Monte Hale Movies

George Stevens' sprawling adaptation of Edna Ferber's best-selling novel successfully walks a fine line between potboiler and serious drama for its 210-minute running time, making it one of the few epics of its era that continues to hold up as engrossing entertainment across the decades. Giant opens circa 1922 in Maryland, where Texas rancher Jordan "Bick" Benedict (Rock Hudson) has arrived to buy a stallion called War Winds from its owner, Dr. Horace Lynnton (Paul Fix). But much as Bick loves and knows horses, he finds himself even more transfixed by the doctor's daughter, Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor), and after some awkward moments, she has to admit that she's equally drawn to the shy, laconic Texan. They get married and Leslie spends her honeymoon traveling with Jordan to his ranch, Reata, which covers nearly a million acres of Texas. Once there, however, she finds that she has to push her way into her rightful role as mistress of the house, past Bick's sister, Luz (Mercedes McCambridge), who can't accept her brother's marriage or the changes it means in the home they share. Also working around Reata is the laconic ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean) -- from a family as rooted in Texas as the Benedicts but not nearly as lucky (or "foxy"), Jett is dirt-poor and barely educated at all, and he fairly oozes resentment at Bick for his arrogance, although Luz likes him and for that reason alone Bick is obliged to keep him on. One thing Jett does have in common with his employer is that he is in awe of Leslie's beauty; another is his nearly total contempt for the Mexican-Americans who work for them -- Jett and Bick may have contempt for each other, but either one is just as likely to dismiss the Mexican-Americans around them as a bunch of shiftless "wetbacks." Luz feels so threatened with a loss of power and control that she decides to assert herself with War Winds, yet another "prize" that Bick brought back from Maryland that resists her authority -- then decides to ride the stallion despite being warned that no one but Leslie is wholly safe on him, and spurs him brutally in an effort to break him, which ends up destroying them both in the battle of wills she starts.

After Luz's death, Jett learns that she left him a tiny piece of land for his own, on Reata, which he refuses to sell back to Bick, preferring to keep it for his own and maybe prospect for oil on it. Meanwhile, Leslie and Bick have their own problems -- Leslie can't abide the wretched conditions in which the Mexican families who work on Reata are allowed to live, taking a special interest in Mr. and Mrs. Obregon and their baby, Angel; but Bick doesn't want his wife, or any member of his family, concerning themselves with "those people." Leslie's humanity and her independence push their marriage to the limit, but Bick comes to accept this in his wife, and in four years of marriage they have three handsome children, a boy and two girls, and a loving if occasionally awkward home life. Meanwhile, Jett strikes oil on his land -- which he's named Little Reata -- and in a couple of years he's on his way to becoming the richest man in Texas, getting drilling contracts on all of the land in the area (except Reata) and making more money than the Benedicts ever saw from raising cattle. Bick is almost oblivious to the way Jett grows in power and influence across the years and the state, mostly because he's got his own family to worry about, including a son, Jordan III (Dennis Hopper), who doesn't want to take over the ranch from him, but wants instead to be a doctor; an older daughter, Judy (Fran Bennett), who wants to study animal husbandry and marry a local rancher (Earl Holliman) and start a tiny spread of her own; and a younger daughter, Luz (Carroll Baker), who's just a bit man-crazy and star-struck by the movies.

The American entry into the Second World War and the resulting need for oil forces Bick to go into business with Jett and allow him to drill on Reata, and suddenly the Benedicts are wealthy enough to be part of Jett Rink's circle, which includes the governor of the state and at least one United States senator at his beck and call -- and Luz develops a serious crush on Jett, who likes his women young and is especially attracted to her, as Bick's and Leslie's daughter. Young Jordan marries Juana, a Mexican-American nursing student (Elsa Cardenas), and his father accepts it begrudgingly, with help from Leslie. The war kills Angel Obregon (Sal Mineo), a death that even affects Bick, but the Benedict family gets through it wealthier than ever and grows some more with the birth of Jordan IV to Jordie and Juana. When the family attends a gala opening of Jett Rink Airport, which concludes with a dinner honoring Jett's success, however, young Jordan's wife is humiliated by Jett's racist edicts, and he is beaten up by Jett's men after punching the oil baron. Seeing this, Bick challenges his old rival to the fight that's been brewing for a quarter of a century and wins by default, Jett being too drunk to defend himself or to hit; he's also too drunk to make the grand speech that was to climax the celebration, and he ends up alone in the ballroom. The Benedicts have it out with each other, young Jordan accusing his father of being as much a racist as Jett, and Leslie caught in the middle between her husband and her son. It looks like the Benedicts may lose each other, until an encounter with a racist diner owner forces Bick to stand up and get knocked down (more than once) defending his daughter-in-law and his grandson.

Seen today, Giant seems the least dated of any of James Dean's three starring films, in part because it addresses issues that remain relevant more than 50 years later, and also because it has the best all-around acting and the best script of any of the three. Taken in broader terms, it's even better, with two of the best performances that Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson ever gave, and perhaps the second best of Hudson's whole career (after Seconds) -- the only unfortunate element at modern theatrical screenings is the tendency of younger viewers, who only know him in terms of the revelations late in his life of his being gay, to laugh and snicker at elements of Hudson's characterization; but his work is so good that the titters usually fade after the first 30 minutes or so. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Breaking from the Republic tradition, cowboy star Monte Hale does not play a character named Monte Hale in The Old Frontier. Instead, Hale is cast as town marshal Barney Regan. It is Barney's formidable task to round up a gang of bank robbers and expose the "Mr. Big" behind all the robberies. Some novelty value is provided by comical sidekick Paul Hurst, here cast as a seafaring man named Skipper Horton, who insists upon imposing his nautical vernacular on every frontiersman he meets. The villainy is in the capable (if unwashed) hands of Tristam Coffin and William Haade. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Monte Hale western casts the tall-in-the-saddle hero as a wandering cavalier who strikes a blow for tolerance. Hale is sheriff of a jerkwater frontier town where Polish/American Robert Neil is treated with contempt by certain prejudiced townsfolk. Neil's kinsman Roy Barcroft comes to town with the intent of pulling off a robbery. Implicated in the crime, Neil is cleared by Hale, who also makes a heartfelt speech against judging one by his heritage. As in all of his Republic program westerns, Monte Hale is given an opportunity to sing in The Missourians, though in this case the musical elements take a back seat to the story and its moral. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An above-average entry in Republic Pictures' fine Monte Hale series, this Western was directed by John Ford's nephew, Philip Ford. Hale stars as legendary lawman Pat Garrett, here winning the Fourth of July buckboard race in a small Nevada town against the unscrupulous Fred Smith (Ted Mapes) and pretty Lavinia White (Jeff Donnell). Lavinia blames Garrett for sending her pa, Ivory White (John Gallaudet), to jail for robbing 100,000 dollars. White, who has stashed the loot away someplace, is about to be released and plans to return the money to the express office for the sake of his children, Lavinia and Chad (Tommy Ivo). Nasty Jim Judd (Roy Barcroft), however, forces Lavinia to help him rob the coach carrying Ivory and the money, counting on the fact that White will keep quiet for his daughter's sake. Garrett's sudden appearance ruins the plan and Ivory is able to make good on his promise. Not about to say goodbye to a windfall, Judd breaks into the express office safe and takes off with the loot, kidnapping little Chad White along the way. The villain chooses a wagon loaded with explosive for his getaway vehicle, but the pursuing Garret manages to rescue the boy just as the wagon explodes. Hale, whose hero has absolutely nothing to do with the historical Garrett, is fine and even makes his crooning of "I Wish I Was a Boy Again" seem less out of place than could be expected. But the studio's public enemy number one, Roy Barcroft, at his despicable best, easily steals the show, going as far as using spunky little Tommy Ivo to get what he wants. Close behind him is Hollywood's perennial undertaker, the cadaverous Milton Parsons, here playing a crooked express office clerk with a phony British accent. The comedy relief is provided by yet another veteran Bad Guy, Paul Hurst, as an absent-minded barber-dentist. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Singing cowboy Monte Hale rides back into view in Republic's South of Rio. Borrowing a page from Hollywood's gangster-flick lexicon, Hale tackles a group of protection racketeers who were responsible for his dishonorable discharge from the Arizona Rangers. Making things dicey is the fact that one of the gang members (Douglas Kennedy) is Monte's own brother. The fact that Roy Barcroft is the head of the crooks comes as no surprise; it is surprising, however, to find traditional comic relief Paul Hurst in a relatively straight role as a newspaper reporter. South of Rio was one of several Monte Hale starrers directed by Philip Ford, the nephew of John Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Singing cowboy Monte Hale was relying more on action than songs by the time he starred in Republic's Prince of the Plains. Hale is cast as none other than Bat Masterson, who in this film is in the process of becoming a famed gunslinger. The reason for this metamorphosis is the brutal murder of a banker by a crooked photographer (Rory Mallinson). Masterson recognizes the villain as a member of the gang responsible for the death of his own father, and the guns start a-blazin'. Republic "regulars" Roy Barcroft and Lane Bradford do their usual, while Shirley Davis proves feminine appeal. Unlike the previous season's Monte Hale vehicles, Prince of the Plains was lensed in black-and-white rather than color, providing the film with an aura of gritty austerity. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ranger of Cherokee Strip stars Republic horse-opera hero Monte Hale. This time, Steve Howard (Hale) comes to the aid of Joe Bearclaws (Douglas Kennedy), a patriotic Cherokee tribesman who tries to halt the exploitation of his people by unscrupulous cattlemen. The villains manage to frame Joe for murder, but the Indian escapes from jail. Assigned to track down Joe and return him to prison, Howard instead champions the Cherokee's cause and endeavors to bring the true culprits to justice. Roy Barcroft does his usual scowling-badman bit, while George Meeker turns in an interesting portrayal as a ham actor who figures prominently in the murder plot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The tragic death from a heart attack of veteran supporting player LeRoy Mason marred the filming of this, Monte Hale's first music western of 1948. Returning to the town of Gunnison to investigate the murder of his uncle, Hale is mistaken for a notorious outlaw (Daniel M. Sheridan) and hired as the town's new sheriff by crooked mayor Douglas Evans. Assigned to run the local gold miners off their claims, Hale and sidekick Paul Hurst instead work to trap the real culprits, nasty Tristram Coffin and his gang of cutthroats. Coffin, who also appears disguised as a dimwitted Indian, was in many ways LeRoy Mason's replacement as Republic Pictures' resident Mustachioed Boss Villain. Filmed in the studio's low-budget color system, Trucolor, California Firebrand once again teamed Hale with the singing group Foy Willing & the Riders of the Purple Sage, this time featuring girl singer Alice Tyrrell. According to an unsubstantiated claim, Forrest Tucker dubbed the voice of supporting actor Daniel M. Sheridan. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Filmed in "glorious" Trucolor, a low-budget substitute for Technicolor, Under Colorado Skies remains a standard B-Western, neither better nor worse than the majority of late-1940s sagebrush fare from genre specialist Republic Pictures. Monte Hale stars as a medical student moonlighting as a bank teller. Arriving on the scene in the middle of a robbery, Hale discovers that one of the bandits (John Alvin) is the brother of his girlfriend (Adrian Booth). To shield the wayward youth from prosecution, our hero accepts blame for both the robbery and the death of the bank's owner (Raymond Bond), but manages to escape on the way to jail. Hooking up with entertainers Foy Willing & the Riders of the Purple Sage, he then goes undercover as a performer in a saloon owned by Paul Hurst. Learning the whereabouts of the bandits, Monte fakes his own death and is later able to flush out their leader, the nefarious William Haade. As always, Hale does well in both the fistfights and as a balladeer, accompanied here by Foy Willing and the Riders in such selections as "San Antonio Rose", by Bob Wills, "Holiday for the Blues", by Willing and Sid Robin, and "Wait for the Wagon", by George P. Knauff and Sid Robin. In one of her eight westerns with Hale, Adrian Booth is, as always, a fetching sight and the veteran Paul Hurst makes a welcome addition to the Hale oeuvre. Hurst would go on to appear in all but one of Hale's subsequent vehicles, providing his own brand of homey comic relief. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Singing cowboy Monte Hale plays "himself" in the Republic western Last Frontier Uprising. Actually, he's not really himself, but a federal agent, dispatched to Texas to buy horses on behalf of the government. Hale runs up against a vicious gang of horse thieves, including such veteran western hard cases as Roy Barcroft and Philip van Zandt. The romantic interest is in the dainty hands of Adrian Booth, who used to go by the name of Lorna Gray. Put together with the standard Republic efficiency, The Last Frontier Uprising benefits from the breathless direction of Lesley Selander. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Republic Pictures trotted out some of their popular Western stars -- including Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Trigger, Allan Lane and Don "Red" Barry -- for this backstage musical starring the company's newest singing cowboy, Monte Hale. To top it all off, the studio "inaugurated" Trucolor, which, in reality, was the old Magnacolor system under a more enticing name. Hale played himself, a cowboy seeking employment with "Globe Pictures" along with such other newcomers as little Bobby Blake (later Robert Blake) and his dancing horse Pardner. Monte and the horse are hired to appear in the newest Rod Mason (John Dehner) Western extravaganza, but the self-important Mason grows increasingly jealous of Monte's success and engages in a bit of sabotage. Pardner is slightly injured as a result, and although he is wanted for a series of his own, Monte takes time out to heal the animal's wounds. Mason immediately accuses his rival of not only kidnapping the horse but mistreating him as well. Assisted by Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, Monte eventually forces Rod and his henchman Ace (Fred Graham) to admit their culpability in Pardner's injuries, doing so the oldfashioned way -- by brute force. In addition to offering an enticing glimpse behind the scenes at Republic Pictures in its heyday, Out California Way also included such songs as Boogie Woogie Cowboy, Rose of Santa Fe, Little Bronc of Mine, and the title tune. Columnist and occasional screenwriter Jimmy Starr appeared briefly as himself. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

In this his second starring Western, Republic Pictures' laconic singing cowboy Monte Hale played, of all things, a cartoonist. Hale's popular strip -- "The Adventures of Outlaw, King of Stallions" -- is based on his own observations of a herd of wild horses. Learning that Outlaw is not merely a figment of a cartoonist's imagination, rodeo rider Kay North (Adrian Booth) arrives in Rainbow Valley hoping to capture the animal. Using subterfuge, the girl gains the trust of Monte and his kid sister Clarabelle (Jean Barton) while an associate (Bud Geary) kidnaps Outlaw. Monte and Clarabelle use the comic strip to alert the world of the horse's disappearance, and later Hale's sidekick, Locoweed Larson (Emmett Lynn), spots a rodeo horse looking suspiciously like Outlaw. With the news that Outlaw's absence has caused several mares to be killed by wildcats, a repentant Kay returns the animal to the wilderness. In between saving wild stallions, Hale performs Ridin' Down the Trail, by Eddie Cherkose and Cy Feuer, The Man in the Moon Is a Cowhand, by Roy Rogers, and Ghost Town Jamboree, by Glen Spencer. Formerly known as Lorna Gray, leading lady Adrian Booth would appear in eight Westerns opposite Monte Hale. Like Home on the Range, Hale's starring debut, Man from Rainbow Valley was released by Republic in the company's own color system, Magnacolor (later known as Trucolor). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi