Tom Mix: Idol of Every American Boy

Dad told me long ago that Tom Mix had been one of his favorite movie cowboys, which inspired me to argue, jokingly, that there was no such person. For my generation, John Wayne was the movie cowboy, and in all honesty I had never heard of Tom Mix until Dad shared his reminiscences with me. Yes Virginia, there was a Tom Mix, and he was the most popular western star of his era. I was anxious to learn more about him, and I soon discovered that there’s information a-plenty.
It must be said that research into the life of Tom Mix is difficult at best, as the road is paved with tall tales. The movie studios themselves were known to release blatant fabrications, spinning all sorts of biographical nonsense to enhance his hero status. Among the falsehoods that are circulated is his being born in El Paso, Texas, being a Texas Ranger (where he single-handedly captured the notorious Shonts Brothers), having served as sheriff of several towns, and his being a hunting guide for Theodore Roosevelt. It’s even been said that his voice wasn’t suited for talking pictures because his wife had shot him in the neck. All that is certainly entertaining, but looking beyond the hype reveals the real story.
Tom Mix was born in Mix Run, Pennsylvania in 1880. While not born into the cowboy life, he soon developed a passion for the old west, fueled to a great extent by Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. He joined the Army during the Spanish-American War, and afterward went to the Oklahoma Territory where he worked on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. It was there that he acquired many skills that would serve him well in the future. He worked for a time as a livestock handler for a movie studio, the Selig Polyscope Company. The company began to use him in front of the camera around 1910, and he eventually made over 100 silent films with them. He distinguished himself early on by doing his own stunts, and injuries were commonplace. He may not have been born into the cowboy life, but Tom Mix earned his stripes: he was the genuine article. When Selig Polyscope ran into financial troubles, Mix signed up with the Fox Film Corporation, a move that found him in bigger and better movies.
It is hard to overstate his impact on American culture in the ’20s, when he was an equal to such movie legends as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Rudolph Valentino. Never before or since has a western star developed such a following of young boys, eager to emulate the acts of heroism shown on the movie screen. He attained great wealth for both himself and Fox, and as the highest paid actor in Hollywood ($17,500 a week), lived the life of a Hollywood celebrity. His fame kept Tom and “Tony the Wonder Horse” busy, not only with film work, but also with numerous public appearances. Circus performances were his favorite, and it’s been said that he preferred the circus life to that of an actor.
Ralston sponsored a Tom Mix radio show on NBC that was first aired on September 25, 1933. It heavily promoted their breakfast cereal as well as introducing a club for young fans, the Tom Mix Straight Shooters of America. Tom Mix biographer, Paul E. Mix, had this to say in 1994: “If it was the movies that made Tom Mix popular and the hero of America’s youth, it was the Ralston Purina radio program, Tom Mix and His Ralston Straight Shooters that made him immortal”. All sorts of premiums, including badges, compasses, message decoders, whistles and rings, could be ordered with box tops. The club even had a secret handshake and password. Thankfully, Ralston Foods hasn’t forsaken their past, and has seen fit to include that password on their website:
“The secret password of the Straight Shooter is always given with the secret grip. It should never be spoken above a whisper. The password is given when a Straight Shooter wants to find out if another person is a member. The first Straight Shooter whispers the word, ‘RAL.’ The second Straight Shooter should then whisper the word, ‘STON.’ Afterwards, both Straight Shooters whisper “RALSTON.” The password must be given at all secret meetings of the Straight Shooters.”
In the 1930s his interests increasingly gravitated towards his Tom Mix Circus, a venture that, in spite of his enthusiasm, was not a financially successful one. Tom was enjoying a state of semi-retirement when his life was cut short on October 11, 1940 as he was driving his Cord automobile down route 89 near Tucson, Arizona. It seems that he was traveling at a high rate of speed and unable to navigate a detour, resulting in the Cord rolling into a dry gulch. On a stretch of desert highway between Phoenix and Tucson, a rock monument topped by a riderless horse marks the spot.
His popularity was not diminished by his absence. A series of Tom Mix comics were published after his passing, and even his radio show remained on the air until June of 1950. While his movies aren’t seen much today he’s far from forgotten. Tom Mix was, and is, a legend.
I’ve referenced my dad’s values before, his sense of right and wrong…his integrity. He certainly had much of this instilled by his parents, but I believe there was at least a little Tom Mix in there as well.

“The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time, it’s a state of mind. It’s whatever you want it to be.” — Tom Mix