The Best (and Worst) of the West! Reviews and Observations on B-Westerns by Boyd Magers Most Recent Reviews Page

Search/Find: If you wish to find a particular review of a film title or movies by a cowboy hero, simply use your web browser's built-in FIND function and that will allow you to search down this page for your keywords.  In the upper left of your screen, you should see the word 'EDIT' on both Netscape and Internet Explorer.  Click on that, and in the drop down menu, click on 'FIND' to do your search.  In Netscape or Internet Explorer, you can also hit the Ctrl-F key combination to open the FIND box (hold down the Ctrl Key in the lower left of your keyboard, and press the key for the letter F).  In the 'Find What' box, type in a word or short phrase like buck jones, or sunset carson, or republic, or monogram.  When done typing, begin the search by clicking on the 'Find Next' button which will take you to the first occurrence of that word or phrase (or to the end of this page, if no match is found).  Keep clicking on the 'Find Next' button to continue down to all the matches.

Printing this webpage: I would suggest you do NOT attempt to print this.  When last I checked, this would require a bunch of pages to print.  Plus the reviews are not in any particular order, so it would be difficult to wade through all those pages looking for a film title, western hero, etc.  If you wish to have this information locally on your PC, I would recommend you click on "File" and then do a "save as" in Internet Explorer or Netscape. And save this page on your hard drive (as an .htm or .html file type).  If you also want Boyd's picture, the red stars and garbage can, put your mouse pointer on each image, click with your right mouse button, and do a "save image or picture as" to the same area on your hard drive where the main page will be saved.  The Search/Find function noted above will work on webpages saved to your hard disk.

Individual film reviews - as well as the complete The Best (and Worst) of the West! film review collection - is copyright ©2000-2009 by Boyd Magers. All rights reserved.

The Ratings

Superior

Good

OK

Poor

A real dud !

 WHEELS OF DESTINY (1934 Universal)
With the glittering promise of gold in California, Buffalo Bill Jr. (Jay Wilsey) organizes a band of settlers in a wagon trek west to be led by Ken Maynard (who wrote the dirge-like title tune and plays it on his harmonica). Some writers have noted this Maynard-produced slightly-longer-than-usual at 63 minutes western has the "epic sweep of his silents". Maybe so, once you get past the rather drab first 40 minutes, the exciting final 20 minutes of Indians, prairie fires, river crossings, storms, etc. make up for the initial boredom. There's also way too many people in the cast to give anyone defining moments other than youngster Fred Sale Jr. and leading lady Dorothy Dix, who is not to be confused with the English actress of the same name or the well known advice to the lovelorn newspaper columnist. Dix's younger brother, Tex Harding (real name John Thye), found fleeting fame as second-lead to Charles Starrett circa '45-'46.

 BLOOD ARROW (1958 20th Century Fox)
There's a smallpox outbreak in the Blackfeet Indian territory and Mormon girl Phyllis Coates vows to transport some medicine across hostile Indian country to save the lives in the sacred valley where she lives. Coates engages Scott Brady, a gunfighter bitter over past injustices done to him, to be her guide. Also along on the trek are gambler Paul Richards who believes there is a Mormon gold mine in Coates' valley and Don Haggerty who is seeking his friend John Dierkes whom he believes has been captured by the Blackfeet. Produced by Robert Stabler (DEATH VALLEY DAYS) and Charles Marquis Warren (GUNSMOKE, RAWHIDE, GUNSLINGER) and scripted by Fred Frieberger (WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, RAWHIDE, CHEYENNE, WILD WILD WEST). With all that talent this adult oriented B should have been better than it is. Cowboy Cancer alert: Brady lights up. Filmed on the Iverson Ranch.

 AMBUSH AT TOMAHAWK GAP (1953 Columbia)
Four ex-convicts (David Brian, John Hodiak, John Derek, Ray Teal) search for a buried cache of stolen loot in a ghost town overrun by scalp-seeking Apaches. Trouble escalates when the partners begin to argue among themselves over the money - and - an Indian girl they picked up along the way (noted Mexican actress Maria Elena Marques). In Technicolor, produced by one-time actor Wallace MacDonald and violently directed by Fred Sears (taking time off from his Durango Kid duties).

 DOOMED AT SUNDOWN (1937 Republic)
Interesting, intriguing title but far less excitement than expected from a Bob Steele Republic as he searches for a left-handed knife thrower who murdered yet another of his screen fathers. The killer, Warner Richmond, and his gang (Earl Dwire, Lew Meehan, Jack Ingram, Sherry Tansey) hang out at a border cantina run by Horace Carpenter who is fearful his wayward son (Harold Daniels) is running with Richmond's outlaw crowd. Bob must not only find Richmond, he must help Carpenter and Daniels and, as well, aid cantina waitress Lorraine Hayes in rescuing her brother (Dave Sharpe) from the outlaws who hold him prisoner. A sequence at the start with Steele being initiated into the Ancient Order of Mavericks bears no relevance to the main story which simply boils down to just another Steele "Dead Dad" western.

 EL DIABLO RIDES (1939 Metropolitan)
Bob Steele lost more fathers! Once again he's after the man who killed his Dad and finds him (Ted Adams) running contraband across the border with his partner Robert Walker. Bob, and his practical-joke-prone sidekick, Kit Guard (1884-1961) help Claire Rochelle and Carleton Young, who turn out to be federal agents, capture the gang. Unknown (and should remain so) cowboy singer Hal Carey performs in the bar, obviously just so the film could fit into the "singing cowboy trend". Sluggish, static direction from Ira Webb (producer Harry Webb's sibling) gives the proceedings a definite lifeless feel. With these eight for '39-'40, Bob Steele was at the absolute nadir of his B-western career. Steele was basically all producers B. B. Ray and Harry S. Webb had to hang Metropolitan on, so when Steele rebounded to make Billy the Kid pictures at PRC and 3 Mesquiteers oaters at Republic, Webb technically moved Metropolitan under the Monogram banner to produce Jack Randall westerns in 1940. Missouri born leading lady Claire Rochelle at 14 won a dance contest and a contract at Warner Bros., subsequently appearing in several Busby Berkeley musicals in '33-'34. Her first of 14 westerns was with Buck Jones (EMPTY SADDLES '36). She co-starred in 4 with Steele. She left films in '46 to go into business with her husband. She died in 1981.

 FRONTIER VENGEANCE (1940 Republic)
A couple of interesting musical castings give this otherwise routine Don "Red" Barry western some interest and historical significance. That's songwriter/singer Cindy Walker who performs a song (and slight dance) midway. Perhaps the finest female composer in country and western music history, Cindy belongs to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Texas Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. She had Top 10 hits in each of the past five decades including Eddy Arnold's "You Don't Know Me", Merle Haggard's "Cherokee Maiden", "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again", The Ames Brothers' "China Doll", Gene Autry's "Blue Canadian Rockies", Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby", Jim Reeves' "Distant Drums", Jerry Wallace's "In the Misty Moonlight" and literally hundreds more. She also composed (uncredited) all the songs used by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in the Russell Hayden Columbia series (save the standards Bob reprised himself). Born in 1918, the gracious Texas lady still lives in Mexia, Texas. Obed "Dad" Pickard was the patriarch of one of the first country singing groups to professionalize their music, and one of the first to appear on national network radio, the Pickard Family. Obed (1874-1954) became proficient on nearly all stringed instruments as a boy. He was 52 when he gained fame as a soloist in the Grand Ole Opry in 1926 and started making records for Columbia. By 1928 he brought his family into the act starring on NBC's THE CABIN DOOR, a sort of minstrel show on radio. A second stint on the Opry followed, along with radio station work in New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia and other cities. "Dad" came to California and appeared in only three films, this being his only real acting role as stageline owner Betty Moran's stage driver. He was now 66. He's also in Jimmy Wakely's RIDERS OF THE DAWN and can be briefly glimpsed in SEA OF GRASS ('47). He later had his own TV show in L.A. during the early years of that medium. Underhanded stageline owner Ivan Miller wants to drive Betty Moran and her Pop, Griff Barnette, out of town, claiming all the business for himself. He employs vicious Kenneth MacDonald and his henchmen (including Matty Roubert) to do his dirty work. Miller's wimpish son, George Offerman Jr., brings old friend, and top six-up stage driver Don Barry into the firm. Offerman is unaware of his Dad's underhanded practices. When Don wises up, he quits and goes to work for Moran. It all culminates in a Republic staple - the stagecoach race for the mail contract. Before it's over, there are several unusual turns-of-events that precipitate FRONTIER VENGEANCE.

 HEROES OF THE ALAMO (1937 Sunset)
Producer Anthony J. Xydias went back to his beloved historical-well one more time for this low budget effort that relies more on characterization than the battle of the Alamo itself. Xydias, head of Sunset Productions and producer of DAVY CROCKETT AT THE FALL OF THE ALAMO ('26), BUFFALO BILL ON THE U.P. TRAIL ('26), DANIEL BOONE THROUGH THE WILDERNESS ('26) and other low budget silent epics, retired from the motion picture business in '31 due to ill health. Recovering by the mid '30s, he announced plans to remake his thrilling epics of the frontier days, the first being HEROES OF THE ALAMO. Due to its shoddy appearance and theatrical failure, it turned out to be Xydias' only remake. Pitifully amateurish, there's only one cheap Alamo set with the battle scenes all salvaged from Xydias' silent DAVY CROCKETT AT THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. Emphasis in the new film is placed on complete Alamo unknowns, Bruce Warren and Ruth Findlay as Almerian and Susannah Dickinson. Historical figures are featured but have less to do than in most major Alamo films - Earle Hodgins is Stephen Austin, Lane Chandler is Davy Crockett, Roger Williams is Jim Bowie, Rex Lease is William Travis, Julian Rivero is Santa Ana, Edward Piel is Sam Houston. Also featured in B-director Harry Fraser's cast - Carl Mathews, Steve Clark, Jim Corey, Snowflake, Frank Ellis, Lafe McKee, Milburn Morante, Slim Whitaker, Francis Walker, Sherry Tansey, Denver Dixon, George Morrell and Ben Corbett. Notable is the song utilized - on the eve of the final assault, the men of the Alamo gather 'round a campfire for a rousing version of "The Yellow Rose of Texas". Never mind that the tune wasn't written til years later. Columbia bought the film and re-released it in '38, then, pared down from its original 75 minutes, HEROES ... was retitled REMEMBER THE ALAMO and released in the '40s as an Eastern educational film intended for viewing in schools - which is where many of us were first exposed to it. Incidentally, Xydias, although finished with films, had the bad fortune to be in Manila when the Japanese arrived during WWII. He was captured and imprisoned until the end of the war. He died October 27, 1952, in L.A.

 MAN FROM HELL'S EDGES, THE (1932 Sono Art-World Wide)
One of the most interesting of Bob Steele's early westerns. At the beginning we're led to believe Bob is a convict at Walla Walla (called Hell's Edges by the inmates) as he stages a successful prison break. Soon we learn he and his pals, George Hayes and Pee Wee Holmes, are undercover agents of some sort who have staged the break in order to gain the confidence of three other cons (Dick Dickinson, Perry Murdock, Buck Carey) who will soon be released after ten years at which time they - and an unknown boss who was not captured and who Bob seeks to uncover - stole and buried $100,000 following a train robbery. Out of prison, Bob happens to save the life of a local sheriff (Robert Homans) and is then made Homan's deputy. Bob promptly falls for the lawman's daughter, Nancy Drexel, who is shocked when she is led to believe Bob is an escaped outlaw. Unfortunately, Steele cannot confide in her or Homans as he weasels his way into ring leader Julian Rivero's gang (Earl Dwire, Blackie Whiteford). Some marvelous stunts including a horseback plunge from a cliff into Lake Elsinore. And yes - Bob loses yet another father. Midway there's a funny, gay cowboy joke and a Boo Boo: A wanted poster offers a reward for Flash Martin but Bob's character name is Flash Manning. The fact Steele starts out in Walla Walla may be an inside joke as that's where director Bradbury was born - the town, not the prison.

 MOONLIGHTER, THE (1953 Warner Bros.)
Excellent together in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, but Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck's talents are squandered in this off-the-wall western lensed in 3-D for no apparent reason long after the 3-D trend was over. Only the large cast of wonderful supporting actors gives THE MOONLIGHTER any resonance whatsoever - Ward Bond, William Ching, John Dierkes, Morris Ankrum, Jack Elam (don't blink), Norman Leavitt, Sam Flint, Tom Keene, Emmett Lynn, Myron Healey, Byron Foulger, Robert Bice, Gregg Barton, Steve Rowland, Gene Roth, Nancy Gilbert, Ben Corbett. MacMurray is a moonlighter (nighttime rustler) incarcerated in a small town jail. A lynch mob wants to string him up but accidentally hangs the wrong guy (Leavitt). Escaping, the down-on-humanity embittered MacMurray begins to exact revenge on the townspeople. In a really weird scene, his former girlfriend (Stanwyck) is deputized as a one-woman posse to bring MacMurray to justice. The ending is pretty unbelievable - but then so is the whole Niven Busch script!

 OUTLAW TRAIL (1944 Monogram)
Through the iron fist of his henchman (Charlie King, Bud Osborne, Al Ferguson), "Honest John" (Cy Kendall) controls Johnstown and the local ranchers by issuing his own "script" then forcing them to comply with his terms or go bankrupt. That intrepid team of Trail Blazers (Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Chief Thundercloud - "If I no get vacation, I go on warpath!") topple the domination of the oppressors. After six in the series, Ken Maynard left (presumably over a wage dispute. He and Hoot were reportedly drawing only about $600 apiece for these films) and was replaced by Chief Thundercloud, Tonto of Republic's two Lone Ranger serials. Producer/director Bob Tansey and all concerned seemed to know the end of the trail was in sight as everyone just seems to be going through the motions in this one - even though it's filled with plenty of action. The final film (See SONORA STAGECOACH) was a bit better. Rocky Camron (formerly Buck Coburn but usually Gene Alsace) is the titular romantic lead opposite Jennifer Holt (in a nothing part!) for this one. Story credit goes to Alan James who used bits and pieces of his TRAIL DRIVE written for Ken Maynard in '33.

 OUTLAWS OF THE RIO GRANDE (1941 PRC)
Hot on the trail of a gang of counterfeiters, Marshal Kenne Duncan is captured by the gang (Karl Hackett, Charlie King, Rex Lease, Frank Ellis). Duncan's Marshal pals Tim McCoy and Ralph Peters investigate and find leading lady Virginia Carpenter's father (Thornton Edwards) also being held by the counterfeiters to engrave the phony plates for them. Pretty routine stuff somewhat enlivened by the question of who the badmen's "chief" really is and a mysterious knife-throwing Mexican. Unusual for a McCoy B, Tim has two knock-down drag-outs with King. Incidentally, Edwards (1894-1988), who essayed many ethnic roles in his 33 year career from 1916-1949 (winding up with a couple of Whip Wilson entries) was also a motor officer and real life hero in the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster. He later became police chief in Santa Paula, CA.

 PAL FROM TEXAS (1939 Metropolitan)
Dreary little affair in which Bob Steele, framed for the murder of his partner, old man Josef Swickard, must find the real killers - crooked gambler Ted Adams, gunman Carleton Young and Adams' moll Betty Mack - and prove his innocence to Swickard's fresh-from-the-east niece, Claire Rochelle. The film stops dead cold before it even gets started to allow for awful cowboy singer Hal Carey (trying his best to imitate Gene Autry) and a tap dancing newspaperboy accompanied by Lew Porter on piano. Worse yet - we're treated to an encore by Carey later in the picture. Former star Jack Perrin is wasted as the Sheriff, never getting even one close-up. Dreadful Harry Webb direction. (See EL DIABLO RIDES.)

 ROBBER'S ROOST (1933 Fox)
Benefiting from a classy cast for a B-western and real chemistry between Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane in Tarzan films) and George O'Brien, ROBBER'S ROOST should have been a better film, but it lacks real energy, even under the direction of talented Louis King. It also boasts a script by Dudley Nichols - although it's his first western. Nichols hit his stride by '35 with LOST PATROL and THE INFORMER (for John Ford). He later penned THREE MUSKETEERS, BRINGING UP BABY, GUNGA DIN, Ford's STAGECOACH, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS and BELLS OF ST. MARY'S among others. Sticking with Zane Grey's original story, O'Brien is an innocent man suspected of being in league with rustlers William Pawley and Walter McGrail who have hired on to protect naïve Englishman Reginald Owen's cattle which they secretly plan to drive across the border. O'Sullivan is Owen's sister who arrives from England and promptly becomes involved with O'Brien - even though she believes him to also be a rustler. Onetime minor silent star Pee Wee Holmes and sometimes Buck Jones sidekick Frank Rice have small roles.

 ROBBER'S ROOST (1955 United Artists)
Inferior George Montgomery remake of Zane Grey's story which was filmed originally by Fox with George O'Brien in '33. Although the first telling of the story lacked energy, director Sidney Salkow's version lacks even more punch, even though it introduces a couple of extra plot twists. Also there's practically no chemistry between Montgomery and leading lady Sylvia Findley. Muddled story has wheelchair bound cattleman Bruce Bennett believing "it takes a thief to catch a thief," thereby hiring two rival rustler bands, one led by Richard Boone and another by (miscast) Peter Graves, to "protect" his vast cattle empire. Enter Montgomery, also perceived to be in league with the rustlers, although we later learn his true motives for joining the rustler band. For whatever reason, William Hopper is tossed into the mix as another suitor of Findley's. Supporting cast of Warren Stevens, Leo Gordon and others is totally negligible. Worse yet are the dreadfully out of place songs by Tony Romano that leave one musing, "Who did he know to get this job?"

 TEXAS TROUBLESHOOTERS (1942 Monogram)
Opens with a real B-western oddity - Crash Corrigan and John King would rather snooze than stop Riley Hill from being shot by bandits. Only Max Terhune - the 3rd man in the Range Busters - wants to help. But the mention of a beautiful young girl in trouble (Julie Duncan) spurs our two heroes into action against ranch grabbers (Glenn Strange, Kermit Maynard, Frank Ellis, Eddie Phillips, Ted Mapes). Even then, it's sidekick Terhune who ropes up ringleader Strange when Corrigan is shot and King is locked in the shed. Naturally, they're in on the final gunfight, but, all told, the boys aren't at their Range Bustingist. There is one clever scene early on when Crash forces bar room baddie Frank Ellis to drink ... milk! Also, it's another Range Busters where Elmer operates on his own - sans any help from Terhune.

 WEST OF THE BRAZOS (1950 Lippert)
An imposter, pretending to be Jimmy "Shamrock" Ellison to grab the oil rich ranch he's inherited from his late Mom, is really the notorious Cyclone Kid (John Cason) and his gun toters (Tom Tyler, Dennis Moore). Only a girl (Betty - later Julia - Adams) and Ellison's hard of hearing pal, Russ "Lucky" Hayden know his real identity. Fuzzy Knight is the judge, Raymond Hatton is the Sheriff. The novelty of having Hayden be deaf is a clever script twist and quite humorous when he's oblivious to the outlaws' gunfire all around him. Hayden's ability to read lips also comes in handy. Screenwriter/producer Ron Ormond appropriated Forbes Parkill's plot from Bob Steele's ALIAS JOHN LAW ('35) for this one which shows on TV as RANGELAND EMPIRE.

 WIDE OPEN TOWN (1941 Paramount)
One of Hoppy's best, but still does not carry the emotional wallop of the original Cassidy on which it is based, HOPALONG CASSIDY RETURNS ('36). Here director Les Selander drastically tones down the emotionalism of the original that defined it as one of the best B-westerns ever made, and added plenty of action along with buffoonery from Andy "California Carlson" Clyde. In this version, Hoppy, Lucky (Russell Hayden) and California are trailing outlaws who have rustled Bar 20 cattle. Arriving in Gunsight, Hoppy finds the town in the grip of saloon keeper Evelyn Brent (the same role she essayed in the original) and her manager/lover Victor Jory. The controlling pair get miners drunk enough to blab about their gold strikes which the pair (with their strongarm boys - Glenn Strange, Roy Barcroft, Bob Kortman) then jump. Town newspaperman Morris Ankrum (he had the Jory role in the original) convinces Hoppy to become a much needed Sheriff in Gunsight to clean out the corruption. Although a ruthless criminal, Brent goes soft on Hoppy, preventing Jory from killing the new sheriff. She eventually attempts to make Hoppy her new partner, which the stalwart honest cowboy rejects, even though he too feels drawn to Brent. Believing Brent has betrayed him, Jory takes over the gang, holding Brent prisoner in her saloon while he waits to ambush Hoppy. Hoppy rounds up a huge force of men and they assault the saloon in an all-out action-packed windup in which both Hoppy and Brent are nearly killed before Hoppy finishes Jory in a brutal fight. Remade one more time, albeit loosely, as Johnny Mack Brown's LAND OF THE LAWLESS in '47.

 MUSTANG (1955 United Artists)
What an atrocious waste of celluloid! Down-on-his-luck rodeo rider Jack Beutel is forced to become a lowly ranch hand after gambling away all his money. Working on Steve Keyes' Oklahoma ranch, Beutel begins to fall for Keyes' sister Madlyn Trahey. A beautiful wild stallion is upsetting Keyes' mares so he assigns Beutel the task of killing the stallion but instead Beutel captures and tames the horse which infuriates Keyes and wild horse killer Bob Gilbert. Although written and directed by Tom Gries, who later did much better work, MUSTANG features the same stunning production values as a Sunset Carson Yucca western! Both Keyes and Gilbert are known for their bottom-of-the-barrel westerns. (Keyes was in several of Sunset's Yucca westerns as well as Spade Cooley's KID FROM GOWER GULCH. Gilbert was also in KID FROM GOWER GULCH along with RED ROCK OUTLAW, Cooley's SILVER BANDIT and he had a hand in producing PARSON AND THE OUTLAW). In MUSTANG shots are mismatched because of often confusing editing and the sound recording is of the lowest quality. The grainy color photography suggests a 35mm blow-up from 16mm. Saddled with a God-awful opening title tune by Champ Butler, the film is padded with numerous wildlife shots having nothing to do with the story. Worse, a possum is identified as a raccoon and one character spots a stock footage moose, an animal not at all indigenous to Oklahoma! Independently made in '55, it wasn't released until '59. Should have been left in the can!

 RIDE A VIOLENT MILE (1957 20th Century Fox)
With a basic premise that's pretty unbelievable, the plot of RIDE A VIOLENT MILE suffers accordingly. It also needs a jolt of excitement in the action scenes as directed by Charles Marquis Warren. Warren's plot, scripted by Robert Stabler, has pretty Penny Edwards as a Union Spy posing as a dance hall girl sent to infiltrate a group of Confederates (Charles Gray, John Pickard, Richard Shannon, Bing Russell) who are plotting to exchange cattle for help from Mexico. Stranger John Agar stumbles into the plot and becomes involved in her mission when he comes to the aid of the besieged girl. Give it an E for effort.

 ROLLIN' WESTWARD (1939 Monogram)
At last - one of the "lost" Tex Ritter Monograms has surfaced. Guess there's hope for all the other "lost" B-westerns. (See list elsewhere here on the Old Corral.) Tex saves pretty Dorothy Fay (Tex's real life wife) from a runaway stagecoach and learns the county is being swamped with new "homesteaders" who are actually minions hired by crooked lawyer Harry Harvey and his boss Charlie King. The power hungry pair are scheming to obtain all the land with water thereby choking out all the cattlemen in order to steal their ranches. Tex, with the help of Dorothy, her father Herbert Corthell, Tex's sidekick rancher Horace Murphy, rancher Dave O'Brien and sheriff Tom London, defeat the gangsters as well as this threadbare B-western plot with plenty of action and a few forgettable songs by Tex (and one by Rudy Sooter).

 RAWHIDE TRAIL (1958 Allied Artists)
Slow moving and overly talky western under the direction of former child star Robert (Bobby) Gordon who was better known in the '50s for his affair with steamy Allison Hayes. Does that explain how disappointing we find his handling of this Earle Lyon produced "epic"? After another of those dreadful '50s title tunes (written by André Brummer [who also wrote music for Arch Hall Jr. which should tell you how bad the song is] and sung by the Guardsmen) (Why did every movie in the '50s after HIGH NOON feel they had to have a title tune no matter how bad it was) our story falters to a start with two innocent wagon masters (Rex Reason, Richard Erdman) sentenced to hang for guiding their wagon train into a Comanche raid. Remaining in jail or shackled for half the boring first half of the picture, the pair finally are asked to guide the very typical of the '50s westerns diverse group of men and women (Army captain Rusty Lane, hateful corporal Frank Chase, widowed nurse Ann Doran, gunrunner Robert Knapp, Knapp's girlfriend Nancy Gates and Erdman's Indian wife Jana Davi) away from Comanche attackers.

 HANNAH LEE (1953 Broder/Realart)
Loosely based on the later life of Tom Horn (who hired his gun out to Wyoming stockmen to kill rustlers), Macdonald Carey, playing against type as a vicious gunman (his nasty character is established in the first scene when he slaps a young boy, John Ireland's real life son Peter), hires out to three local cattlemen (Stuart Randall, Frank Ferguson, Ralph Dumke) to protect their herds from rustlers and to rid the range by any means - including bushwhacking - of homesteaders. Joanne Dru is the girl who falls in love with Carey despite her suspicions about his evilness. John Ireland is the marshal sent to track down Carey. Directed by Ireland with an assist for 3-D filming by cinematographer Lee Garmes, HANNAH LEE exploits an interesting premise but strangely fails to totally satisfy. The title song, sung over the credits by Ken Curtis and the Pioneers, is also sung throughout the picture by Stan Jones (who wrote the tune), William Loe and Richard Cherney. Oddly, you at first assume the oft-repeated tune has some bearing on the story - but ultimately seems not so. When the film failed to excite boxoffices on its initial July '53 release - possibly due to the bland title - it was re-released in October '53 as OUTLAW TERRITORY - which didn't seem to help. The film does make good use of Iverson Ranch. Pathe color.

  KID FROM BROKEN GUN (1952 Columbia)
Charles Starrett and the Durango Kid left the B-western movie screen in the late Summer of 1952 with a whimper, not a bang. In this last of Starrett's Durango Kid series about half the picture is healthy doses of recycled stock footage from FIGHTING FRONTIERSMAN ('46) - a tricky way for Columbia to cut expenditures in the final days of the B-western. They'd pulled the same trick in several earlier Durangos. Basic plot has Starrett/Durango clearing friend Jack Mahoney, the Kid from Broken Gun, of the trumped up murder charge of Chris Alcaide. The subsequent robbery of Spanish coins from Tris Coffin's safe harkens back to the stock footage which is "related" by Starrett during Mahoney's trial. Film is a real patchwork affair ... even Smiley's one "song" seems more out of place and intrusive than usual. However, we do thank Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for finally showing this film and hope they'll run more "lost Durangos".

  NEW MEXICO (1951 U.A.)
Little known and seldom seen but terrific Cavalry/Indians western made around historic Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico (with fort scenes at Corriganville in California). Wonderfully cast Lew Ayres is the Captain of a Cavalry unit detailed to stop an Indian uprising led by Chief Ted De Corsia. After President Lincoln (Hans Conreid) is assassinated, white men break a long-standing treaty De Corsia had made with Lincoln. Though Ayres is friends with the Chief, and sympathetic to their demands, he still must follow orders. Pursuing De Corsia's Indians, Ayres' troop is surrounded and takes refuge on a mountain top (the real Acoma Pueblo). Director Irving Reis handles the action sequences extremely well and includes a dramatic, unexpected-in-films-of-this-type ending. Commendable support from a large cast, but in the quick 76 minute running time, most are left with too little to do (Andy Devine, Marilyn Maxwell, Verna Felton, Robert Hutton, Raymond Burr, Jeff Corey, Lloyd Corrigan, John Hoyt, Ian MacDonald, William Tannen, Bob Duncan, Jack Kelly, Walter Greaza).

 SNOWFIRE (1958 Allied Artists)
If any horse-story western has built up a cult following over the years, it's SNOWFIRE, a rare, seldom-seen family effort written/produced and directed by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, former Republic writer/producers instrumental in Gene Autry's career. Youngster Molly McGowan (real life daughter of one of the producers) befriends Snowfire, a wild white beauty of a legendary stallion who is captured by her rancher father (Don Megowan). When Megowan attempts to brand Snowfire, young Molly sets the horse free. Neighboring rancher Claire Kelly and her unscrupulous ranch hand brothers (John Cason, Bill Hale, Rusty Wescoatt) try to get their ropes on the stallion but Molly helps Snowfire stay one step ahead of the villainous brothers, claiming to Megowan that Snowfire "talks" to her. Is she telling the truth, or is she just making it up? Plenty of action and suspense before the answer is revealed. Fast moving direction, expertly photographed in Eastman Color by old pro Brydon Baker with a catchy recurring title tune help this unusual horse story live up to its cult reputation.

 LAST OF THE DUANES (1941 20TH Century Fox)
George Montgomery's first starring western is an early exhibit of all the right western "stuff" George was later to utilize so well in A (or B+) westerns of the '50s. He's a little uneasy in certain scenes, but perfect in others. DUANES is a loose remake of the Zane Grey story Fox had filmed twice before in silent versions with William Farnum and Tom Mix. In this version, the early father-son relationship is skimmed over with Buck Duane's (George) sheriff father being killed in the first scenes. To revenge his father's death at the hands of Harry Woods (he's seen really only once!), George is forced to hit the outlaw trail with old timer Francis Ford (in a shining example of how good an actor he could be, given the part). Once George reaches the outlaw town of Rimrock, the story once again fast forwards through important plot points with only hasty dialogue. Seems George's childhood girlfriend (a wasted Lynne Roberts) has been kidnapped by Don Costello and Joe Sawyer's gang after they killed her father in a ranch raid. George (and pal George E. Stone) rescue her - and that's the last we see of Lynne Roberts (although she received 2nd billing). Saloon owner Eve Arden (acting just like OUR MISS BROOKS even then) falls for George even though she's been siding with Costello and the mystery leader of the gang (won't reveal that plot point here). Noting George's good points and believing he has the stuff to make a Texas Ranger, Ranger Major William Farnum offers George a pardon to work undercover and bring the gang - and its mystery leader - to justice. It's a lot of plot - too much - for a one hour B-western. To director James Tinling's credit he tells the story as expeditiously as possible, although one can see where a 90 min. feature would have given a little breathing room and time for steadier plot development. Montgomery made one more B for Fox, RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, before being elevated to non-western A's by Darryl Zanuck. Replacing him in the last two of four planned Zane Grey stories was football star John Kimbrough (SUNDOWN JIM, LONE STAR RANGER). As a matter of fact, LONE STAR RANGER filmed later in '41 is a sequel to LAST OF THE DUANES with Kimbrough as Buck Duane and William Farnum, George E. Stone and Russell Simpson as Duane's grandfather reprising their roles. LAST OF THE DUANES is filled with western stalwarts who have little to work with due to the film's quickened pace - Leroy Mason, Lane Chandler, Tom London, Andrew Tombes, Ethan Laidlaw, Harry Hayden, Robert Winkler, Syd Saylor and Hank Worden. All in all, George's first starrer just misses the top ranks due to its too-fast-on-the-crucial-plot-points pace.

 GAY CABALLERO (1940 20TH Century-Fox)
Bit of an intricate plot for a pretty routine Cisco Kid adventure. Wondering why there is a grave marked with his name, the Cisco Kid (Cesar Romero) and his pal Gordito (Chris-Pin Martin) give aid to Englishman (Montague Shaw) and his daughter (Shelia Ryan) who have come west with the understanding of purchasing a vast section of large land-holder Janet Beecher's ranch. However, Beecher does not truly intend to sell any of her vast holdings. The purchase arrangement was only due to a foul-up at the bank. So - Beecher and her foreman, Edmund MacDonald, tell Shaw the land has been pillaged and destroyed by the Cisco Kid - whom MacDonald has now "killed". But when the real Cisco is revealed to be alive, Beecher and MacDonald hatch a new plot to rob the stage bringing in Shaw's money and throw the blame on Cisco. Cowboy Cancer alert: Cisco lights up. Moves quickly under Otto Brower's direction.

 SHOOT-OUT AT MEDICINE BEND (1957 Warner Bros.)
Actually filmed in 1955 but held up for release until '57, SHOOT-OUT ... completed Randolph Scott's original commitment of 10 pictures to Warner Bros. An odd amendment to his contract left him owing WB another film, and although Warners had given up on Scott's potential as a money-making westerner by then, after seeing the success he had with a couple of Budd Boetticher directed films (SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, '56 and THE TALL T, '57) they called in their markers for one more ride, which was WESTBOUND ('59). Warners spent less money on SHOOT-OUT ... than prior Scott westerns by lensing it in black and white. Following an Indian raid, Scott's brother is killed due to faulty ammunition sold to him by low-life Medicine Bend store owner James Craig and his boys (Myron Healey, John Alderson, sheriff Trevor Bardette, Michael Forest). Just retired Cavalry officer Scott and his pals, Sgt. James Garner and Pvt. Gordon Jones take off to find the snake who sold the no-good ammunition to the settlers. When their clothes are stolen while skinny-dipping, the threesome are forced to pose as "Brothers" (Quakers, Mormons?) when they arrive in Medicine Bend, although that easily allows them to uncover the ruthless Craig and his cohorts. Marvelous who's-who supporting cast: Harry Harvey, Dani Crayne (saloon girl who sings one song and with her role outshines co-star Angie Dickinson), Don Beddoe, Robert Warwick, Ann Doran, Harry Lauter, Ed Hinton, Lane Bradford, Francis Morris, Sam Flint, Phil Van Zandt, Syd Saylor, Guy Wilkerson, Henry Rowland, Marjorie Stapp, Nancy Kulp, Rory Mallinson, Dale Van Sickel and Buddy Roosevelt. An odd western for Scott, but kinda fun for its quirkiness.

 THE OLD HOMESTEAD (1935 Liberty)
You've seen the basic plot a zillion times - unknown singer/band in the sticks discovered, makes good in the big city, then returns to the "good life" in the country. The basic story dates back to James Russell Corvell's novel based on the 1886 play "The Old Homestead" by Denman Thompson. The play was first filmed in 1915, then again in 1922. This version stars Lawrence Gray as the singer discovered on a farm in Missouri, but what's of interest to us is Gray's harmonizing friends, the Sons of the Pioneers (Bob Nolan, Len Slye [Roy Rogers], Tim Spencer and Hugh Farr) along with Fuzzy Knight, who accompany Gray to the big time on the radio in New York City. Plenty of music from everyone, including "Way Out There" and "Happy Rovin' Cowboy" by the Pioneers.

 CARNIVAL BOAT (1932 RKO Pathé)
Even with its misleading title, CARNIVAL BOAT is easily one of the best logging movies made, setting the standard for those to come such as TIMBER WAR ('35), PARK AVENUE LOGGER ('37), ROARING TIMBER ('37), VALLEY OF THE GIANTS ('38), RIDERS OF THE TIMBERLINE ('41), TIMBER ('42), TIMBER QUEEN ('43), LUMBERJACK ('44), RIVER LADY ('48), and others. Pre-Hoppy William Boyd's father, Hobart Bosworth, is being retired as logging boss and hopes his head lumberjack son is next in line for the position. Also vying for the job is Boyd's roughneck pal, Fred Kohler. Problem is, Boyd may lose out on the job because of the lumbercamp's productivity due to his playboy spirit of hanging around the gambling Mecca of the Carnival Boat and his infatuation with the riverboat's girl singer, Ginger Rogers. Kohler pulls many nefarious tricks to see that Boyd doesn't get the job, including trying to kill Boyd during a wild logjam-on-the-river-dam sequence. Earlier, a spectacular runaway logging train sequence is alone worth the price of admission. Harry Joe Brown produced with Albert Rogell directing.

 VALLEY OF THE GIANTS (1938 Warner Bros.)
Strictly by the numbers timber pirates tale with every logging film cliché ever seen. Even with all the Technicolor and bigger budget, it's nothing more than a routine B-logger. Filming around Eureka and Orik, CA, amongst the gorgeous redwood forests, and a spectacular logging train/bridge crash sequence gives this typical-of-the-period Warner Bros. film (some drama, some romance, a big barroom-brawl, a few light moments from WB standbys Alan Hale and Frank McHugh) its only interest. Will Wayne Morris pay off his $50,000 note within the six week period? Can he cut enough timber even with all the roadblocks badguy Charles Bickford throws in his way? Will bad girl Claire Trevor reform for the love of a good man like Morris? Will Trevor's partner, Jack LaRue, who's protected and loved her for years give her up for Morris? Will Warner Bros. ever cast Alan Hale in something other than the brash but loveable hero's friend? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. No.

 RED STALLION IN THE ROCKIES (1949 Eagle-Lion)
Trading on their success with THE RED STALLION in 1947, Eagle-Lion followed-up with this lackluster modern-day horse story. Overall pretty tedious, it does benefit from Cinecolor and Jim Davis' participation as opposition for weak hero Arthur Franz. Filmed around the majestic scenery of Glenwood Springs, CO, saving this film from being an altogether waste is an exciting, unusual clash near the end between the Red Stallion (portrayed by a horse named Dynamite) and a wild Elk, handled by second unit director Yakima Canutt.

 DEATH VALLEY (1946 Screen Guild)
Greed and the scorching sun turn gold prospectors Robert Lowery and Nat Pendleton into deadly enemies as an overlong, harrowing, melodramatic pursuit across the desert ensues. Cinecolor helps, but not enough.

 GUN FEVER (1958 United Artists)
Grim, brutal, sadistic revenge tale directed by star Mark Stevens. When Stevens' parents are slaughtered by a vicious renegade (scenery-chewing Aaron Saxon), Stevens sets out with relentless intent to find the murderer. He is joined by his mining partner John Lupton who, in an interesting Oedipal plot twist, is the son of Saxon who disavowed his crazed father years before because of his savage ways. Learning it is his own father Stevens hunts, Lupton also vows to kill the father who has nearly ruined his life. Due to Stevens' slow, methodical direction - including some why-is-this-even-in-there-scenes - I can't say this is a good film, but it's strangely and rivetingly offbeat.

 FLAMING FEATHER (1951 Paramount)
Rustling and raiding, infamous, mysterious outlaw The Sidewinder, terrorizes Arizona and eludes capture until small rancher Sterling Hayden, burned out by The Sidewinder, takes up the task of ferreting out the outlaw chief. He's aided by Cavalry officer Forrest Tucker and his sergeant Edgar Buchanan as well as saloon singer Arleen Whelan trying to exact revenge on The Sidewinder for (never disclosed) old wrongs done to her. Pretty Barbara Rush aims to marry supposedly respectable Victor Jory (excellent as always) out of gratitude for his having saved her from The Sidewinder's Indian-led raids - that is until Sterling unmasks Jory as the mysterious Sidewinder. Showing the evil promise he delivered in HIGH NOON, Ian MacDonald is cold and calculating as a gunslinger set up by Jory to kill Hayden and take the fall as The Sidewinder. Richard Arlen is totally wasted as Whelan's gunman-protector, ala Richard Barthelmess to Marlene Dietrich in THE SPOILERS. At a fast 78 minutes, there's a certain feeling that key plot points were overlooked (edited out?) by director Ray Enright and/or producer Nat Holt to speed up the slam-bang action which FLAMING FEATHER does deliver, including a spectacular mountaintop all-out action windup filmed at Montezuma Castle National Monument (cliff dwellings) near Sedona, AZ. Other gorgeous Technicolor Sedona locations beautifully lensed by Ray Rennahan. Cowboy cancer alert: Hayden smokes.

 THE TALL TEXAN (1953 Lippert)
First directorial effort for Elmo Williams, co-film editor on such pictures as HIGH NOON, leaves a lot to be desired, but then Samuel Roeca's talky, character-driven screenplay didn't afford Williams much to work with. Lensed in New Mexico, Lloyd Bridges leads a motley, greedy group of gold seekers (including Marie Windsor, Lee J. Cobb, Luther Adler, Syd Saylor) who obtain permission from Indians to mine on their sacred land, but someone violates a confidence and the Indians attack. Only Bridges and Windsor survive ... the picture ends there with no logical conclusion. Poor man's retread of TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.

 THIRTEEN FIGHTING MEN (1960 Associated/20th Century Fox)
Over scripted, tired little B-feature that quickly becomes quite loquacious under Harry Gerstad's static direction. Gerstad was an editor on such A films as TILL THE END OF TIME, CROSSFIRE, UNKNOWN ISLAND, CHAMPION, HIGH NOON, HOME OF THE BRAVE and ROCKETSHIP X-M. This is the only picture he directed and he fails to inject any enthusiasm into the performances. Gerstad was soon back to the cutting room with WAR WAGON, BATMAN, BIG JAKE, WALKING TALL, etc. In this psychological post-Civil War drama, Captain Grant Williams and his troop are transporting a gold shipment that a band of ex-Confederate renegades, led by Major Brad Dexter, want so they can start new lives. Williams' Union group takes refuge in the waystation of weak Richard Garland and his traitorous wife Carole Mathews. Cast includes Robert Dix, Rex Holman, Richard Crane, Rayford Barnes, I. Stanford Jolley, Mauritz Hugo, Walter Reed, Fred Kohler Jr.

 TWO GUN LADY (1956 American Releasing Company)
In a plot swiped from Wayne Morris' SIERRA PASSAGE (written by Warren Wandberg, Sam Roeca and Tom Blackburn), TWO GUN LADY stars gorgeous Peggie Castle as a fancy trick shot artist searching the west for her parents' killers. William Talman is a U.S. Marshal who lends a hand and comic Joe Besser is Castle's mentor. The film's executive producer (Earle Lyon), associate producer (Ian MacDonald) and writer (Norman Jolley) do double-duty as the men for whom Castle is searching. Robert Lowery and Marie Windsor are along for the ride, but their roles are inconsequential to the main plot.

 RED CANYON (1949 Universal-International)
Pretty routine wild horse story in Technicolor directed by B-vet George Sherman. Wandering cowboy Howard Duff wants to catch and ride Black Velvet, leader of a wild horse herd. Duff, using an alias to disguise his relationship to his outlaw father (John McIntire) and brother (Lloyd Bridges), falls in love with Ann Blyth, daughter of rancher George Brent. Making the situation difficult is the fact McIntire killed Blyth's mother (Brent's wife) years earlier while stealing horses. As Duff and Blyth capture and train Black Velvet to ride in the "big race", suddenly McIntire and Bridges reappear. Edgar Buchanan as Duff's partner and Chill Wills as the Sheriff add a little levity to a pretty forgettable yarn based (loosely) on Zane Grey's WILDFIRE.

 COPPER SKY (1957 Regal/20th Century Fox)
Saddled with a weary title tune, hampered by a stiff unrealistic script (a take-off on THE AFRICAN QUEEN) and hobbled by bad overacting on star Jeff Morrow's part as he escorts Boston schoolteacher Coleen Gray across the dry, barren, Indian-infested desert, the deadly dull COPPER SKY meanders along until it's thankfully over. Produced and bedraggledly directed by Charles Marquis Warren (probably his worst) with a "story" from DEATH VALLEY DAYS' Robert Stabler. Warren includes three of his stock company in the cast - John Pickard, Paul Brinegar (later Wishbone on Warren's RAWHIDE TV series) and Rocky Shahan (Joe Scarlett on RAWHIDE).

 LAST POSSE (1953 Columbia)
Compelling western complicated by a strange flashback construction. Produced by Harry Joe Brown, the story is essentially about a posse of respectable citizens led by over-the-hill, rum-soaked sheriff Broderick Crawford chasing down three down-and-out small ranchers (James Bell, Skip Homier, Guy Wilkerson) who robbed the town bank to get back at cruel and unsympathetic big rancher Charles Bickford and his "adopted" son John Derek after Bickford broke them in a cattle deal. Bickford is out for murderous revenge to hide a long-buried secret in his past, but Crawford wants only to see justice. There are many twists and turns before this unusual western reaches its climax. The Lone Pine Alabams stand in for New Mexico deserts. Stocked with a terrific supporting cast - Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Wanda Hendrix, Henry Hull, Will Wright, Eddy Waller, Frank Hagney, Mira McKinney, Monte Blue, Reed Howes, Frank Ellis.

 SANTEE (1973 American Video Cinema/Crown International)
A late-in-the-game Glenn Ford western whose script (even by talented Tom Blackburn) is saddled with stiff, boring dialog and unrealistic sequences. Director Gary Nelson does absolutely nothing to help with camera setups and scenes that often linger way too long, poor choppy photography and amateurish shots where microphone booms are seen. The cheap Dan Randi music and an inappropriate themesong, "Jody" sung by rockers Paul Revere and the Raiders, doom this production from the get-go. Filmed around Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ford is a one-time lawman whose son was killed by an outlaw gang, causing him to resign. Now a horse breeder, he's killed an outlaw and adopted the man's son (Michael Burns) despite the boy's vows of revenge. Gradually, the two become close but are torn apart when the local sheriff is shot and the boy blames Ford. It turns out the real killers (Bob Wilke and his gang) are the same gang that killed Ford's son. Ford and Burns track down the outlaws and wipe them out, but at the cost of Burns' life, leaving Ford alone and psychologically tormented. A bummer ending and certainly not worth investing 93 minutes of your time. Supporting cast is made up of old pros - Jay Silverheels, Harry Townes, John Larch, Robert Donner, Taylor Lacher (a regular on Ford's CADE'S COUNTY TV series), Chuck Courtney, X Brands, John Hart, Russ McCubbin, Red Morgan - with Dana Wynter as Ford's wife.

 GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ (1954 20th Century Fox)
Bob Steele plot #101 expanded to 88 overly verbose Technicolor minutes with Dale Robertson the son of an honest riverboat gambler who was accused of cheating then killed in a nefarious plot by New Orleans hoi-polloi Kevin McCarthy, his sister Lisa Daniels, partner Douglas Dick and saloon owner John Wengraf. With the aid of old timer Thomas Mitchell and his daughter Debra Paget, Robertson proves his Dad was framed. It all ends with a duel, a brief catfight, a card game and some swordplay.

 GOLD OF THE SEVEN SAINTS (1961 Warner Bros.)
Prospector partners - strong, silent hero Clint Walker and Irish rascal Roger Moore are pursued across the desert by marauder Gene Evans and his gang who are trying to steal their gold. Along the trail the partners encounter scalawag doctor Chill Wills and unscrupulous Mexican Robert Middleton. Wonderfully photographed with terrific Utah locations by Joseph Biroc, but at 88 minutes vastly overscripted.

 GUILTY TRAILS (1938 Universal)
Sheriff Bob Baker quits cold when he thinks he's killed his old friend Forrest Taylor following a bank robbery actually committed by banker Jack Rockwell and his accomplice Carleton Young. The robbery is only a cover allowing Rockwell to steal gorgeous Marjorie Reynolds' proof of inheritance of Taylor's ranch. Reynolds found fame on TV as Peg Riley, William Bendix's wife, on LIFE OF RILEY from '53-'58. Bob's partner is Hal Taliaferro, former silent and early talkie star Wally Wales, who had a much longer and lucrative career as a character player. The three Fleming Allan songs aren't as noteworthy as in other Baker features. A good enough plot, written as most of Baker's B's were by Joseph West (a writing pseudonym of the film's director, George WaGGner), but also as many of Baker's films were, it's lacking in the hard riding excitement factor, especially after a pretty good first quarter.

 PRAIRIE JUSTICE (1938 Universal)
Bob Baker's Sheriff father (Forrest Taylor) is killed when U. S. Marshal Bob helps him investigate the rash of stagecoach holdups and rustlings. Bob falls for Dorothy Fay (who never looked prettier) whose uncle, Jack Rockwell, is unfortunately implicated with bandits Carleton Young and Jack Kirk. (Ever notice the unwritten B-western rule? Girls' uncles could be crooked, fathers could not.) Bob's pal, Alfalfa, is played by one time minor star Wally Wales, now character actor Hal Taliaferro (1895-1980). Bob's other "sidekick" in this one is his dog, Smokey (likely a Blue Heeler), who plays a large part in the story - especially in the final fadeout scene. Baker's best westerns were the ones that contained the bouncy ditties and plaintive love songs written by the under appreciated and highly talented tunesmith Fleming Allan. Listen here to "Trailin' My Way To You" Well handled by director George WaGGner (he always spelled his name with two capital G's) but lacks a bit in the action department.

 GHOST TOWN RIDERS (1938 Universal)
The perfect New Year's Eve B-western. Forrest Taylor and his gang (Glenn Strange, Jack Kirk, Merrill McCormick, Reed Howes) hide out in a ghost town (best use ever of the Brandeis Ranch) and plot to promote a fake gold rush, bring the town back to life, then clip the suckers who rush in. All they need to do is pay up the back taxes by New Year's Eve and they own the town. Only resident seems to be kindly but half-coo-coo Mayor George Cleveland who talks to residents who aren't there. When the legal owner of the town, Fay McKenzie (billed Fay Shannon for whatever reason), arrives, it throws a crimp in Taylor's plans. When Taylor tries to get rid of Fay, she's rescued by wild horse wrangler Bob Baker and pal Hank Worden. All the action takes place on New Year's Eve, so it's a good one to watch during the Holidays. As usual, love those upbeat Fleming Allen tunes. Remade as GOLD STRIKE in 1950 with Tex Williams and liberal use of stock footage from this film.

 BAD MEN OF THE HILLS (1942 Columbia)
Corrupt Sheriff Al Bridge and his gunhand Dick Botiller rule the county with an iron hand, but when they brutally murder Marshal John Shay, his partner Charles Starrett arrives to settle matters with his fightin' fists and blazing six-guns. Bridge leads Starrett into believing Chimney Rock is infested with rustlers, but Starrett instead finds a community virtually imprisoned by Bridge's authority. Living in Chimney Rock, under leadership of Russell Hayden, is spirited Luana Walters, her kid sister Norma Jean Wooters, and comic Cliff Edwards. Hayden is content to live away from society until Starrett convinces him there is a better life for his people and together they overthrow Bridge's reign. Wooters was the sister of Gene Autry co-star Mary Lee. Although blessed with a beautiful signing voice as was Mary, Norma Jean simply wasn't as cute. Her film career consisted of this and one other Starrett, FIGHTING BUCKAROO ('43). Born in Missouri, Cliff Edwards (1895-1971) began by singing in St. Louis saloons where he acquired the nickname Ukulele Ike. After making a national hit with "Ja Da" he replaced Rudy Vallee in '36 as the star of "George White's Scandals" on Broadway. Making his way to Hollywood he assured his immortality as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney's PINOCCHIO ('40) singing the Academy Award winner "When You Wish Upon a Star". Possessed of a finer singing voice than many of the B-western leads, unfortunately Ike's gorgeous pure voice just didn't match his looks, relegating Cliff to character roles and sidekick to Charles Starrett and Tim Holt from '41-'43. He worked often for Disney (DUMBO in '41, FUN AND FANCY FREE in '47, MICKEY MOUSE CLUB and DISNEYLAND in the '50s, and THE LITTLEST OUTLAW in '55. When Edwards died, nearly broke and alone, Walt Disney Productions paid for his funeral. In 2000, he was named a Disney Legend and inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame.

 DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH (1951 King Bros./RKO)
Striving for another epic Civil War drama, Oscar winning art director/production manager turned director William Cameron Menzies adds a few nice touches to the plot, but ultimately this is just an expanded B-film. Two West Point graduates find themselves on opposite sides at the outbreak of the Civil War. James Craig is a Confederate Major while Guy Madison is a Yankee officer. Three years into the war they oppose each other when General Sherman makes his advance toward Atlanta through bloodied Georgia. The advance of Major Madison's Union troops are blocked by Craig and 20 Rebel soldiers who have mounted three cannon on top of Devil's Mountain where they can pound away at Sherman's supply trains down below, bombarding the only route through the plantation country. Craig's old sweetheart, Barbara Payton, whose manor has been seized by Union forces, manages to spy on Madison and deliver information to Craig. The film attracted unusual response when originally released following Payton's sordid, highly publicized affairs with actors Franchot Tone and Tom Neal who got in a fight over her affections. Payton's promising career plummeted and she later was arrested for prostitution and check forgery. Filmed in SuperCineColor, the large supporting cast includes Barton MacLane, Robert Easton, Taylor Holmes (as Payton's uncle), Craig Stevens (as Payton's husband), Robert Osterloh (as a sympathetic Union soldier), Dan White, Tom Monroe, Mickey Simpson, Tom Fadden, Myron Healey, James Griffith, Kenne Duncan, Guy Wilkerson and Louis Jean Heydt.

 MISSISSIPPI RHYTHM (1949 Monogram)
Title makes this sound like some sort of Southern musical, but actually it's pretty much a routine B-western that serves as a starring vehicle for the former Governor of Louisiana ('44-'48), Jimmie Davis, who before becoming governor had a string of hit records including "You are my Sunshine", "It Makes No Different Now", etc. - eight of them which enliven this film. Southerner Davis comes west to Montana to claim his murdered uncle's inheritance, a half ownership in land and development crook James Flavin's business, who with Paul Maxey are keeping the town under their control. Jimmie finds a friend in Lee "Lasses" White and saloon gal Veda Ann Borg and instigates a special free election to overthrow Flavin's corrupt city government. Davis rallies the farmers and ranchers to election polls through the use of his songs, something he did in real life during his campaigns. Eventually, however, it takes a little gunplay to thwart Flavin's gang. Midway, there's an extended 10 minute minstrel show complete with Lasses in blackface.

 NEVADA (1944 RKO)
After playing badguys opposite William Boyd, Johnny Mack Brown and Eddie Dew for a couple of years, this was Robert Mitchum's first of two starring B-westerns (see also WEST OF PECOS). It finds him (as Nevada) and his pals, Big Boy Williams and Richard "Chito" Martin, heading for the reportedly gold-rich Comstock Lode. Once there, they find miners having a tough time finding gold in the tons of supposedly worthless clay. Thing is, devious saloon owner Craig Reynolds has discovered not gold, but rich silver deposits in the clay and is acquiring land claims by fair means or foul. When homesteader Larry Wheat, and his daughter Nancy Gates, decide to have the clay analyzed, Reynolds has henchman Harry Woods kill Wheat, then throw blame on Mitchum. Expertly made by director Edward Killy and cinematographer Harry Wild, amongst the backdrop of Lone Pine's Alabama Hills, this B nears A proportions. Watch closely for a glimpse of a young Ben Johnson in the barroom background.

 STAGECOACH TO DANCER'S ROCK (1962 Universal-International)
The only movie Kenneth Darling ever wrote (unless it's a pseudonym?) - and it's easy to see why. Independently produced and directed by Earl Bellamy and released by U-I, this combination LIFEBOAT/STAGECOACH is a morose, unpleasant, talkative, basically actionless, psychological character driven western with a wrong-headed folk-group-sung title tune. Titular star is Warren Stevens with Martin Landau as a crazed gambler-turned-murderer. Also with stage driver Bob Anderson, shotgun guard Rand Brooks, Chinese girl Judy Dan, hypocritical politician Del Moore, Cavalry major Don Wilbanks, and just-out-of-med-school doctor Jody Lawrence. Also featured are Holly Bane, Gene Roth, Charles Tannen and Mauritz Hugo. Bellamy tries his best but the material is undernourished and simply unworthy of your time.

 YOUNG GUNS OF TEXAS (1963 20th Century Fox)
Ouch! Doomed from the get-go with a dreadful title tune sung by Kenny Miller, a trio of second-generation actors (James Mitchum - channeling his father Robert, but very badly; Alanna Ladd - Alan's daughter in her only "real" movie role, and it's plain to see why; and Jody McCrea - son of Joel) along with Gary Conway (how'd he get in there, he's related to nobody) prove that talent isn't necessarily transmitted through one's genes! Even CinemaScope color and old pros like Chill Wills and Robert Lowery can't overcome the ludicrous plot, banal script and horrid acting. A total waste!

 TOUGH ASSIGNMENT (1949 Lippert)
Slow moving modern day western as newspaper reporter Don Barry and his new wife (Marjorie Steele) go undercover as migrant ranch-hand workers to capture a vicious gang of truck rustlers who deal in bootleg beef (Steve Brodie, Marc Lawrence, Fred Kohler Jr., Frank Richards, John Cason, and Lippert regular Sid Melton). Filmed at Agoura Ranch, directed by one-shot Bill Beaudine (1892-1970).

 ARKANSAS JUDGE (1941 Republic)
Republic, getting Roy Rogers to branch out a bit from his B-western series (unlike Gene Autry ever did), casts him in one of the Weaver Brothers and Elviry's homespun rural comedies as a young lawyer (still riding Trigger though) returning after 5 years to his sleepy hometown of Peaceful Valley where nothing much ever happens. But now on the village's 40th anniversary celebration $50 is stolen from the widow Smithers' flour barrel and kindly scrubwoman Spring Byington is blamed. After the Weavers (Abner - Leon Weaver, Cicero - Frank Weaver, Elviry - June Weaver) stoutly defend Byington, the theft becomes a gossipy concern to the townsfolk when a rumor is inadvertently spread (by Violey - Loretta Weaver) accusing Veda Ann Borg, daughter of local banker Frank M. Thomas of the theft. Roy, believing he is in love with the flashy Borg, defends her against the gossip. As tensions heighten, even kindly Abner Weaver is put on trial by Thomas for slandering his daughter's reputation, and the innocent Byington is nearly killed when the rabble-rousing townsfolk decide to burn her house and run her out of town. Roy saves the day as he fights the mob violence thereby exposing the real thief. Based on Irving Stone's novel FALSE WITNESS, this is an excellent morality play about the terrible damage unfounded, vicious gossip can do to people who don't follow the 9th commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." The Weavers sing two songs and Roy sings "Peaceful Valley" to girlfriend Pauline Moore.

 ARKANSAS SWING (1948 Columbia)
Even more cornball than some of the other Hoosier Hot Shots "westerns" is this tale of a the guys trying to help youngster Mary Eleanor Donahue (later Elinor Donahue on TV's FATHER KNOWS BEST) and big sister Gloria Henry pay their overdue feed bills for their trotting horse, Senator Preachy. In the ensuing big harness race, vindictive socialite June Vincent tries to get back at horse trainer Stuart Hart over spurned affections by fixing the race, but the Hot Shots save the day with, of all things, a washboard. With the departure from the series of Ken Curtis, Columbia was "trying out" various leading men, but singer (and obviously non-actor) Stuart Hart (who sings one song and of whom no information seems to exist) is way too calm and laid back. Supporting cast includes Eddy Waller, Syd Saylor, Douglas Fowley, Dick Elliott, Fred Sears, Pierre Watkin, singer Dorothy Porter and the Texas Rangers (who previously sang in several Johnny Mack B-westerns at Universal). Working title of this one was TEXAS SANDMAN, the song sung by Hart.

 SMOKY RIVER SERENADE (1947 Columbia)
When Ken Curtis left the Hoosier Hot Shots series, Columbia was left to fill the void, trying out several different romantic leads, including non-singer Paul Campbell here, until settling on Kirby Grant for the final few outings in '48. Campbell (1923-1999) is best known for playing bland second leads in ten Charles Starrett Durango Kids between 1947-1951. He's also in Rocky Lane's VIGILANTE HIDEOUT ('50) and a few TV episodes (GENE AUTRY, LONE RANGER, MY FRIEND FLICKA) but his career is simply undistinguished. In the '60s he relocated to New York with his wife. Without Curtis, the Hot Shots (Hezzie, Ken, Gil, Gabe) series stumbled along, and this one is also missing other series regulars like Big Boy Williams, Jeff Donnell and Andy Clyde, thus leaving us with very mild rural western musical comedy hi-jinx. Besides the Hot Shots, music is supplied by leading lady Ruth Terry, the Sunshine Boys, Carolina Cotton (once again doing "I Love to Yodel"!), the Boyd Triplets (a poor replacement for the Dinning Sisters) and the beautiful voice of former Sammy Kaye band singer Billy Williams. His only other film seems to be Starrett's LIGHTNING GUNS - in which he doesn't sing! Cattle Records offers two LP's on Williams. Also inserted into this romp is "Hollywood Barn Dance" announcer Cottonseed Clark, trick rider Sandy Sanders and (very briefly, unbilled) Utah born professional trick roper (Texas) Rose Bascom (1922-1993) who was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in '81. Rose also appeared in Johnny Carpenter's LAWLESS RIDER. For what it's worth, the benign plot has ruthless businessman Russell Hicks determined to control all the land around Split Rock Junction but is thwarted by old timer Paul E. Burns who founded his ranch as a monument to his late son. To help Burns with his finances, the Hot Shots decide to hold a talent contest to select Miss Golden West.

 FEUDIN' RHYTHM (1949 Columbia)
Attempting to revive their musical western-comedy format after the departure of Ken Curtis, then the Hoosier Hot Shots, Columbia settled on Kirby Grant as a replacement for Curtis and recruited hot new singer Eddy Arnold for two outings - this one and HOEDOWN - but, although a terrific singer, Arnold's on-screen charisma was pure bland and the series came to a screeching halt. Country/western singer Grant plans to make the move from radio to TV, but a major fire forces him to accept financial backing from snooty upper-crust bluenose Isabel Randolph who, as part of the deal, compels Grant to let her be producer of the show, instigating into the program more "cultured" aspects. Also in the deal is Randolph's obnoxious practical-joke-playing nephew, Tommy Ivo, a real Dennis the Menace. Ivo finally wises up to what a stinker he is when he nearly kills Arnold during a fake bandit raid on Grant's ranch. Inside joke: At one point, Ivo, who co-starred in several Charles Starrett Durango Kids for Columbia, urges his runaway horse, "Faster, Raider, faster!" Arnold sings his big "Cattle Call" hit (and three others), Fuzzy Knight is along as comedy relief to Grant (just as he was at Universal) and other music is supplied by Carolina Cotton, the Oklahoma Wranglers and Mustard and Gravy (with a politically today incorrect black face act).

 BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE (1958 Columbia)
Based on the Jonas Ward novel, THE NAME'S BUCHANAN, this is another excellent in the Ranown (Randolph Scott/producer Harry Joe Brown) productions directed by Budd Boetticher and written by ... if you go by the credits, Charles Lang, who had previously only scripted low budget Kirby Grant Mountie flicks. In actuality, the first 60-65 minutes of the 78 minute movie are taken from Ward's novel, and according to Boetticher, writer Burt Kennedy and co-stars Craig Stevens and L. Q. Jones, much of Lang's original script was rewritten/improvised/adlibbed during the shoot in Old Tucson by Boetticher and Kennedy. Story has Scott riding innocently into Agrytown, a place where nearly everybody is related, with each one double crossing everybody else to get hold of $50,000 in ransom money for Mexican rancher's son Manuel Rojas who is accused of shooting down Tol Avery's son after the son raped Rojas' sister. Scott winds up an ally of Rojas and opposing the double-crossing Agry Brothers (Avery, Peter Whitney and Barry Kelley). Scott is at his best in this darkly comic script that holds its own with the best of the Boetticher/Kennedy/Scott westerns.

 OKLAHOMA ANNIE (1952 Republic)
Judy Canova aspired to a serious career in music but got waylaid along the trail, becoming typed as a hillbilly comedienne. She became a regular on Rudy Vallee's "Fleischmann Hour" on radio in '33, Paul Whiteman's "Musical Varieties" of '36-'37 and Edgar Bergen's "Chase and Sanborn Hour" in '38. Her own CBS radio show in '43-'44 created a pigtails-and-calico fad which made her big movie screen boxoffice. Actually, Republic had spotted her worth in '40 and starred her in seven lowbrow rural comedies from '40-'43 (SCATTERBRAIN, PUDDIN' HEAD, SIS HOPKINS, JOAN OF OZARK, SLEEPYTIME GAL, CHATTERBOX, and SLEEPY LAGOON - plus a loan out to Paramount for TRUE TO THE ARMY). Judy jumped over to Columbia for three cornball comedies - one per year - from '44-'46 (LOUISIANA HAYRIDE, HIT THE HAY, SINGIN' IN THE CORN). Judy moved to NBC radio for her own show from '45-'53 but took a movie-break until Republic re-signed her in '52 for a series of six. The first two (OKLAHOMA ANNIE, HONEYCHILE) were in Trucolor, a 90 minute running time and good budgets, but the final four (through '55) were pretty dismal b/w affairs (WAC FROM WALLA WALLA, UNTAMED HEIRESS, CAROLINA CANNONBALL, LAY THAT RIFLE DOWN). While a few of her films had some western elements (ghost town, making movies, gold prospectors) only OKLAHOMA ANNIE could be termed a true western comedy - and only that if you appreciate Judy's unique talents, truly an acquired taste. Here storekeeper Canova is made new town sheriff John Russell's deputy after she captures bank robber Roy Barcroft. Through a series of mishaps Judy and John clean up the county of all its corrupt citizens (county supervisor Frank Ferguson, gambling house owner Grant Withers). Unfortunately, most of the wannabe comedic scenes simply fall flat under B-western vet director R. G. Springsteen's clapboard. Peopled by western regulars House Peters Jr., Denver Pyle, Si Jenks, Emmett Lynn, William Fawcett, Fuzzy Knight, Hal Price, Almira Sessions and Minerva Urecal. Judy sings four forgettable songs.

 RIDE 'EM COWBOY (1942 Universal)
Hilarious Abbott and Costello hi-jinks as the boys go west in their sixth Universal comedy. This time A&C are inept peanut and hotdog vendors at a Long Island rodeo where singing best-selling western novelist Dick Foran is the feature attraction. Trouble is, he's never been west of the Hudson River as is discovered when trick rodeo rider Anne Gwynne must save Foran's life when he's thrown from his horse by a runaway steer. Gwynne heads home to Arizona (the Gower Gulch Dude Ranch) with Foran hot on her heels to make amends. Naturally, A&C are along for the fun. Once in Arizona, Lou unwittingly becomes engaged to an Indian maiden and is angrily pursued by her father (Douglas Dumbrille). Meanwhile, in order to hedge and cover his gambling bets, gambler Morris Ankrum kidnaps dude ranch foreman Alabam (Johnny Mack Brown) and Foran before the big 4th of July rodeo. Foran sings three songs including the beautiful "I'll Remember April" while the Merry Macs harmonize on three and Ella Fitzgerald chimes in with "A-Tisket, A-Tasket". Watch for former Universal B-western star Bob Baker slumming in a non-speaking role as a bus driver. A good western spoof that landed RIDE 'EM COWBOY as the 8th biggest grossing film of '42.

 HELLGATE (1952 Lippert)
Producer John C. Champion's HELLGATE, directed by Charles Marquis Warren, is a stern, brutal adult western for 1952, definitely in the foreground of the changing western landscape away from Hoppy, Gene and Roy to a more realistic form. Sterling Hayden is a veterinarian wrongly accused of being part of Kyle James' (aka James Anderson) southern guerrilla marauders in the wake of the Civil War. Sent to New Mexico's devilish Hellgate prison Hayden clashes with stern warden Ward Bond who holds a grudge against guerrillas because his family was wiped out by them. Wanting to kill the alleged guerrilla legitimately, Bond and sadistic guard Bob Wilke put Hayden through numerous cruelties to force him and his fellow prisoners (Peter Coe, John Pickard, James Arness, House Peters Jr., Richard Emory) to escape. Eventually, Hayden's medical training helps stop an epidemic from spreading through the desert prison causing Bond to rethink his ideas.

 THE OUTCAST (1954 Republic)
A very macho John Derek returns west to claim a vast ranch his late father left to him, but Derek's uncle, hard-bitten "Major" Jim Davis has cheated him out of the land with a phony will rigged up by corrupt lawyer Taylor Holmes. Derek, determined to get back what is rightfully his, hires killer Bob Steele to stir up a war with Davis while Derek himself tries to make inroads with Davis' betrothed, Catherine McLeod. Davis fights back with his own gunslingers, Ben Cooper and Harry Carey Jr., and crooked sheriff James Millican. During all this, Joan Evans, daughter of put-upon small rancher Frank Ferguson, who knew Derek as a youngster, falls in love with the grown man. Novelist Todhunter Ballard's story fleshes out and gives character depth to even lesser players such as Nana Bryant, Slim Pickens, Buzz Henry, Nacho Galindo and Bill Walker. Perfectly directed by William Witney.

 FIVE GUNS WEST (1955 American Releasing)
Dismal first directorial effort by Roger Corman promises much and delivers little. Corman was lucky to enlist two "fallen stars", John Lund and Dorothy Malone, for marquee value. He also lensed in Pathé color which helps, but not enough. Lund and four other outlaws (Touch [Mike] Connors, Paul Birch, scripter Bob Campbell pulling double duty and Jonathan Haze) are pardoned and hired by the Confederate Army to head off and capture a Union stagecoach full of gold manned by traitor Jack Ingram. Primarily lensed at Ingram's western town, most of the running time is spent in constant dissention and bickering over the affections of Dorothy Malone who operates the stage stop with her Pop (James Stone).

 FURY AT SHOWDOWN (1957 United Artists)
Released from jail, John Derek is an ex-gunslinger returning home trying to overcome his past reputation with the help of his exuberant kid brother Nick Adams (of TV's THE REBEL). Derek and Adams, with some other small ranchers, hope to sign a contract with the railroad and pay off the loan on their ranches, but vicious lawyer Gage Clarke seeks revenge on Derek for the justified killing of Clarke's brother years earlier. Clarke enlists hired gun John Smith to goad Derek into a gunfight and meanwhile plots to swindle Derek and the ranchers out of their railroad deal. Moody and atmospheric, FURY ... is extremely well directed by Gerd Oswald (including a terrific brawl between Derek and Smith), especially considering it was filmed in only a week. Well worth a look. Oswald directed several other B-films before heading up THE LONGEST DAY in '62.

 SHUT MY BIG MOUTH (1942 Columbia)
Horticulturist Joe E. Brown, out to beautify the west, accidentally bests outlaw Victor Jory and unwittingly is made sheriff of Big Bluff. Jory and his henchies (barely noticeable Forrest Tucker and Lloyd Bridges) kidnap lovely Adele Mara, daughter of wealthy Pedro de Cordoba, holding her ransom for $50,000. Brown, mostly in drag, and his man Friday, Fritz Feld, come to the rescue in this amusing but not overly funny western spoof written by Oliver Drake and helmed by comedy vet Charles Barton. Fun to watch for B-vets Ed Cobb, Al Ferguson, Hank Bell, Earle Hodgins, Ralph Peters, Frank McCarroll, Eddy Waller, Joan Woodbury, Russell Simpson, Fern Emmett, Don Beddoe, Art Dillard, Joe McGuinn, Noble Johnson, Chief Thunder Cloud, Art Mix, Blackjack Ward and Dick Curtis.

 SONS OF ADVENTURE (1948 Republic)
A movie about stuntmen and making B-western movies, directed by ace stuntman Yakima Canutt. Disliked by everyone on the set, western star John Holland (read between the lines, "Rocky" Lane) is killed during a scene by a real bullet from a rifle shot from new stuntman Gordon Jones who has been hired by old friend Russell Hayden. Trying to clear his friend, Hayden starts snooping around to find the killer, putting him in danger time and time again until the real killer is revealed. Suspects are: director Roy Barcroft, assistant director George Chandler, studio head Grant Withers, scriptwriter John Newland, Holland's love interest Stephanie Bachelor, special effects man Gilbert Frye, cameraman John Crawford. Being about stuntmen and movies allowed Canutt to incorporate much western and serial stock footage.

 LAND OF MISSING MEN (1930 Tiffany)
Bob Steele and sidekick Al St. John happen upon a saloon where a gunfight has just occurred. A wounded man (C. R. Dufau) tells them of a plan by the Black Coyote's gang to hold up the stage carrying his daughter (Caryl Lincoln). Steele robs the coach before the bandits arrive and takes Lincoln with him. That night, she escapes Steele's camp and goes to round up a posse, not knowing the truth about Bob. Meanwhile, Bob and St. John head for the Black Coyote's camp, exposing him as local Sheriff Edward Dunn and his Mexican accomplice Emilo Fernandez just as Lincoln arrives with the posse. Interesting early talkie for several reasons. Real life "outlaw" Al Jennings has a minor role. A failure as a real bandit in the late 1880s, Jennings served seven years in prison for his part in a train robbery that netted all of $60 for Jennings and his three brothers. When he was released he turned up in Hollywood telling far-fetched tales about his days as one of the Old West's most feared desperadoes. Not much better as an actor than he was as a robber, Jennings managed to hang on in the film community for quite a few years, spinning his increasingly ludicrous yarns. In 1951 Columbia immortalized the legend-in-his-own-mind bandit in AL JENNINGS OF OKLAHOMA with Dan Duryea, taking the lies even further from reality. Jennings died in 1961 at 98. This is the third of nine Steele made for Tiffany and, again as in others, he sings. The song is "Prairie's End" which he warbles twice, a full five years before Gene Autry became "The" singing cowboy in Mascot's PHANTOM EMPIRE serial. Badman Emilio Fernandez later became one of Mexico's best known film directors on major features. He remade his ENAMORADOA ('46) in Hollywood four years later as THE TORCH. Fernandez acted in both Mexican and Hollywood features. As late as 1966 he was assistant director on NIGHT OF THE IGUANA. He also worked in Spain, Cuba and Argentina in the '50s.

QUEEN OF THE YUKON (1940 Monogram)
Reportedly based on a Jack London story, this northwoods melodrama is pretty mild stuff. Riverboat Queen of Yukon, Irene Rich, a gambling lady with a heart of gold opposes selling out to crooked big-time mining company owner Melvin Lang until her eastern educated daughter, June Carlson, arrives in the Yukon with boyfriend Dave O'Brien. When Carlson learns the truth about her riverboat gambler Mom, and wants to emulate her, Rich and partner Charles Bickford eventually sell to Lang to protect Carlson from leading the tawdry life of a Yukon gambling queen. Jealous of Carlson's affections for the virile Bickford, O'Brien is duped by Lang and henchman Tris Coffin into serving phony mining claims to swindle area prospectors. Rich and Bickford rally the small miners as O'Brien learns he's been duped and forces a slam-bang showdown with Lang. Filmed at Cedar Lake near Big Bear, CA. Rich's career stretched back to 1918 when she appeared in A DESERT WOOING with Tom Mix. Her last film was John Wayne's FORT APACHE in '48.

 THE SILVER WHIP (1953 20th Century Fox)
Slightly offbeat but excellent often overlooked western that poses some interesting questions. Speedily directed by screen editor (YELLOW SKY) turned director Harmon Jones (PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS, CITY OF BAD MEN, A DAY OF FURY) based on a short novel by Jack Schaefer, author of SHANE. Young, inexperienced stagecoach driver Robert Wagner is fired from his job after he's held up by bandits and fails to obey orders given to him by stage guard Dale Robertson. As a result the gold is lost and old-timer Burt Mustin and stage passenger Lola Albright are killed. Vengeance on his mind, Robertson tracks down the leader of the gang, John Kellogg. Kellogg and another outlaw, Ian MacDonald, are jailed by Sheriff Rory Calhoun who has given Wagner a second chance and made him his deputy. Calhoun believes in trial by jury for the killers but Robertson lives by the law in his holster and leads a mob of townsmen in forming a lynching party. With Calhoun tied up. Wagner must face some deep moral issues. Does he give in to Robertson, a man he's always looked up to and succumb to mob justice or does he protect the legal rights of the accused? Watch for Whip Wilson as one of the two argumentative bullwhackers in a scuffle with Robertson and Wagner near the start of the film. Also, young Bobby Diamond, later star of TV's FURY, appears early on.

 BAD MEN OF MISSOURI (1941 Warner Bros.)
Highly distorted tale of the Younger Brothers (Dennis Morgan, Wayne Morris, Arthur Kennedy) who return home after the Civil War to find northern carpetbaggers have pillaged their land, killed their father (Russell Simpson) and taken charge of everything. With Jesse James (Alan Baxter) in tow, the three likeable brothers take up the outlaw trail, stymieing carpetbagger Victor Jory, his comic clerk Walter Catlett (whose antics are overplayed) and strong arm man Howard de Silva. Even a little romance is thrown in with Jane Wyman as Kennedy's girl. It's the usual western glorified-whitewash-of-facts, even to having Irish tenor Morgan sing "Nellie Gray", but so what, it all adds up to exciting entertainment under Ray Enright's direction. The Civil War battle scenes at the start were excerpted from D. W. Griffith's silent classic, THE BIRTH OF A NATION, scenes that were reused in many another Civil War sound epic. Fabulous supporting cast includes Roscoe Ates, Eddy Waller, Trevor Bardette, Ben Corbett, Bud Osborne, Tom Tyler, Duncan Renaldo, Ray Teal, Wade Boteler, Arthur Loft, Charles Middleton, Blackie Whiteford, Sonny Bupp and others.

 BLACK BART (1948 Universal-International)
Dan Duryea as "Black Bart", directed by B-pro George Sherman, offers everything necessary for an enjoyable late '40s B-plus Technicolor western - plenty of thrilling action, romance with a beautiful woman (Yvonne DeCarlo), feuding friends (Duryea and fellow bandit Jeffrey Lynn), a rousing score - much of it recycled from Universal serials and westerns, gorgeous Kanab, UT, scenery, a masked bandit ... but the ending is downbeat and a bit incomplete in De Carlo's case. (The ending leaves one wondering if the makers of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" saw this film?) As usual with these outlaw epics, the screenwriters (Luci Ward, Jack Natteford) took all the factual liberties in the west to concoct a story. The only thing they got right here was Black Bart's real name - Charles E. Boles. Nothing is even mentioned in this pic about Bart leaving poetry after his Wells Fargo stage robberies. In actuality, Black Bart worked alone and had no ulterior motive as he does here - working with crooked John McIntire to drive Wells Fargo out of business in Sacramento so they can set up their own line. More important, Bart/Boles was not killed as he is in the film, but captured circa 1882 and sent to jail. Released in 1888, he vanished from history.

 RETURN OF THE BADMEN (1948 RKO)
Throwing historical accuracy to the wind, producer Nat Holt's sequel-of-sorts to BADMAN'S TERRITORY ('46) takes the same premise of putting a whole slew of famous outlaws up against ex-lawman Randolph Scott who is forced to pin on a badge one more time after Robert Ryan (as The Sundance Kid) guns down one of Scott's friends, Charles Stevens, and strangles a young girl outlaw (Anne Jeffreys) Scott has recently reformed. As 1889 Oklahoma readies for the huge land run and establishes the town of Guthrie, Ryan assembles a "who's who" of outlawry including Steve Brodie, Tom Keene and Robert Bray as Cole, Jim and John Younger; Robert Armstrong as Wild Bill Doolin; Dean White as Billy the Kid; Walter Reed, Lex Barker and Michael Harvey as Bob, Emmett and Grat Dalton; Tom Tyler as Wild Bill Yeager and Lew Harvey as The Arkansas Kid, to run roughshod over the territory. Considering this large contingent of outlaws, this easily could have degenerated into a convoluted mess. However, director Ray Enright has orchestrated the constant action while never losing sight of the central conflict between Ryan and Scott. The two first rate actors play well off one another, creating realistic tension that carries through til the finale, one of the all-time great screen fights. Gabby Hayes is along for the ride to provide a little comic relief. Now - for a look at reality, none of these outlaws ever rode together except for The Daltons and Doolin. Remember this film is set in 1889. Billy the Kid was killed in 1881. Sundance (killed here by Scott) escaped with Butch Cassidy to South America around 1901 and was killed there. The end for the Younger Brothers came in 1876 when they and the James brothers tried to rob a Northfield, MN, bank. The Dalton gang was broken up in a failed two-bank stickup in Coffeyville, KS, in 1892. Yeager and The Arkansas Kid seem to be totally fictitious, although there was an Arkansas Tom who rode with Doolin.

 CALAMITY JANE AND SAM BASS (1949 Universal-International)
Absolute fictional movie hooey as there is no indication the real Calamity Jane ever even met outlaw Sam Bass. Maurice Geraghty (who scripted dozens of serials - including Tom Mix's MIRACLE RIDER - and B-westerns for Hopalong Cassidy, 3 Mesquiteers, Charles Starrett, etc.) and Melvin Levy (ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO, RENEGADES) co-scripted this outlaw-combo (based on a story idea from director George Sherman) at the height of the famous-outlaw cycle of westerns. Beautifully filmed in Kanab, UT; Red Rock Canyon, CA; and the Iverson Ranch, this combination outlaw/horse story with a downbeat ending glosses over the real Sam Bass' outlawry, as most of these-type films do. The movie has Bass as a happy-go-lucky cowboy who buys a beautiful race horse, The Denton (TX) mare. The horse, which Bass (Howard Duff) races, is too fast for crooked bettor (Marc Lawrence) who poisons the horse and swindles Bass and some other cowpunchers (Lloyd Bridges, Milburn Stone, Clifton Young, Houseley Stevenson, John Rodney) out of $16,000 in bets. Bass and the boys steal back their losings and are forced to turn outlaw, aided by Mae West in britches, glamorous Yvonne De Carlo, looking not a whit like the real Calamity. In the end, pursuing sheriff Willard Parker guns all the men including Bass who is tricked into believing the Denton Mare is still alive. In reality, the real Bass was a no account cowpoke who worked odd jobs, owned a race horse for a couple of years (who was not poisoned by anyone), drove a herd of cattle to Dodge City and absconded with the $8,000 profits (not cheated as in the film), then turned (willingly) to bank and train robbery in Nebraska and Texas for a year or so until Texas Rangers gunned him down in a Round Rock, TX, bank robbery. He died on his 27th birthday, July 21, 1878. Besides director Sherman and scripter Geraghty, the B-movie connections in this Technicolor big-bugeter continue with the supporting cast: Jack Ingram, Frank McCarroll, Roy Roberts, Ann Doran, Walter Baldwin, Pierce Lyden, Stanley Blystone, I. Stanford Jolley, Harry Harvey, Russ Conway, Francis McDonald.

 THE DOOLINS OF OKLAHOMA (1949 Columbia)
Amongst spectacular Lone Pine locations and that stirring Morris Stoloff Columbia music, the thrill-packed story of the last outlaw gang of the 1800's is one of the best in the outlaw-cycle of westerns, even managing to get "most" of the history correct, although several incidents in the Doolin gang timeline are grouped together due to time restrictions. When the Dalton gang is virtually wiped out in the daring two-bank Coffeyville, KS, raid, Bill Doolin (Randolph Scott) is the only survivor. After exacting revenge on squealer Robert Osterloh, Doolin forms his own gang: Arkansas (Charles Kemper), Bitter Creek (John Ireland), Red Buck (Frank Fenton), Tulsa Jack (Jock Mahoney) and Little Bill (Noah Beery Jr.). For once in an outlaw-western, all these guys were actual members of the Doolin gang (although in reality there were four more, including Bill Dalton). From there, as someone says, "The chase is on." On the run from Marshal George Macready, Doolin tries to quit the outlaw trail, changes his name, buys a farm, settles down and marries church going Louise Albritton. But, exposed as an outlaw to Albritton by Ireland and Fenton, Doolin is lured back into the gang, although Albritton sticks by her man til the end which comes at the church where they'd met years prior. Splendid direction from Gordon Douglas (1907-1993) who started out directing B films (Gildersleeve series, Falcon, Dick Tracy, all at RKO) and later helmed several above average westerns besides DOOLINS (which was his first) - THE NEVADAN w/Scott; GREAT MISSOURI RAID, another in the outlaw cycle; IRON MISTRESS w/Alan Ladd; CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER w/Guy Madison in 3-D; FORT DOBBS and YELLOWSTONE KELLY w/Clint Walker, and BARQUERO w/Lee Van Cleef. Excellent second unit action here from Yakima Canutt. Cowboy cancer alert: Scott drags on a cigarette.

 BEST OF THE BADMEN (1951 RKO)
The Technicolor BEST OF THE BADMEN follows the late '40s-early '50s trend of "outlaw" westerns as RKO tries to score a triple-header sans Randolph Scott who'd starred in their BADMAN'S TERRITORY in '46 and RETURN OF THE BADMEN in '48. BEST OF THE BADMEN lifts Robert Ryan to top spot as a Union Cavalry major who brings in a band of Confederate guerrillas (including John Archer as Curley Ringo and Walter Brennan as Doc Butcher) at the end of the Civil War with a promise of amnesty if they take an oath of allegiance to the Union. They are double-crossed by glory-hunting, protection agency operator Robert Preston and carpetbagger Barton MacLane who try to grab the prisoners for reward money, framing a murder charge against Ryan. This drives Ryan (w/Archer and Brennan) into outlawry as they join up with Frank and Jesse James (Tom Tyler, Lawrence Tierney), the Younger Brothers - Cole (Bruce Cabot), Jim (Bob Wilke), John (John Cliff) and Bob (Jack Beutel). When the double-dealing Archer is ousted by the gang for being a rat, he switches sides and joins Preston to ambush the gang. Claire Trevor's role in the film is minimal as Preston's wife who ends up with Ryan. Jack Beutel, protégé of Howard Hughes, had not been seen on the screen since Hughes starred him opposed Jane Russell in the dismal THE OUTLAW. Legal entanglements with Hughes kept Beutel off the screen for years. Not a very forceful actor, he gained some modicum of fame co-starring on TV with Edgar Buchanan in JUDGE ROY BEAN ('55-'56) for Russell Hayden's production company in Pioneertown, CA.

 AL JENNINGS OF OKLAHOMA (1951 Columbia)
Total film malarkey makes Al Jennings look more like Jesse James (he even has a brother Frank in the film) when Jennings was in reality nothing more than a blowhard minor outlaw. Playing fast and loose with the facts, director Ray Nazarro's film has Al (Dan Duryea) trying to be a lawyer but he and his brother (Dick Foran) are driven into a life of robbing trains and banks. Fleeing to New Orleans, Duryea meets lovely Gale Storm and plans to marry and settle down, but a vindictive detective exposes him, forcing him back into a life of robbing trains and banks until he is captured, sentenced to five years, then released to become a successful lawyer and bit movie actor. The real Jennings sold Columbia his "memoirs" and acted as advisor on this whitewash job which bears no resemblance to the truth. In actuality, Jennings was the most inept bandit in the Southwest with his robberies never netting more than a few dollars. Jennings was successful at one robbery - this film. Terrific supporting cast: Louis Jean Heydt, James Griffith, Big Boy Williams, Stanley Andrews, Gloria Henry, John Ridgely, James Millican, Robert Bice, George J. Lewis, Jimmie Dodd, John Dehner, Harry Cording, Myron Healey, Eddie Parker, John Hamilton, George Chesebro, Tommy Ivo, Hank Patterson, Earle Hodgins.

 HIAWATHA (1952 Allied Artists)
Vince Edwards is terribly miscast in this dull melodrama loosely based on the Longfellow poem, allowing a lot of latitude for Indian platitudes. Searching peace, Edwards as Hiawatha goes to explore the Dakota territory where he meets and falls in love with Minnehaha (Yvette Dugay). Meanwhile, his treacherous Ojibway rival, Keith Larsen, seeks war among the tribes. If you can suffer through this 80 min. of Cinecolor hokey boredom, you're a better man than I.

 JACK SLADE (1953 Allied Artists)
There's never been a more sweaty, grimy, brooding western anti-hero than Mark Stevens' portrayal of Jack Slade. Basing his grim, downbeat story on historical events, scripter Warren Douglas forms a compelling portrait of Slade who killed his first man at 13, is tortured by killing in the Civil War, then becomes a trouble-shooter for an overland stage outfit plagued by outlaws where he slowly, over time, becomes too good at his job and, turns into the one thing he hates most - a hard-drinking feared killer. Together, Douglas and Stevens offer an excellent portrayal of the alcoholic depression into which a man can sink when there's too much bloodshed. Eventually, the hunter becomes the hunted. Superior support from Dorothy Malone, Barton MacLane, Harry Shannon, Jim Bannon, Lee Van Cleef, John Litel, Paul Langton, John Harmon, Sammy Ogg (as the young Jack), Richard Reeves and Duane Thorson/Gray. Directed by former editor Harold Schuster who began directing in '38 (MY FRIEND FLICKA, MARINE RAIDERS, SO DEAR TO MY HEART). Schuster also helmed the inferior RETURN OF JACK SLADE in '55.

 CITY OF BADMEN (1953 20TH Century-Fox)
The Jim Corbett (John Day)/Bob Fitzsimmons (Gil Perkins) heavyweight championship fight of 1897 in Carson City, Nevada, is recreated in this offbeat western which finds three outlaw gangs riding into town to see the fight. A very stoic Dale Robertson, his brother (Lloyd Bridges) and their men (John Doucette, Leo Gordon, Rodolfo Acosta, Pasquel Garcia) are returning home after several years fighting in the Mexican Revolution. Robertson, finding he's lost his girl (Jeanne Crain) to another man, plots to steal the prizefight gate receipts. To "protect" the boxoffice and keep the peace among all the bad, rowdy element in town for the fight, Sheriff Hugh Sanders elects to swear Robertson and the other outlaw leaders (Richard Boone as Johnny Ringo, Don Haggerty) in as deputies, but the bandits still plan to rob the fight receipts. When Robertson realizes Crain still loves him, he goes straight, foiling the robbery attempt of the other outlaws. Meanders a mite, but always interesting.

 SITTING BULL (1954 United Artists)
Sitting Bullpucky would be more like it. Inaccurate (as usual) retelling of events leading up to Custer's massacre at the Little Big Horn and the subsequent aftermath. For one thing, Sitting Bull (here terribly miscast as J. Carroll Naish) was not at the actual battle as he is here, but remained in camp as was befitting his position as Chief. At 105 minutes, this film is as over-stuffed as Jackie Gleason on Thanksgiving, suffering dramatically from a trite, unnecessary love triangle (Dale Robertson, Mary Murphy, William Hopper) that forces its way to the forefront and only serves to slow down the telling of the historical events. Somehow director Sidney Salkow thought this love-plot was more important than Custer (Douglas Kennedy - with virtually nothing to do but die) and the Indians. The ending is pure hokum with Sitting Bull riding right into the fort to save Robertson from a firing squad. (Don't even bother to ask!) And who did Iron Eyes Cody have to stroke to acquire the billing "Famous TV star" after his name?? As boring and bad as they get!

 WAR ARROW (1954 Universal-International)
Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara star in this better-than-average Cavalry and Indians saga due mainly to the slightly unusual plot. On special assignment, Major Jeff Chandler, along with Sergeants Charles Drake and (for comic relief) Noah Beery Jr., come west to recruit Seminole Indians (led by Henry Brandon and Dennis Weaver) to fight marauding Kiowas led by Chief Jay Silverheels. Chandler finds time to romance Maureen O'Hara whose husband was reportedly killed on a scouting expedition until they discover Silverheels' Indians are led by a renegade white man, O'Hara's very much alive husband, former B-western Red Ryder Jim Bannon. Good action sequences directed by B-vet George Sherman. In Technicolor.

 WYOMING RENEGADES (1955 Columbia)
Former badman Phil Carey tries to go straight, shake off the prison stigma and make a new life with Martha Hyer. Taking drifter Douglas Kennedy in as a partner in a blacksmith shop, Carey tries to warn Sheriff Roy Roberts and banker Don Beddoe when the bank is being robbed by Butch Cassidy (Gene Evans), the Sundance Kid (William Bishop), Blackjack Ketchum (Guy Teague) and the Wild Bunch (George Keymas, John Cason, Aaron Spelling, Henry Rowland, Bob Woodward, Mel Welles, Don Harvey, Don Carlos) but, due to his past, Carey is himself blamed for being in with the gang. Kennedy sees a chance to make some money and does join the gang, but Carey only pretends to join up in order to prove his innocence by laying an ambush for the cutthroats. There are a few surprises along the way and Mischa Bakaleinikoff's typical Columbia score is always worthy. Former actor Wallace MacDonald produced with Fred Sears directing. The pair knew how to turn out entertaining B+ '50s westerns. Technicolor. (And yes, that's the same Aaron Spelling who became one of TV's top producers.)

 RETURN OF JACK SLADE (1955 Allied Artists)
In this sequel, of sorts, to JACK SLADE w/Mark Stevens ('53 Allied Artists), trying to live down his outlaw father's reputation, Jack Slade Jr. (John Ericson) becomes an undercover Pinkerton Detective to chase down the Wild Bunch (Neville Brand, Casey Adams [aka Max Showalter], Alan Wells, John Dennis) and their women (Mari Blanchard, Angie Dickinson, Donna Drew, Lyla Graham). (There's a doozy of a cat fight between Angie and Lyla.) He infiltrates the gang, eventually knocking them off, and rehabilitates Blanchard. Both JACK SLADE pictures were written by Warren Douglas, produced by Lindsley Parsons, directed by Harold Schuster and photographed by William Sickner.

 BLACKJACK KETCHUM, DESPERADO (1956 Columbia)
Big, vicious cattle baron Victor Jory bullies his way into the peaceful valley where ex-gunfighter Blackjack Ketchum (Howard Duff) is trying to settle down. Duff is forced to strap on his guns to outwit and outgun Jory and his gunslingers - William Tannen, Holly Bane, Wes Hudman, Jack Littlefield and even Jory's rational brother, Robert Roark. Based on a Louis L'Amour story, the film has no relationship to the real Ketchum who was hanged in 1901 as a member of Butch Cassidy's Hole In the Wall gang. Still, the oft-used plotline is made fresh by Luci Ward and Jack Natteford's bright script, Earl Bellamy's straightforward direction and some good acting, especially from Jory.

 THE MAVERICK QUEEN (1956 Republic)
Bob Steele B-western plot #2-B: Hero infiltrates outlaw gang to get the goods on them. In THE MAVERICK QUEEN that basic plot (based on an unfinished story by Zane Grey) simply gets A-list actors attached to it as Pinkerton detective Barry Sullivan (seeming rather bored) goes undercover masquerading as a member of the Younger Brothers to bring to justice the Hole in the Wall gang - Sundance (Scott Brady) and Butch Cassidy (Howard Petrie). Sullivan ends up falling in love with ambitious saloon keeper and notorious go-between for the Wild Bunch, Barbara Stanwyck, The Maverick Queen. Stanwyck falls for Sullivan as well and both must contend with a zealous, jealous Brady. Stanwyck ends up sacrificing herself for Sullivan in the final shootout after Sullivan is exposed by a real Younger (Jim Davis). Beautifully photographed on location in Colorado, it was Republic's first film shot in Naturama, the studio's own wide screen process. Its B+ status is increase with a handful of B vets in the supporting cast - George Keymas, John Doucette, Emile Meyer, Pierre Watkin, Tris Coffin, Tex Terry and Cactus Mack.

 THE YOUNG GUNS (1956 Allied Artists)
'50s juvenile delinquent film in a western setting stirs very little interest except for I. Stanford Jolley's superb cameo performance as a blind gambler. Son of a famous outlaw, Russ Tamblyn, wrestles with his conscience on whether to join an outlaw bunch of teenage renegades (Perry Lopez, Wright King, Scott Marlowe, James Goodwin, Kenny Miller) or follow the straight and narrow persuasion of Sheriff Walter Coy. The acting of the old pro adults (Myron Healey, Dabbs Greer, Rayford Barnes, Ray Teal, Tom London, Chubby Johnson) far outshines that of the young-buck principals. Pathetic title tune sung by Guy Mitchell. This was producer/director Albert Band's (1924-2002) first and only American-made western - for which we are thankful. Band had much more success in Italy with Euro-westerns and sword and sandal epics and later in the U.S. with cheapo horror flicks such as TROLL, GHOULIES II, TRANCERS II, etc. Filmed at Corriganville.

 COLE YOUNGER, GUNFIGHTER (1958 Allied Artists)
Color remake of Wayne Morris' THE DESPERADO ('54). After protesting the dishonesty of local "blue bellies" (Ainslee Pryor, George Keymas), cowpoke James Best is forced out of town, leaving his sweetheart, Abby Dalton, open to the advances of the lying, cheating Jan Merlin who murders Ainslee and Keymas and lays the blame on Best. Meanwhile, on the owlhoot trail, Best is befriended by outlaw Cole Younger (Frank Lovejoy). On the run they encounter another gunfighter (Myron Healey) whom Best kills when Healey is trying to steal his horse. Eventually, the pair encounter Healey's twin brother, then Best is captured. Forced to stand trial for the murders he didn't commit, Cole Younger bursts into the courtroom, guns drawn, to expose the sniveling Merlin. This was the last film for Lovejoy, whose career was in decline. He turned to TV work for the last four years of his life and died in 1962 of a heart attack at 48. Color elevates this slightly above the Morris version.

 JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1965 Embassy)
Wanna have some fun on a stormy, lightning-filled night? Pop-a-top or two and insert your cassette of JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (or actually granddaughter as it turns out, but that would have sounded even sillier on the theatre marquee). John Lupton (of TV's BROKEN ARROW) and hulking pal Cal Bolder escape from Sheriff Jim Davis' posse after they're double-crossed in a stage robbery attempt by reward-hungry gang member Rayford Barnes. Bolder is wounded but he and Jesse are aided by a Mexican girl, Republic B-western vet Estelita, who takes them for medical treatment to creepy Narda Onyx, the half-crazed granddaughter of Dr. Frankenstein who is conducting brain-transfer experiments on helpless Mexican boys. Her eyes light up when she sees the huge physical specimen of Bolder, turning him into a crazed mindless killer. Filmed in color at Corriganville and made strictly for drive-in fare as a co-feature to BILLY THE KID VS DRACULA, both were directed by Bill Beaudine who, according to his son, "Pappy enjoyed every minute of it. This was not serious stuff." You got that right. Just pop another top, sit back and enjoy the unbelievably wild histrionics.

 THE OUTLAWS IS COMING (1965 Columbia)
The Three Stooges ended their Columbia two-reelers in '59 but continued to churn out feature films - which was really not their fortè. At any rate, this was their last, written (in part)/produced/directed by Moe's son-in-law, Norman Maurer. Originally conceived as THE THREE STOOGES MEET THE GUNSLINGERS, the three wacky eastern newspapermen (along with Adam West) head west to preve