James arness, marilyn monroe and natalie wood his quick draw techniques. John doucette a stocky, deep, rich voice character actor equally adept at shakespeare, westerns and crime dramas. Arvo was also credited with and held the patent for the metal lined quickdraw holster that revolutionized quickdraw and became an iconic staple of nearly every bwestern ever filmed. Clint eastwood used to compete in fast draw contests years ago. Vintage arvo ojala hollywood leather bullet revolver gun belt. Theres a clip, too, of quickdraw artist arvo ojala the fastest gun in the west spinning his colt revolver and showing star fred macmurray how its done. Audie was a very good friend of the great hollywood quick draw artist, gunsmith and stuntman arvo ojala. Who is the man james arness shoots every week in the. Arvo ojala was one of the top gun coaches in hollywood history. Mr garrett was a american record producer who is noted for his work in the 1960s 1970s. This is a used item and the pictures show the wear to the leather and buckle.
He settled in california in 1959, where he found a job in the property department at universal studios in hollywood. The guns were presented to the president by famed hollywood firearm adviser and quick draw artist arvo ojala19202005 in 1981 the year of reagans election. The two revolvers are third generation colt single action army. Vintage arvo ojala leather quick draw rig for 45 belt. This notebook blank white paper with a bio of arvo ojala on the inside cover.
Arvo ojala, hollywoods legendary gun coach trick shooter and technical advisor. Arvo ojala quickdraw rig cowboy holsters, western holsters, gun holster. As a joke on the producers, james arness and arvo actually did the opener once with dillon falling to the ground. James dunham, gunfighter tactical life gun magazine. Doucette was the fastest gun in hollywood, and, would body double quick draw gunfigh. Arvo ojala hollywood holster and gun belt antique vintage quick draw. Obituary fastdraw shooter taught tv stars originally published july 24, 2005 at 12. Wyatt earp on tv loved quickdraw competition and drew against most of the tv and movie cowboy actors at the time, and beat almost all of them. Arvo ojala western holsters for snuff garrett mar 02. Arvo ojalas hollywood fast draw shop high ride cartridge gun belt. Who is the man james arness shoots every week in the introduction to gunsmoke dan clutter denison, iowa. Vintage arvo ojala quick draw leather holster with 27 cartridge loops for western revolvers. Arvo ojala taught many stars in hollywood how to quick draw.
We see dillon draw, hear two almost overlapping shots, however we do not see the outcome. Ca was known for their craftsmanship with arvo ojalas fast draw shop gun leather being comparable or surpassing the workmanship of alfonso pineda. Was a renowned fastdraw artist and taught sixgun lore to many television cowboys during the western heydays of the 50s and 60s. Invaluable is the worlds largest marketplace for art, antiques, and collectibles. Arvo ojala, 85, a legendary hollywood quickdraw expert who appeared as the bad guy who loses the gun duel with james arness marshal matt dillon in the opening of. It was there that he first met arvo ojala, the designer of the popular hollywood fast draw holster.
Reagan and ojala became friends when both worked in hollywood. Arvo ojala, a legendary hollywood quickdraw expert and gun coach who appeared as the anonymous bad guy who loses the gun duel with. Arvo ojala was the most popular coach to the stars and his pupils have. In his honor i am offering copies of his work that was called by many the best fast draw holsters ever made. He taught james arnes, sammy davis, clint eastwood, most if not all mentioned in this topic. Arvo ojala, who made the holster accompanying the gun, was a famous quick draw coach for hollywood stars, but gunsmoke fans will recognize him most as the unnamed man shot by marshal dillon in the opening sequences. In truth, arvo ojala could have beaten marshal dillon with ease. Fit appears to be a 6inch saa, based on measuring from the outline of the cylinder in the holster. Cesar romero colt frontier six shooter and custom arvo ojala gunbelt and quickdraw rig presale estimate.
Arvo ojala, a legendary hollywood quickdraw expert and gun coach who appeared as the anonymous bad guy who loses the gun duel with james arness marshal matt dillon in the opening of the longrunning weekly tv series gunsmoke, has died. Width is 3 until it widens out to the holster area. Our premium quality leather western drop loop style gun belt includes a matching holster sized for a. This is a used item and the pictures show the wear to the leather. Hollywood was sometimes cavalier in its choice of leather, but if there was one holster that epitomized the golden years of the tv westerns, it is unquestionably the metallined fast draw buscadero rigs made by gun coach and fastdraw champion arvo ojala. Arvo ojala born january 21, in seattle, washington. Hollywood fast draw holsters were designed and manufactured by famous movie gun coach arvo ojala and used by most of the tv and movie cowboys of the late 1950s and 1960s. Extremely well made western left hand cross draw holster in plain brown leather. Buy online, view images and see past prices for arvo ojala 2. He was a quick draw artist and taught some of the actors in this.
Active during the height of the hollywood western movies in the 1950s and 60s, arvo was often used for the closeup shots of fancy pistol handling. The most popular quickdraw rig at the national championships was the arvo ojala rig. The photo is courtesy of arvos daughter audies goddaughter valerie ojalakeller. I suspect the now famous opening sequence was added later to these episodes as the arvo rig and the staghandled colt seen in it, did not appear. When not working on films, arvo often would hire himself out to teach the art of the quickdraw to actors, from neophytes to superstars. Arvo ojala was a hollywood technical advisor on the subject of quickdraw with a revolver. However, i did specify that the bottom of the holster be angled forward moderately and that extraheavy sheet metal be used in the back of the holster from bottom of gun belt to bottom of cylinder, so that the holster would maintain its shape even. Arvo ojala holsters secrets of the fast draw mens tshirt white s new. Authentic arvo ojala quick draw leather holster 2832518 ebay.
Ojala came to hollywood in the early 1950s, opened a leather shop and patented the. Hollywood gun coach arvo ojalas metallined leather holster allowed him and his disciples to draw and fire far more rapidly than reallife gunfighters could. These revolvers were presented to the sitting 40th president by famed quick draw artist, holster manufacturer, and hollywood firearms consultant arvo ojala. Arvo ojala styled copy fast draw gun holster in great condition but showing signs of storage wear kept in box of other holsters for many years. One mans quest for pistol shooting excellence top gun. Click here to see matching belts and other holster options in plain brown leather. He was famous for his ability to draw his gun out of its holster and fire it in twotenths of a second. This holster set was made for thomas lesslie snuff garrett. The man who lost the draw against matt dillon every week finally lost the draw that all of will face someday. Arvo ojala, a legendary hollywood quickdraw expert who appeared as the bad guy who loses the gun duel with james arness marshal matt dillon in the opening of the longrunning tv series gunsmoke, has died. By the judgment defendant was ordered to pay plaintiff the above mentioned amount and to desist from the manufacture, sale, distribution or advertising for sale, of a fast draw holster that is based on or is a copy of the arvo ojala hollywood fast draw holster. Gun belt is stitched from two 18 inch thick leather sections, forming a full 14 inch finished belt that will stand up to the rigors of daily use.
Fast guns of hollywood sass wire saloon sass wire forum. Journal that arvo ojala was the man gunned down weekly by james arnesss matt dillon. Overall belt length is approx 42 and it holds 28 rounds. He taught all the famous stars we know today and many forgotten from yesteryear like marilyn monroe. He was an expert adviser on many western movie sets.
The camera shows the gunman that marshall dillon is about to confront, and that gunman is arvo ojala. The quickdraw specialist trained james arness in gunfighting. Cesar romero cisco kid colt frontier six shooter with arvo ojala gunbelt and quickdraw rig presale estimate. Overall belt length is approx 40 and it holds 28 rounds. Authentic arvo ojala quick draw leather belt 2674 34w 357 and holster 2832519. The fastdraw expert taught many hollywood starsincluding arness. Arvo ojala was the gun coach for hollywood and taught hundreds to draw and handle a revolver. Is there any official standing on who was the fastest draw. Arvo ojala february 21, 1920 in seattle, washington july 1, 2005 in gresham, oregon was a hollywood technical advisor on the subject of quickdraw with a revolver. Arvo ojala holsterbelt with makers stamp appearing on back of holster. He was a master of the quick draw, and not just in the movies. Arvo ojala, hollywoods legendary gun coach trick shooter and technical advisor who taught sammy davis jr. He desperately wanted to draw against audie murphy, but murphy wouldnt do it.
Glenn ford trained with rodd and arvo ojala for his starring role in the fastest gun alive. I started with the legendary arvo ojala rig, and also had an ed bohlin rig with the long drop built into the gunbelt. This rig is the design made famous by the television series gunsmoke. Gun expert jim dunham wrote in the april 2014 wild west history association journal that arvo ojala was the man gunned down weekly by james arnesss matt dillon. Phil hill above left provided a brief background on arvo ojala actor, holster maker, and longtime gun and quickdraw trainercoach of movie stars. Who is the man james arness shoots every week in the introduction. Arvo ojala had an opening scene gunfight for 17 years on gunsmoke vs. They are accompanied by one of ojalas own leather holster rigs. Vintage arvo ojala quick draw rig holster belt in black leather for 45 caliber revolver. Arvo ojala quickdraw rig cowboy holsters, holster, western. Quality double holster set manufacture red by the famous hollywood quick draw artist arvo ojala. Holster is made to slide onto a belt, and is sized for a standard frame revolver, and fits most barrel lengths 4 to 6 inches. Obituary fastdraw shooter taught tv stars the seattle. There are 29 cartridge loops, although the one nearest the buckle is torn away and missing, and another is loose.
Featuring top fast draw techniques on national television show on the go show, include celebrity actress valerie ojala keller. Add this holster to a drop loop belt, and your ready for a showdownnote. He is best known as the man who was gunned down by matt dillon during the opening credits of the gunsmoke tv series. Ojala was the gunfighter who was shot down by marshal matt dillon in the original opening of each episode of gunsmoke.
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