Roosevelt was originally cast as The Cisco Kid in
Notte di tradimento (1928), but he broke
his leg shortly before shooting was to start. He was replaced by
Warner Baxter, who went on to win an Academy Award. A few years later
Roosevelt was approached by producer
Paul Malvern about starring in a series
of low-budget westerns for Monogram. Apparently, however, Roosevelt's
wife went behind his back and demanded more money than Malvern was
willing to pay. Angered, Malvern turned instead to a young actor named
John Wayne, who snapped up the offer. That string of Monogram "B" westerns
started Wayne on the road to superstardom. Roosevelt continued grinding
out low-rent westerns with steadily decreasing budgets, and finished up
his career doing unbilled bit parts and stuntwork.
