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THE
MIGHTY HOSS
by Archie P. McDonald, PhD | |
Dan
Blocker's story begins and ends in DeKalb,
in Bowie County, located in uppermost Northeastern Texas, though most of it played
out in West Texas and in Hollywood.
Blocker was born in DeKalb in
December 1928, but the physician who assisted in the process did not issue a birth
certificate until March 1929, and it recorded his name as Bobby Don Blocker. Blocker
weighed fourteen pounds at birth, and when he became a celebrity, it was reported
that he was the largest infant ever delivered in Bowie County.
Blocker's
family moved to O'Donnell,
in West Texas, when he was six years old. After
attending local schools, Blocker enrolled in the Texas Military Institute, Hardin-Simmons
University, and then played football at Sul Ross State University. By then Blocker
had grown to six feet, four inches and weighed 275 pounds.
Blocker's
degree from Sul Ross was in speech and drama, and it was the latter that interested
him most. He declined opportunities to play professional football to concentrate
on acting, but his career plans were interrupted by service in the Army during
the Korean War. In 1952 he returned to Sul Ross to study for a master's degree,
and married Dolphia Lee Parker. |
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Dan
Blocker in the army
Photo courtesy of Frank Miklos |
Blocker taught in
schools in Sonora, Texas, and Carlsbad,
New Mexico, then moved to California to work on a Ph.D. While doing so he served
as a substitute teacher in Glendale Morrison.
In
1959 Blocker was cast as "Hoss" Cartwright, the middle son of rancher Ben Cartwright,
in "Bonanza," one of many Westerns that crowded television screens in the 1950s
and 1960s. What made "Bonanza" different was its twelve-season longevity. The
series ran for thirteen years with James Arness' "Gunsmoke" its only competitor.
"Bonanza" also became the most popular Western series on television, and was the
anchor for NBC on Sunday evenings.
Blocker's portrayal of the large but
loving son of Ben Cartwright made him enormously popular, which also was good
for business in the national chain of Bonanza Steak Houses, in which he was a
partner. |
Dan
Blocker's grave in the Woodsmen Cemetery, near downtown DeKalb.
Photo courtesy of John DeBusk |
Blocker died from complications
resulting from surgery in 1972, and was buried in the Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb.
This East Texan finally came home after riding the range of the Ponderosa so well
and so long.
All
Things Historical
Dec. 14, 2003 column
Published with permission
A syndicated column in
over 70 East Texas newspapers
This column is provided as a public service
by the East Texas Historical Association. Archie P. McDonald is director of the
Association and author of more than 20 books on Texas. | |
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