Robert Yost Movies
Dante's Inferno (1935) was the first major screen credit of American screenwriter Robert Yost. From here, Yost moved to Paramount, where he worked on the studio's Zane Grey Western series. Then it was off to Republic, where he penned several Three Mesquiteers entries. Robert Yost remained active in the Western field until 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1943
Overland Mail Robbery is another entry in Republic's "Wild Bill" Elliot western series. Once again, Elliot's leading lady is Anne Jeffreys, and once again his comical sidekick is Gabby Hayes. The plot finds Wild Bill coming to the aid of namby-pamby Easterner Tom Hartley (played by future "Superman" Kirk Alyn), who has inherited his family's stagecoach line. With Elliot's assistance, Tom proves he's a real he-man by standing up to the outlaw gang terrorizing the countryside. Of interest is the fact that the gang leader is a woman, played by Alice Fleming, who later portrayed "The Duchess" in Republic's "Red Ryder" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Jeffreys, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1943
In this western, the Three Mesquiteers team up with a Texas Ranger to round up the outlaws who forced the ranger's younger brother into becoming a criminal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, (more)
- 1943
In this western a pugnacious cowboy tries to prevent a city-slicker from conning the local ranchers and the utility company. The hero believes the man is really a murderer. To find out for sure, the hero and his assistant pretend to be cons on the lam. The hero is soon accused of the murder. Now he must escape and bring justice to the real killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Wally Vernon, (more)
Roy Rogers champions the cause of Easterner Sylvia Clark (Helen Parrish), who is in danger of losing her father's ranch to crooked land speculators. Roy tries to deal with the villains through legal channel, but they spoil things by resorting to strong-arm tactics. Making our hero's task all the more difficult is that the principal heavy is woman, one Vera Martin (Joan Woodbury)-and just try to catch Roy Rogers punching out a female! Despite stiff competition from the ineluctable Gabby Hayes, the film is slyly stolen by Onslow Stevens as a shifty lawyer. The musical portion of the program is ably handled by Rogers and his old pals, the Sons of the Pioneers (with Bob Nolan). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1942
Republic's The Phantom Plainsman is another in the long-running "Three Mesquiteers" western series. The heroic triumverate are herein portrayed by Bob Steele (as Tucson Smith), Tom Tyler (Stony Brooke) and Rufe Davis (Lullaby Joslin). In keeping with a trend then prevalent in "B" westerns, the Mesquiteers are pitted against a Nazi agent, one Colonel Hartwig (Robert O. Davis, aka Rudolph Anders). Ranch owner Cap Marvin (Charles Miller) is forced by Hartwig to turn his horses over to the Third Reich, lest harm befall Marvin's son, currently held behind bars by the Gestapo. Though jailed themselves on an assault-and-battery charge, the Mesquiteers manage to escape in time to clean Hartwig's clock and make the west safe for Democracy-and more Three Mesquiteers films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Bob Steele, (more)
Young Buffalo Bill was one of a brief series of Roy Rogers "historical westerns" of the early 1940s. Per the title, Rogers plays the youthful Bill Cody, here depicted as an assistant land surveyor in old New Mexico. The villains plot to get their hands on valuable mineral deposits in the region, and to that end enlist the aid of a hostile Indian tribe. But Young Buffalo Bill saves the day, with a bit of assistance from the ever-on-time US Cavalry. George "Gabby" Hayes is around for his traditional comedy relief, while the aristocratic Spanish-American heroine is played by winsome Pauline Moore, Republic's "answer" to Margaret Sullavan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
Roy Rogers plays an outlaw out to avenge the murder of his brother in this fine Republic Western directed by one of the masters of the genre, Joseph Kane. Learning that the man he believes to be the killer, Lee Jessup (Bob Steele), is running a gambling establishment in Sonora, the Kid manages to obtain a job body guarding Jessup's saloon and its star attraction, Joby (Pauline Moore). But although intent on biding his time, the hero cannot stand idly by while Jessup is taking advantage of a naïve prospector (Noah Beery Jr.) and is forced to show his hand. One of Rogers' better early vehicles, The Carson City Kid is enlivened by a couple of good songs, including "Are You the One?" and "Sonora Moon," both by Peter Tinturia and performed by Rogers and Moore (who later admitted to having been dubbed). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1939
Even geniuses have to eat, and when Mark Twain was offered a substantial sum of money to slap together a quickie sequel to his classic novel Tom Sawyer, he responded with the pulpish but entertaining Tom Sawyer, Detective. Billy Cook is sublimely cast as Tom, while Donald O'Connor steals the film in the more colorful role of Huckleberry Finn. When local deacon Uncle Silas (Porter Hall) is accused of murder, Tom and Huck endeavor to prove his innocence by solving the mystery themselves. Complicating matters is the fact that the "dead man" (William Haade) is seen roaming around very much alive. The film's highlight is a spooky episode in a mausoleum, with our intrepid heroes working overtime to convince each other that they ain't really scared. Janet Waldo, later one of the most versatile voiceover actresses in the business, plays Tom's puppy-love interest Ruth Phelps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Cook, Donald O'Connor, (more)
- 1939
In this drama, an ingenious journalist finds himself at odds with his brother the district attorney over his unconventional methods of investigating a story; especially when they interfere with the judicial process as they did when he began eavesdropping upon a grand jury. One of the reporter's tricks involves several ham radios strategically placed around the city. With the help of the operators, the journalist is able to get scoops. When he is kidnapped by a crime boss who is sick of his constant snooping, the operators come to his rescue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Howard, Gail Patrick, (more)
- 1938
Tip-Off Girls is a worthwhile entry in Paramount's "FBI" series, based on the various writings of
J. Edgar Hoover. The title refers to a group of pretty young women who are ordered by their gangster bosses to pick up tips on incoming merchandise shipments, thereby expediting a sophisticated hijacking operation. The girls are also expected to keep the freight drivers occupied while the crooks go about their business. G-Man Bob Anders (Lloyd Nolan) eventually smashes the racket with the help of decoy Marjorie Rogers (Mary Carlisle). Equipped with a Greek accent this time out, J. Carrol Naish plays the supposedly respectable head of the hijackers, while the rest of the cast is populated with such reliable Paramount stock-company players as Roscoe Karns, Buster Crabbe, Anthony Quinn, Benny Baker, Evelyn Brent, Irving Bacon and Stanley Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
J. Edgar Hoover. The title refers to a group of pretty young women who are ordered by their gangster bosses to pick up tips on incoming merchandise shipments, thereby expediting a sophisticated hijacking operation. The girls are also expected to keep the freight drivers occupied while the crooks go about their business. G-Man Bob Anders (Lloyd Nolan) eventually smashes the racket with the help of decoy Marjorie Rogers (Mary Carlisle). Equipped with a Greek accent this time out, J. Carrol Naish plays the supposedly respectable head of the hijackers, while the rest of the cast is populated with such reliable Paramount stock-company players as Roscoe Karns, Buster Crabbe, Anthony Quinn, Benny Baker, Evelyn Brent, Irving Bacon and Stanley Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Nolan, Mary Carlisle, (more)
- 1938
J. Carroll Naish positively oozes immigrant gangster charm in this fairly entertaining thriller from Paramount. He plays Louis Zonta, an immigrant gangster running a racket that transports wanted criminals. At their wits end, the authorities send in undercover agent Bent Martin (Robert Preston) to infiltrate the gang and the young G-Man concocts a plan to trap Zonta by using the gangster's mistress, Marie Arden (Judith Barrett). The scheme nearly backfires, but Martin finally manages to gun down the gang leader from his airplane. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J. Carrol Naish, Mary Carlisle, (more)
- 1938
Shirley Ross plays an innocent young girl convicted for complicity in a crime committed by her boy friend (Lloyd Nolan). The male crook is sentence to six months on a prison farm populated by both men and women (segregated, of course). Ross is also incarcerated, suffering the cruelties of the sadistic male and female guards (including J. Carroll Naish and future "Ma Kettle" Marjorie Main!) Since this film leaves no cliche unturned, an escape attempt is inevitable, but Ross is ultimately rescued from her plight for the obligatory happy ending. Nowhere near as exploitive as the later Linda Blair films of the same ilk, Prison Farm was considered reasonably realistic in 1938, earning back its modest cost and then some. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Ross, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
- 1937
Thunder Trail is a thoughtful, intelligent adaptation of the Zane Grey yarn. Arizona Ames. The storyline is a Grey favorite, concerning a pair of brothers separated at birth. One of the boys grows up to be an outlaw, while the other remains on the right side of the law. Meeting in adulthood as enemies, the brothers bury the hatchet when the "good" one kills the man responsible for the death of their father. The two heroes are played by Mexican actor Gilbert Roland and North American Native James Craig (to "explain" Roland's pronounced accent, it is shown that he is raised by Mexican J. Carroll Naish -- in real life an Irishman!) If the music score sounds familiar, it's because it was originally composed for Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman. Thunder Trail was reissued to television as Thunder Pass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gilbert Roland, Marsha Hunt, (more)
- 1937
Paramount borrowed John Wayne from Republic Pictures for the studio's second screen version of Zane Grey's Born to the West, which was also the Western's original release title. A couple of drifters, Dare Rudd (Wayne) and Dinkie Hooley (Sid Saylor), arrive in a Wyoming town hoping for a handout from Dare's rancher cousin, Tom Fillmore (Johnny Mack Brown). Dare takes but one look at Tom's girlfriend, Judy Worstall (Marsha Hunt), and decides to stay in town. He obtains the job of chuck wagon cook, but Judy, who is falling for the charming newcomer, convinces Tom to give Dare a job with more responsibilities. To get rid of a potential rival and to prove Dare's irresponsibility once and for all, Tom assigns his cousin the job of selling the herd. Unbeknownst to either Tom or Dare, however, saloon owner Bart Hammond (Monte Blue) also has his greedy eye on the herd and sets a trap for Dare. Hell Town used quite a bit of stock footage from the original silent version, Born to the West, which had starred Jack Holt. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Marsha Hunt, (more)
- 1937
Paramount's "Zane Grey" series continued rolling onward with 1937's Forlorn River. Larry "Buster" Crabbe, a regular in the Grey films, stars as Nevada, who in the company of his sidekick Weary Pierce (Sid Saylor) searches high and low for the outlaw gang run by Les Setter (Harvey Stephens). It's quite a chore, since Setter is heaps smarter than most of the "good guys," especially ineffectual sheriff Grundy (Chester Conklin). But Nevada has an added incentive: if he brings in the villain, he's certain to win the affections of heroine Ina Blaine (June Martel). Too loosely constructed to be totally successful, Forlorn River is held together by the consistently excellent cinematography of Harry Hallenberger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, June Martel, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, a WWI veteran gets married after receiving his bonus money from the government. His meddlesome aunts then attempt to tell him how the tidy sum should be spent. He listens and reluctantly invests in oil. Trouble ensues when con men appear in town and attempt to sell every one phony petroleum futures. Later the nephew begins drilling himself and by the film's end has struck real oil. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Everett Horton, Charlotte Wynters, (more)
Generous stock footage from Paramount's silent Zane Grey series enhances the production values of the entertaining "pocket" western Desert Gold. Though most of the storyline is taken up the romance between young pioneers Dick Gale (Tom Keene) and Jane Belding (Marsha Hunt), the most compelling character is young Indian chief Maya, played by Buster Crabbe. Faithfully guarding the gold deposits which rightfully belong to his people, Maya finds his hands full fending off the villainous incursions of claim-jumping Chetley Kasedon (Monte Blue) and his gang. Dick Gale casts his lot with Maya, forming a united front against the villains. Featured among the supporting cast are new Paramount contractees Robert Cummings as an eastern tenderfoot, and Glenn (later Leif) Erikson as Kasedon's brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Robert Cummings, (more)
Fabled Broadway comedian Joe Cook, who hadn't been seen on screen since 1930's Rain or Shine, essayed the title role in 1937's Arizona Mahoney. As in his earlier film, the star plays a travelling circus entrepreneur, said "circus"consisting of an elephant, a goose, and a rusty old cannon. When Arizona Mahoney's partner Randall (Robert Cummings) decides to settle in one spot -- the better to woo heroine Sue Bixby (June Martel) -- Mahoney does the same, attempting to prove his mettle as a rootin' tootin' cowpoke. His efforts are largely laughed at until, almost by accident, Mahoney manages to round up a gang of rustlers (with, of course, the help of his prize elephant). Alas, Joe Cook was quite ill during filming of Arizona Mahoney, and died not long afterward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Cook, Robert Cummings, (more)
- 1936
It's a black night in Hollywood when matinee idol Neil DuBeck (Rod LaRoque) is murdered at the preview of his latest film. Director E. Gordon Smith (Ian Keith), who has long harbored a deep hatred for DuBeck, is the main suspect -- until he too is killed, along with a movie-studio watchman (Spencer Charters). Closing down the studio and refusing to let anyone leave, police lieutenant McKane (Thomas Jackson) sifts through the clues, but it's up to actors Johnny Morgan (Reginald Denny) and Peggy Madison (Frances Drake) to solve the mystery, applying a few tricks they've learned at the movies. Director Robert Florey enlivens Preview Murder Mystery with scores of delightful inside jokes, ranging from an elaborate takeoff of Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to a "television camera" which looks like a reconverted movie projector. Several Paramount contractees appear briefly in guest roles, while a host of silent screen favorites (Jack Mulhall, Bryant Washburn, Chester Conklin, Wilfrid Lucas et. al.) show up in nostalgic bit parts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reginald Denny, Frances Drake, (more)
Another above-average entry in Paramount's Zane Grey series, Arizona Raiders was adapted from Grey's Riders of Spanish Peaks. Buster Crabbe, here billed under his given name of Larry, stars as outlaw Laramie Nelson, who at the beginning of the picture manages to escape a "necktie party." A sense of obligation which Laramie himself cannot explain leads him to rescue another miscreant, Tracks Williams (Raymond Hatton), from a similar demise. The two desert rats team up with a third, handsome young Lone Alonzo Mulhall (Johnny Downs), whereupon the threesome engage in numerous adventures, many of them humorous in nature. Marsha Hunt, as much of a "regular" in the Zane Grey series as Crabbe and Hatton, plays the self-reliant ingenue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Raymond Hatton, (more)
- 1936
Forgotten Faces is the third of four versions of the old chestnut Heliotrope Harry. Herbert Marshall stars as Harry Ashton, a gambler-turned-jailbird saddled with a vindictive ex-wife named Cleo (Gertrude Michael). Seventeen years after the break-up, an impoverished Cleo, now a cheap burlesque performer, searches for her daughter Sally (Jane Rhodes), whom she gave up for adoption. She blackmails Sally's foster parents, threatening to tell the girl that her real mother is a tramp and her real father has just served a long prison term. But Harry, recently paroled, stops Cleo in her tracks by killing her. This grand gesture also costs him his own life, but at least he can shuffle off his mortal coil secure in the knowledge that his daughter will be spared the truth. Director E. A. Dupont is at his Germanic best in Forgotten Faces, which is altogether suitable to the melodramatic nature of the storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Marshall, Gertrude Michael, (more)
Although Larry "Buster" Crabbe earns top billing, the hero of Drift Fence is former Western star Tom Keene as Jim Travis, who, at a rodeo, meets city dweller Jim Traft (Benny Baker), who has come west to erect a fence that will prevent Clay Jackson (Stanley Andrews) from continuing his cattle rustling business. A tough Western type, Travis suggests that he impersonate Traft and the building of the fence soon begins. But Travis is opposed by Slinger Dunn (Crabbe) and his family, whose small ranch will suffer from the division of the land. A romance between Travis and Slinger's sister, Paula (Katherine DeMille), paves the way for a meeting of the minds, however, and Slinger switches sides completely upon learning that Travis is a Texas Ranger in disguise. An in-house production (as opposed to Harry Sherman's Hopalong Cassidy Westerns), Drift Fence was the closest Paramount came to a B-Western in the mid-'30s. Zane Grey's original novel was published in 1932. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Katherine de Mille, (more)
- 1935
Carnival barker Spencer Tracy befriends elderly concessionaire Henry B. Walthall, who owns a picturesque but stodgy display depicting Dante's Inferno. Walthall is more interested in the spiritual aspects of Man's fascination with Hell, but Tracy uses hoopla and exaggeration to get the suckers into the Inferno. His interest isn't altruistic; Tracy is enamored of Walthall's niece, Claire Trevor. Through his publicity savvy, Tracy builds the Inferno into a major attraction, complete with full orchestra and scantily clad "devil girls". He also buys up the rest of the carnival, using cold-blooded tactics that result in the suicide of a fellow concessionaire. Within five years, Tracy is a millionaire tycoon of the Entertainment industry. While loved by his wife (Trevor) and son (Scotty Beckett), Tracy conducts his business ruthlessly, bribing a city official to look the other way regarding structural defects in his Inferno display. When this duplicity results in a disastrous accident at the exhibit, the bribed official kills himself. Tracy is exonerated thanks to legal chicanery, but his wife is fed up; she walks out on him, taking their son along. Injured in the accident, Inferno creator H. B. Walthall warns Tracy of the pitfalls of success, using an illustrated edition of Dante to make his point. For nearly ten minutes, the movie audience is treated to a lavish depiction of Hell, magnificently photographed by Rudolph Mate. When the plot resumes, Tracy is on hand for his latest venture, a sumptuous gambling ship. Thanks to the drunken negligence of the crew, the ship catches fire, and it is only upon learning that his son has sneaked aboard that Tracy realizes the consequences of his greed. Tracy labors heroically to rescue the passengers--and, incidentally, to atone for his past sins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Claire Trevor, (more)
