Max Terhune (February 12, 1891 – June 5, 1973) was an American film actor born in

Franklin, Indiana Franklin is a city in Johnson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 23,712 at the 2010 census. Located about south of Indianapolis, the city is the county seat of Johnson County. The site of Franklin College, the city attracts n ...

. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly

B-westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, between 1936 and 1956. Among these, Terhune starred in ''

The Three Mesquiteers ''The Three Mesquiteers'' is the umbrella title for a Republic Pictures series of 51 American Western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943. The films, featuring a trio of Old West adventurers, was based on a series of Western novels by W ...

'' and ''

Range Busters ''The Range Busters'' was a 1940–1943 American Western film series of 24 films. They were about the adventures of a trio of cowboys, many filmed at the Corriganville Movie Ranch, produced by George W. Weeks and distributed by Monogram Picture ...

'' series.

Baseball

Terhune worked as a tool maker and when he was 20 he played semi-pro baseball for teams in Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Newark; he also spent the 1913 season playing Class-D baseball for the Vincennes Alices of the

Kitty League Kitty or Kittie may refer to: Animals * Cat, a small, domesticated carnivorous mammal ** Kitten, a young cat Film * Kitty Films, an anime production company in Japan * ''Kitty'' (1929 film), based on the Deeping novel; the first British talk ...

. During this time he became friends with

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were f ...

, a star university athlete who launched a career as a silent western movie star that continued into the sound era. Kermit's younger brother was Ken Maynard, a hugely popular western star from the early 1920s through the 1930s.

Film career

Terhune performed in 21 episodes of a popular Republic Studios western series called ''

.'' His character, Lullaby Joslin, was launched by another popular character actor, Syd Saylor, but then Terhune stepped into the series which, involving 12 different actors, lasted for a total of 51 pictures over eight years. His co-stars in 15 of the pictures were Robert Livingston and

Ray "Crash" Corrigan Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters film series). He also was a st ...

. He then worked with Corrigan and John Wayne, who took over Livingston's role shortly before Wayne's career was launched by his starring role in ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

''. Terhune and Corrigan went on to work together in another trio western series, ''

The Range Busters ''The Range Busters'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby and written by John Rathmell. The film is the first in Monogram Pictures' "Range Busters" series, and it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash, John "Dusty" King as D ...

'' (24 entries with

Ray Corrigan Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

and John King at Monogram Pictures). He did several supporting roles with

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

(at

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

). It was Autry, with whom he had worked in radio in Chicago, who convinced him to come to Hollywood. Later he worked in ''

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western films. Early life Born and raise ...

'' westerns at Monogram. Terhune played the comic sidekick (Lullaby Joslin in the Republic Pictures Mesquiteers movies and usually a character called Alibi in the Monogram Pictures thereafter) — with a major distinction. He always traveled the range with his dummy Elmer sharing his saddle. Elmer received a film credit for his appearances.

Magic

Besides being a

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

, whistler and animal imitator, Terhune was a magician. Card tricks were his ''forte'', and he often performed such in his movies. His former

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

act included juggling, bird calls and barnyard animal impressions, talents also incorporated into his sidekick roles. His hands doubled for those of

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

in "

The King and Four Queens ''The King and Four Queens'' is a 1956 DeLuxe Color American Western adventure comedy/mystery film starring Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker and filmed in CinemaScope. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the film is based on a story written by Margaret ...

" in 1956. He performed on occasion at

The Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

in Hollywood. (Source: Audio interview: Max Terhune 1971)

Later years

He appeared frequently on weekends in the 1950s at

Corriganville __NOTOC__ Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor and stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothil ...

, a popular western film location developed by his co-star and friend who purchased the land in the late 1930s. Tourists paid to see stunt shows and musical performances as well as wander around the western streets where scores of films and TV episodes were filmed over 25 years. His last film role was in the major Hollywood film ''

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

'', in which he played the dramatic role of the physician Dr. Walker.

Family

Terhune married Maude Cassady and they had three children: Donald Roltaire, Robert, and Maxine. His son Robert was a stuntman who doubled burly actors like George Kennedy in films. Donald Roltaire was killed at age 27 in an automobile accident near

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, in 1958.

Death

Terhune died in

Cottonwood, Arizona Cottonwood is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 11,265. Geography Cottonwood is located at (34.7321, -112.0186). According to the United States Census Bureau, the c ...

, at the age of 82.

Selected filmography

* ''

Ride Ranger Ride ''Ride Ranger Ride'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Kay Hughes. Based on a story by Bernard McConville and Karen DeWolf, and a screenplay by Dorrell and Stuart E. McGowan, t ...

'' (1936) – Rufe Jones * ''

Ghost-Town Gold ''Ghost-Town Gold'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and was the second entry of the 51-film series of Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movies. It was based on the 1935 novel of the same name by William Colt MacDonald. Plot H ...

'' (1936) – Lullaby Joslin * '' The Big Show'' (1936) – Ventriloquist * ''

Roarin' Lead ''Roarin' Lead'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and Mack V. Wright and was the third entry of the 51-film series of Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movies. Plot summary Hackett is out to take over the Cattlemen's Pro ...

'' (1936) – Lullaby Joslin * ''

Riders of the Whistling Skull ''Riders of the Whistling Skull'' is a 1937 " Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie of the weird western genre starring Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and ventriloquist Max Terhune with his dummy Elmer. It was directed by Mack V. Wright, p ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * ''

Hit the Saddle ''Hit the Saddle'' is a 1937 "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie starring Bob Livingston, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, and Rita Hayworth, before she became famous. It was second in The Three Mesquiteers series released by Republic Pictures. The fil ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * '' The Hit Parade'' (1937) – Rusty Callahan * ''

Gunsmoke Ranch ''Gunsmoke Ranch'' is a 1937 American Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by Joseph Kane. Plot Cast * Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke *Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Tucson Smith * Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin *Kenneth Harlan as Phinea ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * '' Come on, Cowboys'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * ''

Range Defenders ''Range Defenders'' is a 1937 American Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by Mack V. Wright. Plot Set in modern times, Stony Brooke's kid brother George rides into town saying that he is wanted for murder, a charge he denies. Ston ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * '' Heart of the Rockies'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * '' Boots and Saddles'' (1937) – Wedding Guest (uncredited) * ''

The Trigger Trio ''The Trigger Trio'' is a 1937 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by William Witney. Plot Cast *Ray Corrigan as Tucson Smith *Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin * Ralph Byrd as Larry Smith (Tucson's brother) * Sandra Corday ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * ''

Manhattan Merry-Go-Round ''Manhattan Merry-Go-Round'' is an NBC musical variety radio program that was broadcast from November 6, 1932, until April 17, 1949. The musical revue was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. Sponsored by Dr. Lyons Tooth Powder, the radio series wa ...

'' (1937) – Himself * ''

Wild Horse Rodeo ''Wild Horse Rodeo'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune. Written by Oliver Drake and Betty Burbridge, based on a story by Drake and Gilbert Wright, the film ...

'' (1937) – Lullaby Joslin * '' Mama Runs Wild'' (1937) – Applegate * ''

The Purple Vigilantes ''The Purple Vigilantes'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune. Written by Betty Burbridge and Oliver Drake, the film is about a rancher who organizes other ...