Rodeo Ben the "Polish Cowboy"

beckski Why not call him the "Polish Jewish" cowboy? Clearly he was Jewish(as someone remembers him conversing in Yiddish), and probably immigrated from Poland

It's fair to say that most people never heard of this character. Not just today but in any previous decade. And in today's gynocentric, throw-away, consumer culture most will never care about someone like this anyway.

But from what is available online he was just another immigrant among millions who passed through or settled in 1940's Philadelphia which as an East Coast city of the United States is as far removed from "cowboy" as anyone could get.

Like the "spaghetti Western" films of the 1960s this Jewish tailor's take on America was simply a result of having an extremely limited knowledge about his adopted country and creating his own exaggerated stereotypes about America. Note well that many stereotypes about America have their origins in Jewish Hollywood and Madison Avenue and are usually fodder for the many Eurotrash PF posters who use them to attack Polonia living in the US (but I digress).

Philadelphia has largely had a predominately Roman Catholic population. However, America itself has been mainly Protestant all due to the British occupying, pillaging and displacing the native population over centuries.

Although most American Protestants are Zionists today that was not always the case. Therefore it was very likely that this Jewish immigrant found it convenient for marketing purposes not to reveal his true heritage.

Certainly Jews see little difference between Catholics and Protestants. However, claiming he was "Polish" wouldn't have opened many doors in WASP America either.

So why cast himself as Polish?

Well, if you peruse posts on PF you'll find many baseless, bigoted, contemptuous remarks (from non-Poles and former communists) about true Poles being nothing more than unsophisticated, brutish, village idiots. While Jews on the other hand are always applauded for being cosmopolitan, always somehow educated beyond belief, always beyond criticism, and always, always the victims of others.

So, if you are an Jewish immigrant to America and never learn much about it, but you need to flog tough-guy image cowboy outfits to what you assume is an unsuspecting public, then you'll cast yourself as a rugged Pole rather than as an effete Jew.

I used live in West Oak Lane. I think it used to be on the corner of Ogontz & Cheltenham Ave. I got my first pair of cowboy boots and hat from there when I was in high school back in the 80's.

I was the lone black teen in my neighborhood, who had his own sense of style. Lol

I buy and sell vintage western wear at Pioneer House in Knoxville Tennessee. I have had many beautiful Rodeo Ben items come thru the shop . Also Globe Tailors of Philadelphia that made Western wear very similar to Bens designs. Most western wear enthusiasts today know nothing of Rodeo Ben. He made Satin outfits of Rodeo performers at Madison square gardens that would shine under the lights. He put the cowboy stars in fancy outfits before the famous west coast rodeo tailors. Yahoo!

@k3nbu
Hello sir ! I am an historian and I would love to chat with you. Can you send me an email to eric.maggiori@theavantmag.com please ?

Thank you very much
Eric

As a kid I remember going there (was near Broad and Stenton) with my dad and wondering/laughing why he wanted Cowboy clothes. My guess is he was emulating his older cousin Arnold Goldberg, who everyone called the Jewish Cowboy, because he of course dressed the part. I still have a bolo tie of dads, that I cherish, which he bought there.

This caracter was a Staple in Philadelphia for Decades and was not seen as either just a Pole or just a Jew ,to me he was a Pioneer in Clothing in Both Western Wear ,Cowboy,and all things Western as a Friend of Peter Luciano I was not even aware of his business and or his far reaching entrepreneur story.Hos regular ads would read we Started with T on Mixx and we are still going.Pete Luciano was a World Class Horsemen and Won Titles at Devon Horse Parade Class in the 50's and all his Titles were won while wearing his Friends Rodeo Bens carefully tailored Clothing joining Roy Rogers ,Tom Mixx ,Hoot Gibson to name a few !! Sad that people need to Pigeon hole him in a Category Polish no Jew Polish Jew....does it matter ?? I'm an Irish Catholic ...the story is a man who grew a Business from the Ground up Philly Proud just a Great Human Being Period.

I have recently discovered that I am related to Rodeo Ben (he was second cousins with my grandmother, although it's unlikely she knew what became of him, after the extended family immigrated to different parts of North America). Thank you to all who have shared their memories of him and his store. As an aside, someone posted that he was from Lodz. I do not believe that is the case. I believe he was from Staszow, a town about 200 kms southeast of Lodz. In addition to some Polish historical records that link his family to this town, his obituary also mentioned that he had served as president of the local Staszower society in Philadelphia at one point.

He was a Polish Jew!

What are you ashamed of?

America too had her one Jewish film cowboy, silent star "Bronco Billy" Anderson (nee "Aronson"), the first cowboy star ever before Wm S. Hart,
my hand to G-d! He was immensely popular as well.

Honestly, who cares? What about the flood of illegal immigrants on the southern border? Hello? That is the main issue here if some old dude was more Jewish, Polish, or American. How about was he a cowboy or simply his cowboy act an entrainment attribute?

If you must know the answer to that life-changing question - hold here - I won't be addressing it!

Yes, it is coz people have varied interests and constantly try to develop their knowledge. Unlike you who has been troubled with the same primitive obsessions for decades.

Spot on, paw! That's tellin' him.

yes, we need to educate forum azholes so that they stop their azholing and become decent posters.
Iron said: Who cares about a Polish cowboy??
Decent posters say: who cares that Iron doesn`t care about a Polish cowboy????

PS> Thank you Lyzko for giving me a hand in that. You are a decent educator.

If only he wrote in simple, understandable language...

I was talking about ideas and approaches, not techniques. :):):)