Oscar Gahan Movies

The prolific Jack Natteford wrote this unusual Gene Autry Western -- or, to be accurate, "Eastern" -- which reportedly suffered cuts after censors found it too violent. Gene, as usual, plays Gene Autry, this time the son of a Georgian cattleman (Charles Middleton) waging a war against the areas "turpentiners," harvesters of pine tree sap. Disowned by his father after siding with the turpentiners, Gene takes up with Colonel Millhouse's (Smiley Burnette) traveling Wild West Show. The show returns to Pine Ridge two years later and Gene discovers that a gang of rustlers is now using the turpentiners as a cover for their crimes. While Gene is occupied with the rustlers, the Wild West Show audience grow restless and Millhouse sends in an imposter (Art Mix), who mimes to a recording of Autry's voice. The leader of the rustlers, Len Parker (LeRoy Mason), takes this opportunity to get rid of his enemy and has the imposter killed. The real Gene, meanwhile, finds his father murdered by what appears to be someone connected by the leader of the turpentiners, Bayliss Baynum (Russell Simpson), and when Autry Sr. is likewise found slain, Gene becomes the natural suspect. The turpentiners demand swift justice, but Gene manages to track down the real culprit with the aid of Baynum's daughter, Milly (Betty Bronson), and the Wild West Show performers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry gets into a heated fight with an oil company in this very tuneful early entry in the Autry oeuvre, restored in 2001 under the auspices of Gene Autry Entertainment. Gene, who believes the oil wells will pollute the grazing land, is feuding with broadcaster Doris Maxwell (Judith Allen), whose banker father (William Farnum) has embezzled $25,000 to fund a local drilling project. Our hero, however, changes his mind when news arrives of a railroad to be built if and when the well comes in. He also discovers that George Wilkins (Weldon Heyburn), the oil-drilling superintendent, has framed old man Maxwell and is now claiming the well to be dry in order to take over the operation himself. In addition to Harris Heyman and Snyde Miller's title tune and Jean Schwartz and William Jerome's "Chinatown My Chinatown, Git Along Little Dogie includes a sing-along of such standard melodies as "Red River Valley" and She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain", complete with on-screen lyrics for audience participation. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Lonely Trail, directed by Joseph Kane, stars John Wayne as veteran Union officer John Ashley. Ashley (Wayne), upon his return to his hometown in Texas, finds his presence unwanted by his former neighbors, who have all sided with the Confederacy. Law and order is being maintained by the smooth-talking Benedict Holden's (Cy Kendall) armed troopers. Though initially duped by the seedy northerner, Ashley realizes that Holden (Kendall) is merely a carpetbagger who, without the knowledge of the governor, is killing, stealing, and taxing the local ranchers out of their property under the pretense of state authority. In an attempt to thwart Holden's continuous betrayal of the Texas citizens, Ashley himself enlists in Holden's troops. The Lonely Trail also features actors Sam Flint, Bob Kortman, and actress Anne Rutherford. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

In this western, Gene Autry plays a cowboy with a heart as big as Texas who heads for the city to try to raise money so that a crippled little girl can get the operation she needs to walk again. First he talks a coffee company into being his sponsor. They opt to broadcast their performance on television, which had only recently been invented. Just as the performance is aired, there is trouble back at the ranch and the little girl finds herself trapped in a runaway wagon. Fortunately, the ranch hands rally to her rescue. Back in the city, the performance is a success and the girl is healed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed under the pseudonym "Raymond Samuels" by Harry S. Webb, this cheap Western starred former silent screen cowboy Bob Custer. Custer plays Marshal Bruce Manning, whose fiancee, Ann Morgan (Victoria Vinton), begs him to interfere when her brother Clay (Eddie Phillips), a cattle rancher, is accused of killing a homesteader (Wally Wales). But Manning, who wants to prevent a war between the cattle ranchers and the "nesters," takes Clay into protective custody. Ann's father (Edward Cassidy) shoots Bruce in the shoulder, and Ann herself is abducted by the dead homesteader's mother, Ma Potter (Vane Calvert). Morgan rallies his men to free Ann but mistakenly shoots his own son. Dying, Clay admits to having killed an unarmed man. Mourning their respective sons, Ma Potter and Morgan agree to share the land. Ambush Valley was the first of three very low-budget Custer westerns produced by small-time Reliable Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this western, a wagon train is destroyed and all but two children, a brother and sister, are slaughtered. The sister is abducted by the Indians while the boy is raised by an Anglo family. He grows up with no memory of his sister. Now a young cowboy, he is called upon to attack an outlaw gang. When he learns that the gang leader is his renegade sister, he is most surprised. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide