Dick Curtis Movies

Roy Rogers could do no wrong at the box office in 1946, so it's safe to assume that Song of Arizona would have been a hit even if it hadn't been as good as it is. The plot is slightly reminiscent of Boys Town, with Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) running an Arizona ranch for homeless boys. One of Gabby's charges, young Chip (Tommy Cook), is the son of notorious bank robber King Blaine (Lyle Talbot). When Blaine is killed, Chip secretly digs up his dad's stolen money, intending to use it to pay off Gabby's mortgage. It is up to Roy Rogers to rescue Chip's from his Blaine's gang and to convince the boy that ill-gotten gains never did anyone any good (not in the movies, anyway). The film's musical highlight is a nightclub sequence, spotlighting a Roy Rogers-Dale Evans duet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a local banker is killed in the West, G-man Kirby Grant and partner Fuzzy Knight investigate and uncover an insurance scam. ~ All Movie Guide

Lesley Selander directs the urban goings-on in Traffic in Crime with the same breeziness he brought to his Republic westerns. Kane Richmond stars as police undercover agent Sam Wire, who charms his way into the confidence of two rival gambling rings. Playing one group against the other, Wire manages to undermine both operations, but in the Eleventh Hour he is nearly caught in his own trap. In one of her final leading roles, Anne Nagel is charming as heroine Ann Marlowe, though she is handily upstaged by resident "bad girl" Adele Mara. As head villain Tip Hogan, Roy Barcroft once again proves himself one of the most indipensable stock players on the Republic lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Greg McClure stars as legendary boxer John L. Sullivan in this screen biography of the famous fighter. Known as "The Boston Strong Boy," Sullivan was a bare-knuckle brawler who rose from humble circumstances to become the world's heavyweight champion from 1882 to 1892. While Sullivan was a skilled hand in the ring, fame and wealth took a toll on his ego, and as drinking and high-living replaced disciplined training, Sullivan's fighting edge disappeared. In 1892, Sullivan lost his title to James J. Corbett (Rory Calhoun), and after that came a slow descent into alcoholism and poverty, with Sullivan losing most of his friends and the love of his life along with his self-respect. However, Sullivan eventually cleaned himself up and rose to his feet for one final stab at the title. The Great John L. also features Linda Darnell, Barbara Britton, Otto Kruger, and Wallace Ford. The life of James J. Corbett had been made into a movie three years prior to this, as Gentleman Jim, with Errol Flynn as Corbett and Ward Bond as Sullivan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this western, Red Ryder leads a wagon train of homesteaders into a ghost town and discovers that it has become an outlaw's hideout. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this western, the residents of a town are terrorized by the presence of a mysterious ghost. The Texas Rangers investigate and discover the true culprits behind the hauntings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Lee Falk and Ray Moore's famous syndicated comic strip hero came to the screen in this 15 chapter serial produced by Rudolph C. Flotow for Columbia Pictures. Displaying unusually good judgment, the studio cast the still strapping former silent screen cowboy Tom Tyler as Geoffrey Prescott who, like generations of Prescotts before him, battles piracy and crime in Darkest Africa. Dressed in his trademark tights and black mask, The Phantom sallies forth to locate the lost city of Zolos, aided by his lovely fiancée, Diana Palmer (Jeanne Bates) and Ace, the Wonder Dog. The opposition is headed by the nefarious Dr. Bremmer (Kenneth MacDonald), but the good doctor is, in the long run, no match for the masked avenger who, in the final chapter, restores "Peace in the Jungle." One of Columbia's few worthwhile serials, The Phantom was yet another success for the popular and personable Tyler, who had earlier scored in the title role of Republic Pictures' The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Columbia filmed a belated and rather unnecessary sequel, The Adventures of Captain Africa (1949), starring John Hart, a bland actor who later played The Lone Ranger for one season on television when Clayton Moore went on strike. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this wartime comedy drama an ultra-macho but aging Marine sergeant does all he can to keep his men intimidated and towing the line while they are stationed in the Philippines at the beginning of WW II. The tough-as-nails jarhead does have a terrible secret though--he has never been involved in actual combat. When his unit heads out for battle in China, the sarge is humiliated because he has not been granted permission to go. He begins drowning his sorrows in a bottle and later gets into a fight with some merchant sailors. As a result he is tossed into the brig until his wife urges him to retire. He reluctantly agrees and tries his hand at civilian life. Later when the Japanese invade the islands, it is the old sergeant who helps the civilian's safely withdraw; unfortunately he dies in the process. His wife also dies. Later their daughter, once a devout pacifist and now a uniformed member of the armed forces, accepts a medal of honor for her courageous father. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bob Kane's 1939 Detective Comics superhero The Batman came to the screens in serial form courtesy of Columbia Pictures and producer Rudolph C. Flothow. In time-honored serial fashion, Flothow chose Lewis Wilson for the title role, a relative newcomer, but one with an amazing facial resemblance to the cartoon character. Wilson's athletic ability, however, left a lot to be desired and Douglas Croft, cast as young sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder, looked too old for his role, especially when doubled by a hairy-legged stunt man. For censorship purposes, the serial Bruce Wayne was not a lone Gotham millionaire crusader but gainfully employed by the Unites States government. Said government is terrorized by evil Dr. Daka (J. Carroll Naish), an emissary from Emperor Hirohito complete with atom-smasher ray guns and a device that turns its wearers into zombies. (The device, placed on the skull of its victim, resembles something from a child's Erector set.) Batman and Robin are aided by lovely Linda Page (Shirley Patterson), whose uncle (Gus Glassmire) becomes one of Dr. Daka's first victims. From the Bat Cave, the three crusaders and Wayne's butler, Alfred (William Austin), venture forth to battle the forces of evil in general and a scenery-chewing Naish in particular -- travelling in a convertible and not the later so familiar batmobile. It takes them 15 chapters and a race through an amusement park to finally destroy the evil Daka and the title of the concluding chapter, "Doom of the Rising Sun," must have brought a ray of hope to a war-weary populace. The Batman was directed by Lambert Hillyer, a veteran who knew something about bats from having previously helmed Dracula's Daughter. The serial was popular enough to merit a sequel, although it would take six more years until Columbia debuted The New Adventures of Batman and Robin (1949). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Riders of the Northwest Mounted was one of a handful of "northerns" produced by Columbia's B-western unit. Stalwart Russell Hayden and prankish Dub Taylor go through their paces in Mountie garb and Smokey-the-bear hats. They're on the trail of escaped criminal Dick Curtis, who has the whole great white north as his hiding place. Leading lady Adele Mara waits at home patiently for Hayden and Taylor to get their man. A musical number by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys lends an enjoyable if incongruous touch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director William "One Take" Beaudine puts his all-character-actor cast through their paces in Men of San Quentin. J. Anthony Hughes plays a prison guard who tries to put new reforms into effect when he becomes a warden. Naturally, Hughes' efforts are undercut by a handful of hardbitten cons and jealous fellow guards. His efforts pay off when Hughes is able to quell a prison riot. Men of San Quentin was produced and cowritten by Martin Mooney, a former newspaperman who'd actually "done time" behind bars; its opening theme music was performed by the San Quentin orchestra! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Two Yanks in Trinidad are gangsters Tim Reardon (Pat O'Brien) and Vince Barrows (Brian Donlevy), who split up over a disagreement and join the army, Tim to escape Vince's wrath and Vince to get his lunch-hooks on Tim. Both of our heroes run afoul of Army discipline and protocol in general, and tough top sergeant Valentine (Donald MacBride). Vince and Tim eventually bury the hatchet long enough to foil a German spy who plans to smuggle Nazi oil shipments out of Trinidad. Janet Blair is wholesomely sexy as café entertainer Patricia Dare, over whom Vince and Tim had their original falling out. In his autobiography, Pat O'Brien recalls asking director Gregory Ratoff how to play his role in Two Yanks in Trinidad, whereupon Ratoff replied that the character of Tim Reardon was an "Irish Bugsy Siegel" (which indeed he is!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide