Lottie Harrison Movies

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, Rovi

Filmed in two-toned Cinecolor, Romance of the West was the second of PRC's western vehicles for singing cowboy Eddie Dean. Our hero is cast as a government agent, bound and determined to prevent an Indian war. The villains are a gang of outlaws who are fomenting discord between the Indians and the white settlers for their own gain. The plan is to have both sides wipe each other out, so that the crooks can move in and claim the silver-rich land. Emmet Lynn, Dean's comedy relief, would be replaced in later entries by Roscoe Ates, all for the better. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lost in a Harem is arguably the best of Abbott & Costello's trio of MGM films; it's certainly the silliest, with any number of nonsensical plot twists and sidesplitting gags. This time, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play Pete and Harvey, two American magicians stranded in a mythical Arabian Nights kingdom with songstress Hazel Moon (Marilyn Maxwell). Our heroes and heroine become involved with the trials and tribulations of Prince Ramo (John Conte), who hopes to rightfully reclaim his throne from his evil usurping uncle Nimativ (Douglas Dumbrille). Alas, the villain is armed with a pair of hypnotic rings with which he forces everyone to do his bidding: his most anti-social act is to kidnap and hypnotize the entire Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra! Pete, Harvey, Ramo and Hazel risk death at every turn to thwart Nimativ, encountering a giant guard (Lock Martin, later to play the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still), a gibbering lunatic (Murray Leonard) and a bevy of harem beauties along the way. The film's sets and costumes, as well as the more elaborate musical numbers, are "borrowed" from the recently completed MGM superproduction Kismet. While the plot is for the birds, Lost in a Harem is saved by the fast-and-furious antics of Abbott and Costello. And as a bonus, this is the film in which Bud and Lou, accompanied by Murray Leonard, perform those deathless burlesque classics "Slowly I Turned" and "Mike's Place." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical comedy, a vaudevillian teams up with a barber and becomes a smash hit. The barber also finds himself falling in love with his talented partner. When he learns that she has a shot at becoming a famous radio singer, he decides to go solo. Eventually, the woman gets herself into a real fix. Fortunately, the barber comes to save her. The lovers are reunited and happiness ensues. Songs include "The Restless Age" (Ed Rose, Abe Olman), "Goodnight Now," "The Lilac Tree," "Tempo of the Trail," "Oh Johnny." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi