 (Courtesy of Bruce Hickey) Ray Corrigan and Jean Carmen (billed as 'Julia Thayer') in a lobby card from THE PAINTED STALLION (Republic, 1937).  (From Old Corral collection) THE LAW OF THE WILD (Mascot, 1934), 12 chapters, was directed by Armand Schaefer and B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. Bob Custer (1897 or 98 - 1974) was a cowboy hero in silents, but he never made it big in talkies. His real name was Raymond Anthony Glenn and he could not adapt to the dialog required in talkies - to be blunt, he was terrible delivering any lines. The dozen or so sound westerns he made were for the lower echelon production outfits, and around 1937, Custer left the business. At Nat Levine's Mascot cliffhanger factory, Rex (the black hoss) and Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. (the dog) got top billing, probably because they had more drawing power than Custer. In the top lobby card, Custer is persuading Edmund Cobb, and in the lobby card below, he's pounding perpetual baddie Dick Cramer.
 (From Old Corral collection)  (From Old Corral collection) PHANTOM OF THE WEST was one of Mascot's early sound serials. It was released in 1930 and was Tom Tyler's first talking film and his first (of seven) cliffhangers.  (From Old Corral collection) Republic Pictures was formed in 1935 with the merger of Monogram, Mascot, Consolidated Film Laboratories, et al, and Mascot's Nat Levine wound up as the producer in charge of Republic's cliffhangers. THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING (1936), 12 chapters, was directed by Mack V. Wright and Ray Taylor. This "Zorro-like" adventure was Bob Livingston's first starring serial, and it was among the first batch of cliffhangers that came out under the Republic Pictures logo.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is the title lobby card from Chapter 6 of KING OF THE TEXAS RANGERS. Directed by John "Jack" English and William Witney, this serial was released in October, 1941, several months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Note the gal next to Sammy Baugh - certainly doesn't resemble leading lady Pauline Moore. Wonder who she is.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a duotone lobby card - and a crop/blowup - from Chapter 5 of KING OF THE TEXAS RANGERS. From L-to-R are Kermit Maynard, Sammy Baugh, Duncan Renaldo, Howard Hughes and Joseph Forte (in the suit). |
