Kenne Duncan Movies

A Tennessee outlaw wants to create a huge network of other outlaws. In the process, he kills the father of a man's fiance, and the man swears his revenge. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

A transient finds the corpse of a murdered policeman and decides to steal his clothing and his identity to find the killers and bring them to justice. What makes this routine crime drama out of the ordinary is that it was shot in "Psychorama" a process in which subliminal messages were inserted to heighten the suspense. Used once before in director Harold Daniels' Terror in the Haunted House, it wasn't all that effective. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Ronnie Ashcroft, an editor-turned-producer, made his directorial debut with The Astounding She-Monster, a shoestring-budgeted sci-fi film that was shot in a total of about eight days. Kenne Duncan, Ewing Miles Brown, and Jeanne Tatum play a trio of hoods who kidnap an heiress (Marilyn Harvey) and try to elude the police by hiding out in a lonely mountain cabin, holding geologist Robert Clarke hostage. They arrive just as a mysterious alien visitor (Shirley Kilpatrick) lands in the nearby countryside; totally mute, clad in a shimmering silver suit, and possessing a lethal radioactive touch, she wanders around the woods, and the kidnappers and their victims are now trapped, Key Largo-style, in the cabin. The film isn't terribly good but it is diverting and moves at a reasonably brisk pace, and it has a certain appeal unique to its low budget. Shirley Kilpatrick -- who some sources claim later changed her name and became a more substantial actress as Shirley Stoler -- was a well-endowed performer (a real-life stripper, in fact) who split the back of her skin-tight costume on the first day's shooting, which is why her character only backs out of scenes, her front to the camera, for the entire movie. The budget was so low that a break-away window intended for an important stunt got broken prematurely and couldn't be replaced, and was used in already broken form. The script was being written as the movie was being shot, according to Robert Clarke in his autobiography, the writer delivering the pages as they worked. And Ashcroft was so new to directing, and his skills were at such a low level, that he reportedly asked Edward D. Wood Jr., of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame, to serve as a consultant -- and, strangely enough, the plot does have a pacifist angle to its science-fiction element that is also reflected in some of Wood's work. Shot for a total of $18,000, the movie's distribution rights were purchased by American International Pictures for $50,000. Robert Clarke, who got a percentage of the profits for his work acting in the movie, was inspired by this experience to produce and direct his own science-fiction thriller, The Hideous Sun Demon, which is actually a much better movie. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Revolt at Fort Laramie offers the old one about sworn enemies uniting to defeat an even more awesome foe. In this instance. The time is the Civil War: the place is a western cavalry outpost, where Union and Confederate sympathizers are forced to share close quarters. Not surprisingly, tensions erupt in a hurry, despite the honorable intentions of commander (and stalwart Southerner) John Dehner. But when indian chief Eddie Little lays siege upon Fort Laramie, Yanks and Rebels fight side by side. Harry Dean Stanton, then billed simply as Dean Stanton, makes his screen debut as "Rusty". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set in 1952, at a point when the United States was bogged down in the "police action," Hell's Horizon focuses on one crew of a B-29, given the unenviable assignment of knocking out a bridge vital to the enemy over the Yalu River. To do this, and avoid violating Chinese airspace, they must make their run from a predetermined direction and, if forced down or unable to drop their bomb-load, must see to it that they don't do it over China. John Ireland is excellent as Merrill, the pilot of the plane and a born cynic, who must lead a crew that -- if truth were to be told to his C.O. -- is coming apart at the seams. First there's Trask (Hugh Beaumont), the sergeant and the non-com veteran of the group, who can't get his mind off of troubles at home; then there's Lewis (Larry Pennell), who's young enough to let his emotions get the better of him, especially where Sami (Marla English), a local Korean girl who does the unit's laundry and has been a regular companion for Merrill, is concerned; and Jockey (Chet Baker), who relaxes by playing a trumpet that drives half the other members of the crew to distraction. Add to that one new crewman, Morgan (William Schallert), an instructor who's never been in combat, and a plane that was state-of-the-art in the last war but barely able to deal with the MIGs that the North Koreans are flying now, and you've got a recipe for disaster, which nearly comes to fruition when two members of the crew fold up in different ways at two critical moments along the mission, jeopardizing the lives of the entire crew. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Gene Autry's second 1953 entry, On Top of Old Smoky casts Autry more or less as himself, a travelling balladeer. The story gets under way when Autry and his back-up vocalists are mistaken for a group of Texas Rangers. Not wishing to disappoint anyone, Gene agrees to help heroine Jen Larrabee (Gail Davis, later TV's "Annie Oakley") protect her toll road against villainous prospectors. The big-money scene occurs during the closing reel, wherein Gene and the bad guys duke it out atop a burning railroad trestle. Smiley Burnette co-stars as Autry's sidekick, while Burnette's wife Sheila Ryan plays a secondary role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this western, two Federal Marshals attempt to round up ruthless counterfeiters by having hero Lash LaRue dress up as the mysterious "Frontier Phantom." Unfortunately, the Phantom and his friend end up captured by the town sheriff. They have the darnedest time convincing the fellow lawman that they are really on his side. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Johnny Mack Brown goes up against a lady bank robber in this average Mack Brown series late-entry from Monogram. The lady, played by Barbara Allen, is of course called "Ma." In order to get the goods on "Ma" and her "brood," Mack Brown must masquerade as a lone bandit. The ruse works up to a point but Johnny's real identity is eventually exposed, with a rather well-orchestrated barroom brawl as a consequence. Bruce Edwards and 1950s B-movie perennial Phyllis Coates take care of the romance, while Mack Brown, his physique no longer svelte, uses his fists on the likes of Marshall Reed and Lane Bradford. The aforementioned Barbara Allen is not the popular comedienne Barbara Allen who also billed herself Vera Vague. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Produced by Jack Schwarz on behalf of Eagle Lion Studios, Badman's Gold was ultimately released through United Artists. John Carpenter (not the horror-film director) stars as a U.S. marshal, sent westward to stop a series of stagecoach robberies. The villains have been pilfering gold intended for the vaults of the U.S. mint. With the help of a local brother and sister (Troy Tarrell and Alyn Lockwood), John Carpenter tracks down the miscreants. Of interest is the fact that the script for Badman's Gold was co-authored by Alyn Lockwood, the film's heroine. Soon afterward, star John Carpenter would embark upon his own series of self-produced westerns. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "badmen" of the title in this average western from Monogram are Waller (I. Stanford Jolley), a greedy express agent and Banker Jensen (Bill Kennedy, who conspire to separate Bob Bannon (Kenne Duncan) from the gold found on his property. Bob's brother Jim (Jim Bannon) and his two pals Whip Wilson and Texas (Fuzzy Knight) arrive too late to save Bob from the bad guys. Hoping to flush out the killer, Whip arranges to auction off the property. The ruse works and the hidden mine is handed over to Bob's lovely daughter, and heir, Carol (Phyllis Coates). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Gene Autry is back in the saddle again in The Blazing Sun. On this occasion, Autry plays a lawman in pursuit of two bank robbers. Adding novelty is the fact that the film is set in the contemporary West, with Pat Buttram co-starring as a conceited radio actor Mike. Weaving in and out of the proceedings is enigmatic heroine Kitty (Anne Gwynne), whose curious behavior is explained in full at fadeout time. Blazing Sun is capped by an exciting runaway-train sequence, pitting Autry against principal heavy Kenne Duncan. Featured in the cast is future Gilligan's Island co-star Alan Hale Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Filmed under the title Radar Patrol, Lippert's Rader Secret Service wastes no time getting down to business. Indeed, with a 59-minute running time, no waste would have been tolerated. John Howard and Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd star as Bill and Static, a pair of secret service operatives, in search of stolen uranium ore. Per the film's title, Our Heroes use radar to track down the atomic bandits. This was hardly necessary: any dyed-in-the-wool movie fan could have told Bill and Static from the get-go that the villains are Moran (Tom Neal) and Michael (Tris Coffin). Lippert's resident comic relief Sid Melton provides some amusing moments, while the feminine angle is handled by Adele Jergens and Myrna Dell, two of the best "bad girls" in "B"-pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Columbia's final release for 1950 was the Gene Autry western Indian Territory. Set during the Reconstruction Era, the story finds Autry working as an undercover agent for the U.S. cavalry. His mission: to neutralize a former Austrian army officer named Curt Raidler (Phil Van Zandt), who is leading a group of renegade Indians on a series of destructive raids. A subplot concerns the friendly rivalry between Autry and Union lieutenant Randolph Mason (played by Kirby Grant, later famous as TV's Sky King). Like most of Gene Autry's films from this era, Indian Territory co-stars Pat Buttram and Gail "Annie Oakley" Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi