From Wikipedia Kenneth Olin "Ken" Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. Maynard served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California, actor Buck Jones encouraged Maynard to try working in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios. He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923. Maynard's work included stunt performance. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He and his white stallion, "Tarzan," became famous. His two recorded songs with Columbia Records, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament," made him one of the first of the singing cowboys. Maynard moved to Universal Studios, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle in 1930. In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several musical instruments, and was featured that year on the violin in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo, and on the banjo in The Trail Drive. Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934. Maynard appeared in more than ninety films in twenty years with his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and a pair of six-shooters, but alcoholism so severely affected his life that his acting career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fairs and rodeos. He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. His substantial wealth had vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown trailer. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry. More than twenty five years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to the screen two small roles, in 1970 and 1972, the more notably in The Marshal of Windy Hollow. Maynard died of stomach cancer in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery in Cypress, California. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 21, 1895
- March 23, 1973 (aged 77)
- Vevay, Indiana, USA
- Actor and producer
- 21 on Motif · 95 credits in all
What are Ken Maynard's films like?
Across their 21 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 21
Light 20 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 13 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0
Gentle 8 · Charged 13 · Intense 0
Steady 17 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 0
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 0
Casual 20 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 21 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 20 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 18 of 19 analyzed roles.
Show the 19 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Tex Sherwood in $50,000 Reward (1924)
- Heroas Granger Hume in Gun Gospel (1927)
- Heroas Rod Whitaker in Branded Men (1931)
- Heroas Blackie Weed in The Two Gun Man (1931)
- Heroas Ken Benson in Come on, Tarzan (1932)
- Heroas Ken in Tombstone Canyon (1932)
- Heroas Cal Weston in The Lone Avenger (1933)
- Heroas Ken - aka Kentucky in In Old Santa Fe (1934)
- Heroas Ken Williams in Mystery Mountain (1934)
- Heroas Trigger in Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938)
- Heroas Ken Clark in Flaming Lead (1939)
- Heroas Ken Baxter in Death Rides the Range (1939)
- Heroas Ken Mitchell in Phantom Rancher (1940)
- Shapeshifteras Ken Mitchell / Phantom Rancher in Phantom Rancher (1940)
- Heroas Marshal Ken Maynard in Blazing Guns (1943)
- Heroas Ken Maynard in Death Valley Rangers (1943)
- Heroas Ken in The Law Rides Again (1943)
- Heroas Ken Maynard in Arizona Whirlwind (1944)
- Heroas Ken Maynard in Westward Bound (1944)
Moods and endings
- Happy20
- Bittersweet1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Ken Maynard's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 21 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- The Lone Avenger (1933) · actor · free
- Come on, Tarzan (1932) · actor · free
- Branded Men (1931) · actor · free
- Death Valley Rangers (1943) · actor · free
- Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938) · actor · free
- In Old Santa Fe (1934) · actor · free
- The Two Gun Man (1931) · actor · free
- The Law Rides Again (1943) · actor · free
- Death Rides the Range (1939) · actor · free
- Tombstone Canyon (1932) · actor · free
- Phantom Rancher (1940) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Ken Maynard's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
95 credits, 21 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
The Marshal of Windy Hollow (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)
Bigfoot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
Harmony Trail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)
Arizona Whirlwind(1944)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Westward Bound(1944)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Death Valley Rangers(1943)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Blazing Guns(1943)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Law Rides Again(1943)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Wild Horse Stampede(1943)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Lightning Strikes West (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)
Phantom Rancher(1940)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Death Rides the Range(1939)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Flaming Lead(1939)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Six-Shootin' Sheriff(1938)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Whirlwind Horseman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)
Trailing Trouble (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)
Boots of Destiny (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)
The Fugitive Sheriff (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)
The Cattle Thief (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)
Avenging Waters (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)
Heroes of the Range (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)
Heir to Trouble (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)
Lawless Riders (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)
Western Courage (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)
Western Frontier (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)
Mystery Mountain(1934)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
In Old Santa Fe(1934)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Smoking Guns (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)
Honor of the Range (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)
Wheels of Destiny (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)
Gun Justice (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
Fargo Express (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
Strawberry Roan (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
The Trail Drive (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
The Fiddlin' Buckaroo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
King of the Arena (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
The Lone Avenger(1933)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Phantom Thunderbolt (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
Drum Taps (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
Tombstone Canyon(1932)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Haunted Gold(1932)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Between Fighting Men (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
Come on, Tarzan(1932)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Dynamite Ranch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
Whistlin' Dan (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
Hell-Fire Austin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
Texas Gun Fighter (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
The Sunset Trail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)
The Pocatello Kid (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)
Branded Men(1931)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Range Law (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)
The Arizona Terror (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)
Alias: The Bad Man (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)
The Two Gun Man(1931)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Fighting Thru (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Sons of the Saddle (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Song of the Caballero (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Mountain Justice (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
The Voice of Hollywood No. 9 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
The Fighting Legion (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Lucky Larkin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Parade of the West (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)
Señor Americano(1929)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Wagon Master (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)
The California Mail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)
The Lawless Legion (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)
The Royal Rider (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)
Cheyenne (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)
The Phantom City (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
The Glorious Trail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
The Code of the Scarlet (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
The Upland Rider (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
The Canyon of Adventure (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
The Wagon Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)
Gun Gospel(1927)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Red Raiders (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)
The Devil's Saddle (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)
The Land Beyond the Law (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)
Somewhere in Sonora (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)
The Overland Stage (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)
The Unknown Cavalier (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)
Senor Daredevil (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)
Haunted Range (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)
The Grey Vulture (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)
North Star (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)
Fighting Courage (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)
The Demon Rider (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)
Janice Meredith (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1924)
$50,000 Reward(1924)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Somebody Lied (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)
Cameo Kirby (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)
The Gunfighter (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)
The Man Who Won (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)
Brass Commandments (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)
Career shape
A full career of 95 titles from 1923 to 1976.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Ken Maynard's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 32nd percentile, the median of all 21; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th12
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
17 of their 21 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed17
Reviewers score the acting 47/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 32. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Ken Maynard work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ken Maynard's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Emmett Tansey shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Alan JamesShared titles: The Law Rides Again (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943), The Lone Avenger (1933), Come on, Tarzan (1932), Tombstone Canyon (1932)See all 5 shared titles with Alan James
- Robert Emmett TanseyShared titles: Arizona Whirlwind (1944), Westward Bound (1944), Blazing Guns (1943), Death Valley Rangers (1943), The Law Rides Again (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943)See all 6 shared titles with Robert Emmett Tansey
- Harry L. FraserShared titles: Phantom Rancher (1940), Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Harry L. Fraser
- Sam NewfieldShared titles: Death Rides the Range (1939), Flaming Lead (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Newfield
Writers
- Frances KavanaughShared titles: Arizona Whirlwind (1944), Westward Bound (1944), Blazing Guns (1943), Death Valley Rangers (1943), The Law Rides Again (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943)See all 6 shared titles with Frances Kavanaugh
- Elizabeth BeecherShared titles: Westward Bound (1944), Death Valley Rangers (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943)See all 3 shared titles with Elizabeth Beecher
- Bennett CohenShared titles: Mystery Mountain (1934), The Lone Avenger (1933), Señor Americano (1929)See all 3 shared titles with Bennett Cohen
- William LivelyShared titles: Phantom Rancher (1940), Death Rides the Range (1939)See all 2 shared titles with William Lively
Actors
- Charles KingShared titles: Arizona Whirlwind (1944), Death Valley Rangers (1943), Death Rides the Range (1939), The Lone Avenger (1933), Branded Men (1931), The Two Gun Man (1931)See all 6 shared titles with Charles King
- Hoot GibsonShared titles: Arizona Whirlwind (1944), Westward Bound (1944), Blazing Guns (1943), Death Valley Rangers (1943), The Law Rides Again (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943)See all 6 shared titles with Hoot Gibson
- TarzanShared titles: Death Rides the Range (1939), Come on, Tarzan (1932), The Two Gun Man (1931), Señor Americano (1929), Gun Gospel (1927), $50,000 Reward (1924)See all 6 shared titles with Tarzan
- Tom LondonShared titles: Phantom Rancher (1940), Flaming Lead (1939), Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938), The Two Gun Man (1931)See all 4 shared titles with Tom London
Cinematographers and editors
- Marcel Le PicardShared titles: Westward Bound (1944), Blazing Guns (1943), The Law Rides Again (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943)See all 4 shared titles with Marcel Le Picard
- Arthur ReedShared titles: Death Rides the Range (1939), Flaming Lead (1939), Branded Men (1931), The Two Gun Man (1931)See all 4 shared titles with Arthur Reed
- Fred BainShared titles: Blazing Guns (1943), Wild Horse Stampede (1943), Phantom Rancher (1940)See all 3 shared titles with Fred Bain
- William NoblesShared titles: In Old Santa Fe (1934), Mystery Mountain (1934), The Lone Avenger (1933)See all 3 shared titles with William Nobles
Producers
- Arthur AlexanderShared titles: Phantom Rancher (1940), Death Rides the Range (1939), Flaming Lead (1939), Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938)See all 4 shared titles with Arthur Alexander
- Max AlexanderShared titles: Phantom Rancher (1940), Death Rides the Range (1939), Flaming Lead (1939), Six-Shootin' Sheriff (1938)See all 4 shared titles with Max Alexander
- Burt KellyShared titles: The Lone Avenger (1933), Come on, Tarzan (1932), Tombstone Canyon (1932)See all 3 shared titles with Burt Kelly
- Samuel BischoffShared titles: The Lone Avenger (1933), Come on, Tarzan (1932), Tombstone Canyon (1932)See all 3 shared titles with Samuel Bischoff