Herman Hack Movies

Gene Autry's summer release for 1953 was the 56-minute Pack Train. In this one, Autry is assigned to safely transport supplies to a band of settlers. The villains, headed by Ross McLain (Kenne Duncan), intend to bushwhack Autry, grab the supplies, and sell them at high prices to a local mining camp. It must needs be that Autry and the bad guy duke it out in the final reel; the climactic fight, which takes place on a speeding train, is the best scene in the film. McLain's partner in crime is played by Sheila Ryan, the real-life wife of Gene Autry's perennial sidekick Pat Buttram (who also appears in the film). The heroine in Pack Train is Autry-contractee Gail Davis, who later in 1953 began filming on her own TV series, Annie Oakley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several elaborate Republic western vehicles, William Elliot returns to the clean-cut minimalism of his "Wild Bill Elliot" days in Longhorn. The story involves the efforts by cattle rancher Jim Kirk (Elliot) to cross-breed his Longhorn cattle with Hereford stock, thereby increasing their value. To this end, Kirk heads to Oregon to pick up a prime group of Herefords. Unfortunately, his head cowboy Andy (Myron Healey) is in cahoots with a gang of rustlers who intend to steal Kirk's improved stock. Featured in the cast are all-purpose heroine Phyllis Coates and such sagebrush veterans as I. Stanford Jolley, William Fawcett, Zon Murray, and future TV "Lone Ranger" John Hart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny Mack Brown stars in the rubber-stamp western Over the Border. Bringing Bart Calhoun (Marshall Reed) to justice for his complicity in a robbery/murder, Johnny assumes that his job is over. Not by a long shot! Calhoun's arrest leads to the uncovering of a wide-ranging conspiracy to smuggle silver from Mexico to the United States. With Calhoun's cooperation, Johnny exposes the "Mister Big" behind the whole operation. There isn't much action in Over the Border; the screenwriters seem more concerned with mystery and intrigue. Johnny Mack Brown is obviously getting too old for this sort of thing, but he carries his years -- and excess poundage -- quite well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Plot number 6259A -- mistaken identity -- is trotted out for the Republic sagebrusher Powder River Rustlers. Allan "Rocky" Lane stars as a wandering cavalier who stumbles across a scheme to defraud an entire village. A stranger has arrived in town, claiming to be a railroad agent who has been assigned to collect $50,000 to finance a new train line. Lane knows that the stranger is a fraud, but he bides his time, hoping to capture the stranger's boss and to rescue the real agent. That Powder River Rustlers will contain a plenitude of action is tipped off by the fact that several smaller roles are filled by well-known Hollywood stunt doubles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Cisco Kid and Pancho set off to find the missing owner of a devoted little dog in this western adventure. From the vanished man's sister, the heroes learn that her brother disappeared soon after striking a major gold vein in his mine. In the end Cisco accosts the villain, saves the kidnapped miner and reunites him with his dog. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

There's oil in them thar hills in this late entry in the long-running Hopalong Cassidy Western series. Or, rather, there is oil under an abandoned church in the ghost town of Coltsville. On their way back to the Bar 20, Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) and his two sidekicks, California Carlson (Andy Clyde) and Lucky Jenkins (Rand Brooks) seek shelter from a storm in that very same church. They are awakened by church organist Susan Crowell (Dorinda Clifton) and her mother (Mary Newton), who explain that both church and town were abandoned after a series of mysterious killings. Along with Deacon Black (Ian Wolfe), the Crowells are the only inhabitants left in Coltsville. The next morning, a wrecking crew headed by Riker (Harry Cording) arrives to tear down the church, which is defended by Hopalong Cassidy and his friends. During a lull in the siege, Hopalong Cassidy does a bit of snooping around and learns the truth about the ghost town. Armed with this new knowledge, our hero returns to Coltsville and unmasks the real culprit behind both the killings and the attack of the church. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

An exemplary "Red Ryder" Western, Stagecoach to Denver features Red (Allan Lane), his aunt, the Duchess (Martha Wentworth), and Little Beaver (Bobby Blake) caring for Dickie Ray (Bobby Hyatt), a young child who has broken his back in a stagecoach collision that also took the life of Land Commissioner Felton (Edward Cassidy). Unbeknownst to the people of Elkhorn, stage owner Big Bill Lambert (Roy Barcroft) had arranged the "accident" in order to get rid of the pesky land commissioner who threatened to ruin his plans for controlling all communication between Elkhorn and Denver. Little Dickie requires an operation but Doc Kimball (Tom Chatterton) needs the consent from his nearest relative, Denver resident May Barnes (Marin Sais), whom the boy has never met. Since she is scheduled to arrive on the same stage as the new land commissioner, Taylor (Tom Chatterton), Aunt May poses a problem for Big Bill, who has them both kidnapped and replaced with his own people, Wally (Stanley Price) and Beautiful (Peggy Stewart). The latter feels sorry for little Dickie and is ready to bail but Big Bill forces her to go through with the deception. The boy survives his operation, of course, and Big Bill's treachery is eventually revealed. But Beautiful pays a rather heavy price for her part of the deception when she takes a bullet meant for Bobby. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A grizzled old prospector literally stumbles over General Santa Ana's missing payroll treasure in this average "Durango Kid" Western from Columbia Pictures. Cimarron Dobbs (Emmett Lynn), who has been grubstaked by Rangers Steve Reynolds (Charles Starrett) and Smiley Burnette, soon finds himself in the clutches of greedy saloon proprietor John Munro (Robert Filmer) and his accomplice, saloon belle Dixie King (Helen Mowery), who will stop at nothing, including depriving the old man of water, to get hold of the treasure. Enter Steve Reynolds' alter ego, the Durango Kid, who not only manages to save Cimarron and find the treasure but also donates the loot to Munro's victims, the local farmers. Smiley Burnette performs his usual pratfalls and sings his own "Swamp Woman Blues", "Don't Be Mad at Me" and "Coyote Chorus", while the congregation known as Hank Newman and the Georgia Crackers takes care of Bob Newman's "Following the Trail". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

That veteran reprobate Roy Barcroft plays yet another outlaw in The Cherokee Flash, a perfectly acceptable B-Western from Republic Pictures, but Barcroft's title character reforms this time and even adopts a young orphan. Years later, the Cherokee Flash, now known as Jeff Carson, is visited by former gang members who promptly blackmail him into doing their bidding. Carson refuses, of course, but lands in jail anyway, much to the consternation of now-grown foster son Sunset (Sunset Carson) and grizzled sidekick Utah (Tom London). The sheriff (Bud Geary), however, is working for Mr. Big who, unbeknownst to the Carsons, is Jeff's lawyer, Mark Butler (John Merton). Happily, the new doctor in town (Frank Jaquet) and his pretty daughter (Linda Stirling) discover evidence that will clear Jeff once and for all. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Popular latter-day serial queen Linda Stirling starred in the title role in this well-made 12 chapter serial produced by genre specialist Republic Pictures. Stirling plays Barbara Mededith, a pretty girl who takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro. Off course, "being a mere woman," Barbara needs the assistance of a stalwart young man, in this case Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis), a government secret agent. Arguably the most popular serial heroine since the days of Pearl White, Linda Stirling's other top-billed serial role was as The Tiger Woman (1944). The choice of Lewis as Stirling's male lead was surprising; the Mexican-born Lewis, although handsome enough and a veteran of Universal's popular "Collegians" 2-reelers, had recently played mostly villains. Produced by Ronald Davidson, Zorro's Black Whip benefitted from second unit direction by stunt-man extraordinaire Yakima Canutt and special effects by the famed Theodore Lydecker. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

There's oil in them thar' hills and an unscrupulous oil company scout attempts to drive the settlers off their newly valuable land in this typical Red Ryder Western starring "the Peaceable Man" (William Elliott). Oil company representative Walter Garfield (LeRoy Mason) and his equally nefarious associate, Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange), manage to drive several ranchers away, but obstinate rancher Ben Taylor (Jack Kirk) is killed right in front of his daughter, Ann (Linda Stirling). When Red Ryder (Elliott), Ann's neighbor, becomes too nosy, Garfield sends for an old associate, gambler Johnny Bennett (aka the San Antonio Kid) (Duncan Renaldo), and charges him with killing the pesky rancher. The Kid is saved by Red when his horse bolts and they become friends. Although shocked that the newcomer is a notorious gambler, Red's aunt, the Duchess (Alice Fleming), hires him as a ranch hand and Johnny reveals Garfield's nefarious plan. Working together, Red and Johnny manage to trap Garfield and his henchmen and after a dramatic shootout, Red chases the villains to their hideout. A fight breaks out and a pool of oil is set on fire. Garfield is killed in the subsequent blaze and Hanlon is brought to justice. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A superior Hopalong Cassidy Western, The Leather Burners benefits from a good script by Joe Pagano. In trouble with a gang of cattle rustlers who have murdered his neighbor, former Bar 20 ranch hand Johnny Travers (Jay Kirby) sends for old friends Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) and California Carlson (Andy Clyde). Hopalong Cassidy immediately suspects mine company president Dan Slack (Victor Jory) to be behind the rustlings and decides to go undercover. As it turns out, the Slack mine is not what it appears to be and there is a traitor among the ranchers. But who? With the assistance of Sharon Longstreet (Shelley Spencer) and her young brother Bobby (Bobby Larson), who have discovered Hopalong Cassidy's real mission, the secret of the mine is revealed and peace is restored to the area. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this "Billy the Kid" series western, Billy (Buster Crabbe) is framed by an outlaw gang. Fortunately, state governor Arnold (Karl Hackett) is in Billy's corner, and surreptitiously helps Our Hero prove his innocence and bring the crooks to heel. But he'd better hurry: part of the bad guys' frame involves the kidnapping of Mary (Marjorie Manners), the governor's daughter. Al St. John as usual provides genuine laughs as Billy's sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. Though Buster Crabbe's PRC westerns were as a group pretty threadbare, Western Cyclone is definitely better than usual. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide