George Glen Strange, son of William Russell
Strange and Sarah Elizabeth Byrd, was born 16 Aug 1899 in Weed, Otero County,
New Mexico and died 20 Sep 1973 in Burbank,
Los Angeles County, California and is buried
in Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
County, California. He was married three
times to Flora Eola Hooper, Minnie Thompson,
and Otrela Spradling. He married Flora Eola
Hooper, daughter of Charles Hooper and Ruth
Evans, on 29 Apr 1920 in Hastings, Cotton
County, Oklahoma. She was born 12 Sep 1904
in Hastings, Cotton County, Oklahoma and
died 06 Sep 1990 in Duncan, Stephens County,
Oklahoma and is buried in Resthaven Cemetery,
Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma. According
to the 1920 Census the Strange and Hooper
Families were next door neighbors. It is
said that he divorced her in 1923. Ke married
a second time around 1930 and divorced in
1932 to Otrela Spradling. . He married a
third time in 1936 at Glendale, Los Angeles
County, California to Minnie Thompson who
he remained with until his death in 1973.
See his grave marker.
George Glenn Strange had many jobs as a rancher,
deputy sheriff, rodeo performer, musician,
song writer and actor. He and his cousin
Harvey Taylor "Curtis" McPeeters joined a western band know as the Arizona Wranglers. They toured the country playing at rodeos
and other functions. The site above shows
John Wayne with George Glenn Strange and
his cousin Harvey Taylor "Curtis"
McPeeters. It is said that George Glenn Stange
voice was dubbed in when John Wayne made
his singing debut. I cant find out where
this story got started.
Eventually, they both became actors. Glenn
got one of his first jobs in a movie with
Hoot Gibson in the 1930's. He formed lasting
friendships with Eddie Dean and Roy Barcroft.
Roy Barcroft was another well known bad guy. Eddie Dean, with whom he collaborated on songs, sang
at his funeral. He was in more than
300 films
and TV shows. Every kid in the 1940's
knew
and hated him for trying to kill Gene
Autry,
Roy Rogers and other good guys in the
B Westerns
that were so popular in those days.
As kids,
we all knew exactly who the bad guys
were
but for some reason it took Gene and
Roy
the whole movie to figure out what
we were
all trying to tell them by yelling
"Look
out Gene". When I was young, my
mother
informed me that she grew up with Glen
Strange
and that he was kin to her mothers
sisters.
This I did not tell my friends. You
just
did not admit that you knew the bad
guys.
Years later when he got the job of
Sam Noonan
on the TV series "Gunsmoke"
I was
able to tell people that my mother
grew up
with him.
I have read that he was a cousin of Rex Allen, but cant figure out how. Notes from Bradley
Glen McPeters: My dad Rex Ree McPeters
isn't
the singer, Rex Allen, although they
grew
up together in Arizona. I believe Rex
Allen's
dad married a distant cousin (I'm not
positive
on this one.) I remember going to Uncle
Cactus's
house in North Hollywood with my parents
and Rex Allen, Glenn Strange and Curtis
would
play & sing for us. It was great.
Uncle
Curtis had a band way back when. It
was called
"Cactus Mac & the Arizona
Sun".
They played at rodeos and such. They
later
became the "Sons of the Pioneers".
Not all were the same members, though.
Cactus
played for a while with them. Also
Festus",
Ken Curtis, played with the "Sons".
He was not a relative, though. He lived
up
here about 30 miles from in Clovis,
California.
He passed away a few years back. They
have
a statue of him there in Clovis. Boy!,
could
that guy sing. You would never of thought
it by his voice on "Gunsmoke".
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Children of George Glenn Strange and Flora
Eola Hooper
1 --- Vera Wynema Strange born 13 Feb 1921 in Pecan Grove, Cotton
County, Oklahoma and died 29 September 2005
in Seattle, King County, Washington and is
buried in Resthaven Memorial, Duncan, Stevens
County, Oklahoma. She married Charles D.
Kasher in 1943 in New York City, New York.
He was born in 1910 in New York City, New
York. She married a second time to Maurice
Marcel Lastfogel on 11 Jan 1948. Maurice
Marcel Lastfogel was born 29 Jan 1921 in
New York City, New York. She married a third
time to Leon Swartz on 05 Feb 1964. Leon
Swartz was born in Brooklyn, New York.
2 --- Eva Juanita Strange born 15 Apr
1923
in Hastings, Cotton County, Oklahoma
and
died 29 Nov 1994 in Oklahoma and is
buried
in Resthaven Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens
County,
Oklahoma. She married Donald Lee Gallaher
on 26 Jan 1947. She married a second
time
to Edward Maxwell Miller on 05 Feb
1958 in
Chicago, Illinois. Edward Maxwell Miller
was born 17 Nov 1911.
Children of George Glenn Strange and Otrela
Spradling
1 --- Buddy Glenn Strange born 1931.
Children of George Glenn Strange and Minnie
Thompson
1 --- Janine Laraine Strange born 1939 in
Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.
She has supplied information on this family.
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