Rex Bell

Rex Bell (born George Francis Beldam; October 16, 1903 – July 4, 1962) was an American actor and politician. Bell primarily appeared in Western films during his career. He also appeared in the 1930 movie True to the Navy, starring Clara Bow; Bell and Bow married the following year.

Rex Bell
21st Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
In office 1955–1962
Governor	Charles H. Russell Grant Sawyer
Preceded by	Clifford A. Jones
Succeeded by	Maude Frazier
Personal details
Born	George Francis Beldam October 16, 1903 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 4, 1962 (aged 58) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Clara Bow ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	2
Profession	Actor, politician

Bell later became involved in politics with the Nevada Republican Party and was the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1955 until his death in 1962.

Film career

Bell made his film debut in Wild West Romance in 1928,[1] and went on to act in a number of films, mostly Westerns, in which he had the lead role. He left the movie industry in 1936, although he had generally small roles in a few later films.

In 1931,[2] Bell and his wife, actress Clara Bow, founded the Walking Box Ranch,[3] at Searchlight, Nevada.[4]

His final film appearance was a brief cameo as a cowboy in John Huston's film The Misfits (1961), which was shot on location in Nevada. He appeared in the film with actress Marilyn Monroe, who died a month after Bell in the summer of 1962.

Political career

In 1944, Bell ran for the United States House of Representatives on the Republican ticket against Democrat Berkeley Bunker. The Nevada State Journal commented on November 1: "He has made friends where ever he appeared, but consensus is that the time is too short to overcome a handicap of not being so well known as his opponent".[5] The election was held November 7, and Bell got 19,096 votes while Bunker received 36,648.[6]

Bell was the leader of the Nevada Republican Party and in 1948 was an alternate to the Republican National Convention. He was also active in the Nevada Chamber of Commerce and Boy Scouts.[7]

The ties Bell forged during those years helped him win the Lieutenant Governor's office in 1954. That year, Charles H. Russell, the incumbent Republican governor, also won. In 1958, Democrat Grant Sawyer unseated Russell, but Bell won re-election as Lieutenant Governor (Bell and his Nevada state political position are mentioned in John D. MacDonald's 1960 novel The Only Girl in the Game). He died in office of a heart attack in 1962.

Other activities

Television

Bell was host of the program Cowboys and Injuns in 1950. It began on a station in Los Angeles[1] and went on to be broadcast on ABC. The show focused on legends that were derived from folklore of cowboys and Native Americans in the United States.[8]

Business

Bell operated Rexco, Incorporated, which manufactured and distributed novelty gift items. He and his brother also had two clothing stores in Nevada.[1]

Personal life

Bell was born in Chicago on October 16, 1903, and married actress Clara Bow in 1931.[3] They had two sons, Tony Beldam (1934–2011), who changed his name to Rex Anthony Bell Jr., and George Beldam Jr. (born 1938).[9][10] Rex Bell Jr. appeared in two Western films—Stage to Thunder Rock (1964), in the role of "Shotgun Rex", and Young Fury (1965), and later served as district attorney of Clark County from 1987 to 1995.[11]

The Rex Bell Elementary School in Las Vegas was named in honor of Bell.[12]

Filmography

Bell in Too Much Beef, 1936

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1928	Wild West Romance	Phil O'Malley
1928	The Cowboy Kid	Jim Barrett
1928	Girl-Shy Cowboy	Joe Benson
1928	Taking a Chance	Joe Courtney
1929	Joy Street	Eddie
1929	Pleasure Crazed	Peters (chauffeur)
1929	Salute	Cadet	Uncredited
1929	Happy Days	Rex Bell
1929	They Had to See Paris	Clark McCurdy
1930	Harmony at Home	Dick Grant
1930	Courage	Lynn Willard
1930	True to the Navy	Eddie
1930	Lightnin'	Larry - Betty's Husband
1931	Battling with Buffalo Bill	Dave Archer	Serial
1931	Forgotten Women	Jimmy Burke
1931	Law of the Sea	Cole Andrews
1932	The Arm of the Law	Robin Dale
1932	Broadway to Cheyenne	Breezy Kildare
1932	The Man From Arizona	Kent Rogers
1932	Lucky Larrigan	Craig Larrigan - posing as Tex aka Lucky
1932	Crashin' Broadway	Tad Wallace
1933	Diamond Trail	Speed Morgan - posing as Frisco Eddie
1933	Fighting Texans	Randy Graves
1933	The Fugitive	Joe Kean
1933	Rainbow Ranch	Ed Randall
1933	Hollywood on Parade No. A-8	Himself	Short
1934	The Tonto Kid	Skeets Slawson aka The Tonto Kid
1934	Gunfire	Jerry Dunbar
1935	Fighting Pioneers	Lieutenant Bentley
1935	Border Vengeance	Announced Rodeo Guest Star	Uncredited
1935	Saddle Aces	Steve Brandt
1936	Too Much Beef	Johnny Argyle alias Tucson Smith
1936	West of Nevada	Jim Carden, posing as Jim Lloyd
1936	Men of the Plains	Jim Dean - aka Tom Porter
1936	The Idaho Kid	Todd Hollister aka Idaho
1936	Law and Lead	Jimmy Sawyer
1936	Stormy Trails	Tom Storm
1942	Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die	Virgil Earp
1942	Dawn on the Great Divide	Jack Carson
1952	Lone Star	Minor Role	Uncredited
1952	Sky Full of Moon	Himself	Uncredited
1961	The Misfits	Old Cowboy	Uncredited, (final film role)

References

1. "Rex Bell: Nevada's Goodwill Ambassador". Films of the Golden Age (91): 58–59. Winter 2017–2018.
2. Kalil, J.M. (2000-12-20). "WALKING BOX RANCH: Sale brings less than third of asking price". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
3. Kalil, J.M. (2000-11-19). "Ranch sells for $650,000". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
4. Reid, Harry (2007-11-05). Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail. University of Nevada Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0874177534.
5. Nevada State Journal, November 1, 1944
6. Nevada State Journal, November 18, 1944
7. Nevada Day Grand Marshals
8. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
9. B-Westerns
10. Hall, Mordaunt. "Movies". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
11. "Rex Bell Jr., former Clark County district attorney, dies at 76". Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 9, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
12. Rex Bell Elementary School

External links

• Rex Bell at Find a Grave
• Rex Bell at IMDb
• Rex Bell at AllMovie