Edmund Cobb Movies
The grandson of a governor of New Mexico, pioneering screen cowboy Edmund Cobb began his long career toiling in Colorado-produced potboilers such as Hands Across the Border (1914), the filming of which turned tragic when Cobb's leading lady, Grace McHugh, drowned in the Arkansas River. Despite this harrowing experience, Cobb continued to star in scores of cheap Westerns and was making two-reelers at Universal in Hollywood by the 1920s. But unlike other studio cowboys, Cobb didn't do his own stunts -- despite the fact that he later claimed to have invented the infamous "running w" horse stunt -- and that may actually have shortened his starring career. By the late '20s, he was mainly playing villains. The Edmund Cobb remembered today, always a welcome sign whether playing the main henchman or merely a member of the posse, would pop up in about every other B-Western made during the 1930s and 1940s, invariably unsmiling and with a characteristic monotone delivery. When series Westerns bit the dust in the mid-'50s, Cobb simply continued on television. In every sense of the word a true screen pioneer and reportedly one of the kindest members of the Hollywood chuck-wagon fraternity, Edmund Cobb died at the age of 82 at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1915
Evidently, as little time as possible was spent making this Essanay three-reeler. A weak-willed young man, who has long lived in the shadow of his older brother, commits a crime. The older sibling gallantly shoulders the blame and is sent to prison. Meanwhile, the kid brother goes through the Torments of the Darned. He eventually confesses, which brings the estranged brothers back together again. Variety consigned its review of Second Son to a terse three-sentence assessment at the end of a long column. Filmgoers were just as indifferent to the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1923
Independently produced by actor-director Ashton Dearholt, At Devil's Gorge tells the oft-told tale of an honest prospector (Edmund Cobb) whose partner (the sly-looking Wilbur McGaugh) attempts not only to cheat him out of his share in a gold mine but also to steal his girlfriend (Helene Rosson, the sister of directors Arthur and Richard Rosson and cinematographer Hal Rosson). Producer Dearholt made most of his films away from Hollywood and usually on a shoestring budget. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1923
Vitagraph's husband-and-wife team of William Duncan and Edith Johnson starred in this fine silent western about a cowboy who wins a newspaper in a poker game. Taking over the journal, Jerry Hoskins (Duncan) immediately begins a crusading campaign to get rid of the town's corrupt sheriff (Dick LaReno). The editor's headstrong daughter (Johnson) is none too taken with her father's new boss, however, but changes her mind after he saves her from a runaway carriage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edith Johnson, Francis Powers, (more)
- 1923
A rancher comes to the assistance of an Indian prospector friend in this low-budget silent Western directed by genre star Dick Hatton and produced by Ashton Dearholt. Dearholt himself portrayed the Indian, whose rich gold mine is desired by an unscrupulous saloon owner (Arthur Morrison). Edmund Cobb, as the young rancher, attempts to help his Native friend but is instead falsely accused of murder by the saloon keeper. To the rescue comes Helene Rosson, whose last-minute evidence helps clear the accused. Leading man Edmund Cobb had begun his starring career with the old Selig Polyscope Company in Colorado in 1914. The Sting of the Scorpion was scripted by Daniel F. Whitcomb and also featured Joseph W. Girard as Rosson's father and Harry Dunkinson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Cobb
- 1924
Already an established leading lady if not yet the theatrical icon she was to become, Helen Hayes moonlighted in this otherwise obscure western released by the Colorado-based Art-O-Graph company. Actually, Hayes' appearance is little more than a cameo, but a careful viewing of the film does establish the presence of the future Academy Award-winning actress. The plot revolves around the eternal battle between ranchers and sheepmen. The nasty Blunt Vanier (Frank Gallagher) kills off some cattle and blames the encroaching sheep farmers. Martin Lethbridge (Edmund Cobb), the leader of the cattlemen, is in love with Alice Randall (Dolly Dale), daughter of his counterpart among the sheepherders. The unscrupulous machinations of Vanier, however, brings everyone together and peace is soon restored. The film's producer, Roy Langdon, a local Denver businessman, plays the supporting role of Dale's alcoholic brother, and minor parts are cast with family and friends. The film's director, Otis B. Thayer, nicknamed "Obie," enjoyed a long relationship with Colorado, having piloted a Selig Polyscope Company unit filming westerns on locations at Canon City in 1911. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1924
The epic struggle for the rights to California became the basis for Days of '49, a 15-chapter serial produced by Ben Wilson's Berwilla Corporation. The chapterplay was re-edited into this 7-reel feature Western starring Neva Gerber as Swiss settler Johan Sutter's highly fictitious but spirited daughter who falls for a handsome trail guide (Edmund Cobb). Historical episodes keep interfering the slam-bang action in this Western, such as when a group of settlers, stranded in a snow storm, poignantly implore Cobb to "try to break through -- and take our last horse, even if it will cut our food supply short!" The group in question was, of course, the ill-fated Donner Party. Constantly reminding the viewer of its serial origins, the film is often quite disjointed. In fact, Neva Gerber's "Sierra Sutter" could have been referring to California in '49, when following an Indian raid she remarked (via a title): "I shall never forget the awfulness of it all." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neva Gerber, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1925
Smiling Bill Flannigan (William Desmond), a once-renowned prizefighter, escapes West after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring in this muscular Universal western. The ex-boxer obtains the job of ranch cook and gets involved with the ubiquitous war between ranchers and sheep men. Hailing from Scotland and out of a long line of entertainers, brawny Desmond began his 25-year screen career playing the parson opposite stage star Cyril Maude in Peer Gynt (1915). A heavily dramatic beginning for an actor who would later star in robust serials such as Perils of the Yukon (1922), The Riddle Rider and The Vanishing Rider (1928), all for Universal. Desmond's leading lady in The Burning Trail, Mary McIvor, was also his off-screen wife. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Desmond, Mary McIvor, (more)
- 1926
Legendary frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody's "The Great West That Was" became serialized by Universal in 1926 featuring Edmund Cobb in the title role. The star, however, was handsome Ned Wheeler (Wallace MacDonald), a young man competing with nasty Cuyler Supplee for the love of pretty Doris Carberry (Elsa Benham) during a wagon train west. Supplee's lawyer father (Robert E. Homans) is on his way to confiscate old Carberry's (Howard Truesdell) valuable mine, but Doris and Ned -- with the occasional help from Buffalo Bill Cody -- manage to defeat the shyster and his wastrel son. The handsome, Canadian-born MacDonald left acting in favor of writing supervision at Columbia after the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Two silent screen cowboys, Bill Cody and Edmund Cobb, squared off in this minor oater written by the prolific Adele Buffington. They play cousins, one a decent ranch hand, the other a notorious bandit, and the story becomes a case of mistaken identity. Both stars were popular among less sophisticated moviegoers, but while Cody hung up his spurs shortly after finishing an especially dreadful series for poverty row company Spectrum in the mid 1930s, Cobb enjoyed a long career in supporting roles that lasted well into the television era. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cody, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1926
Cowboy star Jack Hoxie spends an inordinate amount of time away from his horse in Looking for Trouble. In this one, he's preoccupied with bringing a gang of diamond smugglers to justice. Of courses, he's not too busy to spend a bit of quality time with the heroine, the gloriously yclept Tulip Hellier (Marceline Day). In the final reels, however, he mounts his faithful steed Scout and brings the villains' perfidious activities to a sudden end. Looking for Trouble contains far too little action to suit the fans of Jack Hoxie -- or Hoxie's critics, who delighted in complaining about the actor's constitutional inability to convey a believable emotion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hoxie
- 1927
Dynamite -- Universal's answer to Warner Bros.' canine star Rin Tin Tin -- and his owner Jerry Matthews (Edmund Cobb) come to the aid of a beleaguered rancher in this typical low-budget "doggie melodrama" set in the West. They are hired by Colonel Shelby (George Periolat) to replace Hank Mitchell (Carl Sepulveda), a ranch hand suspected of being in the employ of greedy neighbor Thomas Shields (Al Ferguson). The latter is plotting with a gang of rustlers to drive the colonel and his daughter Rose (Betty Caldwell) off their property, which, as Dynamite accidentally discovers, contains oil. When Jerry is caught by Shields and his henchmen, Dynamite goes into action, saving not only his master but the entire Shelby ranch. Leading man Edmund Cobb, whose amazing Western career would span six decades, later played innumerable villains, townsmen, and even sidekicks, almost always with the same tightlipped, unruffled mien. Dynamite, in contrast, retired still relatively young in 1928. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dynamite the Dog, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1927
Little Big Horn was a cheapjack attempt to recount the events leading up to Custer's Last Stand on June 25, 1876. John Beck was cast as Custer, evidently for no other reason than he looked the part. Most of the heroics and dramatics were handled by Roy Stewart, a popular action star on the downgrade, here playing Indian scout Lem Hawks. The script contrives to have Hawks miss the climactic battle so that he can enjoy a final romantic clinch with heroine Betty Rossman (Helen Lynch). In fact, only a few brief glimpses of that much-anticipated battle actually show up on screen. This 5-reel "epic," produced by the parsimonious Anthony J. Xydias, was originally released in 6 reels as With General Custer at the Little Big Horn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Beck, Roy Stewart, (more)
- 1927
Heralded as a "Universal Thrill Feature," this minor outdoor melodrama starred Dynamite, one of canine phenomenon Rin Tin Tin's legion of imitators. Veteran actor Edmund Cobb headed the human cast as Captain Tom Grant, a Texas ranger impersonating an outlaw in order to infiltrate a gang of smugglers. Grant gains admittance to the gang's lair by saving outlaw leader Simeon Kraft's lovely ward Jane (Dixie Lamont). Kraft, however, remains suspicious of the newcomer and Grant is about to get himself killed when saved in the nick of time by a stray police dog (Dynamite). The villain, Simeon Kraft, was portrayed by Romaine Fielding, a pioneering actor who had been one of the screen's first cowboy heroes. For unknown reasons, Fielding chose to bill himself Edwin Terry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dynamite the Dog
- 1928
Dynamite, one of canine star Rin-Tin-Tin's many imitators, starred in this silent action melodrama from Universal, in which the pooch saves Silver Creek's new schoolmarm Molly (Gloria Grey) from a serious injury. Later that day, Dynamite witnesses the killing of John Lawton (Frank M. Clark) by his longtime enemy Marvin Henley (Gladden James). Retrieving some valuable papers that Henley stole from Lawton, Dynamite also rescues the dead man's young son Spots (Billy "Red" Jones, who is given shelter by the dog's owner, sportsman Jack Brooks (Edmund Cobb). The latter, who earlier saved Molly from Henley's unwanted advances, manages to catch the crook and place him under arrest. Spots receives an inheritance and Jack proposes to Molly. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dynamite the Dog, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1928
One of Rin Tin Tin's many canine imitators, Dynamite, starred in his own series of silent action melodramas produced in 1927-1928 by Universal. Stuart Paton directed most of the entries but Call of the Heart was helmed by John Ford's older brother, Francis Ford. This time around, Dynamite and his master, Edmund Cobb, play drifters who get in the middle of a range feud. The film's leading lady, Blanche Mehaffey, changed her billing to Joan Alden for the occasion. Interestingly, "Joan Alden" was the winning entry in a nationwide magazine contest to furnish M-G-M starlet Lucille LeSueur with a more appropriate moniker. Since the name was already chosen by Mehaffey, Lucille picked the runner-up: Joan Crawford. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dynamite the Dog, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1928
Universal's "Champion Boy Rider," toothy Newton House, starred in this 12-chapter Western serial set among gold prospectors Down Under. House played Ruben Whitney, who, along with his older sister (Louise Lorraine), travels to Australia to join Papa Whitney in his search for gold. The older Whitney is found murdered, and with the help of the handsome Captain Wilson (Buffalo Bill Jr.), Ruben goes in search of the killer, a despicable villain known as Black Jack (Edmund Cobb). Universal's many Western heroes apparently engaged elsewhere, the studio borrowed Buffalo Bill Jr. (aka Jay Wilsey) from Poverty Row company Rayart for this exciting serial, which was directed by action specialist Ray Taylor. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Freckled little Buzz Barton again portrays boy rider Red Hepner in this well-made silent western. This time he foils a plan to steal the airmail and in one especially exciting scene takes to the air armed only with a (very effective) slingshot.. As always, the young star gets fine support from grizzled sidekick Frank Rice. Veterans Edmund Cobb and Alma Rayford take care of the few romantic interludes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buzz Barton, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1930
This western serial chronicles the adventures of a young girl whose uncle has discovered gold out West. Accompanied by her father and a friend of her uncle, she journeys to her uncle's gold mine, encountering bandits, Indians on the warpath and other adventures. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1930
From Big 4 Film Corp., Breed of the West stars former silent cowboy Wally Wales, in his second talkie, as Wally Weldon, a young cowboy who encounters a lost youth searching for his father. Wally takes the boy, Jim Bradley (Buzz Barton), back to the ranch where the kid obtains the job of cook's helper. While performing his duties, Jim learns that his immediate boss (George Gerwing) and Longrope Wheeler (Robert Walker), the ranch foreman, are planning to rob their employer, Colonel Sterner (Lafe McKee). When Wally finds Jim wounded by one of Longrope's henchmen, the Colonel admits to his daughter, Betty (Virginia Brown Faire), that the child is her long-lost brother. There is a second attempt to rob Sterner but Wally forces the cook to confess and the evil Longrope is arrested by the sheriff (Hank Bell). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wally Wales, Buzz Barton, (more)
- 1930
Saucer-eyed silent-screen cowboy Jack Perrin and his magnificent horse, Starlight, star in this ramshackle early sound western. Perrin is falsely accused of a robbery actually committed by his onetime partner (fellow silent western star Edmund Cobb) and must flee South of the border to Mexico. Once there, he mobilizes a posse of expatriate cowboys and returns to bring the villain to justice. Penny-pinching poverty-row studio Big Four Corp. was able to hire several former westerns stars (Perrin, Cobb, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Pete Morrison, Franklyn Farnum), all of whom were out of work because of sound. Thus, Beyond the Rio Grande benefitted from a lineup that would have been unthinkable in previous years. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Perrin, Franklin Farnum, (more)
- 1931
A remake of the silent When a Man Rides Alone (1919), this low-budget oater from the Big 4 Film Corp. stars Wally Wales as Wally Madison, a ranger investigating the robbery of a shipment of gold bullion. In a shootout with the gang, one of the robbers, José Valdez (Jack Phipps, is shot and killed. At the nearby Fernando ranch, Rosita Fernando (Virginia Browne Faire) is told to choose a husband from among the Valdez clan. She picks José. Upon learning of his demise, she charges the surviving brothers, Carlos (Franklyn Farnum) and Manuel (Edmund Cobb), with capturing his killer. Wally is caught and imprisoned at the ranch. Rosita falls in love with her captive, and when Don Francisco Fernando ($Lafe McKee) is murdered, Wally concocts a plan to capture the killer, one of the Valdez brothers. Forcing Manuel to pose as the murdered Don Francisco, Wally lures Carlos to the ranch. There is a fierce duel with swords, after which Carlos is arrested by the rangers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wally Wales, Virginia Brown Faire, (more)
"Suggested" by the book The West That Was by legendary showman William F. Cody, this 12 chapter Universal serial was merely another slam-bang affair in which Cody (Tom Tyler) and his younger sidekick, Dave Archer (Rex Bell), battle a nasty claim jumper, Jim Rodney (Francis Ford), and his gang. Resenting the interference in his plans, Rodney not only incites the local Indian tribe to attack the town but also blackmails the local community to elect him sheriff. Not one of the era's better serials, Battling with Buffalo Bill still manages to engage no less than 10 former silent cowboy stars in the cast, somewhat of a record. Of course, most of the gentlemen in question were finding the new audible Hollywood an inhospitable place and were just happy to be working, even for the lousy wages offered by Universal producer Henry MacRae. Leading man Tom Tyler, who had replaced Tim McCoy, would become a regular serial hero in the sound era, bringing such comic book heroes as "Captain Marvel" (1940) and The Phantom (1943) to life. A former Fox star, second-billed Rex Bell was the husband of Clara Bow and a future lieutenant governor of Nevada. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1931
Apart from the fact that screenwriter John Francis Natteford named his lead heavy "Cole Porter," this Ken Maynard Western from low-budget producer Tiffany is regulation sagebrush fare. The nasty Mr. Porter (Hooper Atchley) is in the business of buying cattle from the ranchers, only to kill the men afterwards and retrieve the money. One of the intended victims, the Arizonian (Maynard), is found wounded in the desert by Kay Moore (Lina Basquette), who nurses him back to health. But Kay's father (Murdock MacQuarrie) is the next murder victim and the girl suspects the Arizonian, who is forced to flee. He hooks up with Emilio Vasquez (Michael Visaroff), a gregarious Mexican outlaw, and together they successfully trap Porter and his gang. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Lina Basquette, (more)
- 1931
Wolf Hardy (Nelson McDowell), the wounded leader of an outlaw gang, takes great pains to insure that his young protégé, Phil "The Cub" Norris (Bob Custer), will return to the straight and narrow. The hot-headed Norris is almost convinced to join a gang headed by the notorious Blanco Kid (Edmund Cobb), but he is persuaded otherwise by Blanco's bride-to-be, Judy Lanning (Betty Mack). Norris rescues the pretty girl from her brutal boyfriend and is offered a job by her father (Carlton King) in gratitude. Blanco threatens to reveal the former outlaw's past, but a recovered Hardy intervenes. Two former silent screen cowboys -- Custer and Cobb -- came face-to-face in this above-average low-budget oater produced by Harry S. Webb and Flora E. Douglas for release by the redoubtable Syndicate Film Exchange, a forerunner to Poverty Row company Monogram. Nearing the end of his screen career, Custer was a bit long in the tooth to play someone's young protégé. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Mack, Edmund Cobb, (more)
By many considered the best of Hoot Gibson's eight Westerns for Gower Gulch producer M.H. Hoffman, Wild Horse starred The Hooter as Jim Wright, a cowpoke hired to work on George Bunny's rodeo ranch. Gibson manages to capture "The Devil Horse," a magnificent steed which had been eluding the wranglers, but the horse is stolen by jealous ranch hand Edmund Cobb, who murders Gibson's buddy Skeeter Bill Robbins) along the way. Gibson is blamed for both but everything is worked out after the usual hard ridin' and shootin'. Gibson, who enjoyed near autonomy in his pictures for Hoffman's Allied Pictures Corp., filled the supporting cast with old friends such as Neal Hart, Fred Gilman, Pete Morrison and Cobb, all of whom had seen better days in the silent era. "The Devil Horse" was "played" by Mutt, a horse from Gibson's own stable. The result was a fast-paced B-Western marred only slightly for modern audiences by the typically demeaning "comedy" of African-American performer Stepin Fetchit. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
