By the time Stagecoach made John Wayne a silver-screen star in 1939, the thirty-one-year-old was already a veteran of more than sixty films, having twirled six-guns and foiled cattle rustlers in B Westerns for five studios. By the 1950s he was Hollywood's most popular actor-an Academy Award nominee destined to become an American icon. This biography reveals the story of his early life, illustrated with rare archival images.

Relive the Golden Era of the King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West In the mid-twentieth century, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ruled the West from the silver screen as the King of Cowboys and the Queen of the West. Off screen, this husband and wife duo raised a family and lived the "Code of the West." In this biography, named for their first feature film as a pair, the Rogers family shares the inside story of these beloved Western icons.

Was Arizona Donnie Clark, AKA Kate "Ma" Barker the mastermind behind the Barker gang terrorizing the Midwest during the early years of the great Depression? Or was she a terrible mother who urged her sons to criminal behavior for her own financial gain? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between. This lively retelling of the legend of Ma Barker and her boys is full of action, intrigue, and the answers to mysteries that have lingered for more than 70 years.

It was the golden age of baseball, and all over the country teams gathered on town fields in front of throngs of fans to compete for local glory. In Rawlins, Wyoming, residents lined up for tickets to see slugger Joseph Seng and the rest of the Wyoming Penitentiary Death Row All Stars as they took on all comers in baseball games with considerably more at stake. Teams came from Reno, Nevada; Klamath Falls, Oregon; Bodie, California; and throughout the west to take on the murderers who made up the line-up. This is a fun and wildly dramatic and suspenseful look at the game of baseball and at the thrilling events that unfolded at a prison in the wide-open Wyoming frontier in pursuit of wins on the diamond.

The year was 1878. Future legends of the Old West--lawmen Charlie Bassett, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Bill Tilghman--patrolled the unruly streets of Dodge City, Kansas, then known as "the wickedest little city in America." When a cattle baron fled town after allegedly shooting the popular dancehall girl Dora Hand, these four men--all sharpshooters who knew the surrounding harsh, desertlike terrain--hunted him down, it was said, like "thunder over the prairie." The posse's legendary ride across the desolate landscape to seek justice influenced the men's friendship, careers, and feelings about the justice system. This account of that event is a fast-paced, unforgettable glimpse into the Old West.

He was steely eyed, hard riding and straight shooting; a soft-spoken, tee-totaling lawman who never drew his gun...unless he meant to use it.  Among other things he was also a buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, rancher horse breeder, saloon keeper, politician…even a movie maker. His name was Bill Tilghman and of all the heroes of the Old West he was one of the last, one of the most heroic, and a legend in his own time. Tilghman is about his life and the woman who memorialized his adventures.   Tilghman began his career in Dodge City in 1878 when his friend Bat Masterson, newly elected sheriff, made him under sheriff.  Still going strong in 1924, the 70-year-old Tilghman was called out of retirement to help rid Cromwell, Oklahoma, of bootlegging gangsters.  In 1878 the bad guys rode horses; in 1924 they drove Piece-Arrows and Fords and flew airplanes.  Frontier outlaw or prohibition hoodlum, Tilghman fought them all.   In his lifetime he saw the vast herds of buffalo disappear from the great plains and Oklahoma transformed from Indian territory and outlaw haven into homesteading land and booming oil country.  Oklahoma City evolved from a collection of muddy tents and shacks into a thriving metropolis. It was a dramatic transformation and Bill Tilghman helped make it happen.  Beside him through most of that transformation was his wife, author Zoe Agnes Stratton.  Zoe not only had an up close view of the various outlaws her husband pursued, but was instrumental in preserving those daring exploits on paper.  The short stories and books she wrote about Tilghman’s life as a law enforcement agent helped make him a celebrated figure throughout the West.  Zoe recorded Marshal Tilghman’s capture of such criminals as the Doolin Gang, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, and the Jennings brothers. She also wrote of his friendship with such well-known figures as Marshal Heck Thomas, Marshal Bass Reeves, and Judge Isaac Parker.   When Bill Tilghman was gunned down in 1924 by a corrupt federal agent, Zoe had to find a way to continue on and financially support the two sons she’d had with the lawman.  She earned a living writing about each case her husband had taken on during his career.  Zoe hoped her sons, Richard and Woodie, would do better than their father had when he was young as the old frontier days were past, but Bill Tilghman’s brace of pistols remained symbolic of the family’s fate. In October 1929, nineteen-year-old Richard was killed in a crooked gambling game, along with his friend James Chitwood, a farmer.  Seventeen-year-old Woodie was arrested soon after for killing the man who shot his brother.  Woodie was arrested for manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.  Zoe wrote about those heartbreaking events as well.  Her body of work is recognized as some of the state’s finest historical writing.   The book Tilghman is not only the story of a man - it’s a colorful, exciting history of the last days of the Western frontier. It’s also the story of a woman, desperate to hold onto her family and honor the life of the man she loved so dearly.  

Long before the screen placed the face of Mary Pickford before the eyes of millions of Americans, this girl, born August 13, 1860 as Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses, had won the right to the title of "America's Sweetheart." Having grown up learning to shoot game to help support her family, Annie won first prize and met her future husband at a shooting match when she was fifteen years old. He convinced her to change her name to Annie Oakley and became her husband, manager, and number-one fan for the next fifty years. Annie quickly gained worldwide fame as an incredible crack shot, and could amaze audiences at her uncanny accuracy with nearly any rifle or pistol, whether aiming at stationary objects or shooting fast-flying targets from the cockpit of a moving airplane. Despite struggles with her health and even a long, drawn-out legal battle with media magnate William Randolph Hearst, Annie Oakley poured her energy into advocating for the U.S. military, encouraging women to engage in sport shooting, and supporting orphans.

The Oklahoma Historical Society Outstanding Book on Oklahoma History for 2012. A riveting biography of a little-known Native-American who shaped history-complete with shootouts, romance, intrigue, and a little politics.

Colorado Territory in 1864 wasn't merely the wild west, it was a land in limbo while the Civil War raged in the east and politics swirled around its potential admission to the union. The territorial governor, John Evans, had ambitions on the national stage should statehood occur--and he was joined in those ambitions by a local pastor and erstwhile Colonel in the Colorado militia, John Chivington. The decision was made to take a hard line stance against any Native Americans who refused to settle on reservations--and in the fall of 1864, Chivington set his sights on a small band of Cheyenne under the chief Black Eagle, camped and preparing for the winter at Sand Creek. When the order to fire on the camp came on November 28, one officer refused, other soldiers in Chivington's force, however, immediately attacked the village, disregarding the American flag, and a white flag of surrender that was run up shortly after the soldiers commenced firing. In the ensuing "battle" fifteen members of the assembled militias were killed and more than 50 wounded Between 150 and 200 of Black Kettle's Cheyenne were estimated killed, nearly all elderly men, women and children. As with many incidents in American history, the victors wrote the first version of history--turning the massacre into a heroic feat by the troops. Soon thereafter, however, Congress began an investigation into Chivington's actions and he was roundly condemned. His name still rings with infamy in Colorado and American history. Mochi's War explores this story and its repercussions into the last part of the nineteenth Century from the perspective of a Cheyenne woman whose determination swept her into some of the most dramatic and heartbreaking moments in the conflicts that grew through the West in the aftermath of Sand Creek.

LA cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), nicknamed 'Demolition Man' due to his hands-on approach to law enforcement, is condemned to 70 years in the penal freezer after being set up by Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), Public Enemy Number One. Halfway through his sentence, however, both he and Phoenix are catapulted out of captivity, discovering their city has been transformed into a peaceful utopia, under the benevolent rule of mayor Dr Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). As a mysteriously pumped-up Phoenix carries on where he had left off 35 years earlier, Spartan teams up with a comparatively feisty cop (Sandra Bullock) to bring him to justice and expose the man who is engineering the whole scenario.

In this sequel to George Lucas' 'American Graffiti', the lives of the young teenagers are focused on over four separate New Years' celebrations. The group come to terms with maturity and adulthood in the face of social unrest, police brutality and the advent of the Vietnam war.

LA cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), nicknamed 'Demolition Man' due to his hands-on approach to law enforcement, is condemned to 70 years in the penal freezer after being set up by Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), Public Enemy Number One. Halfway through his sentence, however, both he and Phoenix are catapulted out of captivity, discovering their city has been transformed into a peaceful utopia, under the benevolent rule of mayor Dr Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). As a mysteriously pumped-up Phoenix carries on where he had left off 35 years earlier, Spartan teams up with a comparatively feisty cop (Sandra Bullock) to bring him to justice and expose the man who is engineering the whole scenario.

Collection of five films starring Sylvester Stallone. In 'Assassins' (1995) professional hitman Rath (Stallone) decides it's time to call it a day, even though he is still the best around. But as he searches for a way out he discovers that he is now the target of another assassin, Bain (Antonio Banderas), who is determined to be the new number one. The two men are both sent on an assignment to kill intelligence operative Elektra (Julianne Moore). However, Rath decides to flee with Elektra and outwit Bain. In 'The Specialist' (1994) US demolition expert Ray Quick (Stallone) attempts to abort the assassination of a South American drugs baron when he realises innocent children will be killed in the explosion. However, his partner (James Woods) goes ahead with the mission, leaving the duo permanently estranged and Quick psychologically scarred. Years later, a beautiful woman (Sharon Stone) asks Quick to come out of retirement to kill a Cuban drug lord who has murdered her father. Quick initially refuses, but is soon drawn into a plot that brings him in contact with his ex-partner once again. In 'Tango and Cash' (1989) two mismatched cops, one sharp-suited (Stallone), the other a slob (Kurt Russell), are thrown together when they are framed by a big-shot gun-runner (Jack Palance). They are put in prison, duly escape, and then attempt to clear their names whilst trying to track down a massive haul of weapons before they get shipped abroad. In 'Demolition Man' (1993) LA cop John Spartan (Stallone), nicknamed 'Demolition Man' due to his hands-on approach to law enforcement, is condemned to 70 years in the penal freezer after being set up by Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), Public Enemy Number One. Halfway through his sentence, however, both he and Phoenix are catapulted out of captivity, discovering their city has been transformed into a peaceful utopia, under the benevolent rule of mayor Dr Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). As a mysteriously pumped-up Phoenix carries on where he had left off 35 years earlier, Spartan teams up with a comparatively feisty cop (Sandra Bullock) to bring him to justice and expose the man who is engineering the whole scenario. In 'Cobra' (1986) a tough detective known as Cobra (Stallone), is assigned to protect a beautiful model (Brigitte Nielsen), the only witness to a series of brutal murders. It transpires that the killings are not the work of one lone psychopath but rather a highly organised army of neo-fascists.

Cobra (1986)
Lt. Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) is a one-man assault team whose laser-mount submachine gun and pearl-handled Colt .45 spit pure crime-stopping venom! Director George P. Cosmatos teams up again with Stallone for this thriller, pitting Cobretti against a merciless serial killer. The trail leads to not one murderer but also an army of psychos bent on slashing their way to a "New Order", and killing a witness (Brigitte Nielsen) along the way. Fortunately, her protector is Cobra, a man who delivers vigilante justice like no other!

Assassins (1995)
Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas star as professional killers, for whom life is survival of the ruthless. And the only retirement is in a body bag. Robert Rath (Stallone) is the best in the business, but he wants out. New competition Miguel Bain (Banderas) aims to do the one thing that will clinch the job: murder Rath. And Rath must dodge an assassin's bullets while hunting his current target, a beautiful electronic surveillance expert (Julianne Moore), who may be his most dangerous assignment ever. Now, for Rath to stop killing--and live--he must do the one thing his instinct and training scream not to do--trust the enemy.

Tango and Cash (1989)
Ray Tango And Gabe Cash (Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell) are rival policemen with one thing in common: each thinks he is the best. Team them up and they're like oil and water. But frame them for a crime and they're like a match and kerosene. After being found guilty in court and sentenced to do time, the two stage a prison breakout that's a breathless rush of weapons and wisecracks - then roar after the shadowy crimelord who set them up. Tango & Cash are out to clear their names. Join them and feel the rush.

The Specialist (1994)
Sharon Stone is May Munro, a beauty with a fatal past. She's sworn death to the mobsters who murdered her parents. To do the job, she recruits ex-CIA explosives expert Ray Quick (Sylvester Stallone). Miami grows white-hot as May lures the killers and Ray detonates them into ashes. But a vicious mob boss (Rod Steiger), his brash son (Eric Roberts) and a psychotic hired gun (James Woods) with a lethal grudge against Quick won't go without a fight. The passion the two avengers share can't hide Ray's ominous question. Is May falling for him... or setting him up, too?

Demolition Man (1993)
The future isn't big enough for the both of them--the 21st century's most dangerous cop and the 21st century's most ruthless criminal. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is a no-holds-barred 20th century cop who had been sentenced to cryoprison, a cop known in an earlier century as the Demolition Man. But when psychopathic killer Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) escapes cryoprison during a mandatory parole hearing, only officer Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) has a plan to stop a criminal rampage from causing havoc in her now-peaceful world: free the one man capable of stopping Phoenix - the Demolition Man himself. Now, two men from another time bring a level of nonstop action long unseen in this future, idyllic world.