At 80, Rex Trailer is still New England's cowboy
Rex Trailer plans to make a grand entrance at the New England Wild West Fest in Marshfield this weekend by arriving in a helicopter.
Could you expect anything less from the legendary cowboy entertainer? Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when he hosted the Western-themed children’s television show “Boomtown,’’ Trailer was known to get behind the controls of a helicopter and fly to guest appearances at parades and holiday celebrations.
Today, at age 80, Trailer continues to wow crowds. He still rides horses. And, yes, he still flies planes and helicopters.
Trailer is due to arrive at the Marshfield Fairgrounds on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. (“My old stomping grounds,’’ he said. “For years I played at the Marshfield Fair.’’) After the helicopter lands, he will be escorted to the main arena, where he’ll be presented with two lifetime achievement awards: a citation from Governor Deval L. Patrick honoring him for his work in aviation; and the Spirit of ’36 Award, which the Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation is giving Trailer for exemplifying “true cowboy spirit’’ and bringing the Wild West to New England through his popular television show.
It’s perhaps fitting that Trailer should receive these honors at a rodeo event. After all, that’s how he got into show business.
Growing up in Texas, Trailer learned how to do rope tricks and other stunts from rodeo cowboys who worked at his grandfather’s ranch. He eventually started performing in rodeos himself.
“All of the cowboy skills that I used in my shows throughout the years were taught to me by those rodeo cowboys,’’ said Trailer, recalling the summers he spent on his grandfather’s ranch. “One guy was a trick rider. He taught me how to do trick riding. Another guy was a roper, he used to spin ropes. He taught me trick roping. Another guy was a musician . . . and he taught me how to play guitar. When I perfected my skills, they took me on the road with them. The audience used to get a kick out of it, seeing this little kid out there doing all this stuff.’’
He learned to fly at a young age thanks to his grandfather, who owned a Piper Cub. When Trailer turned 14, his grandfather let him pilot the plane.
Trailer’s love for flying continued throughout his career in show business, a path that brought him to Boston in 1956 to host the children’s TV program “Boomtown’’ on WBZ-TV. Trailer hosted the show until 1974.
During those “Boomtown’’ years, Trailer would fly to his public appearances whenever he could, and in 1962 he started his own helicopter airline company. The airline, which he operated until 1970, was essentially a shuttle service for business executives who wanted to avoid traffic on the highway. It had a landing space at Logan Airport and more than 30 heliports around Route 128.
On Sunday afternoon, Trailer will be flying his friend Evan Wile’s helicopter.
Wile, a 59-year-old commercial helicopter pilot from Weston, is a longtime fan of Trailer. He grew up watching “Boomtown’’ and met Trailer for the first time when he was 8, when his Cub Scout troop visited the WBZ television studios on Storrow Drive.
Trailer “was an icon to me as a kid,’’ said Wile. “He’s an amazing guy. He’s sincere, genuine, and he can still fly. He flies my helicopter like it was his.’’
Trailer continues to keep a busy schedule. He’s slated to appear in two parades on July 4; he’ll be in Natick in the morning and then Wakefield that evening. He says he loves being an adjunct professor at Emerson College, where he has taught television performance and production since 1977.
Trailer also owns a television production company on Main Street in Waltham.
“Been there 18 years,’’ he said. “Love that, too.’’ And right now he’s working with filmmaker Michael Bavaro on a documentary about Filene’s Basement (www.voicesfromthebasement.com).
Does he think about retiring?
“No, no, no,’’ said Trailer, with a chuckle. “That word is not even in my vocabulary. I mean, that’s when I’d have to stop doing the things I love to do.’’
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. For more information on Rex Trailer, visit www.rextrailer.com. 