Tex Harding Movies
A handsome country and western performer and the brother of B-Western heroine Dorothy Dix, Tex Harding made his screen debut in 1945 when Columbia producer Colbert Clark added him to the increasingly popular Durango Kid series starring Charles Starrett. Almost always cast as "himself," Harding was rather wooden but he could certainly hold a tune and his presence afforded Starrett the opportunity to play off someone other than the comic sidekick (often Dub Taylor). Beginning with The Return of the Durango Kid (1944), Tex would co-star in a total of eight solid, if routine B-Westerns from 1944-1946, returning for a supporting role in 1949's Desert Vigilante. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1946
The Durango Kid (Charles Starrett) comes to the aid of a young preacher (Tex Harding), who is battling a gang of land grabbers operating out of Dusty Gulch. As it turns out, The Kid, alias Steve Ranson, has a personal quarrel with town boss Blaze Howard (John Calvert), who had his brother, the marshal, killed. But as Steve, Tex and comedy sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) learn, Howard isn't calling the shots at all but is taking orders from someone completely above suspicion. In a rare contemplative moment, Tex Harding and leading lady Mildred Law sing the Reverend W.B. Stevens' "Farther Along" while Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys interrupt the action with Wills and Tommy Duncan's swinging "Stay a Little Longer" and "Dev'lish Mary". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Tex Harding, (more)
- 1945
Columbia Pictures "borrowed" a few pages from Damon Runyon when crafting this entry in the Durango Kid B-Western series. When an elderly desert rat realizes that the granddaughter he has never seen is due to arrive in Long Bend, the downtrodden old sod is too ashamed to admit that the money spent sending her through college came not from a rich gold mine but from panhandling at the saloon owned by Lucky Thorpe (Alan Bridge). The latter sees a welcome chance to whitewash stolen gold and arranges for Grubstake -- now known under his real name of Horace Higginbottom -- to suddenly strike it rich. Enter Texas Ranger Kim Allen (Charles Starrett), who dons the disguise of the Durango Kid to get the goods on Lucky and his corpulent chief henchman Nevada (Charles King). After clearing up a minor misunderstanding with good friend Tex Harding, the Kid is to hunt down the nasty saloon owner and his hired hands. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
Columbia Pictures once again trotted out the old tale of rival stage lines competing for the valuable government mail contract in this routine entry in the long-running Durango Kid series. This time, the Halliday stage line of Quanto Basin is all but forced out of business when old man Halliday (Nolan Leary) finds himself falsely accused of killing Dan Waring (Steve Clark), the manager of the competing Brent line. In reality, Brent (Alan Bridge) has been sabotaging Halliday's efforts to win the contract by having Jim McMasters (Mauritz Hugo) and his hired gunmen perform one hold-up after another. Vociferously disagreeing with these methods, Waring was shot by McMasters, who then framed Halliday. Enter Waring's nephew Jeff (Charles Starrett) and his young friend Tex Harding, who quickly side with Halliday's daughter Mary (Carole Mathews) and the only driver left in the company, Cannonball (Dub Taylor). Donning the disguise of noted avenger The Durango Kid, Jeff gets the goods on Brent, who subsequently loses the deciding stagecoach race for the contract. McMasters is revealed as the killer, and Jeff leaves Quanto Basin in the capable hands of Mary Halliday and young Tex. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Tex Harding, (more)
- 1945
Outlaws of the Rockies is the fourth of Columbia's revitalized "Durango Kid" series. Charles Starrett is back in the saddle as the masked do-gooder Durango, aka easygoing sheriff Steve Williams. Accused of being a member of an outlaw gang, Williams is forced to don his Durango disguise to bring the actual criminals to justice. He also helps his pal Tex Harding (played by real-life cowboy crooner Tex Harding) escape from jail. A goodly portion of the film's footage is given over to the singing of Harding and his fellow sagebrush vocalist Spade Cooley. Outlaws of the Rockies was the first of 38 "Durango Kid" entries to be directed by Ray Nazarro. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Tex Harding, (more)
- 1945
Charles Starrett, who originated the character of the Durango Kid in the 1940 Heroes of the Range, embarked on a lengthy seven-year Western series with this aptly titled horse opera. Starrett plays Bill Blayden, a newcomer to Silver City, TX, searching for the villain who framed his father years before. En route, Blayden is the victim of a stagecoach holdup along with Paradise Flo (Jean Stevens), who may or may not know more about the holdup than she lets on. In Silver City, Bill sides with Buckskin Liz Armstrong (Betty Roadman) and her drivers (Britt Wood) and Tex Harding) against the town's crooked boss, saloon owner Leland Kirby (John Calvert). The latter is in cahoots with Tom Wagner (Hal Price), who is attempting to take over Buckskin's stage route by illegal means. Donning the disguise of the Durango Kid, Blayden gets the goods on both Kirby and Wagner and, along the way, learns the identity of the man who framed his father. Young sidekick Tex Harding performs "Old Pinto (and His Cowboy Pal)," while a jolly group known as The Jesters takes care of such humorous ditties as "When They Fiddle Out the Polka" and "He Holds the Lantern (While His Mother Cuts the Wood)". Starrett would play the character of the Durango Kid for the remainder of his career -- a total of 63 films. Strangely, he was awarded a new alias in each film. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
Rough, Tough, and Ready looks a great deal like all those Victor McLaglen - Edmund Lowe "friendly enemy" actionfests of the 1920s and 1930s. Indeed, McLaglen stars in the film as Owen McCarey, though the "Edmund Lowe" part, Brad Crowder, goes to Chester Morris. The story is the old bromide about two brawling buddies, duking it out over the same girl, in this case pert Jo Matheson (Jean Rogers). Owen and Brad own a salvage company, but split up over Jo. Both separately sign up for the army, and both are reunited in the Pacific. One of the protagonists saves the other's life in combat, signalling a happy reunion-at least, until the next dame comes along. Director Del Lord handles Rough, Tough and Ready in the slaphappy manner of one of his Three Stooges two-reelers: one is surprised that the stars don't poke each other in the eyes and shout "Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Victor McLaglen, (more)
