Duke Taylor Movies
- 1951
- NR
The Racket was based on a play by Bartlett Cormack, first filmed as a silent in 1928. The storyline was updated to include references to Estes Kefauver's Senate Crime Investigating Committee: otherwise, the plot (and much of the dialogue) was lifted bodily from the Cormack play. Racketeer Robert Ryan has managed to get several government and law-enforcement higher-ups in his pocket. But Ryan can't touch the incorruptible police officer Robert Mitchum, who refuses all attempts at bribery. Ryan pulls strings to get Mitchum transferred to a series of undesirable precincts, but Mitchum will not be dissuaded. The battle of wills between cop and criminal comes to a head when mob-connected nightclub singer Lizabeth Scott turns on her former protector Ryan. The Broadway version of The Racket starred Edward G. Robinson as the racketeer; the 1928 film version featured Louis Wolheim in the Robinson role and Thomas Meighan as the upright cop. Both the silent and sound versions of the property were personally produced by Howard R. Hughes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
- 1949
Kirk Alyn, erstwhile Superman of the serials, plays government man Dave Worth in the Republic serial Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc. Worth is put on the trail of a famous archaeologist who has disappeared. He learns that the far-reaching criminal organization Underworld Inc. wants to get its mitts on the Golden Hands of Kurigal, the key to a huge fortune hidden away in an unknown foreign country. The brains of the bad-guy operation is bad-girl Neela (Carol Forman), a master-or mistress-of disguise. Former Miss America Rosemary LaPlanche portrays Dave Worth's ever-imperiled girl Friday. Federal Agents vs. Underworld Inc managed to sustain audience interest for a full 12 chapters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Alyn, Rosemary La Planche, (more)
In this comedy, Paul Muni plays a recently murdered gangster who finds himself roasting in Hell. Muni can't believe that he's in for All Eternity and keeps trying to "bust out," which brings him to the attention of the Head Man (Claude Rains), who calls himself Nick. Nick strikes a bargain with Muni: There's a troublesome honest judge on Earth who's been shipping too many souls to Hell; if Muni will take over the judge's body and begin performing bad deeds, Nick will set him free. Muni readily agrees, eager to settle the score with the ex-partner (Hardie Albright) who bumped him off. Once he "becomes" the judge, however, Muni discovers that he is utterly incapable of performing any misdeeds--and when he falls in love with the judge's fiancee (Anne Baxter), Muni becomes determined to wriggle out of his agreement. Angel on My Shoulder is based on a story by Harry Segall, whose previous play Heaven Can Wait was filmed as Here Comes Mr. Jordan, also with Claude Rains. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Muni, Anne Baxter, (more)
Popular latter-day serial queen Linda Stirling starred in the title role in this well-made 12 chapter serial produced by genre specialist Republic Pictures. Stirling plays Barbara Mededith, a pretty girl who takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro. Off course, "being a mere woman," Barbara needs the assistance of a stalwart young man, in this case Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis), a government secret agent. Arguably the most popular serial heroine since the days of Pearl White, Linda Stirling's other top-billed serial role was as The Tiger Woman (1944). The choice of Lewis as Stirling's male lead was surprising; the Mexican-born Lewis, although handsome enough and a veteran of Universal's popular "Collegians" 2-reelers, had recently played mostly villains. Produced by Ronald Davidson, Zorro's Black Whip benefitted from second unit direction by stunt-man extraordinaire Yakima Canutt and special effects by the famed Theodore Lydecker. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1942
The Two Yanks in Trinidad are gangsters Tim Reardon (Pat O'Brien) and Vince Barrows (Brian Donlevy), who split up over a disagreement and join the army, Tim to escape Vince's wrath and Vince to get his lunch-hooks on Tim. Both of our heroes run afoul of Army discipline and protocol in general, and tough top sergeant Valentine (Donald MacBride). Vince and Tim eventually bury the hatchet long enough to foil a German spy who plans to smuggle Nazi oil shipments out of Trinidad. Janet Blair is wholesomely sexy as café entertainer Patricia Dare, over whom Vince and Tim had their original falling out. In his autobiography, Pat O'Brien recalls asking director Gregory Ratoff how to play his role in Two Yanks in Trinidad, whereupon Ratoff replied that the character of Tim Reardon was an "Irish Bugsy Siegel" (which indeed he is!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Brian Donlevy, (more)
- 1942
Director William Witney puts his distinctive stamp on the Don "Red" Barry western Outlaws of Pine Ridge by opening the picture with a body sailing through the plate-glass window of a frontier saloon. Barry stars as gun-slingin' Chips Barrett, who makes it his mission in life to prevent the inaccurately nicknamed Honest John Hollister (Noah Beery Sr.) from becoming territorial governor. Complicating things is the fact that Chips is in love with Honest John's daughter Ann (Lynn Merrick, perennial heroine in the Republic "Red" Barry vehicles). In between a multitude of barroom brawls and shootouts, Emmett Lynn provides genuinely funny comedy relief as a desert rat named Jackpot McGraw. Outlaws of Pine Ridge got the 1942-43 season of Barry westerns off to a rousing start. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Lynn Merrick, (more)
Western favorites Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Hoot Gibson head the cast of the 12-chapter Republic serial The Painted Stallion. Corrigan plays American federal agent Steve Clark, on assignment in Santa Fe to draw up a trade agreement with the newly installed Mexican governor. Meanwhile, Walter Jamison (Hoot Gibson) leads a wagon train from Missouri, hoping to take advantage of the new agreement. Among Jamison's passenger are famed frontiersman Jim Bowie (Hal Taliaferro) and a very youthful Kit Carson (Sammy McKim). The destinies of all these personalities intersect when villainous ex-governor DuPrey (LeRoy Mason) schemes to undermine the treaty and take over the New Mexico territory for his own vile purposes. Somewhere along the way, Davy Crockett (Jack Perrin) joins the "good guys" in their efforts to thwart the despicable DuPrey. Years after the release of The Painted Stallion, film historian William K. Everson waxed rhapsodic over a particulary exciting chapter ending-then commented that he hoped never to see that particular ending again, just in case it proved to be less exciting than he remembered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Sammy McKim, (more)
