Ande Lamb Movies

There are those who consider Texan Meets Calamity Jane as one of the worst westerns ever made. It isn't really, but neither is it one of the best. Evelyn Ankers stars as a highly glamorized Calamity Jane, while James Ellison is the Texan of the title, a tenderfoot lawyer named Gordon Hastings. When Calamity's legal gambling operation in South Dakota falls prey to criminal elements, Hastings travels westward to help her out. At first, she's a much better shot than he, but this will change with time. Though released by Columbia, Texan Meets Calamity Jane has all the earmarks of a low-budget independent product. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Reading-of-the-will melodramatics substitute for the usual B-Western shootin' and fightin' in this late entry in the long running Hopalong Cassidy series, which has sidekick California Carlson (Andy Clyde) as one of six heirs to the supposedly worthless Baxter property. During the reading of Hiram Baxter's will, one of the heirs, Phineas Phipps (Joel Friedkin), is murdered, presumably by the same mystery figure who had earlier taken pot shots of the arriving Hoppy (William Boyd), Lucky (Rand Brooks), and California. Soon panels are sliding, spectral voices are heard, and shots are fired. Yet another heir, Ralph Baxter (Nedrick Young), is murdered and crooked attorney Potter (John Parrish) points the finger at Lucky. Meanwhile, Hoppy discovers that there is oil in them thar hills, a fact that Potter and co-conspirator Ogden (Robert B. Williams) conveniently forgot to mention to the heirs. After performing a bit of detective work, Hoppy catches the mystery killer in the act, so to speak, and the ranch is eventually returned to the surviving heirs, Ruth Baxter (Patricia Tate), housekeeper Mathilda Hackett (Una O'Connor), ranch hand Joshua Colter (Earle Hodgins), and California. The latter, however, relinquishes his share in favor of returning to the Bar 20 with his friends. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

As directed by Ande Lamb, this vintage oater finds an upstanding southerner, 'Texas' Jim Lambert ('Texas' Jim Lewis), shocking the community when he gets arrested for the murder of his late brother and forced to stand trial for the crime. As the magistrate, however, Judge 'Lasses' White (Lee White) finds it impossible to believe that Lambert is guilty. In response, White teams up with his deputy, Tom Emery (Don Haggerty) to scope out the actual killer - which makes the two of them potential targets. Grizzled character actor Jack Elam (Easy Street) appears in a supporting role. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Veteran action specialists Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins co-directed this below-average Universal serial featuring brunette starlet Lois Collier as a young woman swept up in international intrigue in Darkest Africa. Although the serial's nominal (and much imperiled) heroine, Collier did not play the title role, however. That dubious distinction went to a very young Ruth Roman, in her screen debut, as an ethereal jungle girl whose presence in the film remained vague throughout. The muddled story is something about the Nazi High Command (personified by that notorious blackheart Douglass Dumbrille) attempting to infiltrate and sway an unfriendly jungle tribe. Considering the real-world situation in 1945, The Jungle Queen was frivolous entertainment at its mind-numbing worst. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

The East Side Kids are back in Follow the Leader, one of their most consistently funny outings. While on leave from the Army, Muggs (Leo Gorcey) and Glimpy (Huntz Hall) learn that their pal Danny (Bobby Jordan) has been thrown in jail on a robbery charge. Refusing to believe that Danny is guilty, the boys go after the most likely suspect, a new East Sider named Spider O'Brien (Billy Benedict). Sure enough, Spider is a flunkey for a gang of crooks, but before he can confess to the cops, he's killed by his cohorts. Hoping to trap the villains, Leo goes to work for them, while his sister Millie (Joan Marsh) starts vamping head crook Larry (Jack LaRue). Highlights include a jungle-movie spoof (it's all a dream!), and a musical interlude by onetime recording idol Gene Austin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama, the police endeavor to destroy the oppressive protection racket that has been plaguing their city. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi