Edward Phillips Movies

Temporarily taking leave of the TV series The Lone Ranger because of a salary dispute, Clayton Moore found time to star in Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory. The film is as old-fashioned as its title, though that's not an altogether bad thing. Rewriting history somewhat, the story depicts Buffalo Bill (Moore) as an unstinting friend of the Indians. His mission this time around is to protect his Native American friends from evil, land-grabbing gold speculators. Several veteran Indian actors are spotlighted in Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory, including Rod Redwing, Chief Yowlachie and Chief Thundercloud. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Here's another entry in PRC's long-running "Billy the Kid" series, again starring Buster Crabbe as Billy Carson and Al St. John as his comic sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. In this outing, a bandit posing as Billy manages to pin several crimes on Our Hero. Cleverly eluding the law (never mind the film's title), Billy endeavors to track down his impostor and put him behind bars. The plot is resolved by a typical PRC fistfight, which as usual is more energetic than expert. Young Anne Jeffreys, a starlet on the threshold of bigger things, is definitely an improvement over the standard western ingenue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this entry in the long running saga of the "Dead End Kids," the East Side boys leave the Big Apple and go to California to seek their fortunes. They'd rather not have to work for their money, but end up working on the ranch of an aged Italian woman who treats her employees kindly (unlike other farmers of the era, who often treated their migrant workers worse than animals). Her son disappeared as a baby and one of the boy's decides to convince her that he is the long lost child in hopes of getting an inheritance. After a while, he is so moved by her kindness that he changes his mind and tries to help her for real when the truckers team up with a union to keep her harvest from reaching the market. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Smoke Tree Range represented another winning collaboration between cowboy hero Buck Jones and his favorite director Lesley Selander. A gang of cattle rustlers is at large, and Lee Cary (Buck Jones) aims to round 'em up and bring 'em in. He also champions the cause of heroine Nan Page (Muriel Evans) by searching for the men responsible for her father's murder. The villain of the piece is a two-bit dictator known as El Capitan (Donald Kirke), actually an American fugitive from justice named Wirt Stoner. If the plot is patchy at times, the action content more than makes up for any continuity gaps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this newspaper farce, an editor loses his voice and his job after he tires of being tormented by the practical jokes of one of two reporters. The joker ends up the new editor. Soon after taking the job, his personality changes dramatically and soon he has become a pompous and excessively harsh taskmaster. His former partner is so disgusted that she decides to leave and marry a stodgy writer of inspirational books. The new editor loves his partner and tries to get her back. When he fails, he begins drinking heavily and wondering what kind of wedding gift he should get her. Knowing that she likes the excitement of police and fire calls, he insures that her wedding will be unforgettable by having fire engines, police cars, and hearses show up to the nuptials. In the end, the editor drives a wagon from the local loony bin into the ceremony and kidnaps her. Romance ensues and eventually the two are married. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Starring the supposed offspring of legendary canine Rin-Tin-Tin, this listless Western, "based on a story by James Oliver Curwood" also featured former silent screen cowboy Bob Custer, as laconic and pedestrian a personality as ever. Custer played Ted Saunders an undercover agent attempting to catch the villains who murdered and robbed the owner of a stagecoach line. The only witness to the crime is the dead man's faithful dog, Rannah (Rin-Tin-Tin, Jr., who becomes the next target of the killers. Nearing the end of his career, Custer basically stood back and led the dog do his thing. The two had met before, in the Mascot serial The Law of the Wild (1934) which, despite its miniscule budget, was a near masterpiece in comparison to the dreadful The Vengeance of Rannah. Rinty, Jr. returned the following year opposite Rex Lease in The Silver Trail, the final release of Poverty Row company Reliable Pictures Corp. Both films were directed by "Franklin Shamray" and "Henri Samuels," producers Bernard B. Ray and Harry S. Webb, respectively. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Often compared to Reefer Madness, this low-budget exploitation melodrama features Lois January as Jane Bradford, a small-town coffee-shop waitress falling in love with smooth-talking city hoodlum Nick Brogan (Noel Madison), who gets her hooked on cocaine. While Jane goes from pretty ingénue to a hardened nightclub habitue known as Lil, her brother Eddie (Dean Benton), a waiter in a drive-in restaurant, is persuaded by co-worker Fanny (Sheila Manners) to enjoy a night on the town. They both become addicts and Fanny is reduced to walking the streets for money. Pregnant and rejected by the hopped-up Eddie, she finally kills herself. Nick, meanwhile, attempts to seduce Dorothy Farley (Lois Lindsay), a bleach-blonde debutante, but the girl is saved in the nick of time by Jane/Lil, who shoots and kills their tormentor. The police arrive to arrest not only Jane but also the mysterious Mr. Big, who turns out to be Dorothy's father (Frank Shannon). Cocaine Fiends also features well-known character actress Fay Holden ("Hasn't he told you yet? Those headache powders are dope!"), who hides behind her original stage moniker of Gaby Fay, and a full-length floor show that includes gawky singer Nona Lee performing "All I Want Is You." The film was a remake of Willis Kent's silent The Pace That Kills (1928), footage from which is used throughout. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This better-than-average Buck Jones western stars Jones as Buck Saunders, shunned by his community because it is believed that his father was a rustler. After a long absence, Buck returns home, only to discover that he's still regarded as a pariah. By now, however, our hero has the intestinal fortitude to dig up the facts and prove his father's innocence -- and to round up the guilty parties and toss them all in the jug. In the process, he wins back the love of his childhood sweetheart, Muriel Fergus (Muriel Evans). The Throwback was the vanguard of a string of top-rank Buck Jones westerns for Universal, a string broken only when he left the studio in 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, an amateur pilot is driven to living life in the fast lane after he pilots that plane that crashed and killed his parents and his sister. He goes on to marry. He and his new wife live in terrible conditions until he suddenly inherits $8,000 which he uses to buy a plane and start up a commuter service. Unfortunately, he finds himself again in debt. His disgusted wife leaves, but when he is hurt in a car crash, she eventually returns. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Radio baritone Joe Morrison was being groomed for stardom by Paramount when he was top-billed in One Hour Late. Morrison is cast as shipping clerk Eddie Blake, whose girlfriend Betty Dunn (Helen Twelvetrees) is secretary to big boss Stephen Barclay (Conrad Nagel). A trusting soul, Betty sees nothing wrong in accepting Barclay's invitation to visit his home for the weekend. But Eddie suspects the worst and tags along to make sure that Betty's virtue remains intact. As it happens, Eddie's fears are groundless -- as are those of Barclay's wife Ellen (Gail Patrick), who was poised to walk out on her husband at the first sign of extramarital hanky-panky. The script contrives to have a radio station located in the building where Eddie works, permitting Joe Morrison to croon a medley of his hit "The Last Roundup." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Woman Unafraid stars venerable character actress Lucille Gleason as Officer Winthrop, a no-nonsense but golden-hearted policewoman. Winthrop serves as den mother and confidante for wayward girls on parole, and also keeps a watchful eye on the dance halls in her district. With the help of a former gun moll Peggy (Lona Andre), our heroine gets the goods on Luciano-like gangster boss Big Bill Lewis (Jason Robards Sr.) "B"-picture habitues Skeets Gallagher and Warren Hymer make significant contributions, but it's Gleason's picture all the way. Produced by low-budget Goldsmith Pictures, A Woman Unafraid was helmed by house director William J. Cowan, who'd previously handled Monogram's not-uninteresting 1933 adaption of Oliver Twist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The son of a famed race car driver is so traumatized by witnessing his father's fatal racetrack crash that he refuses to drive. Instead, the young man becomes an ace stunt pilot. His aerial prowess gives him the confidence he needs to get behind the wheel and honor his father's memory. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Young football hero Jim Fowler (Robert Young) isn't in it for the love of the game. The hardworking young man is simply using the sport as a means to help him pay for school, and doesn't consider it any different from the laundry service he runs in his spare time. Rather than stroking his ego, the constant onslaught of football fanatics and sports reporters disgust Jim (Young) to the extent that his football coach (Joe Sawyer) tells old football chums--Jim's father Ezra (Grant Mitchell) and the father of Jim's girlfriend--about the star player's erratic behavior. The men, being passionate football fans themselves, are saddened by Jim's lackluster attitude towards the game. Convinced that people only respect him because of his skills on the field, Jim distances himself from Joan (Leila Hyams), his girlfriend, and seeks out a woman he believes knows nothing about football or his role in it. To his surprise, however, she not only knows of his career, but blackmails him to throw the game. When he refuses, her husband breaks Jim's hand. Suddenly inspired, Jim refuses to let the coach know about his condition and heroically takes to the field with a new perspective. Regardless of whether the big game is one or lost, Jim realizes that his teammates, being true friends after all, would rather lose with him than win without him. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi