Billy Dix Movies
Irish McCalla, the statuesque heroine of TV's Sheena Queen of the Jungle, heads the cast of She Demons. Shipwrecked on a volcanic island, spoiled heiress Jerrie Turner (McCalla) and explorers Fred (Tod Griffin) and Sammy (Victor Sen Yung) fall into the clutches of unreconstructed Nazi scientist Osler (Rudolph Anders). Experimenting exclusively on beautiful, busty women, Osler hopes to create a race of super-persons, infusing his subjects with a powerful element known only as Character X. Fred and Sammy race against time to save Jerrie from becoming another of Osler's hideously mutated victims. She Demons is another triumph from director Richard Cunha, whose science-fiction quickies of the 1950s are among the worst films ever made. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irish McCalla, Tod Griffin, (more)
In Richard Cunha's Giant from the Unknown, scientists come upon a petrified lizard in the California Mountains. The lizard revives, proving the theory of suspended animation. Excitedly, scientist Wayne Brooks (Ed Kemmer) begins searching for a legendary Spanish giant called Vargas, who disappeared in the region 500 years earlier and who also may be in a suspended-animation state. Brooks discovers all too soon that his instincts a correct: a bolt of lightning releases Vargas (Buddy Baer) from his centuries-long slumber, whereupon the big brute goes on a homicidal rampage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, (more)
Based on a 1941 movie entitled Shepherd of the Hills, this is the story of a gunfighter who decides to return home after 17 years to make amends with his son. The son blames him for his mother's death and the reconciliation is difficult. Although there are many side action lines -- old enemies still gunning for him and new friends not sure who to root for -- the main theme is that of the interaction between father and son. The push toward one last battle is made secondary. Short on plot, this film features good performances by Jack Palance and Anthony Perkins. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Anthony Perkins, (more)
- 1956
The catch-all title Tribute to a Bad Man had been floating around MGM for years (at one point, it was the working title for The Bad and the Beautiful) before it was finally affixed to this big-budget western. Originally intended as a vehicle for Spencer Tracy, the film was recast with James Cagney when Tracy walked out of his MGM contract. Cagney stars as no-nonsense land baron Jeremy Rodock, who plays by his own rules, his own sense of justice and his own code of honor. Young cowhand Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) learns the hard way what it means to incur Rodock's wrath when he falls in love with Jocasta Constantine (Irene Papas), whom Rodock considers his own personal property. Through the example of the even-tempered Miller, however, Rodock rediscovers his own essential humanity. The film's "money scene" takes place when Rodock punishes a group of scraggly horse thieves by forcing them to march barefoot through the sagebrush. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Don Dubbins, (more)
- 1956
The fraternal filmmaking team of produced Sigmund Neufeld and director Sam Newfield once again joined forces on The Wild Dakotas. Made some two years after the "official" demise of the "B" western, the film attempts to revive the genre with a new cowboy star, one Will Williams. In keeping with the "adult western" trend of the period, the so-called hero, a wagonmaster, is something of a psychotic. He attempts to foment a war between the settlers and the local Indian tribe. A surprise is in store for the wagonmaster-and the audience. The veteran cast includes Coleen Gray, Jim Davis, John Litel, John Miljan and the indestructible Iron Eyes Cody. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
1954's Rose Marie is the third film version of the 1924 Otto Harbach-Oscar Hammerstein-Rudolph Frinl operetta of the same name. Though not a completely faithful adaptation, this version is closer to the original than the (admittedly enjoyable) Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald version of 1936. Ann Blyth stars as Rose Marie Lemaitre, a hoydenish French-Canadian lass who is "tamed" by cheerful mountie Mike Malone (Howard Keel). At first, Mike is only interested in using Rose Marie to capture her sweetheart, renegade trapper Duval (Fernando Lamas), but eventually he falls in love with her, and she with him. Counterpointing the romantic main plot are the comic antics of Bert Lahr, who elucidates his sorry lot in life with the song "I'm the Mountie Who Never Gets His Man." The original Rudy Friml score is well in evidence, along with several new Friml compositions and a few extra tunes penned by Georgie Stoll and Herbert Baker. There's also a remarkable "Indian sacrifice" production number spotlighting a young Rita Moreno. Original Cinemascope prints of Rose Marie included a nine-minute prologue, wherein conductor Alfred Wallenstein led the MGM orchestra in a rendition of "Poet and Peasant Overture" (this was evidently inspired by the similar symphonic prologue which opened 20th Century Fox's How to Marry a Millionaire). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, (more)
- 1952
The Lion and the Horse is one of the best efforts to come out of Bryan Foy's "B"-picture unit at Warner Bros. Steve Cochran stars as Ben Kirby, an easygoing cowboy who is dead set on owning a magnificent wild stallion. After Kirby and his partners capture the horse, the animal is purchased outright by nasty rodeo operator Dave Tracy (Ray Teal). Cruelly exploiting the horse as a bronco-busting attraction, Tracy refuses all entreaties to sell back the steed to Kirby, whereupon the latter "appropriates" the horse and heads for the high country. Taking refuge on the ranch owned by Cas Bagley (Harry Antrim), Kirby begins to train the horse himself. When Tracy catches up with Kirby, the horse panics and kills the villainous rodeo owner. Slated for destruction, the horse redeems itself in a manner that explains the film's title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Cochran, Ray Teal, (more)
- 1952
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In the second of Republic Pictures' three "Rocket Man" serials, the government assigns Commando Cody (George Wallace) to look into a series of strange atomic explosions threatening the United States' defense systems. As Cody discovers, the threat comes from the Moon, whose ruler, Retik (Roy Barcroft), is planning an invasion of Mother Earth due to a severe lack of atmosphere on his own planet. Retik works through Krog (Peter Brocco), an inter-planetary henchman who does all the financing and hiring on Earth. Unfortunately, the hooded lunar visitor fails miserably on both fronts: the preparations for the invasion are severely under funded and the hired guns, such as former prison inmate Graber (Clayton Moore), less than competent. But despite these caveats, Commando Cody and his fellow space travelers, Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne) and Ted Richards (William Bakewell), have to suffer through 12 chapters before finally destroying the threat from the planet Moon. Radar Men From the Moon was filmed between October 17, 1951, and November 6, 1951, on a budget of $172,840. Most location filming, not excluding plenty of stock footage from earlier Republic serials, was done at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. The serial was followed by a brief television series, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal, which retained Aline Towne as Joan Gilbert but replaced George Wallace and William Bakewell with Judd Holdren and William Schallert. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Wallace, Aline Towne, (more)
- 1951
Callaway Went Thataway is an amiable spoof of early television's "Hopalong Cassidy" craze. Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire star as Mike Frye and Deborah Patterson, advertising copywriters who have pulled off quite a coup by purchasing the old "Smokey Callaway" Westerns for TV. Trouble begins when the sponsor wants to meet up with Callaway (Howard Keel) and sign him to a long-term contract. But Smokey, a notorious boozer and womanizer, has dropped out of sight and left for parts unknown. In desperation, Mike and Debbie hire a Callaway look-alike named Stretch Barnes (also Howard Keel), whom they give a crash course in the art of being a boyhood idol ("You're a cowboy star. You have two expressions: hat on and hat off"). Barnes not only pulls off the ruse with the greatest of ease, but also takes his responsibilities to his young fans quite seriously. The plot thickens when the real Smoky Callaway emerges from a ten-year bender to demand a piece of the action. Callaway Went Thataway is full of wonderful moments, not least of which is a climactic fistfight between Callaway and Barnes, adroitly edited and photographed so as to make it appear that Howard Keel is actually punching out himself! The supporting cast includes future TV favorites Jesse White, Stan Freberg, and Hugh Beaumont (unbilled), while several MGM stars make surprise cameo appearances. Perhaps to avoid potential lawsuits, the film ends with a timorous disclaimer, stating that most Western stars are generous, upstanding individuals -- and not at all like the bibulous, mercenary Smoky Callaway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Dorothy McGuire, (more)
- 1950
Produced 16 mm color stock by television personality Spade Cooley in 1947, The Silver Bandit was not released until April of 1950 when distributor Raymond Friedgen had it blown up to 35 mm. Cooley starred as a mild-mannered bookkeeper shipped West by his boss, Vanfleet Stoglehammer (Dick Elliott), to investigate problems at the Green Valley Mine. From pretty Molly Doren (Virginia Jackson), Cooley learns that a masked bandit has been terrorizing the area's silver mines. Falling into an abandoned mine shaft, the intrepid Easterner discovers the bandit's lair and discarded spare costume. Trying on the suit, Spade is mistaken for the real bandit, but escapes the sheriff's posse. After sundry ill-conceived B-Western clichés, Cooley is able to unmask the real bandit, who proves to be none other than Molly's erstwhile boyfriend (Bob Gilbert). A classically trained musician turned country & western bandleader, Spade Cooley became a household name starring on The Hoffman Hayride, one of television's earliest successes. Still performing by 1961, Cooley created headlines once again when he was convicted of beating his estranged wife to death. He died while on a furlough from Vacaville Prison in 1969. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spade Cooley, Bob Gilbert, (more)
- 1949
- NR
The Dore Schary regime at MGM brought a much-needed dose of stark realism to the venerable studio. Van Johnson sheds his boy-next-door image to play L.A. plainclothes lieutenant Mike Conovan. Determined to bring a cop killer to justice, Conovan will let no man stand in his way -- not even his level-headed superiors. The detective's single-purposed pursuit causes a rift in his marriage to wife Gloria (Arlene Dahl). The film comes very close to the Dragnet school of unadorned, unglamorized police procedure: it adheres to standard MGM formula only in the final reconciliation scene. Officially a Harry Rapf production, Scene of the Crime was completed by another producer when Rapf died during filming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, (more)
- 1949
Produced and directed by the veteran Oliver Drake and filmed at his ranch near Pearblossom, CA, this minor musical Western starred Spade Cooley, a bandleader known as the "King of Western Swing." In between performing such numbers as "Cowboy Serenade" and "Gower Gulch Is Home Sweet Home to Me," Cooley wins the rodeo on the feared T.N.T (he was doubled by the later so notable Richard Farnsworth), beats up a few bad guys, including stuntmen Bob Woodward and Boyd Stockman, and romances pretty girl singer Wanda Cantlon. The Kid From Gower Gulch was apparently produced in 1947 (in 16 mm, according to Drake himself) but was not released until 1949. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1948
In this western, an entry in the "Durango Kid" series of westerns, a corrupt, prominent citizen owns a small western town. The trouble begins when a cowboy finds himself convinced by the evil town father that he has killed the sheriff. In exchange for his silence, the official forces the man to become the new sheriff and instructs him to turn a blind eye to the villain's evil doings. To stop the outlaw, the new sheriff dons his Durango Kid disguise, prevents the outlaw's gang from robbing the bank, and with the aide of a US Marshal, puts a permanent end to the outlaw's reign of terror. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1948
Produced on the cheap by Ron Ormond and his wife, June Carr, this Western was one of ten to star Lash LaRue and Al St. John, formerly of PRC. They are assigned to catch a gang of outlaws working out of Rhyolite, a town run by Duce Rago (Ray Bennett), who is posing as a legitimate businessman. With the help of an elderly widow, Mrs. Owens (Sarah Padden), and a female undercover agent (Peggy Stewart), Lash and Fuzzy manage to infiltrate the gang and bring Rago and his henchman, Brant (former Western star Jim Bannon), to justice. The Ormonds produced a quite unnecessary sequel to this Western, The Black Lash (1952), which contained sequences lifted in their entirety from Frontier Revenge. A former serial queen at Republic Pictures, Peggy Stewart was a fine actress who deserved better than what the Ormonds had to offer. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Produced in Kernville, California, this typical Jimmy Wakely singing Western from Monogram had the former radio troubadour settling a range feud between his uncle and boss (Budd Buster) and a homesteader (songwriter Jack Baxley) by proving that both were the victims of their crooked foremen (Zon Murray and Bob Duncan). Patricia Starling, who also appeared opposite Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson, added a bit of romance to the proceedings, which also benefitted from Wakely's warbling of the old standard Whoppi Ti Yi Yo and his own The Lonesome Trail. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Johnny Mack Brown races to the rescue in the Monogram western Raiders of the South. But we're a bit ahead of ourselves here: we should explain that Johnny has come to the aid of helpless settlers who've been victimized by a vigilante group. The mysterious masked leader turns out be...but wait, we're gettting ahead of ourselves again. Featured in the cast is former silent screen star Evelyn Brent, and Superman's Perry White, aka John Hamilton. Raiders of the South benefits from the production polish indigenous to producer Scott R. Dunlap and director Lambert Hillyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Despite his unprepossessing screen personality, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely was starred in a series of Monogram westerns, one of which was West of the Alamo. Wakely and comedy sidekick Lee "Lasses" White play a pair of government agents who work undercover to solve a series of baffling crimes. It comes to no one's surprise that the criminal mastermind is the town's leading citizen, in this case banker Clay Bradford (Jack Ingram). As was typical in the Wakely westerns, West of the Alamo is approximately 25 percent action and 75 percent musical. Among the guest warblers this time out is the Arthur Smith Trio, headed by a gospel singer who'd later emcee a popular religious TV talk show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Lee "Lasses" White, (more)
- 1946
As with his previous music Western vehicle, Moon over Montana (1946), former radio crooner Jimmy Wakely composed the title song for this film. With Wesley Tuttle and His Texas Stars as his backup group, Wakely also warbled Paul Westmoreland's Detour, De Camptown Ladies, by Stephen Foster, and I Miss You Since You've Been Gone by Arthur Smith. The girl Wakely "missed" was Jean Carlin, whose prospector grandfather (Budd Buster) is being harrassed by an unknown force. Wakely and his usual sidekick Lee "Lasses" White investigate and soon determine that the mystery villain is actually a villainess, Flora Carter (Iris Clive), a ruthless lady rancher who holds the mortgage to grandpa Buster's property. In between crooning the aforementioned tunes and winning the big race on his wild mustang, Wakely manages to discover enough evidence to convict the unscrupulous Ms. Carter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
