Andy Clyde

The fourth of Oscar-winning short-subject director Youngson's comedy compilations (the earlier ones were Golden Age of Comedy, When Comedy was King, and Days of Thrills and Laughter) is, amazingly, almost as full and fresh as those earlier efforts, containing highlights from such silent comedy classics as Chaplin's Floorwalker, Easy Street, Pawnshop and, best of all, Rink; Buster Keaton's Balloonatic and Daydreams; Harry Langdon's Smile Please, and the prototypical Laurel and Hardy team-up, Lucky Dog. Youngson's choice of material is unquestionably fine, and equally satisfying is the quality of the film clips, courtesy of archivist Paul Guffanti. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Cornpone comedienne Judy Canova tackles a science-fiction theme in Carolina Cannonball, her last starring vehicle for Republic Pictures. This time, Canova and her grandpa Andy Clyde comprise the entire population of the ghost town of Roaring Gulch. They put food on the table by operating the Carolina Cannonball, a trolley service to the nearest city. Early one morning, an atomic-powered missile crashes just outside of Judy's house. She appropriates the missile's engine and attaches it to the Cannonball, considerably improving the trolley's speed capacity. Before long the pair are up to their necks in federal agents and enemy spies. Before the obligatory slapstick-chase finale, Judy Canova is permitted to sing a song or two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whip Wilson rides again in the Monogram western Abilene Trail. Wilson and his grizzled sidekick Andy Clyde are accused of horse stealing, a hangin' offense around these here parts. Eluding the authorities, the boys take jobs at a ranch where the real crook is hiding out. Between whip-cracking sessions, Wilson finds time to romance the ranch owner's pretty daughter Noel Neill ("Lois Lane" on the 1950s TVer Superman). Director Lewis D. Collins keeps things moving fast enough to make up for any plot or budgetary shortcomings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monogram's Outlaws of Texas is surprisingly bereft of the action highlights one might expect from star Whip Wilson. This time, the Whip and his saddle pal Andy Clyde play heroes Tom and Hungry who work undercover to break up a gang of bank robbers. As a novelty, the crooks are headed by the beauteous Anne (Phyllis Coates). Inevitably, Tom and Hungry are found out, leading to a long-overdue slam-bang finale. Outlaws of Texas was the last of Whip Wilson's vehicles to feature veteran funster Andy Clyde; Clyde's replacements over the next year would include Fuzzy Knight, Tommy Farrell, and Lee Roberts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whip Wilson, Monogram Pictures' clone of PRC's bullwhip champ Jack LaRue, stars in Arizona Territory. Wilson plays the pal of US marshal Andy Clyde, who is kept busy tracking down a counterfeiting ring. Wilson goes undercover to get the goods on the bad guys. When all else fails, he flails-his whip, that is, a total of four times in this 56-minute western. Veteran sagebrush scenarist Adele Buffington pulls a few old chestnuts out of the fire to flesh out the plotline of Arizona Territory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Riders of the Dusk is another of Monogram's formula Whip Wilson westerns. Since the studio couldn't build an entire film around Wilson's bullwhip prowess, a plot was called for. This time around, it's the one about a U.S. marshal who searches high and low for a mysterious masked desperado. The mystery angle is minimal, since seasoned movie fans will be able to determine the mystery person's identity within 15 minutes. As always, Andy Clyde is a tower of comic strength as Whip Wilson's grizzled old sidekick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monogram's Whip Wilson western series occasionally produced a better-than-average entry. In Range Land, Wilson and saddle pal Andy Clyde try to get the goods on a gang of stagecoach bandits. The robberies are being staged by a "solid citizen" who hopes to accumulate a fortune in gold bars. Whip goes undercover, joins the gang, has a few close shaves, and collars the crooks. And, in keeping with his screen nickname, Wilson wields a mean bullwhip whenever the occasion arises. One of the villains is played by Leonard Penn, the father of actors Sean and Christopher Penn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A group of archeologists is sent to the American Southwest to investigate a tribe's claims that they are descendants of the ancient Aztecs. However, a gang of crooks are trying to discredit the claim by dressing up as Indians to commit crimes. Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) must rescue the archeologist and catch the criminals. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

The Last Chance Inn, the main locality in this latter-day Hopalong Cassidy Western, certainly lives up to its name. A prospector has mysteriously disappeared after spending a night there and now Lucky Jenkins' (Rand Brooks) prospective "uncle-in-law," another guest, has vanished as well. Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) locates the missing man's body in a mine but when he returns with the sheriff, the dead man has performed yet another disappearing act. Just before retiring, in the same room previously occupied by the victims, Sheriff Thompson (Forbes Murray) reveals the name of his prime suspect: Larry Potter (Bob Gabriel), the outlaw brother of the inn's wheelchair-bound proprietor (John Parrish). But will the sheriff survive the night or disappear just like the previous occupants? Like so many of the Hopalong Cassidy Westerns, the oddly titled Dead Men Don't Dream was filmed on location at Lone Pine, CA. Leading lady Mary Tucker had previously acted under the moniker of Mary Ware. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The long-running "Hopalong Cassidy" series trudged on with its 61st entry, Sinister Journey. William Boyd, looking pretty much the same as he did when the series started in 1936, is back as Hoppy, with Andy Clyde and Rand Brooks as his cohorts California and Lucky, respectively. Like most of the late-1940s Cassidy films, Sinister Journey is more of a mystery than an actioner, with Hoppy trying to clear his young pal Lee Garvin (John Kellogg) of a trumped-up murder charge. For a while, it seems that the wealthy father of Garvin's bride (Elaine Riley) has arranged the frame, but the real villain is exposed in the final reel. Though the "Hopalong Cassidy" films weren't the box-office hits they'd once been, within a year the films would win a whole new audience on television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this the final Hopalong Cassidy Western, Hoppy (William Boyd), California Carlson (Andy Clyde), and Lucky Jenkins (Rand Brooks) search for the leaders of a counterfeiting ring after receiving a tip from an anonymous source whose signature is a pencil sketch of a comet. In Silver City, they help Nora Murray (Elaine Riley), her brother Sid (William Leicester), and ailing sister-in-law Mary (Joan Barton) get a room at the inn despite the misgivings of hotel (and town) owner Ora Mordigan (James Craven). The latter, needless to say, is the instigator of the counterfeiting scheme, which he operates from the Silver Belle Mine founded by John Murray (Herbert Rawlinson), Nora and Sid's long-lost father. The old man, an engraver by trade, has been kept a virtual prisoner for years, forced to print fake U.S. and Mexican money for Mordigan and his henchmen. With the assistance of undercover Mexican investigator DeLara (Albert Morin) and "the Comet," a local doctor (Joel Friedkin), Hoppy manages to rescue the old man and capture the entire gang. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide