Eric Taylor Movies

Rather than the usual cattlemen vs. sheep men conflict, this above-average Rex Allen western contrasts ranchers of all kinds with the Hurley Lumber Mill company, whose destructive business methods cause flashfloods that threatens to destroy all the grazing land in Pine Valley. Assuming to be the sole heirs to the Zeke Reynolds estate, a ranch with plenty of possibilities for timber interests, Carrie Hurley (June Vincent) and her brother Dan (Fred Graham) are dismayed to learn that the dear departed also saw fit to include Slim Pickens and distant relative Jacqueline Reynolds (Mary Ellen Kay) in his bequest. Having already murdered an inquisitive forest ranger (Russ Conway), the Hurleys are not about to share the lucrative Reynolds property but the homicidal brother-and-sister team bargains without Slim's boss, Rex Allen. When not battling the glacial Carrie Hurley and her henchmen, Allen and The Republic Rhythm Riders (who received introductory billing) perform "I'm Leaving on the Pine Valley Stage" "Under Colorado Stars" and the traditional "Down By the Riverside". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In Roy Rogers' final big-screen effort, the cowboy hero plays a U.S. Border Patrolman assigned to prevent a herd of diseased cattle from crossing over from Mexico. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers and Trigger, "The Smartest Horse in the Movies," enjoy above-the-title billing in Heart of the Rockies. This time, Rogers (playing himself) is pitted against Andrew Willard, a crooked but very powerful landowner, played with relish by Ralph Morgan. Opposing the construction of a new highway, Willard dispatches his toughest henchmen, headed by Devery (Fred Graham, one of Hollywood's top stunt men), to prevent the road workers from completing their job. When not duking it out with Devery and his pals, Rogers is kept busy trying to rehabilitate a gang of tough street kids. Penny Edwards plays the heroine, who happens to be the niece of the head villain. The musical portion of the program is provided by the golden-throated Mr. Rogers, together with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Destination Big House is a well directed Republic Programmer starring Dorothy Patrick as a vacationing schoolteacher. Gangster Richard Benedict bursts into Dorothy's mountain cabin, where he dies in a shootout with the Law. As he breathes his last, Benedict wills $80,000 to Dorothy, but neglects to tell her where the loot is hidden. Coerced by the police to suggest that she knows where the money is, Dorothy helps to ferret out the rest of Benedict's gang. When the money is recovered, Dorothy donates all of it to a polio clinic maintained by the film's hero, Robert Rockwell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Warner Baxter plays the title role in Columbia's Prison Warden. A well-known reformer, Victor Burnell (Baxter) is put in charge of a prison in dire need of reforming. Meanwhile, Victor's faithless wife Elisa (played by future General Hospital star Anna Lee) carries on an affair with convict Al Gardner (Harlan Warde). Through Elisa's influence, Gardner is appointed Burnell's chauffeur, which results in disaster for all concerned. Prison Warden was directed by Seymour Friedman, with whom Warner Baxter had established a copacetic professional relationship during the run of Columbia's "Crime Doctor" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Befitting his status as a genre star, Boris Karloff earns top billing over leading man Ralph Byrd in RKO's final Dick Tracy caper. The former Frankenstein monster plays an escaped convict masterminding a daring bank robbery. To get in and out of the bank without being noticed, the gang uses an asphyxiating gas that leaves anyone inside momentarily frozen in place. Everyone, that is, except for bank customer Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne), who is able to contact Dick Tracy (Byrd) from a phone booth in the bank. With little or no clues, Tracy and his man Friday, Pat Patton (Lyle Latell), question the bank customers but none can shed any light on the mysterious goings-on. The disappearance of Dr. A. Tomic (Milton Parsons) and the odd behavior of his associate, Dr. I.M. Learned (June Clayworth), crack the case wide open, however, and Tracy is eventually able to track down both Gruesome and the surprising identity of his boss, L.E. Thal (Edward Ashley). According to some reports, RKO wanted to release Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome as "Dick Tracy Meets Karloff" but that title was vetoed by Karloff himself. The legendary horror star apparently later accepted his own box-office value and a 1949 Universal comedy was released as Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this courtroom drama, a husband finds himself accused of murder after his wife, a photographer, is found dead in her studio. The DA is determined to prosecute, but the lawyer soon has troubles of his own when his girl friend, convinced of the husband's innocence, elects to defend him. With the aid of a lie detector, she proves he was not the murderer. Fortunately, the love between the lawyers manages to hold up under all the strain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mysterious Intruder was the fifth entry in Columbia's B-picture series based on the radio anthology "The Whistler". Richard Dix, the leading man in all but one of the "Whistler" films, stars as duplicitous private eye Don Gale. Motivating the storyline are a pair of priceless Jenny Lind wax recordings, which are coveted by a Swedish millionaire. Someone is willing to kill to get his or her hands on the records, prompting Gale and the cops to conduct a citywide search for the killer. The film's resolution is surprising only to those who hadn't seen the previous "Whistler" films, but it still works. Predominant in the supporting cast is Mike Mazurki, offering a virtual reprise of his "Moose Malloy" characterization from Murder My Sweet (1945). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dick Tracy, Detective (originally just Dick Tracy) was the first of four RKO Radio B-pictures based on Chester Gould's classic comic strip. Though Ralph Byrd is most closely associated with the role of Tracy, the title character is played herein by Morgan Conway (Byrd would be seen as Tracy in the last two series entries). The jut-jawed detective takes on a vicious criminal named Splitface (Mike Mazurki), who upon escaping from jail vows to murder the jurors who found him guilty and their alternates. He manages to knock off three before the police force figures out what's happening. Galvanized into action, Dick Tracy and his partner Pat Patton (Lyle Latell) track Splitface to a deserted riverboat (a leftover set from the 1945 RKO feature Man Alive) where the villain is holding Tracy's girlfriend Tess Truehart (Anne Jeffreys) and adopted son Junior (Mickey Kuhn) captive. When asked about Dick Tracy Detective in 1990, Anne Jeffreys flatly denied she'd ever played Tess Trueheart until she caught up with the film on videotape. She'd completely forgotten the whole experience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this episode of the "Crime Doctor" series, Dr. Orday, the sleuthing shrink, cares for a patient who suffers from blackouts. The patient, an artist from New York's Latin Quarter, cannot remember a thing from these episodes. What is most disturbing is that several models have been recently murdered as has the artist's girlfriend. Dr. Orday solves the case. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Shadows in the Night was the third entry in Columbia's Crime Doctor series, starring Warner Baxter as crook-turned-criminologist Dr. Robert Ordway. Nina Foch delivers a superb performance as Lois Garland, a beautiful young heiress being driven to insanity and possible suicide. Poor Lois resides in a house seemingly festooned with malevolent ghosts; Ordway suspects that her tormentors are of the human variety. With George Zucco on hand as the sinister Frank Swift, can there be any doubt as to the identity of the perpetrator? Well, actually, there can, but it's best to see the film to find out for sure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Son of Dracula represents a felicitious creative collaboration between director Robert Siodmak and his screenwriter-brother Curt. The story is set in the American south, where the mysterious Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) has recently taken up residence. Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), a student of the occult, is fascinated by Alucard, so much so that she agrees to become his wife. But when Katherine begins to look and act strangely, her former suitor Frank Stanley (Robert Paige) suspects that something's amiss. Assisted by town doctor Brewster (Frank Craven) and psychologist Laszlo (J. Edward Bromberg), Frank comes to the inescapable conclusion that Count Alucard is actually the dreaded vampire Count Dracula's offspring (this much he might have figured out simply by spelling the man's name backward!) To prevent Dracula from spreading his influence throughout America, Frank and his confreres race against time to destroy the count and, hopefully, rescue poor Katherine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide