Tom Mix: Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy of the Silent Screen

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Tom Mix, 1880-1940.

Tom Mix with his horse, Tony.

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Blog Created: 2-21-2025

Last Updated: 2-22-2025

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Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He was one of Hollywood's first Western stars and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.

Early years ~

Thomas Hezikiah Mix was born January 6, 1880, in Mix Run, Pennsylvania, approximately 62 miles (100 km) north of State College, to Edwin Elias Mix and Elizabeth Heistand. He grew up in nearby DuBois, where his father, a stable master for a wealthy lumber merchant, taught him to ride and love horses. He spent time working on a local farm owned by John DuBois, a lumber businessman.

In April 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Mix enlisted in the Army under the name Thomas E. (Edwin) Mix. His unit never went overseas, and Mix later failed to return for duty after an extended furlough when he married Grace I. Allin on July 18, 1902. Mix was listed as AWOL on November 4, 1902, but was never court-martialed. His marriage to Allin was annulled after one year. In 1905, Mix married Kitty Jewel Perinne, and this marriage also ended within a year. He next married Olive Stokes on January 10, 1909, in Medora, North Dakota. On July 13, 1912, Olive gave birth to their daughter Ruth.

Olive Stokes (on the right in this photo.

In 1905, Mix rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade with a group of 50 horsemen led by Seth Bullock, which included several former Rough Riders. Years later, Hollywood publicists muddled this event to imply that Mix had been a Rough Rider himself.

Theodore Roosevelt and Seth Bullock.

Mix went to Oklahoma and lived in Guthrie, working as a bartender and other odd jobs. He was briefly night marshal of Dewey, in 1911. He worked at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, one of the largest ranching businesses in the United States, covering 101,000 acres (41,000 ha), hence its name. The ranch had its own touring Wild West show in which Mix appeared. He stood out as a skilled horseman and expert shot, winning national riding and roping contests at Prescott, Arizona, in 1909, and Canon City, Colorado, in 1910.

Mix was a Freemason.

Film career

Selig Polyscope ~

Mix began his film career as a supporting cast member with the Selig Polyscope Company. His first appearance was in a short film, The Cowboy Millionaire, released on October 21, 1909. In 1910, he appeared as himself in a short documentary film, Ranch Life in the Great Southwest, in which he displayed his skills as a cattle wrangler. Shot in Dewey, Oklahoma with Selig studio cameramen, the film was a success, and Mix became an early motion picture star.

The Cowboy Millionaire 1909.

Mix performed in more than 100 films for Selig, many of which were filmed in Las Vegas, New Mexico. While with Selig he co-starred in several films with Victoria Forde, and they fell in love. He divorced Olive Stokes in 1917. By then, Selig Polyscope had encountered severe financial difficulties, and Mix and Forde both subsequently signed with Fox Film Corporation, which had leased the Edendale studio. They married in 1918 and had a daughter, Thomasina (Tommie) Mix, in February 1922. As a result of Mix's schedule of making six to ten movies per year, and his refusal to let her visit him while he was working, they lived apart during much of their marriage. However, she would often promote his films.

Victoria Forde.

Transfer to Fox and Mixville ~

Soon after his departure from Selig in 1917, Mix opted to work for the Fox Film Corporation. Fox head William Fox, who liked that Mix did his own stunts, would quickly sign him. Initially paid $350 a week by Fox, Mix's transition to the studio soon proved successful, with the studio's solid financial footing playing to a much wider audience than his Selig movies could get. According to the Dewey, Oklahoma-based Tom Mix Museum, "The wider exposure afforded by Fox undoubtedly contributed to Tom's move from a simply prolific actor to genuine world famous movie star."

Mix made more than 160 cowboy films throughout the 1920s. These featured action-oriented scripts contrasted with the documentary style of his work with Selig. Heroes and villains were sharply defined and a clean-cut cowboy always saved the day. Millions of American children grew up watching his films on Saturday afternoons. His horse, "Tony the Wonder Horse", also became a celebrity. Mix did his own stunts and was frequently injured.

Tom Mix with Tony at his circus grounds.

In 1913, Mix moved his family to a ranch he purchased in Prescott named Bar Circle A Ranch. Some of his movies were filmed in his Prescott home. During this time, Mix had success in the local Prescott Frontier Days rodeo, which claims to be the "world's oldest rodeo". In 1920, he took first prize in a bull-riding contest. The Bar Circle A Ranch has been developed into a planned community called Yavapai Hills, where there is a street named Bar Circle A Road.

Mix's salary at Fox reached $7,500 a week. Gossip columnist Louella Parsons wrote that he had his initials in electric lights on the top of his house. Eventually, his salary at Fox would reach $17,500 a week. His performances were realistic with action stunts, horseback riding, attention-grabbing cowboy costumes, and showmanship. At the Edendale lot, Mix built a 12-acre (4.9 ha) shooting set called Mixville. Loaded with western props and furnishings, it has been described as a "complete frontier town, with a dusty street, hitching rails, a saloon, jail, bank, doctor's office, surveyor's office, and the simple frame houses typical of the early Western era". Near the back of the lot an Indian village of lodges was ringed by miniature plaster mountains. The set also included a simulated desert, a large corral, and (to facilitate interior shots) a ranch house with no roof.

Louella Parsons.

Despite his successful film career, Mix opted to return to performing for the 101 Wild West Show by the mid-1920 when he wasn't making films for Fox. By 1927, low budget imitations of Mix's film spread, which led to Fox further losing interest in keeping him. In addition, Fox grew weary of using high budgets for Mix's films and paying him high salaries and wanted to instead focus more on transitioning to sound films. Mix would part ways with Fox in 1928. Following his departure from Fox, Mix did a vaudeville tour with the Keith-Albee-Orpheum circuit. Mix threatened to move to Argentina to make films or to join the circus, but agreed to return to Hollywood in July 1928 and signed with FBO. However, he only made five films with FBO and soon left after salary disputes with FBO studio head Joseph P. Kennedy. He called Kennedy, who had also acquired a controlling stake in Keith-Albee-Orpheum shortly before Mix joined FBO, a "tight-assed, money-crazy son of a bitch"; Kennedy would only pay Mix just over half of what he made while at Fox.

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

Mix became friends with Wyatt Earp, who lived in Los Angeles and occasionally visited Hollywood western movie sets. He was a pallbearer at Earp's funeral in January 1929. The newspapers reported that Mix cried during his friend's service.

Wyatt Earp in Nome, Alaska, with long-time friend and former Tombstone mayor and newspaper editor John Clum, 1900.

At Wyatt Earp’s funeral, held the Tuesday after he died on January 13, 1929, his pallbearers were: (pictured above from left) attorney W.J. Hunsaker, Arizona Territory diarist George Parsons, former Tombstone mayor and newspaper editor John Clum, actor William S. Hart, playwright Wilson Mizner and actor Tom Mix. Following the service, Earp’s body was cremated.

By 1929, Mix was past his prime and undergoing marriage difficulties, with his fourth wife Victoria, who was already very good at spending his money, taking their daughter Thomasina for an extended European vacation where she proceeded to spend money as if Tom were bringing it in as fast as ever, which was not the case. Shortly after signing with the Sells Floto Circus, Mix was charged with tax evasion for the years 1925-1927. Despite the fact that there was never any evidence to indicate that Mix was the instigator, or even aware, of the faulty filings, Mix nevertheless signed the forms, which had been prepared by his accountant, and eventually paid a hefty fine. This incident would tarnish his good guy image. By the end of 1929, Mix, whose big salaries as an entertainer also led to him being one of the biggest spenders in the entertainment industry, would not only lose the great majority of his fortune, but also his Arizona ranch and his Hollywood mansion in the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash.

Mix on the front lawn of his home.

1930s ~

Mix appeared with the Sells-Floto Circus in 1929, 1930, and 1931 at a reported weekly salary of $20,000 (equivalent to $355,000 in 2023). Meanwhile, the Great Depression (along with the actor's continuous free-spending ways and many wives) reportedly wiped out most of his savings.

Mix and Forde divorced in 1931, and in 1932, he married his fifth wife, Mabel Hubbell Ward.

Universal Pictures approached him in 1932 with an offer to perform in "talkies," which included script and cast approval. He acted in nine films for Universal, all of which were his only sound films, but because of injuries he received while filming, he was reluctant to do any more.

Around 1933, Mix appeared with the Sam B. Dill circus, which he reportedly bought two years later (in 1935).

Tom Mix on horseback in front of the trailers to his circus.

Mix's last screen appearance was a 15-episode sound Mascot Pictures serial, The Miracle Rider (1935), for which he received $40,000 for the four weeks of filming. Outdoor action sequences for the production were filmed primarily on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The site was known for its huge sandstone boulders, and one of them later became known as "Tom Mix Rock" when it was discovered it had been used in The Miracle Rider. In one episode, Mix was filmed descending from the top of the rock, with boot holes carved into it to assist him in making the descent. The rock and the boot holes, although unmarked, is in the Garden of the Gods park in Chatsworth.

The Miracle Rider 1935.

James V. Allred.

Also in 1935, Texas governor James V. Allred named Mix an honorary Texas Ranger.

Mix returned to circus performing, working with his eldest daughter Ruth Jane Mix, who had also appeared in some of his films. In 1938, he went to Europe on a promotional trip, leaving Ruth behind to manage the circus. Without him, however, the circus soon failed, and he later excluded her from his will.

Mix had reportedly made over $6 million (equivalent to $133 million in 2023) during his 26-year film career, but nevertheless would have much of this fortune vanish due to, in large part, the 1929 stock market crash and the excessive amount of spending undertaken by him and his fourth wife.

Radio ~

In 1933, Ralston Purina obtained his permission to produce the radio series Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters, which, but for one year during World War II, was popular throughout most of the 1930s through the early 1950s, well after Mix's death. Mix never appeared on these broadcasts (his voice, damaged by a bullet to the throat and repeated broken noses, was not fit for radio) and was instead played by radio actors: Artells Dickson (early 1930s), Jack Holden (from 1937), Russell Thorsen (early 1940s) and Joe "Curley" Bradley (from 1944). Others in the supporting cast included George Gobel, Harold Peary and Willard Waterman.

George Gobel, Harold Peary and Willard Waterman.

The Ralston company offered ads during the radio program for listeners to send in for a series of 12 special Ralston–Tom Mix comic books available only by writing the Ralston Company by mail.

Most of Mix's radio work has been lost over the years; recordings of only approximately 30 scattered episodes, and no complete story arcs, survive.

Death ~

On October 12, 1940, after visiting Pima County Sheriff Ed Echols in Tucson, Arizona, Mix was killed when his car overturned while he was taking a detour 18 miles (29 km) south of Florence, Arizona. He was 60 years old.

Tom Mix's overturned Cord convertible at the accident scene in 1940.

His funeral took place at the Little Church of the Flowers in Glendale, California, on October 16, 1940, and was attended by thousands of people. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Friends and family viewing Tom Mix's body.

A small stone memorial marks the site of his death on State Route 79, and the nearby gully is known as "Tom Mix Wash". The marker bears the inscription: "In memory of Tom Mix, whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old West in the minds of living men."

Tom Mix Wash. This is where Tom's car leaft the road and rolled over.

Plaque at Tom Mix Wash.

With his death, a judge gave away many of Mix's personal belongings to a neighbor.

Legacy ~

Tom Mix was the acknowledged "King of Cowboys" when Ronald Reagan and John Wayne were young, and the influence of his screen persona can be seen in their approach to portraying cowboys. When an injury caused football player Marion Morrison (later known as John Wayne) to drop out of the University of Southern California, Mix helped him find work moving props in the back lot of Fox Studios. That was the beginning of Wayne's Hollywood career.

Ronald Reagan and John Wayne.

Mix made 291 movies throughout his career. As of 2007, only about 10% of these were known to be available for viewing, though it is unclear how many are now considered lost films. The 1937 Fox vault fire lost most of the archive of his films made with Fox.

The 20th Century Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey after the 9 July 1937 vault fire; here film cans are being removed for silver reclamation.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Mix has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street. His cowboy boot prints, palm prints and the hoof prints of his horse, Tony, are at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1958 Mix was inducted posthumously into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1959, a "Monument to the Stars" was erected on Beverly Drive (where it intersects Olympic Boulevard and becomes Beverwil) in Beverly Hills. The memorial consists of a bronze-green spiral of sprocketed "camera film" above a multi-sided tower, embossed with full-length likenesses of early stars who appeared in famous silent movies. Those memorialized include Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Will Rogers, Conrad Nagel, Rudolph Valentino, Fred Niblo, Harold Lloyd, and Mix. There is also a Tom Mix museum in Dewey, Oklahoma. Opening in 1965, and still operational as of 2025, the Tom Mix museum in Dewey- which was also where his third wife Olive was raised and the birthplace of his eldest daughter Ruth- managed to obtain many of Mix's personal items. Additionally, from 1986 to 2002 there existed another museum in his birthplace of Mix Run, Pennsylvania. Between 1980 and 2004, 21 Tom Mix festivals were held during the month of September, most of them in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

Will Rogers and Conrad Nagel.

Rudolph Valentino, Fred Niblo and Harold Lloyd.

Comic book appearances ~

Tom Mix was often portrayed in comic books, primarily during the heyday of Western-themed comics, the 1940s and 1950s.

Tom Mix Western, Fawcett Comics, August 1949. Artwork by Norman Saunders.

He was first featured in 11 issues of Dell Comics' The Comics from 1937 to 1938.

The Ralston Purina Company, a sponsor of the radio series, produced nine issues of Tom Mix Comics in 1940–1941, and three issues of Tom Mix Commandos Comics in 1942. The 36-page comics were available by mail order, for two boxtops of any Ralston cereal.

Fawcett Comics published 61 issues of Tom Mix Westerns from 1948 to 1953.

Comics featuring Tom Mix were also published in Sweden, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain, including L. Miller & Son's Tom Mix Western Comics, which ran 85 issues from 1948 to 1951.

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The Day Tom Mix Didn't Die ~

An 85-Year Old Scoop For Handgunner! Written By Gary Paul Johnston.

They say there’s nothing new under the sun and “cover-ups” are a good example. Western Movie icon Tom Mix began his career in 1906, with Victoria Forde becoming his cowgirl co-star about 10 years later — and she knew how to handle a gun.

Sometime ago, probably during the 1980s, an auction was held at the famous Beaumont Hotel, in Ouray, Colorado. The hotel had been closed for many years. Noted artist, the late Wayne Mayfield, was there to bid on the hotel safe and won it. After the safe was delivered to Mayfield’s home he had it opened to find a few dozen unused hotel receipt books and a large old manila envelope. Hand-written on the envelope was “Tom Mix” and inside were four heavy 93/4″ x 71/2″ negatives, three of which were photographs of a man, and another of some sort of document.

Wayne Mayfield had the negatives sent to a lab to have prints made and found three to be of Hollywood Cowboy Star, Tom Mix, and the fourth to be a copy of his unsigned death certificate. The three photos were of a shirtless Tom Mix with two bandages partly removed to show what was apparently a bullet wound in his back and another in his upper left arm. After Mayfield showed these to me I bought the negatives and prints from him for $100.

The Plot Thickens ~

Our good friend, (the late) actor, Harry “Dobe” Carey, Jr., was still living in Durango at the time and I showed him the photographs. Dobe burst out laughing and said, “Oh, that was when Victoria found him with two black prostitutes. God, I hope they were good lookin’.” When I asked why, he said, “Because the divorce cost him a mint!”

Carey went on to say he was about 10 years old when Mix was shot by Victoria (Tom’s wife then). She was so enraged she took a pair of .38 Colt revolvers and began shooting Mix’s Duesenberg. Mix owned a 1929 Duesenberg at the time. He said when Mix ran outside to stop Victoria she turned the guns on him hitting him twice.

When I asked Dobe if the incident was in the papers he said it wasn’t, but his dad, actor Harry Carey, Sr., told his wife, Olive, and Dobe all about it, since the senior Carey knew everything going on in Hollywood in those days.

After filing the photos away for 15 years I came across them and decided to research the incident on the Internet, initially with no luck. Finally I came across a copy of a newspaper account, which reported Mix had gotten mad about some guests Victoria had invited over, and she had fired two shots inside the house, one lodging in a couch and the other one not located. It also mentioned Victoria was arrested, but not prosecuted.

Did It Happen?

More research located a mention of the incident in the book, The Great Tom Mix, by Richard D. Jensen. Jensen relates, following a series of arguments, Victoria claimed Mix had held a loaded gun on her, had struck her, and she shot him in self-defense, all of which Mix vehemently denied. Victoria was arrested, but never prosecuted because it was “hushed up by Fox Studio brass.” The two were reported to have divorced in 1932.

So, the shooting was truly the day Tom Mix didn’t die. But what about the death certificate? Richard Jensen also mentions Tom Mix suffered a ruptured appendix around the time of the shooting and almost died. This is backed up by the copy of the death certificate, which was from the Hollywood Clara Barton Memorial Hospital. The typed name on the certificate was Thomas Edwin Mix with Drs. Seroggy, Smith and Dennis. It was dated November 23, 1931, 8 P.M., Diagnosis: Ruptured Gangrenous Appendix, and Immediate Cause of Death: Peritonitis.

The death certificate, however, was never signed, because Mix survived. Ten years later the great Tom Mix died in a freak auto accident in Arizona, the final end of an icon of entertainment. Now details of another long hidden segment of Tom Mix’s life have seen the light of day.

A shirtless Tom Mix poses with bandages partially removed to display bullet holes in his arm and back after being shot by his wife, Victoria.

In happier times, Tom Mix and his wife, Victoria Forde, pose for a promotional photo.

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From:

Silent‑film star Tom Mix dies in Arizona car wreck ~

On October 12, 1940, cowboy-movie star Tom Mix is killed when he loses control of his speeding Cord Phaeton convertible and rolls into a dry wash (now called the Tom Mix Wash) near Florence, Arizona. He was 60 years old. Today, visitors to the site of the accident can see a 2-foot–tall iron statue of a riderless horse and a somewhat awkwardly written plaque that reads: “In memory of Tom Mix whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the Old West in the minds of living men.”

The star was a genuine cowboy and swaggering hero of the Wild West: He was born in Texas; fought in the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion and the Boer War; and served as a sheriff in Kansas, a U.S. marshal in Oklahoma and a Texas Ranger. In fact, Mix was born in Driftwood, Pennsylvania; deserted the Army in 1902; and was a drum major in the Oklahoma Territorial Cavalry band when he went off to Hollywood in 1909.

None of these inconvenient facts prevented Mix from becoming one of the greatest silent-film stars in history, however. Along with his famous horse Tony, Mix made 370 full-length Westerns. At the peak of his fame, he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, earning as much as $17,500 a week (about $218,000 today). Unfortunately, Mix and Tony had a hard time making the transition to talking pictures. Some people say that the actor’s voice was so high-pitched that it undermined his macho cowboy image, but others argue that sound films simply had too much talking for Mix’s taste: He preferred wild action sequences to heartfelt conversation.

The Cord was towed to a local garage where crowds came by to see it.

On the day he died, Mix was driving north from Tucson in his beloved bright-yellow Cord Phaeton sports car. He was driving so fast that he didn’t notice—or failed to heed—signs warning that one of the bridges was out on the road ahead. The Phaeton swung into a gully and Mix was smacked in the back of the head by one of the heavy aluminum suitcases he was carrying in the convertible’s backseat. The impact broke the actor’s neck and he died almost instantly. Today, the dented “Suitcase of Death” is the featured attraction at the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, Oklahoma.

Actually, the damage to the car was minimal.

Tom's deadly luggage.

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From:

The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture ~

MIX, THOMAS EDWIN (1880–1940).

Silent-film star Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was the most flamboyant and popular of all the early movie cowboys. His colorful clothing and action-filled plots set a pattern for a generation of "B" Western heroes. He was a true "legend of the Old West," and his publicists created a heroic past for him, yet his real life had many Oklahoma connections.

Son of Edwin and Elizabeth Mix, Thomas Edwin Mix was born January 6, 1880, in Mix Run, Pennsylvania. His father, a stable master for a wealthy lumber merchant, taught Tom Mix to love horses. At eighteen Mix left home for the U.S. Army. In 1902 he married Grace Allin, went absent without official leave, and headed "out west" to Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory.

He found work as a bartender in the Blue Belle Saloon, wrangled horses, and even performed at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition as the drum major for the Oklahoma Cavalry Band. This exposure took him to the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West show near Ponca City, and he performed from 1905 to 1908 as a bronc buster for thirty-five dollars a week.

His first marriage was annulled and a second marriage to Jewell "Kitty" Perrine of Oklahoma City also was short lived. In 1908 he married Oklahoma "cowgirl" Olive Stokes, and they toured the Wild West show circuit together. His daughter, Ruth, was born in 1912 at Olive's family ranch near Dewey, Oklahoma. While Mix was staying with his in-laws, the mayor of Dewey, a family friend, appointed him "night marshal."

In 1909 Mix appeared in his first film when the Selig Polyscope Company hired Wild West show performers for horse scenes while filming near Dewey. A legitimate prize winner in the rodeo world, he joined with Guy Weadick in 1912 to organize the first Calgary Stampede. Mix signed with Fox Studios in 1917, but throughout his film career he continued to "hit the road" occasionally with a Wild West show or a circus.

Noted for his horsemanship, daring stunt work, and fancy wardrobe, Mix became the highest-paid actor in Hollywood by 1928, earning seventeen thousand dollars per week. He starred in such classics as the Lone Star Ranger (1923), Riders of the Purple Sage (1925), and Destry Rides Again (1932). Mix made more than three hundred films before he died in a car wreck near Tucson, Arizona, on October 12, 1940. At the beginning of the twenty-first century much of his custom clothing, saddles, and personal memorabilia was displayed at the Tom Mix Museum, an Oklahoma Historical Society property, in Dewey.

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Tom Mix At Mixville on Teviot Street in Silver Lake. 1922.

Tom Mix entertains boys on Eclipse, 5-21-25.

Tom Mix with Tony, in Boston with the Sells-Flotto Circus. Tom Mix is on the right.

Mix with fourth wife, actress Victoria Forde, c. 1926.

Tom Mix and Victoria Forde in the 1920s.

Victoria Forde.

Serving Fox Film Corp. executives lunch at Mixville, in group with Tom Mix is cameraman Dan Clark and Director Harold Rosson.

Mix was good friends with old west outlaw, Emmett Dalton. The only surviving gand member of the infamous Dalton Brothers.

Postcard of Tom Mix's home near Los Angeles, Ca.

Tom Mix playing cowboy on his front lawn.

Tom at home with his stuff.

Tom Mix in his $6,500 1922 Duesenberg roadster at his home in Hollywood. He was either driving in or driving out of his driveway. I don't know which. I wasn't there that day.

Mix in Mr. Logan, U.S.A., 1919.

Lobby card for The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926) giving billing to Tony the wonder horse.

Tom Mix and Tony the Wonder horse jump through a window on set of the film Hell-Roarin' Reform (1919).

Champion named in the film Oh, Susanna!

Tom stands with the circus bus.

The bus and Tom's 1937 Cord which would become his death car in 1940.

Close-ups from the last photograph.

Tom used this suitcase when he worked with the circus.

One of Tom's revolvers.

Lot 40161; Colt Single Action Revolver Owned by Tom Mix. Serial no. 225084. Est. $8,000 - $12,000. Did not sell.

Tom Mix Gun Rig with Colts. Sold at auction for $15,500.

Tom Mix's gun, watch, spurs & cigarette case.

A Tom Mix commemorative handgun.

Tom Mix's death certificate.

Advertisement, 1919.

Another home of Tom Mix. This one was in Beverly Hills, California.

Old 8mm home movie of Tom Mix film.

Tom Mix ad from Ralston Cereal.

The suitcases that killed Tom Mix. They were on the back seat of his Cord when it overturned. The luggage was forced forward and hit Tom in the head from the rear breaking his neck.

TOM &TONY BRASS RING -RALSTON CEREAL. Listed on eBay for $59.

TOM MIX HIS LAST FILM AND ONLY SOUND SERIAL PROMO BUTTON FOR THE MIRACLE RIDER 1935.

Tom Mix Museum.

Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooter Six Gun Decoder Pinback Badge 1941 Sold at auction on July 20, 2018 for $26.09.

VINTAGE TOM MIX 1941 STRAIGHT SHOOTERS OF AMERICA DECODER RALSTON CEREAL. Listed on eBay for $42.

Tom Mix's saddle at the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, Oklahoma.

Tom Mix's Personal Stetson Hat. Sold at auction for $2,000.

Tom Mix's Personal Stetson Hat.

Tom with his Cord.

Though damaged, the Cord survived the accident, unlike Tom.

Today, Tom Mix's death car has been fully restored and is displayed at the best classic car shows.

The emergency brake handle under t he dash is a pistol grip.

Scale Model that I built of the Tom Mix Death Car ~

Published in The Oklahoman, Wednesday, August 10, 1960

Young fans get to see their idol one last time before his burial. But his movies will go on and on.

Tom's horse, Tony got his own trailer in the funeral possession. He was able to attend Tom's sendoff.

A large crowd of mourners showed up at the cemetery.

Tom's famous hat sat atop the gravesite during the funeral service.

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From:

1927 Rolls Royce owned by legendary Hollywood cowboy Tom Mix set to fetch £130k at auction ~

By DANIEL MILLER, Published: 13:32 EST, 12 July 2012

Stunning vintage car was later owned by Warner Brothers

It appeared in films such as Inside Daisy Clover and The F.B.I. Story

Will go under the hammer at Blenheim Palace this Saturday

A car which belonged to one of the biggest names in the history of Hollywood cowboy films is set to fetch more than £130,000 when it goes under the hammer in a UK auction.

With its impressive Hollywood history and a whopping 7.7L engine, the incredible Rolls Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster is expected to cause a stampede of interest from film buffs around the world.

Star car; This stunning Rolls Royce Phantom - Playboy Roadster, which belonged to silent movie cowboy Tom Mix, is expected to sell for £130,000 at auction.

Auctioneers estimate the hammer will fall in excess of £120,000 for the 1927 model once owned by Tom Mix, one of Hollywood’s finest stars during the 1920’s.

Cowboy Tom was the biggest name of the Hollywood silent film generation, appearing in a staggering 291 films between 1909 and 1935.

He bought the car in 1933 and spruced it up with the latest features to ensure that it was special enough to be driven by a star such as himself.

The headlights were lowered, the wings underwent a radical updating, a fog light was added and an ultra-modern radio was built into the dash.

Despite being 85 years old, the beautiful motor still has a top speed of 90mph, enough to send any bidder sailing happily into the sunset.

The lot is due to go under the hammer at Coys specialist motor auction this Saturday at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and has been drawing lots of attention from film fans with enough cash to splash.

Potential bidders have also been impressed by the chance to own a car with such a dazzling Hollywood history outside of the US.

Tom was fatally injured in a car crash with his other classic car, a Cord L29 in 1940 but this was not the end of the Rolls’ big screen roles.

Warner Brothers snapped up the car after Tom’s death and it spent the next three decades making appearances in some of their classic films.

The Hollywood great Robert Redford got behind the wheel of the Rolls Royce in the 1965 film Daisy Clover.

Since then two collectors have carefully maintained the Phantom to the pristine condition that it’s now being sold in.

Coys’ auctioneer, Chris Routledge said: 'The valuation on this car is about what we’d expect but because of the brilliant history that comes with it, the sky really is the limit for how much this car will sell for.