Rodeo Dough
Long before Rodeo Drive, Tom Mix resided in a glamourous estate in Beverly Hills, California.
By: Marc Wanamaker 01/01/2009
Mix appeared with the Sells-Floto Circus from 1929 to 1931, often keeping him away from Beverly Hills. His absences would result in his divorce from Vickie in 1931. Mix moved out of the Beverly Hills house at first, and after the divorce, he moved back in. The Great Depression would force Mix to move from the estate altogether.
In 1932, Mix married his fifth wife, Mabel Hubbard Ward. Three years later, he signed with Mascot Pictures and gave his last screen appearance in a serial called The Miracle Rider. Mix purchased a small ranch in Sherman Oaks south of Ventura Boulevard in 1936 and lived there whenever he stayed in Los Angeles.
On October 12, 1940, 60-year-old Mix was killed while driving his 1937 Cord 812 convertible on Highway 80 near Florence, Arizona, between Tucson and Phoenix. An aluminum suitcase in the back seat flew forward and fatally struck him in the head, ending the life of the most celebrated movie cowboy in film history.
Today, the site of the Tom Mix estate is across the street from the Beverly Hills Women’s Club. The original house and grounds are mostly gone now. Modernity has triumphed, much like the West Tom Mix portrayed in his films.
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