With this, Reagan appeared in multiple western films, establishing himself as a Western star he had longed for while working at Warner Bros.[40] In 1952, he ended his relationship with Warner Bros.,[41] but went on to appear in a total of 53 films,[36] his last being The Killers (1964).[42]

Military service
Reagan at Fort Roach, between 1943 and 1944
When Reagan was working in Iowa, a United States Army Reserve member pitched him to join a local cavalry regiment that still used horses during the branch's decline. Reagan was interested in riding a horse at a young age and, without "a burning desire to be an army officer", he enlisted[43] in April 1937. He was assigned as a private in Des Moines' 322nd Cavalry Regiment and reassigned to second lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps.[44] He later became a part of the 323rd Cavalry Regiment in California.[45] As relations between the United States and Japan worsened, Reagan was ordered for active duty while he was filming Kings Row. Wasserman and Warner Bros. lawyers successfully sent draft deferments to complete the film in October 1941. 