Edmund Cobb Movies

In one of his better later Westerns, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely comes to the aid of a reformed outlaw and his wayward son. Wrongfully accused of a shooting, the outlaw, Hank Cardigan (Lee Phelps), is rescued by Jimmy, who manages to obtain a job for his new friend at the local express office. But Cardigan's unruly son, Tom (John James), is determined to repeat his father's mistakes -- until, that is, Jimmy and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) convince him that crime does not pay. Wakely and an unbilled Ray Whitley perform "I Have Looked the Whole World Over" and Foy Willing's "Rose of Santa Fe." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In the western Sheriff of Wichita, an unjustly imprisoned Army Lieutenant searches for the actual perpetrators of a robbery he was unfairly accused of five years earlier. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Producer/director S. Sylvan Simon, a man usually associated with comedies and musicals, turned out a rip-roaring western melodrama when he aimed his sights at Lust for Gold. Most of the film is told in flashback, relating the exploits of Jacob Walz (Glenn Ford), the greedy, homicidal owner of the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine. After conniving and killing his way to success, Walz is destroyed when he falls in love with equally mercenary Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino at her nasty best). The film returns to the Present, as a descendant of Walz tries to locate the mine--and endangers his own life in the process. Most of the action highlights in Lust for Gold would turn up as stock footage in future Columbia productions, including an episode of TV's Captain Midnight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bells of Coronado was another of Roy Rogers' always-entertaining Republic "specials," blessed with script and production values that would have done any "A" picture proud. Roy plays an undercover insurance investigator who hopes to ascertain the whereabouts of a vein of gold ore--and to solve the murder of the vein's owner. It follows, as night follows day, that the least-likely suspect is the criminal mastermind. Before Roy finds this out, though, he must contend with the villain's principal henchmen, played by former Our Gang kid Clifton Young. Dale Evans, Pat Brady, and Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage all do their usual, which is all anyone could ask. Given second billing, just below Roy and just above Dale, is Trigger, "The Smartest Horse in the Movies." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Golden Eye is a Charlie Chan mystery set on a Southwestern ranch. A once-dormant mine mysteriously begins to yield gold, bringing out the worst characteristics of several people involved. When murder enters the picture, Charlie Chan interrupts his vacation and investigates, with the dubious aid of his son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and his perennially frightened chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). The script for this film lifts many elements from several earlier sources, including the "high-heeled nun" bit from Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (38). The fourth Monogram "Charlie Chan" film to star Roland Winters as the soft-spoken Chinese sleuth, The Golden Eye is salvaged by the effortless expertise of comic relief Mantan Moreland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yvonne DeCarlo dons 19th century "adventuress" garb once more in River Lady. This time she's a 19th century gambling queen, in charge of a profitable Mississippi riverboat casino. DeCarlo falls in love with logger Rod Cameron; when he won't succumb to her charms, she tries to buy his affections by setting up a logging empire. DeCarlo's partner Dan Duryea is also fascinated with her, but he's his usual slimy self and hasn't got a chance of either winning the girl or surviving to the fade-out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Republic's heartwarming Heart of Virginia has the homey charm of a 1930s "regional" picture. In one of his rare late-1940s leading roles, Frankie Darro plays a reckless jockey who'll stop at nothing to win. His fierce competitiveness results in the death of another rider. With the help of understanding Janet Martin, the daughter of his former boss, Darro redeems himself. The film benefits from its location footage and thrill-packed racing sequences. Originally released at 60 minutes, Heart of Virginia is generally available in the slightly abridged TV version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Republic cowboy star Allan "Rocky" Lane shares above-the-title billing with his stallion Black Jack in The Bold Frontiersman. Lane and his faithful mount come to the aid of a group of farmers who are attempting to raise enough cash to build a dam. Evil Roy Barcroft steals the money, but the law can't prove a thing until Lane swings into action. It's positively amazing how much production polish director Philip Ford was able to pack into his seven-day shooting schedule. Offsetting Allan Lane's dour demeanor in Bold Frontiersman is the slyly tongue-in-cheek screenplay by Bob Williams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers stars in the full-color Republic "special" The Far Frontier. This time, Roy deals with a plot to smuggle fugitive criminals into the U.S. Old reliable heavy Roy Barcroft plays Bart Carroll, the head bad guy, who'll mow down anyone--friend and foe alike--to avoid capture. Rogers has a score to settle with Carroll, who previously framed Roy's pal on a bank-robbery charge. Gail Davis, TV's Annie Oakley, plays Rogers' romantic interest, while "Lone Ranger" Clayton Moore appears sans mask. Old reliables Trigger, Andy Devine, and Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage round out the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

FBI operative Mark Stevens is dispatched by his boss Lloyd Nolan to infiltrate a criminal gang. Stevens ingratiates himself with Richard Widmark, the gang's leader, then helps concoct a robbery that will deliver the criminals into the hands of the authorities. But there's an informant in the police department, who gets word back to Widmark. Aware that there's a stoolie in his gang, Widmark automatically assumes that his wife Barbara Lawrence is the guilty party, and beats her senseless. Eventually determining that Stevens is the "mole," Widmark methodically plans to kill Stevens during a holdup; by this time, however, the FBI is a step or so ahead of him. Remade in 1955 by Samuel Fuller as House of Bamboo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Produced by Jack Schwartz for low-budget company Screen Guild, this mild Western starring the veteran Richard Arlen was apparently the first entry in a proposed series. Arlen played the title role, here assigned by the army to quell an Indian attack on the powerless settlers. The Indians are accusing Tom Russell (John Dexter) of murdering a member of the tribe, an act, as Buffalo Bill discovers, actually committed by a gang of outlaws hired by investment company owner J.B. Jordon (Frank O'Connor). Buffalo Bill Rides Again was soundly defeated by a low budget and slipshod direction by the veteran Bernard B. Ray. Popular B-Western villain Ted Adams disappeared mysteriously halfway through the film, only to be replaced by Edmund Cobb. Jennifer Holt, the daughter of Arlen contemporary Jack Holt and by far the busiest B-Western heroine of the 1940s, had little to do other than letting herself be kidnapped by evil Gil Patric. Arlen, whose career dated back to the silent era, was perhaps a mite too old and stout by 1946 when this film was produced to become an acceptable B-Western hero. No further Buffalo Bill Westerns were produced by Schwartz. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Burt Lancaster had one of his first starring roles in this hard-hitting prison drama. Capt. Munsey (Hume Cronyn) is a cruel, corrupt prison guard who has his own less-than-ethical ways of dealing with inmates, enough so that Joe Collins (Lancaster) -- the toughest inmate in the cell block -- has decided to break out. Collins tries to persuade Gallagher (Charles Bickford), the unofficial leader of the inmates and editor of the prison newspaper, to join him, but Gallagher thinks Collins' plan won't work. However, Collins does have the support of his cellmates, most of whom, like himself, wandered into a life of crime thanks to love and good intentions. Tom Lister (Whit Bissell) was an accountant who altered the books so he could buy his wife a mink coat. Soldier (Howard Duff) fell in love with an Italian girl during World War II and took the rap for her when she murdered her father. Collins pulled a bank job to raise money to pay for an operation that could possibly get his girl out of a wheelchair. And Spencer (John Hoyt) made the mistake of getting involved with a female con artist. After Munsey drives Tom to suicide and prevents Gallagher from obtaining parole, Gallagher joins up with Collins and his men in the escape attempt. Director Jules Dassin would next direct the influential noir drama The Naked City; six years later, he would move to Europe after political blacklisting prevented him from continuing to work in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide