Voices of the West

Welcome to Emil Franzi’s Voices of the West! Our program and website exist to preserve the culture of the Old West. Franzi started this program back in the mid-2000s because of his love of all history–particularly of the Old West. Emil has since passed, but we continue to honor his memory with discussions about the Old West with our live stream broadcast every Saturday afternoon at 4pm Mountain Standard Time on this website.

The Old West was one of those unique times in American history that saw a mass migration from the east to the west to explore the new lands. Towns and communities sprang up virtually overnight. Some continued, others faded away. It was a hard life on the frontier. That was the 1800s.

On our podcast we talk with the folks who also want to preserve the Old West culture — the writers, the movie makers, the historians, the painters, the musical artists, the ranchers and so much more.

Meet the Hosts

Harry Alexander – Producer and co-host. Alexander is retired following a 45 year broadcasting career working at radio and TV stations around the world. His “other” career was with the Florida Park Service where he produced American Civil War and historic pirate events. His interest in the West comes from his great-grandfather serving in B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry during the Geronimo Campaign in the mid-1880s. He is a U.S. Army veteran.

Bunker de France – Co-host. Bunker is a retired Hollywood stuntman. He worked on The High Chaparral TV series, Gunsmoke episodes and Death Valley Days episodes. He also appeared in a number of westerns including Ulzana’s Raid and Judge Roy Bean with Paul Newman. He also did stunts in Rambo III. Bunker is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Todd Roberts – Co-host.

Todd is our Hollywood insider. His father produced the two Monte Walsh films among other films. Todd has been instrumental in getting great guests from the movie world and cowboy world. He is a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and a former docent for the Autry Museum.