Our Arklahoma Heritage: Spiro native Bobby Clack rode his way to silver screen fame in early western movies

Robert Louis Clack

Robert Louis Clack, better known by his stage name Bobby Clark (sometimes credited as Dusty Dixon), was a talented child actor, trick roper, and performer in B-Western films during Hollywood's Golden Age

.Born on January 3, Spiro,, he grew up in eastern Oklahoma towns like Spiro and Talihina. His father, Arnold Clack, was a rancher and gas station owner who briefly appeared in a non-speaking role in one film (Tim McCoy's Texas Renegades).

Bobby's passion for roping sparked early after attending the Oklahoma-Arkansas rodeo in Fort Smith, with his family. At just six years old, he performed for the first time in Springfield, Missouri. He honed impressive skills in trick roping--including the remarkable feat of spinning four loops simultaneously using his mouth, arms, and hips--as well as shooting accurately with a .22 rifle and .38 revolver.

His big break came on July 4, 1938, at age 12, when a Monogram talent scout discovered him at a Junior Chamber of Commerce rodeo in Sulphur, Oklahoma. This led to his move to Hollywood, where his surname was simplified to Clark for easier credit billing.

With his loyal horse, Chief (boarded at Tom Mix's ranch during his Hollywood stays), Bobby made his film debut that year co-starring with Jack Randall in Trigger Smith (1939). Also in 1939, he won the World Champion Junior Trick and Fancy Rope Artist title at Madison Square Garden.

He then co-starred as "Andy" in the Columbia serial Overland with Kit Carson alongside Bill Elliott, filmed on location in Utah (including Zion National Park, Kanab, and St. George). He earned $250 per week for the role (equivalent to about $5,230 in 2026 dollars).

His friendship with Elliott endured, leading to joint personal appearance tours and performances in later years, such as in Hollywood (1948) and Phoenix (1949).

Bobby performed at major events like the Cheyenne rodeo, the 17-day Chicago Stadium Rodeo, the Sheriff's Rodeo in Los Angeles, and an exhibition with Hoot Gibson during the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in 1939.

In 1940, at age 14, he starred as Bobby Sawyer in The Sagebrush Family Trails West, intended as the launch of a family-oriented Western series (modeled after MGM's Hardy Family films), though no sequels were produced.

He completed his schooling in Poteau, and later moved to Fort Smiths. During World War II, Bobby served in the U.S. Army from April 24, 1944, to May 11, 1946, including 18 months in the Philippines with the 732nd Army Engineers.

After the war, he returned to Hollywood and resumed acting, appearing in at least six films with Gene Autry (including Beyond the Purple Hills in 1950), often in uncredited riding or stunt roles, as well as TV shows. He also had roles in other Westerns, such as a prominent part in Sunset Carson's Rio Grande (1949) and a bit in Republic's serial Man with the Steel Whip (1954).

In 1947, he toured with Allan Lane and continued rodeo work. Gene Autry honored him (and Bobby's father/manager) by commissioning three solid gold rings featuring a large saddle design.

In 1946, Bobby married Iona Ruth Lee (born 1926) from Idaho Falls, Idaho. The couple had a son, Robert A. Clack, and a daughter, Kathleen Clack.

Later in life, Bobby transitioned to civilian careers as a car salesman and dealer. In the mid-1950s, he and Ruth owned Clack's Used Cars in San Jose, California. By 1964, he sold cars for Bob Sykes Dodge in Gilroy, California.

Around 1965, the family settled in Parkdale, Oregon, at the foot of Mount Hood.

Bobby Clack passed away on April 11, 1986, at age 60 in Parkdale, Hood River County, Oregon. His wife, Ruth, died on September 26, 2004. They are buried together at Upper Valley Cemetery in Parkdale, where his grave marker highlights his WWII Army service with the 732nd Engineers.

His life bridged authentic rodeo talent with Hollywood's B-Western world, leaving a legacy as a skilled juvenile performer and champion roper.