According to Hollywood lore, Bob Baker's mother mailed her handsome son's picture and a biography to Universal, who was actively searching for a new face to star in a series of B-Westerns. Born Stanley Leland Weed and nicknamed "Tumbleweed," Baker hailed from Iowa and had enjoyed some success performing on the popular National Barn Dance, broadcast nationwide from radio station WLS in Chicago. Universal liked what they saw and heard, and Baker beat such applicants as Roy Rogers for the coveted spot. Beginning with the fine Courage of the West (1937), Baker would make a total of 12 starring Westerns for the North Hollywood studio before someone came up with the idea of inaugurating a "triad hero" series to compete with Republic Pictures' vastly popular Three Mesqueteers Westerns. Partnered with veteran star Johnny Mack Brown and comic sidekick Fuzzy Knight, Baker was decidedly the third member of the trio, however, and his not inconsiderable ego vastly deflated as a result. The trio disbanded after six humdrum entries and Baker found his career slipping even further, finally calling it quits in 1944. Relocating to Prescott, AZ, Baker joined the local police force and later owned a leather goods company. His death was attributed to a long bout with cancer.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bewitched: TV or Not TV
Actor |
1971 | |||
|
Mystery Man
Actor |
1944 | |||
|
Oklahoma Raiders
Actor |
1944 | |||
|
Wild Horse Stampede
Actor |
1943 | |||
|
Overland Mail
Actor |
1941 | |||
|
Bad Man from Red Butte
Actor |
1940 | |||
|
Chip of the Flying U
Actor |
1940 | |||
|
Riders of Pasco Basin
Actor, Songwriter |
1940 | |||
|
West of Carson City
Actor |
1940 | |||
|
Desperate Trails
Actor |
1939 | |||
|
Honor of the West
Actor |
1939 | |||
|
Oklahoma Frontier
Actor |
1939 | |||
|
The Phantom Stage
Actor |
1939 | |||
|
Border Wolves
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Ghost Town Riders
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Guilty Trails
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Outlaw Express
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Prairie Justice
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
The Black Bandit
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
The Last Stand
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Western Trails
Actor |
1938 | |||
|
Courage of the West
Actor |
1937 | |||
|
Singing Outlaw
Actor |
1937 |