SAMMY McKIM
December 20th, 1924 -- July 9th, 2004

Above: Sammy McKim displays a Kellogg coupon for membership in the Junior Air Defenders in this promotional still for FLYING G-MEN (Columbia, 1939).

Though Frankie Darro was the most prolific, he was not the only kid sidekick in serials. Among the other talented youngsters to work in cliffhangers were Dickie Jones, Tommy Cook--and Sammy McKim. Among all these likeable kids, Sammy was probably the most popular, due to his air of independence and self-reliance combined with hero-worshipping respect for the stars of his serials. More than one young serial fan back in the thirties must have wished himself in Sammy's place, fighting against serial villains such as LeRoy Mason and Stanley Andrews and stalwartly upholding heroes such as Ray Corrigan and the Lone Ranger. And McKim's career of entertaining folks didn't stop with his serial career, as we shall see.

Sammy was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His family moved to Los Angeles during the Depression, and McKim began working in films at the age of ten, beginning as an extra. Budding Republic Pictures, newly created from a merger of Mascot, Monogram, and Liberty Pictures, on the lookout for new talent, signed young Sammy to a contract and began to feature him a wide assortment of their movies, beginning with the 3 Mesquiteers B-western HIT THE SADDLE. Over the next few years, Sammy made so many appearances in 3M films that he has been dubbed by some "the fourth Mesquiteer"; however, his career at Republic was not limited to B-westerns. The same year he made his first serial for the studio: THE PAINTED STALLION. A near-epic scale Western adventure, the serial chronicled the westward trip of a group of hardy pioneers, led by Clark Stuart (Ray Corrigan) and wagonmaster Walter Jamison (Hoot Gibson). An ex-Mexican governor, Alfredo Dupray (LeRoy Mason) was determined to retain his power by blocking the westward expansion--by whatever means possible. Young runaway Kit Carson (Sammy) saved Stuart's life when the latter was attacked by Dupray's agents, and subsequently joined the pioneers on their journey. Imagine the thrill it must have been to Sammy to portray a famous figure like Kit Carson so early in his screen career; his enthusiasm for the part showed through on the screen and he did his best to help make the serial an enjoyable effort.

Above, from left to right: Hoot Gibson, Sammy McKim, Hal Taliaferro (behind McKim), Ray Corrigan, Lou Fulton, and Ed Platt in THE PAINTED STALLION (Republic, 1937).

Sammy's next serial must have been just as enjoyable for him as PAINTED STALLION had been, as he was given the opportunity to assist a character that had already become an American legend: the Lone Ranger. Republic's THE LONE RANGER (Republic, 1938), admittedly took some liberty with the original character by including five heroic Texas Rangers, any one of whom might have been the Ranger. Which one was the Ranger was not revealed until the final chapter, when all but one of the heroes had been killed in the fight against Jeffries (Stanley Andrews) an outlaw who had seized control of Texas by posing as a finance commissioner and was taxing the people dry. McKim was Sammy, grandson of one of the oppressed townsfolk, who helped the rangers in their struggle against Jeffries' troopers. Sammy made a perfect character for the young serial audiences to identify with, as he became just as fascinated by the mystery of the Ranger's identity as they did.

THE LONE RANGER was such a success that its entire cast, including McKim, gained temporary fame among serial fans. Columbia Pictures was interested in Sammy, so they borrowed him from Republic for two serials, the first of which was THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOCK (Columbia, 1938). The serial starred Gordon Elliott--not yet "Wild Bill"--as the character who would give him the screen name he used throughout his career, and followed his struggle against a band of outlaws headed by the evil Robert Fiske. Sammy was Boots, a young boy who, together with Dickie Jones, formed his friends into a group called "the Flaming Arrows" to back up Elliott in the many dangerous situations of the serial.

Above: Sammy McKim, as the leader of the Flaming Arrows, receives a badge from Gordon Elliott in THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOCK (Columbia, 1938).

McKim's second and last Columbia serial was FLYING G-MEN (Columbia, 1939), in which he once again led a group of boys, the Junior Air Defenders, in support of the heroes. Sammy played the brother of leading lady Lorna Gray; when their father, an inventor, was murdered by foreign agents and G-men Robert Paige, James Craig, Richard Fiske, and Stanley Brown arrived to investigate, Sammy and Lorna gave them helpful aid in tracking down the killers and their mystery leader, the Professor. Sammy's last cliffhanger was another Republic, DICK TRACY'S G-MEN in 1939. His part in this last serial basically constituted a "guest appearance", but it was an appropriate finale to his cliffhanger career. He played a boy who lived near a deserted ghost town with his bed-ridden grandfather (George Cleveland). When Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) tracked some of Zarnoff's (Irving Pichel's) saboteurs to the ghost town, Sammy provided the G-man with help and saved his life before all was through.

Above: Sammy McKim as the leader of the Junior Air Defenders in FLYING G-MEN (Columbia, 1939).

Sammy made a few more films for Republic, then bounced around in small roles at various studios. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the Army and served until the end of WW2. After leaving the service, he appeared in a handful of films, but he mainly began to concentrate on a new calling: an animator for none other than Walt Disney. Walt recognized McKim's artistic genius, and set him to work as one of the original designers for Disneyland. Today, ask any Disney historian and he will tell you that Sam McKim was one of the guiding forces in the layout of Disneyland, as well as the premiere promotional artist for the park in subsequent years.

Sam passed away following heart surgery in the summer of 2004. He began to entertain kids when a kid himself, and his legacy--his Disney legacy and his serial legacy--will continue to bring joy to generation after generation. Click HERE to read a magnificent tribute to Sam by his longtime friend, Andy Southard, at the Nostalgia League website; Andy says it better than I ever could, and I can only put a hearty "Amen" to his words.

Above: Ever helpful, Sammy points the way for Ray Corrigan in another scene from THE PAINTED STALLION (Republic, 1937).