Andy Devine Movies

The general perception of the Technicolor costume adventure movies that Maria Montez and Jon Hall made for Universal in the early 1940's is that they were pure escapist entertainment, intended to make people forget for an hour or so about the Second World War and the general world situation. And generally that is true about them -- they were mostly no "about" much more than having fun for 90 minutes or so amid pretty sets with lots of action and some pretty women in exotic outfits. But watching Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, one has to wonder if even here the screenwriter, Edmund L. Hartmann, was able to totally get away from the day-to-day reality around him. The opening Mongol invasion of Bagdad and the murder of the old Caliph (Moroni Olsen) while trying to set up a government-in-exile without thinking of the German and Japanese conquests and occupations of various nations that would have been going on at the time; additionally, the fact that the old Caliph is murdered with the help of a traitor in his own noble ranks -- a "quisling" in the term coined during World War II -- wouldn't have been missed by audiences at the time. Further, the screenplay very specifically paints the forty thieves as heroes who have gone from being criminals to an active resistance force against the occupying Mongols -- indeed, at the denouement, their invasion of the palace is greeted as a day of liberation by the people of Bagdad. The movie walks a strange tightrope, casting about veiled topical references of that sort, even as is otherwise sufficiently tongue-in-cheek to cast Andy Devine as a desert bandit. Obviously, Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves was sold as -- and mostly intended as -- light entertainment, but just below that glitzy Technicolor surface were some fascinating allusions to the real world. None of this stops Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves from being immense fun -- it is, even if the "fun" isn't totally escapist in nature -- and it's great to look at as well, even 60 years on; Universal has apparently kept preservation-quality source materials on this and Hall and Montez's other Technicolor costume romps. And this particular entry in that group of movies also contains one very instructive clue to the morays and censorship of the time in one scene, in which the hero meets the heroine bathing at an oasis -- the makers seem to have been forced to insert a particular shot that is there for no other reason then to make it clear that she is not totally naked when he sees her. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Cattlemen Robert Paige and Noah Beery Jr. run up against a shady syndicate, set up to squash the dealing between independent dealers and cattle buyers. Paige sets up his own exchange, in direct competition with cattle baron Thomas Gomez. He also falls in love with Anne Gwynne, daughter of a man killed by Gomez's top henchman Lon Chaney Jr. (billed misleadingly as "Chango the Mad Killer"). In the hands of Universal's resident serial director Ford Beebe, Frontier Badmen exudes an energetic pace that puts many an "A" picture to shame. Western fans were particularly gratified by the presence in the supporting cast of singing cowboy Tex Ritter and onetime silent-screen action star William Farnum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Randolph Scott was the star of Corvette K-225, a tribute to the World War II corvette escorts which guided Allied convoys through treacherous Atlantic waters. Scott plays the officer in charge of a Royal Canadian corvette cruiser, dedicated to keeping the troops safe from enemy submarine attack. The focus of the film is a danger-ridden journey from Halifax to Britain, the tension quotient heightened by the use of actual combat footage. Only the romantic triangle involving Scott, James Brown and Ella Raines bogs down this thrill-a-minute war picture. Corvette K-225 was produced by Howard Hawks, though the direction was credited to Richard Rosson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Top Sergeant was the third of four inexpensive Universal action films top-billing Leo Carrillo, Andy Devine and Don Terry. Terry plays the title character, drill sergeant Dick Manson of the Engineer Corps. Carrillo and Devine are cast respectively as Corporals Frenchy Devereaux and Andy Jarrett, whose merry antics constantly land them in the stockade. All three protagonists are instrumental in capturing a gang of bank robbers, but one of the crooks (Don Porter) escapes after killing Manson's younger brother (Gene Garrick). The rest of the picture details Manson's herculean efforts to track down the murderer without going AWOL. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It was an open secret in Hollywood that bosom buddies (and fellow Universal contractees) Broderick Crawford and Lon Chaney Jr. usually spent their weekend drunkenly punching one another out. Evidently Universal hoped to harness this pugnacity for box-offices purposes, which may be why North to the Klondike was born. Marginally based on the Jack London yarn Gold Hunters of the North, the film casts Crawford as Alaskan mining engineer John Thorn and Chaney as land-grabbing scoundrel Nate Carson. Originally close friends, Thorn and Carson ultimately have a falling out over Carson's strongarm tactics-resulting in an outsized brawl which looks disturbingly like the real thing. Evelyn Ankers, whose latter-day anecdotes about the redoubtable Crawford and Chaney could fill a book in themselves, valiantly plays the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Don Terry's last leading-man assignment at Universal (save for his serial duties in Don Winslow of the Coast Guard) was the "B" actioner Danger in the Pacific. As usual, Terry is teamed with Leo Carrillo and Andy Devine, this time united by the common interest of an expedition through an uncharted Pacific island. Scientist-explorer David Lynd (Terry) leaves wealthy bride-to-be June Claymore (Louise Allbritton) at the altar to join photographer Andy Parker (Devine) and British secret service agent Leo Marzeli (Carrillo) in search of rare minerals. They soon run afoul of crooked trader Tagani (Turhan Bey), who's been busily stockpiling weapons in the hills on behalf of his Nazi partners. After a variety of hair-raising adventures (most of them courtesy of the Universal stock footage department), our three heroes foil the Nazis' plans for a surprise invasion of the South Seas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mutiny in the Arctic was a 1941 entry in Universal's unofficial Richard Arlen/Andy Devine adventure series. Richard and Devine head to the frozen wastes with an expedition in search of radium deposits. Certain members of the group succumb to greed, plotting to bump off the others and claim the radium for themselves. But with Arlen around for fisticuffs and Devine around for sheer bulk, the villains are snowballed by the time the film's 64 minutes have elapsed. The romantic angle in Mutiny in the Arctic is provided by hardworking Universal contractee Anne Nagel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another of Universal's Richard Arlen-Andy Devine actioners, Lucky Devils casts the mismatched duo as a pair of intrepid newsreel cameramen. When they're not risking their lives coverning the Hot Spots of the world, Dick (Arlen) and Andy (Devine) busy themselves romancing Norma (Dorothy Lovett) and Gwendy (Janet Shaw), respectively. Our heroes' predilection for sticking their noses where they shouldn't gets them mixed up with a gang of Axis saboteurs. Perfect nonthink entertainment, Lucky Devils was specifically designed for the lower half of double bills. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot future Universal star Maria Montez among the bit players. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in the burning Arabian desert, this action-adventure centers on the attempts of a well-meaning and wealthy fellow to turn a village into a democracy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Up-and-coming Universal leading man Robert Stack made his western-movie debut in Badlands of Dakota. Set in the Dakotas during the days of the Great Gold Boom, the story finds brothers Jim and Bob Holliday (Stack and Broderick Crawford) dukeing it out over the affections of pretty Anne Grayson (Ann Rutherford). While all this is going on, Wild Bill Hickok (Richard Dix) does his best to neutralize the local criminal element-and to fend off the romantic overtures of boisterous Calamity Jane (Frances Farmer). The screenplay juggles the facts a bit, concluding with Calamity performing a self-sacrificing act straight out of Destry Rides Again to save her sweetheart from harm. Just to make sure that the audience doesn't mistake Badlands of Dakota for Real Life, Hugh Herbert is on hand with his patented "Woo woo!" comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dangerous Game was a 61-minute entry in the off-and-on Universal "B" adventure series starring Richard Arlen and Andy Devine. The emphasis is on laughs as the pair infiltrate a suspicious lunatic asylum. Amidst the genuine assorted nuts (all of whom behave "cuckoo" in 2-reel comedy fashion) are several perfectly sane criminals, using the asylum as headquarters. Arlen and Devine rout out the crooks, winning a huge cache of money in so doing. Jeanne Kelly, who later enjoyed a brief leading-lady career as Jean Brooks, provides the heart interest in A Dangerous Game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) and his buddies Johnny (Brad King) and California (Andy Clyde) take on a gang of rustlers in Stick to Your Guns. To throw the bad guys off the track, Hoppy and his companions pretend to be rustlers themselves and infiltrate the gang. Their mission is complicated when June, the heroine, takes it upon herself to go rustler-hunting, placing her directly in the line of fire. June is placed by Jacqueline Holt, daughter of Jennifer and sister of Tim; in her later western appearances, she billed herself as Jennifer Holt. Stick to Your Guns was the 41st entry in the "Hopalong Cassidy" series, with 25 left to go! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide