| Notice the billing on the PRC lobby cards. In the earlier PRC films, they show 'Billy the Kid', and in the later 'Billy Carson' ones, Crabbe is billed as 'King of the Wild West'. As to the specific quantities, Crabbe did 13 as 'Billy the Kid' and 23 as 'Billy Carson'. |
 (From Old Corral image collection) Above from L-to-R are Kermit Maynard, Buster Crabbe, Frank Ellis, and Charlie King in a lobby card and crop/blowup from FRONTIER OUTLAWS (PRC, 1944), another entry in the Crabbe "Billy Carson" series  (From Old Corral image collection) Standing from left to right in this still from FRONTIER OUTLAWS (PRC, 1944) are Kansas Moehring, Tex Cooper and Crabbe. Sitting from left to right are Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, Marin Sais, and Frances Gladwin. Gladwin was the heroine in four of Buster's PRC oaters. But the most prolific female lead was Patti McCarty / Patti McCarthy (1921-1985) who did six PRCs with Crabbe. Marin Sais (1890-1971) began her film career in silents. She was married to Jack Hoxie but they divorced in 1925 after about five years of marriage. FRONTIER OUTLAWS is chock full of boo boos and production sloppiness and is among the worst of Buster's PRC oaters. There are lots of wasted scenes to pad out the time and Crabbe even does a Mexican bandit impersonation (somewhat better than Tim McCoy, but still terrible). Also included is an "ouch scene" - after relieving saloon owner and brains heavy Charlie King of a money bag, Buster exits out the saloon office window and cracks his head on the window frame. That wasn't the only "ouch scene" in Buster's PRCs - at the tail end of STAGECOACH OUTLAWS (PRC, 1945), Crabbe is carrying St. John and Fuzzy's head meets a door jam. No time or money for retakes at PRC.  (From Old Corral image collection) Elaine Morey has the drop on Buster in WILD HORSE PHANTOM (PRC, 1944). This film includes some typical Al 'Fuzzy' St. John comical hijinks as he gets attacked by a large bat. The ever thrifty PRC may have dragged the winged bat critter out of mothballs - it was probably the same flying bat prop used several years earlier in the Bela Lugosi THE DEVIL BAT (PRC, 1940).  (Courtesy of Parry Hall) Above from left to right are Crabbe, Eddie Hall, Charlie King and Al St. John in a lobby card from SHADOWS OF DEATH (PRC, 1945). Parry Alan Hall, the son of Eddie Hall, has pay records on his father who was paid $173.00 for his work in SHADOWS OF DEATH.  (Courtesy of Parry Hall) Above, heroine Donna Dax separates Crabbe and Eddie Hall.  (From Old Corral image collection) From left to right are Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, Frank Ellis, Lorraine Miller and Buster Crabbe in a lobby card from BORDER BADMEN (PRC, 1945). Left to right in the background are an unidentified guy (black hat), Victor Cox and Jack Hendricks (AKA Ray Henderson). Cox, Hendricks and Ellis were henchmen reporting to boss Charlie King. See crop/blowup below.  L-to-R are Victor Cox, Lorraine Miller, Crabbe and Jack Hendricks (AKA Ray Henderson). |
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