Roscoe Ates Movies

In this Academy Award-winning film, Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore) is a hotshot Californian lawyer from a well-to-do family, whose main failing is his indulgence in alcohol. After winning a case for mobster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable), Stephen brings his client along to a party at his parents' house for a little celebrating. However, when they arrive at their destination, Ace manages to steal the heart of Stephen's wild daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), and the two run off together, much to the family's dismay. Stephen struggles to win his foolhardy daughter back from the clutches of her lowlife boyfriend, as she defies her father at every turn. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Tom (William Demarest) and Ben (Roscoe Ates) are a pair of old coots living in the Nevada desert. The local sheriff (Ben Johnson) shows up at their place with an eviction notice, but he agrees to let them stay on their property if they can get a dead rosebush to bloom within the next 30 days. Not long afterward, Tom and Ben are confronted by a fugitive from justice (Mike Kellin), leading to a fight and a killing -- and thereby hangs the conclusion of the story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After the death of her first husband, Judy (Joanna Moore) marries Steve (Steve Forrest), the man who sold her the insurance policy on her late hubby's life. When Judy and Steve quickly run out of money, Judy pins her hopes on a sweepstakes ticket that husband number one purchased just before his death. Unfortunately, the ticket stub is in the pocket of her dead husband's jacket -- the jacket that he was buried in. Based on a story by frequent Hitchcock collaborator Cornell Woolrich, "Post Mortem" had been previously been dramatized on the radio anthology Suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Practical joker Bradley (Albert Salmi) chooses as his next victim Pop Henderson (Roscoe Ames), the nearsighted, hearing-impaired attendant at the local morgue. Sneaking onto a slab, Bradley pretends to be a corpse -- and when he "comes to life," the terrified Henderson nearly jumps out of his skin, and almost loses his job. But there's a comeuppance in store for Bradley when one of his previous victims knocks him unconscious, leaving him in a state of complete paralysis.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This star-laden version of Lewis Carroll's novel combines elements of both the title novel and Carroll's sequel, Through the Looking Glass. In England of the 19th century, young Alice finds that the mirror over the library fireplace opens into a strange world. She has odd adventures and changes size several times both before and after she follows a time-obsessed White Rabbit (Skeets Gallagher). Soaked after nearly drowning in a pool of tears, Alice is helped to dry off by a Dodo (Polly Moran), and encounters a caterpillar (Ned Sparks), whose mushroom also changes Alice's size. In a noisy home where the Cook (Lillian Harmer) and the Duchess (Alison Skipworth) are always fighting, Alice takes care of the Duchess' baby, but it turns into a pig and runs away. Asking directions of the Cheshire Cat (Richard Arlen) is no help, and a tea party with the Mad Hatter (Edward Everett Horton), the March Hare (Charlie Ruggles) and the Dormouse (Jackie Searl) is confusing and annoying.

Alice meets the Queen of Hearts (May Robson), and encounters the Duchess again; while strolling with her, Alice meets the Gryphon (William Austin) and the Mock Turtle (Cary Grant). The twins Tweedledum (Jack Oakie) and Tweedledee (Roscoe Karns) recite a poem about a Walrus and a Carpenter (seen as an animated cartoon), but when they decide to go to battle, they're chased off by a crow. Humpty Dumpty (W.C. Fields) relates the poem "Jabberwocky" to Alice, then falls off a wall and breaks. The mournful White Knight (Gary Cooper), unable to put Humpty Dumpty together again, escorts Alice for a while, but she tumbles down a hill and finds she's become a queen. At a party in Alice's honor, the Red Queen (Edna Mae Oliver) becomes furious at Alice, who then wakes up to find herself in the library, with her kitten Dinah in her lap. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide

The tall and virile Johnny Mack Brown portrays the short and dyspeptic outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Wallace Beery is more effectively cast as Pat Garrett, the sheriff who's sworn to bring in Billy dead or alive despite his grudging friendship for the young killer. Hardly the "homicidal moron" described by western historians, the movie's Billy has a certain amount of charm, though he's shown to be a cold-blooded killer when the opportunity arises. The film's ending was shot twice: One ending retained fidelity to the facts by having Garrett kill Billy, while the other denouement allowed Billy to ride into the sunset, as Garrett beatifically looked on. Over the protests of western purists, the second ending was used in the American release version, though the more tragic climax was seen by European audiences. Billy the Kid was originally released in a 70mm widescreen process called Realife; to avoid confusion with MGM's 1941 Billy the Kid, the earlier film has been retitled The Highwayman Rides for television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set during the war of 1812, Hal Roach's Captain Caution is an unusual swashbuckler in that the "hero" is actually the heroine. Louise Platt plays Corunna, the daughter of Captain Dorman (Robert Barrat), skipper of the American vessel The Olive Branch. When Dorman is killed in battle, Corunna courageously assumes command of the ship, with the help of muscular first mate Dan Marvin (Victor Mature). While trying to bring a valuable cargo to America, the Olive Branch is captured a number of times by the British, but on each occasion Corunna and Marvin manage to wriggle free and carry on their mission. Making life tougher for Corunna is the presence of the lacivious Slade (Bruce Cabot), who'd like to claim both the girl and the ship as his own personal property. Based on a novel by Kenneth Roberts (Northwest Passage), Captain Caution is currently available on video in a computer-colorized version; the reader is advised to hold out for the black-and-white original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Henry Fonda plays Chad Hanna, a New York country bumpkin of the mid-nineteenth century who joins a travelling circus. He falls in love with beauteous bareback rider Dorothy Lamour, but she spurns him. Chad Hanna then finds himself attracted to another runaway, country girl Linda Darnell. Though everybody assumes that the boy is slow on the uptake, Chad Hanna manages to save the circus from financial ruin. He also secures the services of a trained elephant; when asked how he acquired such a prize, Chad laconically responds "I gave him half interest in the circus." A lightweight period piece, Chad Hanna is visually impressive, and best viewed in its original pristine Technicolor state. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cimarron was the first Western to win the Oscar for Best Picture--and, until Dances with Wolves in 1990, the only one. The film begins on April 22, 1889, the opening day of the great Oklahoma Land Rush on the Cherokee Strip. Boisterous Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) is cheated out of his land claim by the devious Dixie Lee (Estelle Taylor). Instead of becoming a homesteader, Cravat establishes a muckraking newspaper, and with pistols in hand he becomes a widely respected (and widely feared) peacekeeper. He also displays a compassionate streak by coming to the defense of Dixie Lee, who is about to be arrested for prostitution. Cravat's insistence on sticking his nose into everyone's affairs drives a wedge between him and his young wife Sabra (Irene Dunne), but she stands by him--until he deserts her and her children, ever in pursuit of new adventures. Sabra takes over the newspaper herself, and with the moral support of her best friend, Mrs. Wyatt (Edna May Oliver), she creates a powerful publishing empire. Cimarron makes the mistake of placing most of the action early in the film, so that everything that follows the spectacular opening land-rush sequence may feel anti-climactic. While it's always enjoyable to watch Irene Dunne persevering through the years, it's rather wearing to sit through the overblown performance of Richard Dix, who seems to think that he can't make a point unless it's at the top of his lungs. Cimarron creaks badly when seen today, but it still outclasses the plodding 1960 remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inexpensive Cinecolor adds little to this standard Eddie Dean music western from bottom-of-the-barrel company PRC. Dean, as always, plays himself, a rancher taking up the fight against power hungry saloon operator Duke Dillon (Dennis Moore) and his secret boss and foster-father Dad Dillon (Warner P. Richmond). The situation gets complicated with the arrival of Roy Hilton (Forrest Taylor), a circuit judge assigned to look into the lawlessness of Rawhide City, and Nevada (David Sharpe), a young drifter who at first appears to be taken in by the gang but who in reality as a secret agent working for the judge. The latter, as it turns out, is Duke Dillon's real father and a final confrontation between the forces of good and evil leaves bodies littering the streets of Rawhide. When not engaged in fisticuffs, Eddie Dean performs his own "Western Lullaby", "Ridin' Down to Rawhide" and Ridin' to the Top of the Mountain", as well as the traditional "Home on the Range". Colorado Serenade's working title was Gentlemen with Guns, a cognomen resurrected later that year for a Larry "Buster" Crabbe western. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this western, a Texas Ranger is assigned to bring in a woman who is causing trouble in a nearby town. He soon comes to suspect, however, that she is being set up to deflect attention away from a gang of cattle thieves and bandits led by a man whom the Ranger believes killed his brother. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Ostensibly a "team" vehicle for Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, Cracked Nuts is half over before Bert and Bob even get together! The first scenes belong to Wheeler, cast as spendthrift millionaire Wendell Graham, who is in love with Betty Harrington (Dorothy Lee). Betty's aunt Minnie (Edna May Oliver) considers Wendell to be an irresponsible jerk, so our hero decides to prove his worth by financing a revolution in the mythical country of El Dorania, thereby becoming ruler of the postage-stamp kingdom. Meanwhile, Zander U. Parkhurst (Woolsey), aka Zup, has won the crown of El Dorania in a crap game with King Oscar (Harvey Clark) -- who is glad to be rid of the country, inasmuch as he's been targeted for assassination. Unaware that he's been set up as a dead duck, Zup quickly assumes command of El Dorania, wearing a variety of outlandish "official" costumes. When Wendell shows up to stake his claim to the country, he is greeted effusively by his old pal Zup, but the reunion turns sour when scheming General Bogardus (Stanley Fields) orders Wendell to kill Zup. The day of the assassination is a gala event for the El Doranians, who set up concession stands and provide a team of cheerleaders for the occasion. Not wishing to do his pal harm, Wendell arranges for "cockeyed Ben" (Ben Turpin) to fly the plane that is to drop the fatal bombs on Zup and further sees to it that the bombs are disarmed. Alas, the explosions surrounding Zup are all too real, and soon both he and Wendell are fleeing for their lives. Fortunately, one of the bombs brings forth an oil gusher, which has the salutary effect of bringing the revolution to an end -- and also makes Wendell a worthy bridegroom for Betty (remember her?) In recent years, Cracked Nuts has taken on near-legendary status because of its pre-Duck Soup political satire, its Abbott-and-Costello style comedy patter, and the presence of Boris Karloff as one of the revolutionaries. But in the cold light of day, the film doesn't live up to its reputation; though laughs are plentiful, Cracked Nuts must be ranked as a disappointment for all but Wheeler and Woolsey's most fervent fans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A virtual remake of the 1943 "Trail Blazers" western Wild Horse Stampede, this unspectacular but pleasant Eddie Dean oater once again featured a lawless town worrying about the coming of the railroad. Assigned by Army Major Hammond (Forrest Stanley) to inspect 500 heads of horses for sale by J. C. Morgan, Eddie and his sidekick Soapy (Roscoe Ates) learn that the seller is actually a pretty girl, Jenny Morgan (Shirley Patterson). Fearing that the coming of the railroad may bring law enforcement to the area, local saloon owner Merino (Dennis Moore) conspires with Morgan ranch hand Tucson Brown (Lee Bennett) to rustle J. C.'s herd and steal the payment from a nearby army detachment. Things get a bit confused when Eddie is mistaken for Whistling Sam, a notorious outlaw, but J. C. and foreman turned sheriff Tennessee (William Fawcett) believe in his innocence and when the dust has settled, the villains, including the real Whistling Sam (Lee Roberts), are safely behind bars. J. C.'s ranch is saved and the building of the railroad can continue without attacks from the area's lawless elements. Adding about 20 minutes of new footage, the always frugal PRC re-edited this film and re-released the entire two years later as The Tioga Kid. Leading lady Shirley Patterson's scenes were cut and the "new" film featured Jennifer Holt as pretty ranch owner Jenny Morgan. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide