Can you imagine a popular movie actor today who doesn’t smoke, drink, swear, never kisses a girl and never throws the first punch? Such a character was Hopalong Cassidy, played by William Boyd whose birthday is observed today. He first saddled up as a hero in 1935 and made a total of 66 western movies. At one point, Boyd was so popular he was asked to play the part of Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” He turned down the role, fearing it would hurt the Hopalong Cassidy image. That popularity carried over into the early days of television. Today, there are 152,000 producers and directors creating motion pictures and television shows, where much more than a kiss is allowed on the screen. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
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