Cowboy motion picture extra Jerome "Blackjack" Ward kisses his wife Mickey Ward during his trial for the murder of fellow extra John Ainsworth Tyacke (Johnny Tyke) in Gower Gulch. Gower Gulch is the name given to the area near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street where film extras hang out waiting for work; many of the nearby studios produce westerns so often actual working cowboys come here to break into the film business. Ward entered a plea of not guilty based on self defense and temporary insanity. He was ultimately set free after many witnesses attested to Tyacke's violent nature.
Cowboy film extra Jerome "Blackjack" Ward (beard, right) re-enacts his confrontation with fellow extra John Ainsworth Tyacke a.k.a. Johnny Tyke for Lieutenant W.A. Ellenson (left) and other police. Blackjack allegedly shot Tyke with a .45 in Gower Gulch, the name given to the area near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street where film extras hang out waiting for work. Ward entered a plea of not guilty based on self defense and temporary insanity. He was ultimately set free after many witnesses attested to Tyke's violent nature.
