Jerry Thomas Movies

In this low-budget jungle adventure three people must take a wanted man through the jungle to the coast. Along the way they encounter many ferocious wild animals and face frequent dangers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the long running "Bowery Boys" series, one of the boys is bequeathed a farm in Kentucky. The boys go there and find themselves in the middle of a hillbilly feud between the Smiths and the Joneses. The warring clans unite when bank robbers break into the Jones' house and force the hapless family to assist them. The boys begin calling the thieves "Joneses" and this causes the Smiths to come a runnin' with their shot guns and capture them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This "Bowery Boys" entry is an on-target satire of TV wrestling (which, if anything, is even sillier in the 1990s than it was in 1952). Through a freak of nature, Sach Jones (Huntz Hall) develops a cranium so hard that it is impervious to pain. Capitalizing on this phenomenon, Sach's pal Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) enters Sach in a wrestling match, during which his great strength re-manifests itself in his fingers. With each subsequent wrestling bout, Sach's superstrength shifts to another part of his body. When slated to take on real-life wrestler Hombre Montana in the ring, Sach nearly meets his Waterloo until the last moment, when he develops extrahuman strength in his backside. Never believable for a single moment, No Holds Barred is one of the best and funniest of the 48 "Bowery Boys" films. In addition to Hombre Montana, other genuine wrestlers making guest appearances include Henry Kulky, Pat Fraley, Brother Frank Jares and Count John Maximillian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On a pure storytelling level, Crazy Over Horses is one of the best entries in Monogram's "Bowery Boys" series. This time, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) and the gang come into possession of a race horse. Slip is convinced that the horse, which he'd picked up as payment for a debt owed to sweet-shop owner Louie (Bernard Gorcey) by stable owner Flynn (Tim Ryan), is a thoroughbred. For once, he's right: the nag had been left with Flynn by a group of gamblers who'll do anything to get her back, even unto switching horses on the boys. The film leads steadily and logically to an exciting racetrack climax, capped by a final confrontation with the crooks. Comic patsy Huntz Hall is curiously unpleasant and abrasive in Crazy Over Horses, though he reverts to his old bumbling self in an extended sequence wherein he disguises himself as a black stablehand (this scene is usually removed when the film is shown on television). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny Mack Brown follows his tried-and-true western formula in Law of the Panhandle. This time, U.S. Marshal Brown backs up Sheriff Tom Stocker (Riley Hill) in an ongoing battle against a marauding outlaw gang. The thieves, led by snarling Henry Faulkner (Myron Healey), hope to scare all the local ranchers off the land that will soon be purchased by the railroad that's coming through the territory. The film's parade of cliches is stemmed by a truly innovative finale. Once more, Johnny Mack Brown leaves the film's romantic angle to the younger Riley Hill, whose vis-a-vis is played by Jane Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though Eagle Lion's "Red Ryder" westerns were not as well received as the earlier entries from Republic, they still managed to turn a profit. In Fighting Redhead, the heroic Ryder is played by Jim Bannon, with Don Kay Reynolds -- aka Little Brown Jug -- as Ryder's youthful Indian chum Little Beaver. In his first Cinecolor adventure, Red Ryder tries to bring a murderous cattle rustler to justice. The villain is played by John Hart, who'd later switch to the right side of the law as Clayton Moore's temporary replacement on TV's Lone Ranger series. Heroine Peggy Stewart is refreshingly feisty and fearless as she tries to exact vengeance for the murder of her rancher father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in "glorious" Cinecolor by Eagle-Lion, this was the first of four "Red Ryder" westerns starring Jim Bannon in the title-role, Don Kay Reynolds (billed, a bit condescendingly, as "Little Brown Jug") as juvenile sidekick Little Beaver, Emmett Lynn as Buckskin, and Marin Sais as Red Ryder's aunt, The Duchess. After rescuing crusading newspaper editor Libby Brooks (Peggy Stewart) from a gang of bandits, Red Ryder and his friends help the girl bring down Frenchy Beaumont (Edwin Max), the evil owner of the Parisian Hotel and the villain who has been terrorizing the town of Devil's Hole. Libby's brother Gerry (Steve Pendleton) loses his life in the fight, but Beaumont cheats the hangman with the help of his arrogant lawyer, Iverson (Fred Coby). There is a shootout on main street between Beaumont and Red Ryder before the villain is finally carted off to jail. Based on the long-running (1938-1964) comic strip by Fred Harman, the "Red Ryder" westerns had been very successful for Republic stars Don "Red" Barry, William Elliot, and Allan Lane before moving over to Eagle-Lion. Comedian Lynn was the only series regular to appear for both companies. Sais, the former wife of silent cowboy star Jack Hoxie, replaced Alice Fleming and Martha Wentworth as the Duchess. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

PRC's singing cowboy Eddie Dean once again brings law and order to a corrupt town in this average Western co-starring Roscoe Ates and Nancy Gates. When Red Gap's old sheriff (Edward Cassidy) is shot in cold blood by Ace (Mikel Conrad), a member of Brad Taggert's gang, the new lawman, Eddie, orders all firearms in Red Gap to be deposited in the sheriff's office. Taggert (I. Stanford Jolley) takes umbrage, of course, and hires a couple of gunmen (Russell Asrms and Marshall Reed) to rid the town of such nuisance. When that ploy fails, the villain falls back on crooked Judge Hammond (William Fawcett), but Eddie gets rid of him as well in favor of law-abiding Judge Walsh (Steve Clark) -- then the real Boss Villain reveals himself. Ates, Andy Parker, and the Plainsmen perform "A Miserable Ornery Coyote" and Dean sings "God's Little Lanterns" and "Moseyin' Along," the latter in a duet with leading lady Nancy Gates. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Although technically crude, Stage to Mesa City, an entry in PRC's "The Cheyenne Kid" series, was a great favorite with the small fries when unceremoniously dumped on theaters in February of 1948. Al "Lash" LaRue once again played the black-clad, whip-wielding hero who, along with sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), comes to the aid of troubled stagecoach proprietor John Watson (Steve Clark). Watson, who has been forced to sell his ranch in order to keep the stages running and win a valuable mail contract, is opposed by Baxter (Marshall Reed), a crooked lawyer working for the mysterious "The Boss." When Watson is found murdered, his grown children, Margie (Jennifer Holt) and Bob (Brad Slavin), assign Marshals Cheyenne Davis and Fuzzy to catch his killer and unmask the mysterious "The Boss." Needless to say, the latter proves to be the least likely candidate and is therefore easy to spot for any armchair detective in the audience. Stage to Mesa City was remade in 1951 as Stage to Blue River, this time starring the less than enthralling Whip Wilson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Singing cowboy Eddie Dean and sidekick Soapy (Roscoe Ates) come to the aid of novice cattle rancher Ann Howard (Phyllis Planchard) and her juvenile delinquent brother Tom (Steve Drake). Unhappy about the move West from Chicago, the latter forges Ann's signature on the deed to their ranch, which he then plans to sell to Larson (Bob Duncan), the local saloon proprietor turned crooked sheriff. But unbeknownst to Ann and Tom, the ranch is located right on a silver deposit that will make its owner rich. An undercover government agent, Eddie not only makes sure that Larson is punished but also teaches young Tom the honest Western way of life. When not fighting and shooting, Dean, accompanied by Andy Parker & the Plainsmen, performs "Cathy," "It's Courtin' Time," and "When Shorty Plays the Schottische," the latter a rather festive polka. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this low-budget Western from PRC, Marshal Cheyenne (Al "Lash" LaRue) and his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) are looking into the strange goings-on in the town of Buffalo Gap. A ranger (Bob Woodward) has been killed and the trail leads to a gang headed by Bill Judd (Jack Ingram). There is yet another killing, young Al Walters (Steve Drake) is brutally shot by Judd after calling gambler Grayson (Terry Frost) a cheat. But the sheriff (Henry Hall) seems remarkably hesitant to arrest the culprit and may be taking his orders from a mystery boss, who operates out of a shack in the wilderness. Teaming up with Al's pretty sister, Betty and her Uncle Bob (William Fawcett), Cheyenne and Fuzzy go in search of the mystery villain, whose identity may come as a surprise to anyone who has never seen a Grade-Z movie before. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The most unlikely cowboy hero of them all, whip-wielding, black-garbed "Lash" La Rue made his starring debut in this moderately entertaining B-Western from low-budget PRC. "Lash" La Rue plays the Cheyenne Kid, a prospector saving pretty shopkeeper Jane Hilton (former Fox starlet Mary Scott) from being harrassed by uncouth stage robber Lefty (Lee Roberts in a fine multi-layered performance). The latter follows Jane and her father (John Elliott) on an errand to Cheyenne's camp but is disarmed by the black-clad stranger's whip. Going slowly "loco" from being cooped up in a cabin for days with Cheyenne's uncommunicative sidekick Fuzzy (Al St. John) and the incessant ticking of a clock as sole company, Lefty is finally released by a seemingly magnanimous Cheyenne. Naturally, the henchman leads Cheyenne and Fuzzy straight to his boss, Decker (Jack O'Shea). In the climactic shootout, Cheyenne not only reveals himself to be a U.S. marshal in disguise, but that "Decker" is in reality the notorious wanted criminal "Dude" Bracken. Slightly better than its rather tawdry reputation, the La Rue Cheyenne Kid series was ostensibly launched because a jaded post-war audience liked the idea of a cowboy hero resembling Humphrey Bogart rather than Gene Autry. An equally valid reason for the series' modest success, however, was the enduring appeal of St. John's Fuzzy Q. Jones character, a hold-over from PRC's late Buster Crabbe/Billy the Kid Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Return of the Lash exists primarily to display the bullwhip-wielding prowess of cowboy star Al "Lash" LaRue. The plot is set in motion when six wanted outlaws are rounded up and captured by The Cheyenne Kid (LaRue). Collecting the reward money, Cheyenne instructs his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) to give the money to a group of financially strapped ranchers. Alas, Fuzzy falls off his horse, loses his memory, and forgets what became of the money. Fortunately, he snaps out of his amnesia during a climactic fistic set-to with secondary villain Kirby (George Cheseboro). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide