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STEMBRIDGE GUN RENTAL BLANKS –
DATED 1947 -1950 – EARLY MOVIE PROPS OF THE TYPE USED
IN JOHN WAYNE’S “HORSE TRILOGY” – “FORT APACHE”, “SHE
WORE A YELLOW RIBBON” AND “RIO GRANDE” – REAL ARTIFACTS OF
MOTION PICTURE HISTORY: Stembridge Gun Rentals
located in Hollywood, California, was formed in the
early 1920’s by James Stembridge and Cecil B. DeMille to
provide guns to the movie industry. Well known for
being able to provide almost any firearm to match the
period of the film, Stembridge established a niche in
Hollywood film history far more durable than most of the
actors who appeared on the silver screen carrying his
guns. The company
is still in existence and is currently being run a
descendant of the founder.
Whether modern collectors are honest enough to admit it
or not, many of us can trace our interest in the
American West, in particular to the Indian Wars cavalry,
to the famous Horse Trilogy created by director John
Ford - FORT APACHE (1948), SHE WORE A YELLOW
RIBBON (1949), and RIO GRANDE (1950), and by
such cowboy classics as the THE SEARCHERS (1956)
and THE COMANCHEROS (1961). The
scenes played by John Wayne, Henry Ford, and so many
other familiar faces are indelibly printed in our
consciousness and are as much a part of our collecting
interests as are the artifacts in our collections.
These boxes of movie blanks were produced at the same
time John Ford was creating his cinema masterpieces, and
may well have been from the same lots that were supplied
to the actors who fought those desperate battles on the
sets.
Although these Stembridge Company boxes of blanks appear
occasionally on the market, examples with the earlier
dates from the years when the western classic movies
were being made, are fairly scarce and these would be a great
conversation piece in your collection.
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NO.
1 STEMBRIDGE GUN RENTAL 45-70 FLASH
POWDER BLANKS – DATED JUNE OF 1947:
This full box (minus one cartridge) of fifty 45-70 Flash
Powder Blanks is dated stamped “6 1947”, has a
particular appeal to collectors of US militaria –
particularly artifacts from the Indian Wars – as it
bridges that connection between those early films and
the Trapdoor rifles and carbines in our collections.
The box is in excellent condition with a fully legible
label, sharp corners and edges and showing very little
evidence of age or handling. This box of 45-70 blanks in
this condition and with this particularly notable date
stamp is a scarce offering and one that would be a great
conversation piece in your collection. (0659) $75
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NO. 2
STEMBRIDGE GUN RENTAL "5 IN 1" BLACK POWDER BLANKS –
DATED SEPTEMBER OF 1949:
This is a full box of fifty 5 IN 1 Black
Powder Blanks is dated stamped “9 1949”.
The box is in very good condition with a fully legible
label, sharp corners and edges and showing very little
evidence of age or handling. One end flap has
separated from the box, but retains its full form and
could be restored. (0332) $55
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