Bob Nolan - Film Career

Film Career

In 1934, Bob Nolan began his career in film as the singing voice for Ken Maynard in the 1934 film, In Old Santa Fe. In 1935, the Sons of the Pioneers appeared in their first full-length Western movie, The Old Homestead. They went on to sign an exclusive contract to appear in Charles Starrett's Western films in late 1937, an arrangement that lasted until 1941.

In his career in film, Nolan appeared in at least 88 Western films, first for Columbia Pictures and later with cowboy stars Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. With the Sons of the Pioneers, he made guest appearances in high-budget films like Hollywood Canteen and Rhythm on the Range with Bing Crosby. He also appeared in the Walt Disney short, Melody Time.

In 1941, when their arrangement with Starrett and Columbia Pictures came to an end, the Sons of the Pioneers joined up with Roy Rogers at Republic, appearing as his musical sidekicks in numerous films through 1948. Their last film together was Night Time in Nevada. In many of these films, Nolan was featured in prominent supporting roles with significant dialogue.

On June 11, 1942, Bob Nolan married Clara Brown, whose slight stature led to her being nicknamed P-Nuts. They met at the Columbia Drugstore on Sunset and Gower near the Columbia Studio lot. P-Nuts had come to Hollywood in search of stardom, but found work instead at the drugstore, where Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers frequently had lunch and where Nolan would work on his song lyrics.