(1891, Kentucky - 9 July 1931, Los Angeles, California)

Born Clarence Hatton

Few of Hatton's films survive and he is rarely mentioned in Western film literature. The reasons for Hatton's neglect may be found in his films: the Kentucky-born cowboy did most of his work in silent Westerns for fly-by-night organizations such as Adventure, Vital Exchanges, and Western Pictures, all of whom distributed their oaters only in the hinterlands.

A later series produced by genre specialist Ben Wilson had somewhat higher production values and recognizable leading ladies, such as actress Neva Gerber and stunt rider Marilyn Mills, but even the Wilson films were dismissed as hackneyed.

Hatton's career was in a precarious situation after the changeover to sound, but he was rescued somewhat by producer Nat Levine, who cast him in several serials, including The Vanishing Legion (1931).

Veteran stuntman Yakima Canutt often doubled Hatton in his westerns, and didn't think much of his "cowboy" abilities. In his autobiography, Canutt said, "There were only three things Dick Hatton was afraid of--horses, guns and the outdoors."