West

Lash of the West

1953-01-04Actor
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