By Martial Haprov
EDITOR
A decorated actor and musician who filmed two movies in Apple Valley in the 1930s turns 100 years old this week and several local groups are planning to throw him a two-day party.
Herb Jeffries, commonly referred to as the “Bronze Buckaroo,” turns 100 on Tuesday. Early in his career, Jeffries sang with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, according to a news release, and starred in singing cowboy films that featured all-black casts in an era when strict separation of racial groups was the norm.
Several organizations including the Herb Jeffries 100th Birthday Celebration Committee, the Town of Apple Valley, Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce, The Happy Trails Childrens Foundation and the Black Heritage Committee are planning tours of the locations where Jeffries filmed in Apple Valley and screenings of those movies this weekend.
The festivities begin Saturday with a tour of the site of the former Murray’s Overall Wearing Dude Ranch, located on what is now the northwest corner of Dale Evans Parkway and Waalew Road, according to a news release. Jeffries’ “Harlem Rides the Range” and “The Bronze Buckaroo” were both filmed at this ranch.
The tour, led by John Bascom, president of the Mohahve Historical Society, will also extend to the Sycamore Rocks area northeast of the intersection at Century Plant and Papago roads, where a fight scene in The Bronze Buckaroo was filmed.
That same evening, the Apple Valley Inn will play host to a banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Dinner, entertainment and tributes to Jeffries will be part of the event.
Headlining the banquet program is local singer and saxophonist Jimmie Smith of “Jimmie Smith and Company.” Smith, a Hesperia resident, has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Ike and Tina Turner and BB King.
A recent addition to the musical line-up is the Duke Ellington’s nephew, Ron Ellington Shy, of West Covina, according to the news release. Many may have heard him as a member of the Drifters, the Coasters or the Platters and many may recognize him from his roles in movies, TV shows or live theater.
“This multi-talented singer-songwriter, who has mastered many musical instruments, will dedicate some songs to his friend Herb Jeffries, a man he has known and admired since his youth, when Herb sang in his famous uncle’s orchestra,” the release states.
The birthday celebration continues on Sept. 29 at the Roy Rogers Double R Bar Ranch in Oro Grande. Cowboy Church begins at 10 a.m. with a message by Gabby Hayes and music by the Bascom Ranch Band. The first Jeffries film, Harlem Rides the Range, will begin at 11 a.m. A lunch break with food available for purchase from Old Town Hot Dogs will commence at noon followed by entertainment and music at 1 p.m.
Sunday’s festivities will conclude with a screening of The Bronze Buckaroo at 2 p.m.
Prices for the days and events vary. Tickets and sponsorships are available through the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce by calling 760-242-2753 or Marcy Taylor at 760-985-1918.