George Cheseboro Movies
With his articulate speech patterns and his wide range of facial nuances, George Cheseboro was a cut above the usual western supporting player. He began his career with a stock company in 1907; three years later, he toured the Orient with another acting troupe. Vaudeville experience followed, and then in 1915 Cheseboro made his first motion picture. With 1918's Hands Up, Cheseboro became a popular serial star, extending his repertoire to western leads after serving in World War I. Though his star had faded by the time talkies arrived, Cheseboro prospered as a character actor in the many "B" westerns clogging the market in the 1930s, usually playing a scuzzy henchman, barroom bully or lynch-happy bystander. One of the actor's most satisfying screen moments occurred in the 1950 Roy Rogers feature Trail of Robin Hood. The climax contrives to have several popular western stars ride on the scene to rescue movie-star-turned-rancher Jack Holt from rustlers. As Allan Lane, Rex Allen, Monte Hale et. al. greet each other effusively, Cheseboro rides up to offer his help--whereupon he is roundly snubbed. A little girl steps out of the crowd to reprimand Cheseboro for spending his cinematic career on the wrong side of the law. "I know, honey," replies George Cheseboro with a warm smile. "But after being beaten up by Jack Holt in twenty pictures, he's reformed me!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1954
This two-reel Western spoof is a remake with plenty of stock footage of The Three Stooges earlier Out West (1947) and Goofs and Saddles (1937). The Stooges journey West and rescue three gals from the notorious Barker gang. Norma Randall and Ruth Godfrey appear in added 1954 footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Winning of the West was Gene Autry's first western vehicle for 1953. It was also one of Autry's better offerings, with the star cast as a territorial ranger with an uncharacteristically nasty streak. When a local newspaper publisher is slain by an outlaw gang, Gene hesitates to pull his gun because he recognizes his own brother (Richard Crane) as one of the outlaws. As a result, he is relieved of his duties and forced to fend for himself. After a series of hair-raising adventures, Autry is compelled to face his brother in a showdown. Somehow, a happy ending arises from all this, though it wouldn't be fair to tell how. Gene Autry is supported by his usual cohorts Smiley Burnette and Gail Davis; he also offers four musical numbers, of which "Find Me My Trusty .45" is the best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1952
Cavalry sergeant Broderick Crawford is among the handful of survivors of a Comanche attack. Crawford must lead the survivors across 100 miles of treacherous terrain, and there's only a limited supply of water. Thing of it is, the hidden Comanches are also short of water, and they dearly covet the contents of Crawford's canteens. Also in the thirsty little group is Barbara Hale, whose presence causes dissension in the male ranks. Last of the Comanches was helmed by director Andre DeToth--who, as any film fanatic will tell you, had only one eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Broderick Crawford, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1952
Columbia's "Durango Kid" series was winding down to a close by the time Junction City went before the cameras in 1952. Durango, aka Steve Rollins (Charles Starrett) rides into town with saddle pal Smiley Burnette. The boys go to the rescue of pretty Kathleen Case, who is being victimized by greedy relatives. Much of the film is related in flashback, giving Columbia an excuse to utilize miles and miles of stock footage from earlier "Durango Kid" efforts. Livening up the proceedings is Jock Mahoney, frequent stunt double for Charles Starrett, who plays "himself". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1952
The "regeneration" of blacklisted director Edward Dmytryk was expedited when he was hired by producer Stanley Kramer to helm the location-filmed melodrama The Sniper. In the interests of political expediency, Dmytrk was required to direct Adolphe Menjou, one of the most virulent Red-baiters of the HUAC hearings. Shorn of his trademarked mustache, and with his famous expensive wardrobe replaced by a humdrum business suit, Menjou turns in one of his best performances as a world-weary San Francisco detective assigned to track down a mad sniper. From the beginning, the audience knows that the criminal is psycho Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz), who is possessed of the notion that he must kill every beautiful brunette woman who crosses his path. Some audience sympathy is elicited by Miller's pathetic attempts to rid himself of his obsession, but this never gets in the way of the film's suspense. The excellent supporting cast includes Richard Kiley as a police psychiatrist, Marie Windsor as Miller's first victim, and Mabel Paige as the sniper's snoopy landlady. An unbilled Wally Cox shows up briefly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, (more)
- 1952
In this western, two Federal Marshals attempt to round up ruthless counterfeiters by having hero Lash LaRue dress up as the mysterious "Frontier Phantom." Unfortunately, the Phantom and his friend end up captured by the town sheriff. They have the darnedest time convincing the fellow lawman that they are really on his side. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Originally filmed at Republic in 1948, Montana Belle was purchased by producer Howard R. Hughes, who'd loaned the services of the film's star, Jane Russell. After laying on the shelf for three years, Montana Belle was finally released by Hughes' RKO Radio Pictures in October of 1952. Russell plays notorious western outlaw Belle Starr, who after being saved by the Dalton Gang from the hangman's noose, falls in love with Bob Dalton (Scott Brady). This doesn't stop Belle and Dalton from trying to stab one another in the back for the next 8 reels. It is gambler Tom Bradfield (George Brent) who finally offers Belle a new start in life--and, incidentally, a new romance. The film's high point of imbecility arrives when Jane Russell disguises herself as a man. In other words, Montana Belle is lots of fun so long as no one takes it too seriously (it is clear that the people who made the film didn't!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Russell, George Brent, (more)
- 1952
Lon McCallister stars in the Columbia "B-plus" western Montana Territory. McCallister plays deputy John Malvin, whose loyalty to sheriff Plummer (Preston S. Foster) knows no bounds. What John doesn't know (but the audience does) is that Plummer is a bandit leader, using his sheriff's badge as a front for his activities. Eventually, it is John's painful duty to bring his former mentor to justice--which, if the previous reels are any indication, won't be easy. Wanda Hendrix is appealing as Lon's leading lady, while Clayton Moore, TV's Lone Ranger, does a villainous turn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon McCallister, Wanda Hendrix, (more)
- 1951
After becoming a promising star, cowboy star Lash LaRue's new series for producer Ron Ormond quickly fell into a groove of predictability. Thundering Trail, for example, offers very little that LaRue's fans hadn't seen already. LaRue is cast as the bodyguard of a newly elected territorial governor (played by Archie Twitchell, best known as the insinuating clothes salesman in Sunset Boulevard). He must protect his charge from the evil machinations of outlaw-leader Ed West (Ray Bennett). Unable to best the villains with his six-guns, Lash resorts to his trusty bullwhip. As was customary in the Lash LaRue films, comic sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John provides the brightest moments. The supporting cast includes such old reliable western hands as Reed Howes, George Cheseboro and Bud Osborne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Sally Anglim, (more)
- 1951
A late entry in Columbia's seemingly endless Durango Kid Western series, Cyclone Fury was augmented with a hefty dose of stock footage from an earlier Durango effort, Galloping Thunder (1946), footage that included sidekick Smiley Burnette warbling "Hear the Wind (Singing a Cowboy Song)" accompanied by Merle Travis and his Bronco Busters. The story -- Durango's effort to deliver horses to the U.S. Cavalry -- was not much but the film benefited from an unusually villainous turn by Clayton Moore, on salary strike from his Lone Ranger television show. Charles Starrett, as the Robin Hood-like Durango, was doubled in the stock footage by Jock Mahoney and supported in the new scenes by child actor Louis Lettieri. The latter went on to play Allan Lane's young sidekick, Little Beaver, in a failed Red Ryder television pilot. Former Durango series director Fred F. Sears, who directed Galloping Thunder, turned up in a supporting role this time around. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1951
Snake River Desperadoes affords Charles Starrett another opportunity to don the mask of the do-gooding Durango Kid. In this one, Steve Reynolds (Starrett) runs up against criminal mastermind Jim Haverly (Monte Blue), who for financial reasons hopes to foment a war between the Apaches and the settlers. Haverly's white henchmen disguise themselves as Indians and commit all sorts of brutalities -- at least until Reynolds, aka Durango, enters the scene. Don Kay Reynolds, who as "Little Brown Jug" previously played Little Beaver in the Red Ryder series, is well cast as an Apache youth who forms a strong friendship with white counterpart Tommy Ivo. One of the baddies is played by Duke York, whom Three Stooges fans will remember for his many portrayals of werewolves, vampires and "Frankensteins" in the Stooges' 2-reelers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1951
From the opening credits onward, bombastic comedian Jerry Colonna dominates the proceedings in Kentucky Jubilee. Colonna plays second-rate entertainer Jerry Harris, who links up with aspiring singer Sally Shannon (Jean Porter) and hotshot reporter Jeff Benson (James Ellison). The trio heads to the small town of Hickory, Kentucky to participate in an annual fundraising musical show. Things get hectic when a gang of crooks steal the receipts and kidnap Colonna (worse luck for the crooks!) The scene-stealing supporting cast includes Fritz Feld, Raymond Hatton, Vince Barnett, Chester Clute, Si Jenks, George Cheseboro and George Sanders (no, not that George Sanders). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Colonna, Jean Porter, (more)
- 1951
Kid From Amarillo was a late-model "Durango Kid" western from Columbia's B mills. Charles "Durango" Starrett and his pal Smiley Burnette go after smugglers. Our heroes travel incognito across the Mexican border to beard the leader of the gang in his den. The film offers plenty of songs from the Cass County Boys, but surprisingly no love interest. As in many of the later "Durango Kid" entries, corner-cutting and stock footage abounds in The Kid From Amarillo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
A state rangers rides out to find rustlers who have stolen from every ranch in the territory except a hot-headed loner, whom all the other ranchers think is the culprit. However, the ranger investigates, and finds that the blacksmith and his accomplice are guilty. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Chubby Johnson, (more)
- 1950
Allan "Rocky" Lane rides again in Salt Lake Raiders. This time, action takes a back seat to mystery and suspense. Lane arrives in a ghost town where his saddle pal Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller) is being held captive by outlaws. Also on hand is accused murderer Fred Mason (Myron Healey). With only 60 minutes' screen time at his disposal, Lane must free Nugget and prove Mason's innocence. The villains are Roy Barcroft and Clifton Young, as if there was any doubt the moment that their names appeared in the credits. The heroine is played by Martha Hyer, a pretty young ingenue on the threshold of bigger things. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1950
Gunslingers is another of Monogram's Whip Wilson western series, built around the bullwhip-wielding skills of its star. This time, Wilson and his saddle pal Andy Clyde come to the rescue of a group of ranchers who are being victimized by villain Ace Larabee (Douglas Kennedy). Ace has inside information that the railroad is coming through the territory, and he intends to grab up all the land and sell it to the train execs for a tidy profit. Stealing every scene she's in is venerable character actress Sarah Padden as "Rawhide Rose." Whip Wilson still hadn't learned to act by the time he made Gunslingers, but he was still a sight to behold behind that bullwhip. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde, (more)
- 1950
Marshal of Heldorado is one of six "Four-Star" westerns produced and released by Lippert Pictures in 1950. If these six films tend to look alike, it isn't surprising. All six were filmed at the same time within a space of four weeks, and all starred Russell "Lucky" Hayden, Jimmy "Shamrock" Ellison, Raymond Hatton, Fuzzy Knight and Betty (later Julie) Adams. In this outing, Shamrock and Lucky come to the aid of a banker (Hatton) with an unsavory past. A gang of crooks has been blackmailing the banker into cooperating with their robbery schemes, but Our Heroes scotch this little racket in record time. Marshal of Heldorado was released to television as Blazing Guns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Ellison, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1950
Gunmen of Abilene top-bills Republic western hero Allan "Rocky" Lane and his horse Black Jack. Lane plays a U.S. marshal who is sent to investigate a reign of outlaw terror in Abilene. He arrives in town incognito, securing a job as deputy sheriff. Soon he discovers that the outlaws want to scare off the populace so that they can claim the gold ore that rests beneath the town. It's no surprise that Roy Barcroft is the chief heavy, though it is a bit startling that Barcroft's partner-in-crime is played by Peter Brocco, an actor usually cast as a pasty-faced gangster henchman or communist spy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Donna Hamilton, (more)
- 1950
Fast on the Draw was one of six Lippert Studios "Four Star" westerns, all of which were filmed simultaneously in the space of a single month. Jimmy Ellison plays Shamrock, a Colorado Ranger who suffers from a fear of firearms. Despite this handicap, Shamrock is assigned to pose as a gunman, the better to get the goods on a crooked land baron. As in the early "Four Star" outings, Ellison's co-stars are Russ Hayden, Raymond Hatton, Fuzzy Knight and Betty (later Julie) Adams. Cast as the outlaw leader is Tom Tyler, whose performance is hampered somewhat by encroaching arthritis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Ellison, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1950
Once more, Charles Starrett hits the trail as the masked do-gooder known as The Durango Kid in Streets of Ghost Town. Also once more, Starrett spends his "unmasked" scenes playing a character named Steve, in this case Steve Woods. The slender plot concerns a treasure hunt in a supposedly deserted town. This premise is used as an excuse to showcase lengthy excerpts from previous "Durango Kid" westerns, offered herein as "flashbacks." Columbia Pictures had a positive genius for recycling old footage into new movies: as proof, one need only peruse all those patchwork Three Stooges comedies of the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
Frisco Tornado stars Allan "Rocky" Lane in his usual guise as a U.S. marshal. The lawman's target this time is a dishonest insurance company which offers protection against bandit raids. Thing of it is, the insurance folks are themselves orchestrating these raids. Eddy Waller once again supplies comedy relief, while Blackjack the horse once again provides locomotion. Allan Lane's leading lady is Martha Hyer, still serving her apprenticeship for the stardom that would be hers within a few short years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1950
Though released second, Hostile Country was the first of six "Four Star" westerns, filmed back to back within the space of four weeks by Lippert Productions. Starring in all six of these quickie oaters are Jimmie Ellison and Russell Hayden as a couple of wandering cavaliers named Shamrock and Lucky. This time around, Our Heroes come to the aid of a pretty cattle rancher (Betty Adams), who is being victimized by a gang of landgrabbers. Like Ellison and Hayden, Betty Adams (who later billed herself as Julie Adams) was also present in all six of Lippert's "Four Star" westerns, as were Raymond Hatton and Fuzzy Knight. Hostile Country was later released to TV as Outlaw Fury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Ellison, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett once more rights wrongs as "The Durango Kid" in Horsemen of the Sierras. The story revolves around Robin Grant (Tommy Ivo), a young boy who's inherited a valuable range. Certain evil interests do their best to kill off Robin and claim the land for themselves. U.S. marshall Steve Saunders (Starrett) comes to the boy's rescue--and when Steve can't rely on the Law to back him up, he dons the guise of the masked Durango Kid. An uncredited Jock Mahoney performs some of Starrett's more dangerous stunts. Comedy relief Smiley Burnette is more obstreperous than usual, especially when he lets the bad guys slip right through his fingers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
Colorado Ranger was the third in Lippert Studio's six-film "Four Star Western" series. All six entries were filmed simultaneously within the same month, and all starred Russell "Lucky" Hayden, James "Shamock" Ellison, Raymond Hatton, Fuzzy Knight, and Betty (later Julie) Adams. In this installment, "Shamrock" takes on the outlaw gang that kidnapped his father. "Lucky" tags along to give his pal a hand. The dialogue sounds as if it was being made up as the film went along, which may very well have been the case. Colorado Ranger was released to television as The Last Bullet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Ellison, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1950
William Elliot is the multitextured hero of the deluxe Republic western Savage Horde. Elliot plays a gunslinger named Ringo, who, though no paragon of virtue, is not a murderer. After killing a man in self-defense, Ringo takes it on the lam from the law. Hiding out in a remote frontier town, Ringo becomes involved in a range war between land baron Proctor (Grant Withers) and a group of honest ranchers. At the risk of his own capture, Ringo decides to stick around and join the ranchers in their battle against Proctor. Leading lady Adrian Booth plays Livvy Weston, who'd like to fall in love with Ringo but can't reconcile herself with his bad reputation. Featured in the cast are such western "regulars" as Noah Beery, Bob Steele, Roy Barcroft, Earle Hodgins and Hal Taliaferro (aka Wally Wales). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Booth, Grant Withers, (more)
