about the
sculpture

Buford's Hollywood Connection

The Bona Allen Company received special acclaim in the 1950s for production of its classic saddles. To head the saddle department, the company brought in Victor Alexander, a famous saddle expert from the King Ranch in Texas. Under his management were produced some of the finest hand-tooled saddles and bridles ever made, including some silver-studded masterpieces and a very special order for famed Hollywood cowboy Roy Rogers.

Many other famous cowboys visited the factory in Buford including Gene Autry, Dan Blocker of Bonanza fame, Lash LaRue, Gabby Hayes, and Kenny Rogers. Even William F. Cody, well-known as Buffalo Bill, got his saddle from Buford.

Ken Clifton, Don Arsenault, "Dusty" (Roy Rogers, Jr.),
and sculptor Vic McCallum in Branson, Missouri.

While most of the famous Hollywood cowboys’ saddles were made by the Bona Allen Company, one saddle of prominence was made by another company in the building occupied today by saddlemaker Mike Yancey. That saddle was made for Audie Murphy, famous World War II hero who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for single-handedly capturing an entire German regiment. This saddle, made by Roy Martin of the Buford Saddle Company, is now owned by Mr. Milton Robeson of Gainesville, Georgia. Audie Murphy received a battle field commission for his heroism and later became a famous movie actor. He was featured in several westerns, and in “To Hell and Back,” he played himself. The film portrayed his life story and many of his heroic feats. The saddle features patent leather, silver lacing, Diablo silver, and rope-edge trim. A brace plate on the saddle reads, “To Audie Murphy from the Buford Boys, Buford, Georgia.”