George Montgomery Movies

As an actor, Eddy Arnold was a good country-western singer. In Hoedown, Eddy plays himself, while the acting burden was carried by Miss Jeff Donnell, Jock O'Mahoney (aka Jock Mahoney), and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. O'Mahoney plays Stoney Rhodes, a cowboy star who is fired from his studio because he can't sing. Accompanied by Vera Wright (Donnell), Rhodes heads southward, where he attends a hoedown staged by Arnold and his C&W confreres. When bank robbers invade the party, Rhodes finds that he's not much help without his stuntmen to back him up. Eventually, however, he proves that he's a genuine hero, thereby assuring himself a renewed movie contract, not to mention the undying adoration of Wright. Among the musical guest stars featured in Hoedown are Carolina Cotton, The Pied Pipers and the Oklahoma Rangers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Columbia's "Crime Doctor" series drew to a close with 1949's Crime Doctor's Diary. A visibly weary but still virile Warner Baxter stars as Dr. Robert Ordway, whose previous life of crime has made him something of an expert in the field of detection. This time, Ordway takes the case of parolee Steve Carter (Steve Dunne), who claims he was framed for arson by his former employers. Things get sticky when Carter is accused of the murder of Anson (George Meeker), the man who took over his old job. When the genuine murderer is revealed, it comes as a genuine surprise to both cast members and viewers alike. The cast of Crime Doctor's Diary ranges from such veterans as Robert Armstrong to such comparative newcomers as Lois Maxwell (later to achieve worldwide fame as Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" films). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Someone is unhappy with Steve Downey taking over his murdered brother-in-law's gold mine -- the Tavishes, for example, brothers Scotty and Tommy (Lee Roberts and Richard Emory) and their sister Molly (Gail Davis), who blame runoff from the mine for poisoning their cattle. When Tommy is killed, Scotty points the finger at Steve (Charles Starrett), who is promptly arrested by Sheriff (Smiley Burnette). Smiley's innocence allows Steve a free reign, however, and the hero is able to don his usual disguise as the Durango Kid, defender of all that is right and decent. Smiley Burnette performs his own inimitable "When You Go" and "The Ever-Lovin' Marshal" while country-swing artist Tommy Duncan takes care of "Saturday Night in San Antone" and a very unusual version of "Rock-a-Bye Baby." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Western star Charles Starrett was amazing; he kept making the same film over and over, but always made it seem as if it was for the first time. In West of Sonora, Starrett once again plays a frontier good-guy named Steve (Steve Rollins, to be exact), who, when the need arises, disguises himself as The Durango Kid, masked righter of wrongs. This time, Steve/Durango champions the cause of 10-year-old Penelope Clinton (Anita Castle), who has spent her short life as the focus of a feud between her grandfathers, suspected outlaw Black Murphy (Steve Darrell) and Sheriff Jack Clinton (George Cheseboro). When Murphy rides off with Penelope, it's up to Durango to keep the two grandpops from blowing off each others' heads and to bring an end to their foolish quarrel. As a bonus, he also proves that Murphy isn't an outlaw after all by corralling the genuine culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A B-Western hero since the late silent era, Bob Steele would hang up his spurs after a final four westerns for director Harry L. Fraser. In the opener, The Navajo Kid, Steele, as he had so many times before, went in search of the villain, or villains, who murdered his foster-father and stole both ring and watch. The trail leads straight to Canyon City, Texas, and smooth cardsharp Honest John Grogan (I. Stanford Jolley), who is in possession of both the stolen items. But Grogan has an ironclad alibi for the time of the murder, an alibi confirmed by none other than Sheriff Roy Landon (Edward Cassidy). The Navajo Kid was produced independently by Arthur Alexander and Alfred Stern and released by PRC. Leading lady Caren Marsh had been Judy Garland's stand-in during the making of The Wizard of Oz (1939). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This entry in the short "I Love a Mystery" series has detective Jack Packard and his sidekick Doc Young investigating the identity of a shrunken head that was discovered in a downed cargo plane. The head was one of four others discovered in the wreckage. It was notable as having belonged to a red-haired white man believed to be a missing explorer. The two sleuths are hired by the explorer's daughter who has them follow her mother and her father's associate. The detectives soon reveal that the murderer was a taxidermist on the expedition. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Diminutive western hero Bob Steele stars in Six Gun Man. Steele plays federal marshal Bob Storm, who has been assigned to halt the activities of cattle rustlers. Given his previous movie track record, we'll wager that Bob also wants to avenge the death of his father. Jean Carlin is the ingenue, I. Stanford Jolley the heavy, and Sid Saylor (he of the bobbing adam's apple) is comedy relief. Even at 59 minutes, Six Gun Man could use some judicious editing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical, a struggling songwriter endeavors to make it big in Tin Pan Alley. She is befriended by the widow of a famous composer. The budding lyricist manages to convince the widow to allow her to make some small changes in her husband's music. She does, and it becomes a tremendous success. Songs include "Oh What a Lovely Dream" (Milton Drake, Ben Oakland), "It's a Blue World" (Bob Wright, Chet Forrest), and "I Don't Know How You Did It" (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This western features a singing cowboy, a brave hero, and a bumbling sidekick who band together to defeat a ruthless range boss. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

An ex-racketeer becomes an undercover for the military in this drama. He keeps his work so secret that his friends become convinced that he is dabbling in illegal activities again. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this silly but enjoyable rip-off of Arsenic and Old Lace, Boris Karloff plays an addlepated scientist who is experimenting with bringing the dead back to life. To do this, he has "killed" several travelling salesmen and placed them in suspended animation in his basement. Karloff is fiercely protected by his housekeeper (Maude Eburne), who is none too normal herself. Beauteous real estate agent Jeff Donnell approaches Karloff to buy his New England home; Donnell wishes to turn the ramshackle domicile into a rustic inn. Other visitors to the Karloff manse are Donnell's ex-husband Larry Parks, and the local sheriff/justice of the peace (Peter Lorre)! who holds the high-interest mortgage on the house. Travelling peddler Maxie Rosenbloom also shows up, and is promptly made a subject of Karloff's experimentation. It turns out that Karloff has really killed no one--all the salesmen are merely stunned, especially the dimwitted Rosenbloom--but the plot is complicated by a real murder, committed by person or persons unknown. As the convoluted storyline runs down, the Karloff home is invaded by an Italian P.O.W. (Frank Puglia) who is wired with explosives, and finally by representatives of the local booby hatch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi