Karl Hackett Movies

To those well versed in the Bob Steelewesterns of the 1930s, it's hardly surprising to reveal that the plot of Arizona Gunfighter was motivated by the murder of the hero's father. One of the more novel plot twists finds good-guy gunfighter Colt Ferron (Steele) casting his lot with reformed outlaw Wolf Whitson (Ted Adams). The fight scenes are impressive, the straight-acting scenes less so: though he was capable of delivering a good performance, Steele often as not ran the emotional gamut from A to B. Arizona Gunfighter was one of several Steele westerns produced by A.W. Hackel for Republic release. Most of these were directed by Robert N. Bradbury, who happened to be the star's father. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this adaptation of the operetta by Rudolf Friml, secret agent Nina Maria Azara (Jeannette MacDonald) is working undercover for the King of Spain as a singer known as the "Mosca del Fuego" or "Firefly." Her mission is to uncover Napoleon's plot to invade Spain before it is too late. This film features a variety of songs including "Donkey Serenade," "Love Is Like a Firefly," " and "When a Maid Comes Knocking At Your Heart." ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Rex Bell was always an agreeable cowboy hero, even when stuck in such bottom-barrel oaters as Law and Lead. On this occasion, hero Jimmy Sawyer (Bell) tries to find out who's been impersonating a famous retired bandit. Since the ex-outlaw is a friend of his, Jimmy is anxious to clear his buddy's name by exposing the phony. Along the way, he falls in love with heroine Hope Hawley (Harley Wood). Because singing cowboys were popular, Rex Bell was required to sing, which he does adequately; he was far more effective when he quit films to become lieutenant governor of Nevada. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In its first few years of existence, Republic Pictures evinced an eagerness to tackle any sort of offbeat subject. The studio's Down to the Sea has to be one of the only films of the 1930s to concentrate on a pair of Greek sponge fishermen. Played by Russell Hardie and Ben Lyon, the heroes battle over the affections of Ann Rutherford, whose father controls much of Florida's sponge industry. The climactic scenes benefit from the fine location and underwater photography, courtesy of cinematographer Harry Neumann. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Whistling Bullets was one of better Kermit Maynard westerns from the Ambassador Pictures "B"-mill. Based on a story by James Oliver Curwood, the story finds Texas Ranger Larry Graham (Maynard) hot on the trail of an outlaw and his gang. To gain the villains' confidence, Larry poses as an escaped criminal, deliberately gets sent to prison, and befriends the outlaw, hoping that the fellow will lead him to a cache of stolen money. John English, later a mainstay of the Republic "B"-western product., directs, while Harlene Wood co-stars as the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In yet another unusual Western from short-lived Puritan Pictures, Tim McCoy is a Wild West performer in a Manhattan nightclub. As Tim is performing his sharpshooting tricks with sidekick Paddy Callahan (Don Barclay), wealthy Texas rancher Knute Merwin (Arthur Millett) and his daughter, Ann (Joan Woodbury), are being robbed at gunpoint. The muggers are scared away by Tim, whom a grateful Merwin hires to protect his property from nasty cattle rustler Nate Welsh (J. Frank Glendon). Arriving to Merwin's Western town by train, Tim is mistaken by Welsh for gunslinger Single Shot Smith (John Merton), who had escaped en route. While the Merwins mistakenly believe that he has double-crossed them, Tim lets himself be hired by Welsh who appoints him his first lieutenant. Naturally, the sharpshooter remains on the side of the angels, defeating Welsh and his gang and returning the Merwin ranch to its rightful owners. As usual, The Lion's Den was produced by Sigmund Neufeld and directed by his brother, Sam Newfield. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Directed by former film editor S. Roy Luby, this above-average mystery-western starred Johnny Mack Brown as Billy Donovan, a sharpshooter turned ammunitions expert coming to the aid of Jean Haloran (Sheila Mannors aka Sheila Bromley), whose ranch is the target of the "Desert Phantom," a masked killer. During his investigation of several mysterious deaths attributed to the "phantom," Billy comes across a wide range of suspects that includes Salizar (Ted Adams) a Mexican bandit trying to blackmail Jean into marrying him; Tom Jackson (Karl Hackett), Jean's somnambulistic stepfather; and Jim Day (Hal Price), a greedy neighbor. Literally stumbling over a hidden gold mine along the way, Billy manages to unmask the killer and save the girl from the usual fate worse than death. Desert Phantom was one of the last films distributed by A.W. Hackel's low-budget Supreme Pictures. Beginning with Undercover Man (1936), the Hackel/Brown series would be handled by Republic Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Clearly inspired by the success of Goldwyn's Barbary Coast, Warner Bros.' The Frisco Kid stars James Cagney as turn-of-the-century opportunist Bat Morgan. Heading to the gold fields of California, Bat is almost shanghaied in San Francisco but manages not only to escape his would-be captors but also to kill the infamous crime lord Shanghai Duck (Fred Kohler Sr.). The grateful citizens enable Bat to rise to wealth and power on the Barbary Coast. But he's less lucky in love, and it is his seemingly hopeless fascination with Nob Hill debutante Jean Barrat (Margaret Lindsay) that may well bring about Bat's downfall. The film is a festival of cliches, occasionally enlivened by barroom brawls and rowdy musical numbers. Featured as extras in Frisco Kid were several stars and directors of the silent era, a "generous" gesture made by Warner Bros. partly to stave off the inevitability of unionized actors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With its slight resemblance to Destry Rides Again (1939) -- probably not entirely coincidental -- this rousing Western from Republic Pictures remains a joy throughout. John Wayne plays Tom Craig, a mild-mannered druggist from Boston who opens a shop in wild and woolly Sacramento shortly before the Gold Rush. The town is "owned" by the Dawson brothers, Britt (Albert Dekker) and Joe (Dick Purcell), who poison Craig's tonic when saloon hostess Lacey Miller (Binnie Barnes) takes too much of an interest in the handsome newcomer. Town drunk Whitey (Emmett Lynn) has one drink too many, and all of Sacramento is soon in a lynching mood. The news of "gold in them thar hills" saves the druggist in the nick of time, but his business is destroyed. While everyone is heading for the gold fields, Craig prepares to leave town with snobbish debutante Ellen Sanford (Helen Parrish), whom he intends to marry. News of typhoid fever among the prospectors changes his mind, however, and the man once referred to as "a human hitchin' post instead of a two-legged man," risks his own life to save the suffering populace. The Dawson brothers, meanwhile, plan to hijack the medical supplies and sell them to the highest bidder, but when Britt Dawson learns that Lacey is helping the sick and may be stricken with the disease herself, he has a change of heart and eventually confesses to spiking Craig's medicine. Cast against type for most of the film, John Wayne fails to make his amiable druggist entirely believable but remains simply John Wayne throughout -- which is as it should be. Binnie Barnes is rowdy and fun whether leading a chorus of "California Joe" by Johnny Marvin and Fred Rose, or jealously interrupting a tête-à-tête between Wayne and 19-year-old Helen Parrish. Usually cast as glacial "other women" in Hollywood films, the British-born Barnes had actually begun her professional career touring Europe and South Africa with bucolic American headliner Tex McLeod, which was as good a preparation as any to play In Old California's saloon belle. Patsy Kelly, who shoots down her laundry with a Winchester, and Edgar Kennedy, as Wayne's tooth-ache plagued sidekick, add to the general fun. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi