William J. Dyer Movies

In order to bring loan shark Jack "The Ripper" Lane (Wings Hauser) out in the open, the A-Team opens its own Irish pub, The Naked Lady. Disguised as pub owner Sean O'Shay, Hannibal (George Peppard) is apparently killed on orders from Lane, but it's actually a clever ploy to get inside the head villain's mansion (who'd suspect a corpse in a coffin?). Featured as the traditionally imperiled heroine is a pre-Northern Exposure Janine Turner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The A-Team sneaks into a small and remote town, there to attend the funeral of a fellow Vietnam veteran. They soon discover that their friend was murdered by members of the vicious Watkins family, who also hold the townsfolk in a grip of terror. Thus the team's mission is twofold: To seek revenge for their pal's death, and to end the Watkins' reign of fear once and for all. This is the final episode of The A-Team's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Diminutive cowboy star Bob Steele took to the air in this his second-to-last Western for Poverty Row company Sono Art-World Wide. A returning World War I flying ace, Ted "Gat" Garner joins his old friend, Si Halter (George "Gabby" Hayes), on a trip to the desert. They stumble over the skeletal remains of Cyrus Hellner and a note that begs the finder to care for Hellner's niece, June Collins. The girl (Nancy Drexel) arrives in a bi-plane that is shot down by highwayman Kincaid (Harry Semels) and his cohorts, Blake (Francis McDonald) and Burns (Dick Dickinson). The villains are chased away by Gat and Si, the latter pretending to be June's uncle to spare her more grief. Along with the sheriff (William Dyer), Gat and Si concoct a scheme to lure Kincaid out into the open. The villain, who not only murdered Cyrus Hellner but also stole Gat's prize horse, doesn't fall for the trick but is eventually betrayed by his henchman, Burns. After an exciting chase, Gat can finally apprehend the evil Kincaid, much to the relief of June with whom he has fallen in love. Texas Buddies was the last of five Westerns to team Steele with blond Nancy Drexel, an ingénue dating back to the silent era when she had acted under the name Dorothy Kitchen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Produced and directed by veteran silent-screen cowboy Leo Maloney, Overland Bound was the first all-talking independently made western. Maloney cast fellow silent cowboy Jack Perrin as the leading man (Maloney himself had gotten a little thick-waisted by 1929) who saves the community from a crooked railroad agent (Maloney himself). Maloney filmed his little epic on weekends with borrowed equipment, casting old friends like Wally Wales, Allene Ray and Perrin who worked for a percentage in lieu of wages. An independent producer, Maloney was forced to shop around for a distributor and lined several prospects up in New York. Unfortunately, Maloney didn't live long enough to enjoy all the fruits of his success: he died of a heart attack in his New York hotel room at the age of 41. The film, Maloney's main contribution to the western genre, was released posthumously. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Eva Novak and William Fairbanks co-star in this bucolic melodrama set in the Bluegrass State. A young Kentucky woman rides a horse to victory in the big race after the regular jockey is the victim of foul play. Lloyd Whitlock, Lydia Knott, Meta Sterling, and Max Asher also appear. Asher provided comedy relief that may be deemed politically incorrect at the approach of the 21st century. Southern audiences of the time found the portrayals of blacks having too much freedom questionable if not objectionable. Sixty years after the Civil War, many Southerners were still bitter over the Confederate defeat and continued to target blacks as the reasons for their social and economic troubles. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Dr. Ross Wayne (William Fairbanks) takes a job in the hill country where a long-standing feud continues. When Branch Paxton (Les Bates) is wounded, the call goes out for the doctor to make a housecall. Branch abuses his wife (Billie Bennett) and daughter Beulah (Dorothy Reiver), while his son Lem (Pat Harmon) abuses the two women as well. Dr. Wayne finds Branch near death and determines the only thing that can save the man is to amputate his arm. Branch is furious when he recovers, and Lem recruits Ed Cater (Frank S. Hagney) to help him kill the doctor. Wayne and Beulah escape into the woods with the three angry men in pursuit. The doctor saves Beulah with an emergency blood transfusion by tricking Lem in to the shack to act as the donor. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Westerner William Fairbanks finds himself disinherited after marrying an artist (Dorothy Revier. To support his new wife, Fairbanks turns pugilist and enters a three-round bout with pro-fighter Jack Dugan (real-life boxer Al Kaufman). Fairbanks emerges the winner and returns to the homestead with both wife and a $1000 prize. More a boxing melodrama than a western, Marry in Haste was but one of a series of potboilers teaming Fairbanks (no relation to Doug) with Dorothy Revier, a titian-haired WAMPAS Baby Star of 1925. A former dancer, Revier later played Mylady de Winter opposite Douglas Fairbanks' man in the Iron Mask (1929), one of the last of the great silent epics. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Silent western star Jack Hoxie's second film for producer Anthony Xydias' Sunset Productions, Crow's Nest featured the burly ex-cowboy as Esteban who, raised by an Indian woman (Mary Bruce, is unaware that he is the heir to a ranch. There's a usurper (Tom Lingham) who tries to keep Esteban's real heritage a secret, but the truth will come out, and the young man begins the fight to reclaim what is rightfully his. This is yet another western skirting the taboo of miscegenation by making the hero a white boy raised by Indians after a massacre that killed his parents. Leading lady Evelyn Nelson made 11 films with Hoxie. Tragically, she committed suicide by gas in her Hollywood home, June 16, 1923. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Universal star Herbert Rawlinson has the lead in this rather unusual romantic crime drama. James Harrington Court (Rawlinson) is a crook whose talent as a safecracker is well known. But one night he breaks into the wrong house and is discovered by the owner. The owner, however, doesn't think that Court is a robber; instead, he believes that he is the old sweetheart of his fiancée, Velma Gay (Edna Murphy). The man, believing that Velma has been untrue, angrily forces Court to marry her at gun point. The couple begin a new life together, and with Velma's encouragement, Court decides to try earning an honest income for once in his life. Unfortunately, Velma seems to be the only one who wants Court to go straight; all his old associates want him back doing what he did best. But Court sticks to his resolve, and, as a result, finds himself up against a powerful political boss. He has to fight four huge thugs before winning out over his foe. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Hal G. Evart's very "London-esque" 1920 dog melodrama The Cross Pull reached the screen the following year as The Silent Call, a vehicle for canine star Strongheart. Popular enough to have a dog food named after him, this handsome German shepherd continued to hold his own through 1927 despite increasing competition by newcomer Rin-Tin-Tin. When his master, Clark Moran (John Bowers), leaves to tend to business in the Big City, Flash (Strongheart), who is part wolf, finds himself falsely accused of "sheepicide." Captured by the local ranchers, Flash is condemned to death but escapes into the mountains where he finds a mate. But when lovely Betty Houston is kidnapped by nasty Luther Nash (James Mason), the true sheep killer, Flash leaves his new companion and races to the rescue. Nash drowns in the rapids, Flash clears his good name, and Betty is reunited with Clark Moran, Flash's returning owner. The 1961 film of the same title was not a remake but a sentimental story of a little boy separated from his pet dog. Owned and trained by his director, Lawrence Trimble, Strongheart died at the ripe old age of 13 in 1929; a book dedicated to him, Letters to Strongheart, was published by Prentice-Hall in 1940. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Carmel Myers' co-star in this amusing farce is a handsome newcomer named Rodolpho de Valentina -- later to become famous as Rudolph Valentino. Even at this early date in his career, Valentino commands attention and shows a surprising flair for comedy. Dick Thayer (Valentino) is in love with Bess Lane (Myers) and he convinces his friends, William and Maud Harcourt (Charles Dorian and Mary Warren), to invite them both to a dinner they are throwing. Another guest is Bradford (William Dyer), a millionaire. Harcourt wants Bradford to loan him some money, but Bradford first wants to see how well he manages his household. Unfortunately, Harcourt has just fired all his servants in a fit of pique. In order to favorably impress Bradford, Harcourt and his wife take over the servant's roles and ask Thayer and Bess to pose as them. The dinner goes off well until Bradford decides he likes the pseudo-Harcourts so much that he must spend the night. This causes a number of complications, including a visit from Bess' irate father, Colonel Lane (Wadsworth Harris). By morning, everything is cleared up and Thayer has won Bess over. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide