Raymond Hatton Movies

In this western, an ol' cowhand and his grandson enter a nice, but lame horse in a trotting race in hopes of raising enough money to save the little town church. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Sheriff of Medicine Bow is one of the slower-moving Johnny Mack Brown westerns for Monogram. Once, again, Brown is teamed with Raymond Hatton, but something new has been added. Max Terhune plays Hatton's comic foil, travelling under the same character name-"Alibi"-that he used when costarring in Monogram's "Range Busters" series. Terhune's bucolic routines did little to enliven the proceedings, but at least his presence injected some novelty value in the fading Brown series. Two films later, Raymond Hatton had left the fold, and Johnny Mack Brown was reteamed with Max Terhune for an additional three entries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Back Trail is one of the livelier entries in Monogram's Johnny Mack Brown western series. Brown rides into a small town where he becomes embroiled in a blackmail scheme. The town's banker (Ted Adams), a pillar of respectability, once served a jail term. Outlaw leader Pierce Lyden threatens to reveal Adams' secret if the banker doesn't let him know in advance when the gold shipments are going through. Adams tearfully tells Brown the whole story, whereupon Johnny rides shotgun on the next shipment himself. Back Trail was one of the last films directed by workhorse Christy Cabanne, whose career stretched all the way back to the D.W. Griffith days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny Mack Brown goes up against a female boss villain in this unusual Western from Monogram. Hired to look into dirty dealings in the town of Medicine Flats, Johnny learns that Kansas City Kate (Christine McIntyre), the owner of the Golden Spur Saloon, has been waging a war against local prospectors, one of whom is found murdered. Not appreciating Johnny's interference, Kate has her henchman Cameo (Tristram Coffin) take a shot at him and when that fails, hires a notorious gunslinger, the Cherokee Kid (I. Stanford Jolley). Needless to say, the latter is equally unsuccessful and after a final confrontation Johnny is able to arrest both Kansas City Kate and her few surviving henchmen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

After a brief mid-1940s burst of originality, Monogram's Johnny Mack Brown western series settled back into the commonplace with such entries as Flashing Guns. In this outing, Brown tries to save his pal Shelby (Raymond Hatton) from being thrown off his ranch by crooked banker Ainsworth (James E. Logan). To do this, our hero must prove that the banker is in cahoots with the local gambling boss (Douglas Evans). This he does, and as a bonus exposes the banker as the secret head of an outlaw gang. Good location photography keeps this rubber-stamp western afloat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. DeMille's first postwar production, the $5 million Technicolor historical spectacular Unconquered lacks only the kitchen sink. The story begins in England in the 1760s, as Abigail Martha Hale (Paulette Goddard), unjustly accused of a crime against the Crown, is sentenced by the Lord Chief Justice (C. Aubrey Smith) to 14 years' forced servitude in North America. Carted off to the auction block, Abigail is highly coveted by slavemaster Martin Garth (Howard da Silva), but the highest bidder turns out to be Virginia militiaman Captain Christopher Holden (Gary Cooper). Having been jilted by his aristocratic fiancee Diana (Virginia Grey), Holden harbors no romantic feelings for Abigail, but he's determined not to let her fall into Garth's grimy clutches. The patriotic Holden also knows that Garth, who is married to the daughter (Katherine de Mille) of Indian chief Pontiac (Robert Warwick), has been trading firearms to the Ottawas. The treacherous Garth later participates in the "Pontiac Conspiracy," an allegiance of 18 Indian nations forsworn to wipe out every colonist on the East Coast. To put Holden out of the way, Garth arranges for him to be court-martialed and sentenced to death on a trumped-up desertion charge. But Abigail, partly in repayment for her rescue from Seneca chief Guyasuta (Boris Karloff) and partly because she's fallen in love with Holden, helps him escape, just in time to save a nearby military fort from an Indian massacre -- a feat accomplished by a subterfuge straight out of Beau Geste, which also starred Gary Cooper! As historically suspect as any Cecil B. DeMille epic, Unconquered is still marvelous escapist entertainment, especially during the time-honored bathtub scene involving a bare-shouldered Paulette Goddard (who spends most of the film in either a state of dishabille or bondage, or both!) Once again, however, Mr. "Spare No Expense" DeMille cuts corners by filming most of his major exterior scenes within the artificial confines of the Paramount sound stages. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Trailing Danger is one of Johnny Mack Brown's cookie-cutter Monogram westerns. Once again, Brown is teamed with grizzled Raymond Hatton. Once again, he plays his cards close to his chest throughout most of the film. And once again, he springs into action in reel six, trouncing the villains whom he's been cagily avoiding in the previous reels. Both Brown and director Lambert Hillyer were definitely in a rut by 1947, though Trailing Danger performed quite well at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One film critic compared Monogram's eight Johnny Mack Brown westerns of 1947 to strawberries: it was up to the viewer sort out which were good, and which were bad. Law Comes to Gunsight is a little of both. Brown arrives in the town of, yes, Gunsight, in the company of saddle pal Raymond Hatton. Like a new broom, Brown sweeps clean, going after the town's corrupt element. Several singing sidekicks had been tried out in previous Johnny Mack Brown films, with little success. In Law Comes to Gunsight, the warbler "du jour" is radio crooner Lanny Rees. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny Mack Brown dons a marshal's badge in the Monogram western Border Bandits. Brown's sworn duty is to bring in a gang of crooks whose hideout is on the other side of the Mexican border. Aiding Brown in his task are faithful sidekicks Raymond Hatton and Riley Hill. For reasons unknown, Brown is allowed to sing on occasion, despite the indifference of millions. Border Bandits benefits from the assured direction of veteran horse-opera helmsman Lambert Hillyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monogram added several songs and a barn dance to this otherwise standard Johnny Mack Brown hay burner, in which the veteran cowboy star comes to the aid of a beleaguered female rancher. Just "drifting along," Steve Garner (Mack Brown) obtains the job of foreman on a spread belonging to pretty Pat McBride (Lynne Carver). Unbeknownst to Pat, local banker Jack Dailey (Douglas Fowley) not only holds the mortgage on the ranch but is also the man responsible for the death of Pat's father. Aided by old-timer Pawnee Jones (Raymond Hatton), Steve begins an investigation into Dailey's dirty dealings and barely escapes an accusation of rustling. In order to elude the law, Dailey plans to have Steve arrested for murdering one of his henchmen, Lou Woods (Steve Clark), but the scheme backfires and the sheriff (Jack Rockwell) instead apprehends Dailey and his gang. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In one of his better Monogram Westerns, Johnny Mack Brown goes up against a crooked saloon owner with more than one murder on his conscience. Steve Corbin (Tristram Coffin) and his gang of cutthroats are terrorizing the townspeople of Rimrock, who in self-defense hire Johnny Macklin (Mack Brown) as new town marshal. Corbin, meanwhile, kills a miner for his claim and threatens the local newspaper editor, Diane Foster (Reno Browne), who happens to be the daughter of Macklin's deputy, Idaho Jim Foster (Raymond Hatton). When a compromised jury returns a not guilty verdict, Macklin has Corbin transferred to the county seat but the villain manages to escape after killing a couple of witnesses. Naturally, the hero quickly hunts him down, restoring peace and tranquility to Rimrock. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Johnny Mack Brown stars in the formula oater Shadows on the Range. The film was made at a time when Monogram was experimenting with the notion of passing Brown off as a singing cowboy. While his voice is dubbed, he's definitely handling all the action sequences himself, and that's what the fans really wanted. Brown's usual cohort Raymond Hatton is on hand, as ever. Shadows on the Range is not the best of the Monogram Johnny Mack Browns, but it's also far from the worst. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide