William "Wild Bill" Elliott Movies
Western star "Wild Bill" Elliott was plain Gordon Elliott when he launched his stage career at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1928. Under his given name, he began appearing in dress-extra film roles around the same time. While he had learned to ride horses as a youth and had won several rodeo trophies, movie producers were more interested in utilizing Elliot's athletic skills in dancing sequences, in which the still-unbilled actor showed up in tux and tails. Beginning in 1934, Elliot's film roles increased in size; he also started getting work in westerns, albeit in secondary villain roles.In 1938, Elliot was selected to play the lead in the Columbia serial The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, in which he made so positive an impression that he would be billed as "Wild Bill" Elliott for the remainder of his cowboy career, even when his character name wasn't Bill. Elliott's western series for Columbia, which ran from 1938 through 1942, was among the studio's most profitable enterprises. Fans were primed to expect an all-out orgy of fisticuffs and gunplay whenever Elliott would face down the bad guy by muttering, "I'm a peaceable man, but..." Elliott moved to Republic in 1943, where he continued turning out first-rate westerns, including several in which he portrayed famed fictional do-gooder Red Ryder.
In 1945, Elliott began producing his own films, developing a tougher, more jaded characterization than before. A longtime admirer of silent star William S. Hart, Elliott successfully emulated his idol in a string of "good badman" roles. The actor's final western series was a group of 11 above-average actioners for Monogram in the early 1950s, in which Elliott did his best to destroy the standard cowboy cliches and unrealistic Boy Scout behavior symptomatic of the Roy Rogers/Gene Autry school. During his last days at Monogram (which by the mid-1950s had metamorphosed into United Artists), Elliott appeared in modern dress, often cast as hard-bitten private eyes. In 1957, Bill Elliott retired to his huge ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada, where he spent his time collecting western souvenirs and indulging his ongoing hobby of geology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
In this western, a cowboy and his pals must stop outlaws from stealing a cache of gold ore. Action ensues, and they succeed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Overland Mail Robbery is another entry in Republic's "Wild Bill" Elliot western series. Once again, Elliot's leading lady is Anne Jeffreys, and once again his comical sidekick is Gabby Hayes. The plot finds Wild Bill coming to the aid of namby-pamby Easterner Tom Hartley (played by future "Superman" Kirk Alyn), who has inherited his family's stagecoach line. With Elliot's assistance, Tom proves he's a real he-man by standing up to the outlaw gang terrorizing the countryside. Of interest is the fact that the gang leader is a woman, played by Alice Fleming, who later portrayed "The Duchess" in Republic's "Red Ryder" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Jeffreys, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1942
"Wild" Bill Elliot is the star of Prairie Gunsmoke. This time Elliot is paired with Tex Ritter, both of whom prove the bane of the bad guys' existence. It's fun to watch Ritter swing into action the moment he finishes singing, though Elliot may not have been overly pleased at sharing the spotlight. The leading lady is Virginia Carroll, one of Hollywood's best horsewomen. Prairie Gunsmoke was Elliot's final Columbia release for the 1941-42 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Cowboy-pic legends Wild Bill Elliot and Tex Ritter team up in The Devil's Trail. While the film contains barely enough plot for one star, it's nice to see Bill and Tex working together so smoothly. Our heroes head to a wide-open town in search of a gang of desperadoes, headed by swarthy Noah Beery Jr. Along the way, Elliot and Ritter find time to pitch woo to leading lady Eileen O'Hearn. The Devil's Trail was based on a story with the more intriguing title "The Town in Hell's Backyard." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1941
It's Wild Bill Elliot as Wild Bill Hickok in the Columbia B-western Lone Star Vigilantes. This time out, Elliot is teamed with singing cowboy Tex Ritter, while comedy relief is provided by diminutive stuntman Frank Mitchell. Returning from Civil War duty, Hickok, Tex Martin (Ritter) and Cannonball (Mitchell) find that their Texas home town is under the rule of Colonel Monroe (Forrest Taylor), a bush-league dictator with his own police force. In true Hitlerian fashion, Monroe extorts huge sums of money from the populace, terrorizing them into silence. Our three heroes set about to put an end to Monroe's regime, with time out for Tex Ritter's musical interludes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Frank Mitchell, (more)
- 1941
The taciturn William Elliott stars in this above-average entry in Columbia's "Wild Bill Hickock" B-Western series. Returning to town with Larry Armstrong (Richard Fiske), an old friend he has just saved from a lynch mob, Hickock learns that Mitch Carew (Dick Curtis), a prison parolee, has killed Dan Woodworth (John Dilson), and is now attempting to buy Woodworth's store as a front for his nefarious schemes. Larry, who is embittered about the low wages being paid by the area's ranchers, opts to join Carew's gang of thugs. Wild Bill, meanwhile, is courting Woodworth's Eastern-bred niece Ann (Luana Walters), but the girl scoffs at his old-fashioned western ways. Alarmed that Larry has been involved in a stage robbery, Bill arranges to meet his old friend. Their rendezvous turns hostile and as Wild Bill is about to leave, Stringer (Leroy Mason), one of Mitch's stooges, takes a shot at him. Returning fire, Bill accidentally shoots and kills Larry. Blaming himself for the death of his friend, Bill vows to bring Mitch to justice. But when Ann once again denounces her suitor's western code of ethics, Bill offers to give up his guns and become "a peaceful man." When he learns that Mitch is waiting for him, our hero straps on his guns once again and goes to meet his destiny. A shootout in the street finally ends Mitch's reign of terror. Realizing that he will never be able to forsake the code of the west, Bill bids Ann a fond farewell and leaves town. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luana Walters
- 1941
Wild Bill Hickok is once more impersonated by Will Bill Elliot in the Columbia western Wildcat of Tucson. This time, Hickok is saddled with an irresponsible brother named Dave (Stanley Brown). Falling in with a bad crowd, Dave ends up victimized by claim jumpers, forcing Wild Bill to leave his usual stamping grounds and head for Tucson. Kenneth MacDonald, later the oily villain of many a 3 Stooges epic, is the "brains" heavy whom Hickok trounces in the last reel. Also featured in the cast is professional boxer Sammy Stein, characteristically portraying a hulking henchman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evelyn Young, Stanley Brown, (more)
- 1941
Columbia's King of Dodge City was the first of several westerns costarring "Wild Bill" Elliot and singing cowboy Tex Ritter. Though Elliot is billed first, the plot and action are evenly divided between the two B-picture favorites. The story takes place in Kansas, just after the Civil War. Wild Bill Hickok (Elliot) is summoned from Dodge City to Abilene, there to neutralize a crooked political machine. Hickok is aided every step of the way by Tex Rawlings (Ritter), a seemingly harmless drifter who is appointed sheriff after proving his prowess with his six-guns. The film's most memorable scene finds Rawlings calmly plugging a bad guy while coming to the end of a soulful western ballad. Elliot's perennial comedy relief Dub Taylor also starred in King of Dodge City, though for the rest of the Elliot-Ritter series he'd be replaced by the likes of Frank Mitchell and George "Slim" Summerville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Judith Linden, (more)
- 1941
Bill Elliot took time out from his "Wild Bill Hickok" westerns series to essay the title role in Son of Davy Crockett. During the Reconstruction era, Davy Jr. (Elliot) is hired by President Grant (Harrison Greene) to convince the residents of a small territory on the Texas border to align themselves with the United States. Opposing this move is local outlaw leader King Canfield (Kenneth MacDonald), who wants nothing to interfere with his dictatorial hold over the territory. For a while, it looks as though young Crockett has cast his lot with Canfield, but his true loyalties are revealed at a crucial plot juncture. Despite its potential, Son of Davy Crockett falls short due to his overabundance of dialogue and its paucity of action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iris Meredith, Dub Taylor, (more)
- 1941
Wild Bill Hickock (William Elliott), aka The Peaceable Man, meters out justice in the tough town of Deadwood in this highly fictional western from Columbia. Unlike the historic character, Elliott's gunfighter survives his encounter with the South Dakota hellhole, where he arrives to aid beleaguered livery stable owner Clint Wilson (Richard Fiske) and his sister, Madge (Dorothy Fay), in their battle against self-appointed town czar "Flash" Kirby (Arthur Loft). But before he gets that far, there is a little matter of proving Kirby guilty of wrongdoing and to achieve that, Wild Bill earns the enmity of both the Wilsons. Comic sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) relieves the tension by performing Milton Drake's "Of Course, It's Your Horse" and "Saturday Night in San Antone", both numbers culminating with an unwanted shower. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Fiske, Dorothy Fay, (more)
- 1941
Having previously portrayed Wild Bill Hickok on screen, cowboy hero Bill Elliot impersonates another famed frontiersman in The Return of Daniel Boone. Somehow finding himself in the 19th century west, Daniel Boone takes on a pair of clever crooks, one of whom (Walter Soderling) serves as mayor of a small prairie town. The despicable duo has been growing wealthy by imposing huge taxes on the local populace, but Boone ain't a-gonna stand for that much longer. The more amusing than usual comedy-relief subplot involves a pair of pretty twin girls, who manage to drive Boone's sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) plumb loco. Director Lambert Hillyer, whose career in westerns extended all the way back to the William S. Hart days, wraps everything up in a tight 60 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Miles, Dub Taylor, (more)
- 1941
That "Peaceable Man," William "Wild Bill" Elliott, once again plays Wild Bill Hickock in this fine B-Western from Columbia Pictures. This time, sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) discovers that two old enemies, swindlers Cord Crowley (Bradley Page) and Jeff Adams (Frank LaRue), are fooling the good folks of Lodestone into believing that they are solid citizens. When the banker, Jason Perry (John Dilson), refuses to heed Wild Bill's warning, the peaceable man is forced to show his hand. Adams is the first to blink and when confronted with his criminal record, the veteran crook commits suicide. Crowley proves a tougher nut to crack, but, as always, Wild Bill gets his man in the end. Taking a breather from the action, Dub Taylor performs his own "The West Gets Under My Skin," while suffering the consequences of a flee-ridden cowhide west. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Art Mix, Bud Osborne, (more)
- 1941
As Wild Bill Hickok and sidekick Cannonball stalk a murderer, they encounter the killer's fiancee. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1941
In their second of eight co-starring westerns for Columbia Pictures, William "Wild Bill" Elliott and Tex Ritter were joined by veteran comedian Frank Mitchell, who replaced the departing Dub Taylor as comic sidekick "Cannonball." Vowing to avenge the murder of his father, Tex Rawlings (Ritter) confronts the most likely culprit, newly appointed but crooked mayor Hank Hammond (Bradley Page). During the ensuing fight, someone kills the sheriff (George Eldredge). The most likely suspect , Tex is forced to flee but is soon brought back by the town's new marshal, Wild Bill Hickock (Elliott), who promises a fair trial. But when said trial turns out to be rigged by Hammond, Tex demands a change of venue. Outnumbered by Hammond and his gang, Tex, Wild Bill and Cannonball go in search of evidence that may clear Tex and reveal the identity of his father's killer. They do just that, helped along the way by a barber-turned-surgeon (Hal Taliaferro) and a feisty Wells Fargo ticket agent (Ruth Ford). A relatively action-packed B-Western, Roaring Frontiers took time out only for Ritter to perform "Oh, You've Got to Come and Get Me", "A Part of the West" and "Jail House Hanging Song", all by Johnny Marvin. The Elliott-Ritter series was well-made despite the fact that both stars disliked the dual billing. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1940
The second of Columbia Pictures' four "Wild Bill Saunders" westerns, Pioneers of the Frontier features William Elliott as the title character who discovers that his uncle Mort (Lafe McKee) has been murdered by an unscrupulous ranch foreman, Matt Brawley (Dick Curtis). But before he can right Brawley's wrongs, Wild Bill is arrested for a murder he didn't commit. Sidekick Cannonball Sims (Dub Taylor) and disgruntled girl rancher Joan Darcy (Dorothy Comingore) plot to break Wild Bill out of jail but Brawley is wise to their plan. Wild Bill nevertheless manages to escape and concocts a plan to trap Brawley and his men. The scheme succeeds but before he can settle down, Wild Bill heeds the call of a friend in trouble and rides off to bring law and order to another violent part of the Old West. Preceded by Taming of the West (1939), Pioneers of the Frontier was followed by two additional "Wild Bill Saunders" westerns: The Man from Tumbleweeds and The Return of Wild Bill (both 1940). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Curtis
- 1940
Like its predecessor The Man From Tumbleweeds, the 1940 Bill Elliot western The Return of Wild Bill was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, whose innovative choice of camera angles was always well worth watching. Returning to his home town after a long absence, Wild Bill Saunders (Elliot) discovers that his father has been mortally wounded by a gang of frontier hooligans. Adding intrigue to the proceedings is the fact that Katie Kilgore (Luana Anders), one of the film's two leading ladies (the other is Iris Meredith), is the sister of outlaw leader Matt Kilgore (George Lloyd). Seemingly a mere villainess, Katie reveals that she's a lot more complex than anyone imagines, carefully tipping off the honest cattlemen in the district whenever her brother goes on a rampage. Her curious predilection for working both sides of the fence costs Katie her life at fadeout time, but she remains in the memory far longer than any of the film's other plot contrivances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iris Meredith, George Lloyd, (more)
- 1940
In the third of his four Wild Bill Saunders Westerns, Bill Elliott, "the Peaceable Man," is assigned by Governor Dawson (Don Beddoe) to put a stop to the reign of terror, including cold-blooded murder, perpetrated by Powder Kilgore (Raphael Bennett). When the state legislature refuses to fund a legitimate rangers organization, Wild Bill instead enlists a group of tough convicts, whom he promises freedom if they help capture Kilgore and his chief lieutenant, Lightning Barlow (Francis Walker). Unfortunately, one of the convicts, Shifty (Ernie Adams), lives up to his name by betraying his comrades in arms to Kilgore but after a furious gun battle at the gang's shootout, Wild Bill manages to bring peace to the area. Nevertheless, when asked to captain the newly founded rangers organization, the hero instead promotes his new friend, former convict Honest John (Al Hill), and heads off to new adventures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iris Meredith
- 1940
An average Columbia B-Western, Prairie Schooners once again features William Elliott as a highly fictitious Wild Bill Hickock. When local farmers are ready to string up nasty banker Dalton Stull (Kenneth Harlan), who had taken advantage of a drought to foreclose on their loans, Wild Bill agrees instead to negotiate on their behalf. When that fails, the hero suggests that the farmers sell their property and move to the hopefully more congenial Colorado. En route, the wagon train guided by Bill is attacked by Sioux Indians, who have been armed by Stull and his chief henchman Wolf Tanner (Ray Teal). Lovely Virginia Benton (Evelyn Young) is taken hostage by Stull, but Wild Bill and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) finally convince Chief Sanche (Jim Thorpe) to join the forces of good and the villains are rounded up. Prairie Schooners, which premiered in October of 1940, was based on a 1930 magazine story by George Cory Franklin. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evelyn Young, Dub Taylor, (more)
- 1939
In this western, a U.S. marshal impersonates an outlaw and rides to Texas to find the looters who have been raiding supply shipments. He finds them and infiltrates their gang. He soon finds out that the desperadoes have commandeered a ranch and are holding the rancher and his family prisoner while they await the next shipment. Trouble erupts, but justice prevails as the marshal captures the badguys and frees the frightened family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gulliver
- 1939
Following up his movie portrayal of Wild Bill Hickok, Bill Elliot stars as famed trailblazer John "Frontier" Freeman in Columbia's Frontiers of '49. The film takes place in 19th century California, where a crooked real estate firm is merrily selling off Spanish land grants in exchange for exorbitant tax levies. The US government sends Freeman to investigate this activity, accompanied by grizzled frontier scout Kit Carson (Hal Taliaferro). When not tangling with chief heavy Howard Brunon (the inescapable Charles King), Freeman romances aristocratic Spanish senorita Dolores de Cervantes (Luana de Alcaniz). Rather ambitious for a B picture, Frontiers of '49 could use a little less talk and a lot more action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1939
Cowboy star Bill Elliot makes his first appearance in his familiar guise of "Wild Bill" in Columbia's Taming of the West. When a gang of cattle rustlers knocks off several sheriffs in quick succession, it's up to Wild Bill to get to the bottom of things. The moment he pins on his marshal's badge, our hero is marked for extermination by head villain Rawhide (Dick Curtis). Fortunately, the usually eagle-eyed villains are lousy shots when
t comes to bumping off Wild Bill, and justice prevails. Iris Meredith takes a break from Columbia's Charles Starrett series to play Elliot's leading lady, while Dub "Cannonball" Taylor provides dubious comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iris Meredith, Dick Curtis, (more)
