Gail Davis Movies
Even as an infant, Gail Davis was "playing" characters younger than herself; she won the Most Beautiful Baby in Arkansas contest at the ripe old age of two. While a student at Texas University, Davis performed in a camp show, where she caught the eye of visiting celebrity Gene Autry. Placed under contract by Autry, she co-starred in 15 of his films and twice as many episodes of his various TV series, often cast as a pre-teen tomboy. From 1952 to 1956, she was starred on the Autry-produced TVer Annie Oakley. Even when production ceased on this series, Davis remained under contract to Autry, performing in his traveling rodeo as a rider, roper, and trick shooter. During this period, she was forbidden to cut off her trademarked Annie Oakley pigtails; it wasn't until 1959 that she was able to let down her hair, so to speak, as a guest star on The Perry Como Show. After a few more TV appearances, Gail Davis retired from acting; she later became a partner in a company that managed other celebrities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1977
This feature-length animated cartoon was based on the "Peanuts" characters created by comic-strip artist Charles M. Schultz. The gang is shipped off to summer camp, where Charlie Brown gets a "Go away and leave me alone" bunkmate, and where CB's beagle Snoopy ends up winning most of the athletic trophies. The Snoop also has a running feud with a mean-spirited pussycat. Meanwhile, budding feminist Lucy organizes an anti-boy campaign amongst the girl campers. The bulk of the action transpires when the gang builds a raft to enter a dangerous shoot-the-rapids race, only to be outclassed by the professionally built vessel picked up by their competitors. Happily, pluck and luck wins out over arrogance and mean-spiritedness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greg Felton, Stuart Brotman, (more)
- 1961
Barney's girlfriend Thelma Lou tries to match Andy up with her cousin Karen Moore. As it turns out, however, Karen is a tougher cookie than anyone could have expected-least of all the chauvinistic Andy. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, this episode makes good use of the gun-toting talents of actress Gail Davis (Karen), who previously starred on the TV western Annie Oakley. "The Perfect Female" first aired on November 27, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Bob Hope plays a 19th-century insurance agent whose miserable sales record prompts his boss to send him out West, where he can (supposedly) do little harm. Hope manages to sell a $100,000 life insurance policy--to outlaw Jesse James (Wendell Corey), one of the worst "risks" in history! In his efforts to get the policy back, Hope finds himself being mistaken for Jesse, which is all part of the outlaw's plan to get Hope killed and thereby collect the policy money himself. But with the help of beauteous Rhonda Fleming (the essentially honest beneficiary to Jesse's policy), Hope gains a reputation as a lightning-fast gunslinger. In the inevitable shoot-out with the James gang, Hope is helped out by several famous Westerners, including Gary Cooper, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, James "Maverick" Garner, and even Tonto (Jay Silverheels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1954
After a gold shipment is plundered, Annie wonders if the ex-convict accused of the robbery is being framed. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1953
Gene Autry's second 1953 entry, On Top of Old Smoky casts Autry more or less as himself, a travelling balladeer. The story gets under way when Autry and his back-up vocalists are mistaken for a group of Texas Rangers. Not wishing to disappoint anyone, Gene agrees to help heroine Jen Larrabee (Gail Davis, later TV's "Annie Oakley") protect her toll road against villainous prospectors. The big-money scene occurs during the closing reel, wherein Gene and the bad guys duke it out atop a burning railroad trestle. Smiley Burnette co-stars as Autry's sidekick, while Burnette's wife Sheila Ryan plays a secondary role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The title of this Gene Autry opus is almost as long as the film itself. This time, Autry plays a circuit judge who presides over a murder case in a mining town. The accused, Ed Wheeler (Kirk Riley), has confessed to the killing, and is undeniably guilty, but Autry considers this to be a case of justifiable homicide. The catch: How can Autry exonerate Wheeler without violating his own vow to uphold the law at all costs? The answer is a technicality, so cleverly handled that it can't be repeated here without giving the whole game away. On hand, as ever, are Autry's comic sidekick Smiley Burnette and favorite leading lady Gail ("Annie Oakley") Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1953
Gene Autry's summer release for 1953 was the 56-minute Pack Train. In this one, Autry is assigned to safely transport supplies to a band of settlers. The villains, headed by Ross McLain (Kenne Duncan), intend to bushwhack Autry, grab the supplies, and sell them at high prices to a local mining camp. It must needs be that Autry and the bad guy duke it out in the final reel; the climactic fight, which takes place on a speeding train, is the best scene in the film. McLain's partner in crime is played by Sheila Ryan, the real-life wife of Gene Autry's perennial sidekick Pat Buttram (who also appears in the film). The heroine in Pack Train is Autry-contractee Gail Davis, who later in 1953 began filming on her own TV series, Annie Oakley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 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)
Gene Autry goes undercover once again in this rather pedestrian western from Columbia Pictures. Suspecting jailed youth Dave Weldon (Dick Jones) of complicity in an army payroll heist, special investigator Autry has himself jailed. He quickly discovers that there is more to the case than meets the eye and helps Dave escape and rejoin his father's medicine show, which also includes Dave's sister Connie (Gail Davis) and the singing Cass Country Boys. Meanwhile, nasty Mike McClure (Henry Rowlands and his crew are also after the stolen money and to save young Dave's life, Gene convinces him to turn the loot over to Marshal Taplan (Gordon Jones). Among other selections, Autry and the Cass County Boys perform yet another version of Gene's signature tune, "Back in the Saddle Again". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
- 1952
In this musical western, a rancher sends a man to prevent the marriage of his daughter. When the man arrives he finds a dude ranch and several murders which require solving. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Gene Autry was clearly tiring of the rigors of moviemaking by the time he starred in The Old West. Even so, Autry gives his all to this story of frontier religiosity. Left for dead in an outlaw ambush, Gene is nursed back to health by a travelling parson (House Peters Sr.) Our hero decides to help the parson build a church in the wide-open town of Saddlerock, which does not sit well with local crime kingpin Doc Lockwood (Lyle Talbot). The villain not only tries to drive the parson out of town, but also does his best to ruin Autry's reputation. The good guys emerge triumphant, but it isn't easy. Featured in the cast of The Old West are Autry "regulars" Gail Davis and Pat Buttrum; also appearing is the ubiquitous Louis-Jean Heydt, delivering a superb performance as a stagecoach driver plagued by encroaching blindness, and House Peters Sr's namesake son House Peters Jr. as one of the outlaws. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
- 1951
Take Care of My Little Girl is a genteel "expose" of college-sorority snobbery. Jeanne Crain stars as Liz Erickson a perky coed who is pledged to an old, established sorority. At first amused by such rituals as "rushing" and "Hell week," Liz eventually feels threatened by the tyranny of the sorority caste system. She is particularly upset with her "sisters"' preoccupation with doltish boyfriends and their disdain for their classwork. With the moral support of student Joe Blake (Dale Robertson), Liz finally gets her priorities in order. Take Care of My Little Girl would make a fascinating companion piece with For Men Only (1951), director Paul Henreid's vitriolic attack against the injurious rituals of male fraternities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Crain, Dale Robertson, (more)
The Technicolor adventure epic Flying Leathernecks offers two things that film cultists can never get enough of: star John Wayne and director Nicholas Ray. Filmed at the behest of RKO chieftain Howard R. Hughes, Leathernecks is a paean to the Marine Flying Corps of World War II. Wayne plays Major Dan Kirby, a squadron commander, whose no-nonsense attitude is sharply at odds with the easygoing approach of executive officer Captain Carl Griffin (Robert Ryan). Griffin eventually learns the value of discipline at all costs, while Kirby becomes more humanized as he gets to know his pilots. Jay C. Flippen steals the show as a supply sergeant who "borrows" from other companies to keep his men happy. Though not entirely cliché-free, Flying Leathernecks is one of the more solid war films of the 1950s, and one that has remained readily available in theaters, on TV and in video stores to the present day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Robert Ryan, (more)
This 1951 Gene Autry vehicle is based on a supposedly true incident. At the close of the Civil War, a band of Southern guerillas disguised themselves as Union soldiers, the better to perform acts of sabotage in Utah. Autry plays a cavalry scout who goes after guerilla leader McQuarrie (Jim Davis). Though heavily outnumbered, Gene manages to come out on top. Hardly plausible, Silver Canyon is enhanced by an excellent supporting cast, including Pat Buttram as Autry's sidekick, Bob Steele as an all-around louse, and perennial Autry leading lady Gail Davis as the spunky heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
- 1951
In this North Woods adventure, the Mounties investigate a series of payroll robberies and discover that it is an inside job. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Valley of Fire is a fairly gutsy title for this formula Gene Autry western. This time, Autry plays the reform-minded mayor of a wide-open western town. The villain of the piece, Tod Rawlings (Harry Lauter), decides to undermine Gene by convincing a band of disreputable miners to hijack a wagon train which is bringing mail-order brides into the community. Fortunately, the community's "good" miners thwart Rawling's plan and claim the brides for themselves (fear not: the ladies are more than willing to be claimed). One of Rawling's partners in crime is played by Russell Hayden, who only a few months earlier had been the clean-cut hero of Lippert's "Four Star Western" series. Once again, Gene Autry's feminine vis-a-vis in Valley of Fire is Gail Davis, who went on to star in TV's Annie Oakley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
Gene Autry stars in the 1951 sagebrusher Whirlwind. In this outing, Autry plays a frontier postal inspector known for his lightning speed in the saddle (hence the title). Travelling incognito, Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette endeavor to get the goods on the "respectable" head of an outlaw empire. It isn't fair to give away the identity of the villain, though seasoned moviegoers will be able to solve this little mystery in the first reel. Gail Davis, TV's Annie Oakley, once more shows up as Gene Autry's leading lady in Whirlwind. As a bonus, Autry performs three songs, including the title tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
If one is a subscriber to cable TV's American Movie Classics, it is virtually impossible to avoid seeing the John Wayne starrer Operation Pacific; judging by the frequency of its showings, the film must be someone's very special favorite down at AMC. Set during WW II, the film casts Wayne as Duke Gifford, two-fisted submarine commander. Patricia Neal co-stars as Mary Stuart, Duke's former wife. Duke's hopes of staging a reconciliation are constantly interrupted by a series of life-threatening circumstances, capped by the rescue of a group of orphans from a Japanese-held island. Featured in the cast are old John Wayne cronies Ward Bond and Jack Pennick, as well as TV's future Jim Bowie, Scott Forbes. Operation Pacific might prove a fascinating companion feature to 1964's In Harm's Way, which reteamed John Wayne and Patricia Neal in another WW II Navy yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1951
Not to be confused with the 1929 film The Overland Telegraph, this Western from director Lesley Selander stars Tim Holt as a cowboy appropriately named Tim Holt. In order to hinder the construction of a new telegraph line for his own financial gain, scheming shopkeeper Paul Manning (George Nader) enlists the assistance of a gang of outlaws led by Brad Roberts (Hugh Beaumont in one of his many pre-Leave it to Beaver roles). Unfortunately for the bad guys, Holt and his cohort Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) sense that there's foul play afoot and embark on an investigation. But Holt and Rafferty run into some trouble of their own in the form of Terry Muldoon (Gail Davis), the daughter of the owner of the telegraph company. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Gail Davis, (more)
Texans Never Cry but they sure do sing a lot in this Gene Autry western. Cast as a Texas Ranger, Autry is trying to get the goods on a frontier numbers racket. Perpetrating the crime is Tracy Wyatt (Richard Powers, who'd previously been a western hero himself under the name of Tom Keene). Adding to the fun is the presence of two leading ladies: conventional ingenue Gail Davis (later TV's Annie Oakley) and villainess Mary Castle. At the time Texans Never Cry was first released, critics were amused by the film's sound effects, which seemed more appropriate for a Three Stooges comedy than a Gene Autry vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
