Jimmy Wakely Movies
"Wakely," says one modern critic, "just never seemed comfortable as a movie cowboy." Yet, there he was in 1944, as low-budget Monogram's answer to Republic Pictures' singing cowboy sensations Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Wakely, in fact, had reportedly been discovered by Autry and he later made his screen debut (with the Jimmy Wakely Trio) in a Rogers Western, Saga of Death Valley (1939). As a country & western balladeer, Wakely certainly had his merits and he would eventually be topped only by Autry in the amount of pop hits delivered. He was not a natural actor and although Monogram added several well-known sidekicks to their Jimmy Wakely music Westerns, the series remained decidedly also-ran in nature. Wakely was awarded no less than two sidekicks in his first two films -- Dennis Moore and elderly Lee "Lasses" White -- then counted on White alone to deliver comedic punch to the following ten. With Ridin' Down the Trail, White was replaced by Dub Taylor, who previously had rescued other, less-than-stellar cowboy heroes. Taylor, whose bucolic antics remain purely a matter of taste, stayed with Wakely for the duration of his Monogram contract, 16 Westerns in all. Leaving films in 1949, Jimmy Wakely continued to record and is perhaps best remembered for his collaboration with singer Margaret Whiting and for the Christmas song "Silver Bells." Jimmy Wakely comic books survived until 1952, but Wakely himself could never escape having once been Monogram's low-budget answer to Gene Autry. The performer, however, opted for a philosophic attitude: "Everybody reminds somebody of someone else until they are somebody. And I had rather be compared to Gene Autry than anyone else. Through the grace of God and Gene Autry, I got a career." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi- 1984
This documentary concerns the legion of B-westerns made from the end of the silent era to the present, including stock footage of all the classic cinema cowboys. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1957
This parody of Hollywood westerns centers on a boorish hellion of a cowboy star who makes life for the studio people around him a waking nightmare. His press agent is particularly beleaguered as she has been assigned to try to keep the errant star in line. She really has her work cut out for her when a little boy wins a national contest and gets to spend a month in the cowboy's home. Now the agent must conceal her difficult charge's true nature from the innocent boy. Fortunately, the lad has a good effect on the star and helps him settle down and become a decent fellow. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jock Mahoney, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1955
Edgar Buchanan enjoys a rare top-billed assignment in Lippert's The Silver Star. The film's leading man, however, is one Earle Lyon, who also produced the picture. Lyon plays a reluctant sheriff who turns tail and runs when three outlaws come to town intending to do him in. Ultimately, Lyon is shamed into behaving like a man by his predecessor Edgar Buchanan. As can be seen, Silver Star manages to emulate the High Noon formula without resorting to outright imitation. Lon Chaney Jr., one of the supporting players in High Noon, is third-billed in Silver Star as Lyon's disgruntled political opponent, while Marie Windsor registers well in a less aggressive characterization than usual. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edgar Buchanan, Marie Windsor, (more)
- 1954
Arrow in the Dust is an intelligently assembled story of regeneration. Deserting cavalry trooper Bart Laish (Sterling Hayden) is forced by a series of circumstances to assume the identity of his dead commanding officer. In this guise, Laish is put in charge of a wagon train heading through Indian country. At first intending to weasel out of the responsibility, Laish eventually takes his duties seriously, and in so doing he restores his own innate courage and self-respect. Alas, he is undermined by duplicitous Tillotson (Tudor Owen), who intends to betray his fellow passengers and sell guns to the Indians. Coleen Gray costars as Christella, who comes to love the renegade Laish and helps him to rebuild his tarnished reputaton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1953
To fully appreciate the western comedy The Marshal's Daughter, one must be aware that its star, a zaftig, wide-eyed lass named Laurie Anders, was in 1953 a popular TV personality. A regular on The Ken Murray Show, Anders had risen to fame with the Southern-fried catchphrase "Ah love the wi-i-i-ide open spaces!" Striking while the iron was hot, the entrepreneurial Murray produced this inexpensive oater, which cast Anders as Laurie Dawson, the singing daughter of a U.S. marshal (Hoot Gibson). Teaming with her dad to capture outlaw Trigger Gans (Bob Duncan), Laurie briefly disguises herself as a masked bandit. Amidst much stock footage from earlier westerns and a plethora of lame jokes and dreadful puns, The Marshal's Daughter is a treat for trivia buffs, featuring such virile actors as Preston S. Foster, Johnny Mack Brown, Jimmy Wakely and Buddy Baer as "themselves." Ken Murray himself makes a supporting appearance as a leering frontier wiseacre named "Sliding Bill Murray." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurie Anders, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1949
A late entry in Monogram's Jimmy Wakely musical Western series, Brand of Fear features a nice performance by Gail Davis, television's Annie Oakley. Davis plays Anne Lamont, whose guardian, Marshal Black Jack Flint (Tom London), hires her as the new schoolteacher of Oreville, AZ. Black Jack, however, is really a reformed outlaw and is being blackmailed by crooked blacksmith Cal Derringer (Marshall Reed). Derringer is in league with outlaw Tom Slade (William H. Ruhl), who plans to rob a shipment of ore. On the side of law and order are trouble-shooter Jimmy Wakely and his sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor). They run down the villains, and with his dying breath, Derringer confesses that Black Jack was innocent of the charges leveled against him 20 years earlier and that he is actually Anne's natural father. In between battling the bad guys, Wakely finds time to sing "There's a Rainbow Over the Range" by Tim Spencer and "Cool Water" by the prolific Bob Nolan. Monogram could have done much worse than this tightly packaged piece of Western hokum, and often did. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1949
In this late entry in Monogram's Jimmy Wakely series of musical Westerns, Wakely and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) come to the aid of Reno Browne, whose brother, Steven (Riley Hill), is convicted and sentenced to death for killing an enemy of their later father. Wakely and Cannonball, who has enrolled in a detective correspondence course, do a bit of investigating and are soon on the track of the real killer, Carson (Dennis Moore), the leader of a gang smuggling ore from Mexico. Although ostensibly a Jimmy Wakely vehicle, Across the Rio Grande became something of a showcase for supporting actors Riley Hill and Dub Taylor. The latter made much of his mail-order detective schtick, to the point of firing a bullet into a recently acquired "bulletproof" vest. The bullet, alas, was not deflected by the vest but by Cannonball's correspondence-manual. Across the Rio Grande marked the screen debut of radio songstress Polly Bergen, who appeared as a cantina singer under her real name Polly Burgin. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Reno Browne, (more)
- 1949
Singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely was in his final year of movie stardom when Gun Runner was released by Monogram. Wakely has more action than songs this time out, as he searches for an old pal who has gone sour and is selling guns to the Indians. The pathos of this situation is counterpointed by the pig-bladder comedy of Dub "Cannonball" Taylor. The leading-lady lineup is an interesting one: co-starring with Wakely are Noel Neill, the future Lois Lane on TV's Superman, and Mae Clarke, she of the "grapefruit massage" in 1931's Public Enemy. The comparatively sympathetic villain is portrayed by real-life sharpshooting champ Kenne Duncan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Noel Neill, (more)
- 1949
In one of his better later Westerns, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely comes to the aid of a reformed outlaw and his wayward son. Wrongfully accused of a shooting, the outlaw, Hank Cardigan (Lee Phelps), is rescued by Jimmy, who manages to obtain a job for his new friend at the local express office. But Cardigan's unruly son, Tom (John James), is determined to repeat his father's mistakes -- until, that is, Jimmy and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) convince him that crime does not pay. Wakely and an unbilled Ray Whitley perform "I Have Looked the Whole World Over" and Foy Willing's "Rose of Santa Fe." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1949
In his second-to-last Monogram Western, country & western singer Jimmy Wakely does hardly any singing at all as he and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) attempt to catch the villain who caused the death of 16-year-old Perry Andrews (Buddy Swan), a student at the Sheriff's Association School. Perry was shot by Marshal Jim Braden (Jack Ingram), who mistook him for a murderous claim jumper. Due to young Perry's suspected involvement in a crime, the foundation supporting his school is threatening to withdraw all funding. To save the school, Wakely and Cannonball tracks down the claim jumper (Nolan Leary) by pretending to be outlaws themselves. A clean-cut veteran of Gene Autry's radio show, Wakely became Monogram's best bid in the Singing Cowboy sweepstakes. His series ran from 1944 to 1949, almost exclusively in the hinterlands. By that late date, B-Westerns were facing stiff competition from television and Wakely left to form his own record label. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1949
Monogram's four-year-old Jimmy Wakely western series began to wind down with Courtin' Trouble. As was customary, Jimmy does more singin' than fightin' or shootin' in this leisurely entry. The plot concerns an ongoing feud between cattlemen and frontier merchants. Adding fuel to the fire is an outlaw gang, masterminded by saloon owner Leonard Penn (the real-life father of actors Sean and Christopher Penn). Virginia Belmont plays a lady attorney who is determined to bring things to a peaceful conclusion, while Dub "Cannonball" Taylor is the all-around comedy relief. Star Wakely manages to squeeze three musical numbers into the film's 56-minute timespan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Virginia Belmont, (more)
- 1949
Desert Vigilante perpetuated the long-running "Durango Kid" western series starring Charles Starrett. Per the title, Starrett gallops into a remote desert town, where he single-handedly (or so it seems) rounds up the villainous element. At this point in time, Starrett was being extensively doubled by the legendary Jock Mahoney, and the results were never less than spectacular. The subterfuge was helped along by the fact that Starrett's "Durango" character was required to wear a mask during most of the film. Desert Vigilante represented the first directorial assignment for Fred F. Sears, who remained with the Columbia "B" unit throughout the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1949
Singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely stars in Monogram's Silver Trails. It all begins when Jimmy and his comical sidekick Dub "Cannonball" Taylor ride into a small California engineering community. Villain Jackson (George Meeker) is busy orchestrating a land-grab scheme, using the members of an outlaw gang as his flunkies. Jackson hopes to split the miners down the middle by sparking a feud. Jimmy does his best to keep the peace, resorting to gunplay only when all else fails. Future Monogram star Whip Wilson essays a secondary role. In fact, Silver Trails was partially designed as a "pilot" for a potential Whip Wilson series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Christine Larson, (more)
- 1949
Ostensibly a Jimmy Wakely musical Western -- the singer's final starring vehicle -- The Lawless Code is really a showcase for Riley Hill, a young supporting actor who had played young henchmen for years under the name Roy Harris. While Wakely is barely given enough to warble "Trail to Mexico," Hill appears front and center as Curly Blake, a young rancher whose uncle (Steve Clark) is murdered for his valuable land. Uncle and nephew had been estranged since Curly rejected an offer to sell the family spread to the Red Rock Land & Development Company. Curly is accused of the killing, but the real culprit is the company president, a smooth-talking ex-judge (Tristram Coffin). With assistance from traveling troubadour Wakely and his sidekick, Cannonball (Dub Taylor), Curly rescues lovely Rita Caldwell (Ellen Hall) from Steele's blackmailing henchmen (Kenne Duncan and Terry Frost), one of whom is made to spill the beans about the killing. Wakely and the Sheriff (Bud Osborne) set a trap for Steele, who is soon apprehended. A busy supporting player well into the television era, Riley Hill later played the recurring role of Marshal Riley on Marshall of Gunsight Pass (1950). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
In this western a cowboy and his gang must take on a band of bad-to-the-bone female outlaws. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1948
In this western a singing cowboy and his side-kick rescue a pretty gal who runs a stagecoach and finds herself in trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1948
Hired to catch a killer horse named Midnight, Jimmy Wakely and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) get themselves in trouble with a couple of confidence artists, Monica (Christine Larson) and Brent (Leonard Penn). The latter accidentally kills Jimmy's employer, horse breeder Tom Chadwick (Tom Chatterton), and blames Midnight, who is about to race Monica's stallion Ace High. The dead man's daughter, Laura (Kay Morley), at first believes Midnight to be guilty, but is finally persuaded otherwise by Jimmy, who goes after the crooks and their young boss, Lannigan (John James). When not breaking wild horses or engaging in fisticuffs, Jimmy Wakely performs his own and Oliver Drake's "Rose of the Prairie," along with "Dear Okie," by Rudy Sooter and Doye O'Dell, and "Headin' for Home," by Isham Jones. Outlaw Brand also features hillbilly musicians Ray Whitley (who, not coincidentally, was also Wakely's manager), Dick Reinhart, Jack Rivers, and Louis Armstrong. The latter should, of course, not be confused with the jazz legend of the same name. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
In this tuneful western, a brave hero endeavors to save the town from the evil villains who are trying to poison its water supply. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1948
Two communities fight to become county seat in this Jimmy Wakely music western from Monogram Pictures. When Rainbow's End, one of the two towns in question, experiences a stage holdup, State Commissioner Walton (J.C. Lytton) looks to Yuba Junction where, unbeknownst to him, the local undertaker, Beasley (I. Stanford Jolley), is buying up all the surrounding land by means of terror. At first confused with a notorious, but highly fictitious, outlaw named "The Melody Kid," Jimmy obtains the job of deputy sheriff in Rainbow's End with a mandate to go after both the stage robbers and their secret boss, Beasley. Accompanied by "Fiddlin'" Arthur Smith, Dick Reinhart and Don Weston, Wakely performs his own and Smiley Burnette's "On the Strings of My Lonesome Guitar" and "Oklahoma Blues", Tiny Stokes' "Judy" and the traditional "The Old Chisholm Trail". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
A Texas Ranger is once again falsely accused of murder in this above-average singing-cowboy oater from Monogram. This time, the unfortunate gent is Jimmy Wakely, who, along with his band of ex-Rangers, battle the new corrupt police force that briefly replaced the Texas Rangers corps. Unbeknownst to Commissioner Jed Brant (Steve Clark), the new State Police is actually strong-arming the local ranchers and Jimmy and his former colleagues have become a threat to this lucrative side business. The brain behind the crimes is Brant's second-in-command, Captain Barton (Marshall Reed), who plots with his henchman Hamen (Pierce Lyden) to frame Jimmy in the killing of a couple of ex-Rangers. Even Jimmy's best friends, Vic Sanders (Riley Hill), Brant's nephew, and his fiancée Sheila (Virginia Belmont) begin to suspect their friend of wrong-doings, especially after the commissioner himself is found murdered. Aided by his friend Cannonball (Dub Taylor), however, Jimmy manages to extract a confession from the slimy Hamen and the game is up. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
Country and western warbler-turned-cowboy star Jimmy Wakely, normally a colorless and unexciting screen presence, is actually given some action sequences in this virtually musicless western. Wakeley and comical sidekick Dub Taylor stumble across a murder scheme, hatched by beautiful but deadly Christine Larson. The victim is her husband, played by Leonard Penn (who happens to be the real-life father of current screen stars Sean and Christopher Penn). What with its black-widow plot and overdependence upon shadowy art direction, Partners of the Sunset is more "film noir" than western. Joining Jimmy Wakeley in the film's sparse singing sequences is the equally bland Ray Whitley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1947
In this western, two cowboys are framed as cattle rustlers and tossed in the pokey. Later, honest ranchers spring them and together they ride out against the rustlers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1947
Produced in Kernville, California, this typical Jimmy Wakely singing Western from Monogram had the former radio troubadour settling a range feud between his uncle and boss (Budd Buster) and a homesteader (songwriter Jack Baxley) by proving that both were the victims of their crooked foremen (Zon Murray and Bob Duncan). Patricia Starling, who also appeared opposite Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson, added a bit of romance to the proceedings, which also benefitted from Wakely's warbling of the old standard Whoppi Ti Yi Yo and his own The Lonesome Trail. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1947
In this western, a cowboy crooner finds himself entangled with ruthless rustlers posing as Rangers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1947
C&W singer Jimmy Wakely would never be Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, but he strove to please. In Song of the Wasteland, Jimmy tries to uphold law and order in a tough frontier town. The villainy was in the grimy hands of Holly Bane, Pierce Lyden, Ted Adams and George Cheseboro, so Wakely had his work cut out for him. On hand for laughs was Lee "Lasses" White, whom one western historian characterized as the unfunniest comic relief in screen history. Director Thomas Carr keeps the action flowing, even during the musical sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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