Ron Ormond

Ron Ormond (August 29, 1910 – May 11, 1981) was an American actor, author, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and showman known for producing and directing Western, musical, and exploitation horror films. Ormond began his career as a stage magician and vaudeville performer. After settling in southern California, he collaborated with Lash LaRue on a series of B-Westerns. He later began writing, directing, and producing exploitation films such as Untamed Mistress (1956), which were popular in the grindhouse and drive-in style of the era. In 1965, Ormond moved to Nashville and produced country music films featuring stars from the Grand Ole Opry. Following his survival of a 1968 plane crash, Ormond embraced Christianity and began making Christian films. He collaborated with Estus Pirkle on If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? (1971), The Burning Hell (1974), and The Grim Reaper (1976). Often labeled as "Christploitation", Ormond's films of this era retained his grindhouse style, with graphic depictions of damnation in an evangelistic attempt to reach church audiences. Ormond's efforts included family collaboration, and much of his work included his wife Judy and son Tim.

Ron Ormond (August 29, 1910 – May 11, 1981) was an American actor, author, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and showman known for producing and directing Western, musical, and exploitation horror films. Ormond began his career as a stage magician and vaudeville performer. After settling in southern California, he collaborated with Lash LaRue on a series of B-Westerns. He later began writing, directing, and producing exploitation films such as Untamed Mistress (1956), which were popular in the grindhouse and drive-in style of the era. In 1965, Ormond moved to Nashville and produced country music films featuring stars from the Grand Ole Opry. Following his survival of a 1968 plane crash, Ormond embraced Christianity and began making Christian films. He collaborated with Estus Pirkle on If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? (1971), The Burning Hell (1974), and The Grim Reaper (1976). Often labeled as "Christploitation", Ormond's films of this era retained his grindhouse style, with graphic depictions of damnation in an evangelistic attempt to reach church audiences. Ormond's efforts included family collaboration, and much of his work included his wife Judy and son Tim. ==Early life== Ron Ormond was born Victor Narro. He was of Italian descent, with his birth name sometimes given as Vittorio di Naro. He took his surname from his friend, magician and hypnotist Ormond McGill. In 1935, Ormond, who had been performing a magic act under the name "Rahn Ormond" was booked as an act at the Capitol Theater. Also performing at the venue was vaudvillian June Carr (1912–2006). When June say Ormond, she determined that she would marry him. They were married three weeks later. June Ormond's father actor, former nightclub owner and burlesque comic Cliff Taylor, also appeared in many of the Ormond's films. June's parents had been vaudeville performers, and after retiring from the road, opened a nightclub in the basement of the Mayfair Theater called "Coffee Cliff's". In 1950, June Ormond gave birth to their only son, Tim. Tim acted in several of their films. == Early career== Ron and June began packaging variety shows and touring with them, especially in the Southern states. In between tours, they spent time with family in Southern California. The Ormonds eventually settled in Hollywood, living across the street from Roy Rogers. According to Judy Carr, Lash LaRue showed up at their house one evening and asked Ormond to write a touring show for him. Ormond formed Western Adventure Productions, Inc. in 1948 to write, produce and eventually direct Lash LaRue's films. The films were shot on a short schedule, typically five days, with minimal sets and cast. They were originally distributed by Screen Guild. Ormond's first credit was 1948's Dead Man's Gold. Ormond made his directing debut in King of the Bullwhip with La Rue in 1950. Son of a Bad Man (1949) was the last Screen Guild release. After parting ways with Screen Guild, Western Adventure Productions went to Realart Pictures Inc. for distribution. In 1950, Ormond partnered with Robert L. Lippert to produce a series of Westerns starring former Hopalong Cassidy sidekicks James Ellison and Russell Hayden. The idea was to film all six films at the same time, using the same actors, wearing the same costumes. The entire series was shot in 21 days. Western Adventure acquired reissue rights to a number of Hal Roach's Laurel and Hardy comedies, and distributed them along with its own productions. Ormond prospered when Lippert released several of his productions to theaters. These economically made features were generally musical comedies, often in revue format, featuring vaudeville, nightclub, and minstrel acts. Titles like Square Dance Jubilee (1949), Hollywood Varieties (1950), and Varieties on Parade (1951), were welcomed by theater owners, especially in rural areas and smaller towns. Western Adventure Productions ceased operating in 1951 after completing eight films, but four more films were made into 1952 using large amounts of footage from the previous films with various names credited for the screenplays such as Ormond's young son Tim and associate producer Ira Webb. ==Nashville== In 1965, Ormond, his wife, and their son Tim, moved from Hollywood to Nashville. At the time, he had a reputation as "king of the B-movies", and upon arriving in Nashville, the Ormonds began looking for investors for country music films. The first film made was 1966's The Girl from Tobacco Row. Ormond used stars from the Grand Ole Opry like Tex Ritter and Minnie Pearl. The Girl from Tobacco Row featured country music acts like Fiddlin' Arthur Smith and the Dixieliners, the Haywood Mountaineers, and the Skylarks. During this period, Ormond also produced Forty Acre Feud, which was a Calhouns vs the Culpeppers showdown featuring Ferlin Husky, Minnie Pearl, Ray Price, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Roy Drusky, Skeeter Davis, Bill Anderson, and other country singers. By 1966, the Hillbilly Hollywood fad was oversaturated, and the Ormonds continued to produce exploitation films such as White Lightnin' Road and 1968's The Exotic Ones, which was also released under the title The Monster and the Stripper. In the mid-1960s, Ormond produced roller derby on television for Leo Seltzer. At the time, roller derby was big business, at least for Leo Seltzer, a San Fernando Valley businessman. Ormond managed the derby, which held weekly skate-offs at the Olympic auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. Ormond ended up leaving the Derby after telling Seltzer, "I can't work for you and still remain your friend, and I consider you a good friend." ==Legacy== Biographer Jimmy McDonough published an exhaustive biography of the Ormond family titled The Exotic Ones: That Fabulous Film-Making Family from Music City, U.S.A. – The Ormonds in May 2023. It was produced by film director Nicolas Winding Refn. From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family, a Blu-ray set of all the Ormond exploitation and religious titles, was released in conjunction with the book. RiffTrax, consisting of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumni Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and Michael J. Nelson, spoofed Mesa of Lost Women on April 2, 2012. ==Filmography== ==Bibliography== ==External links== Ron Ormond at GCDB Ron Ormond at IMDB Commentary on The Believer's Heaven - The Cinema Snob Ron Ormond - Grindhouse database

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371070545 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.