George Houston Movies

In this, one of the last episodes of the Lone Rider series, the hero must prove himself innocent after his charged with the murder of a prison guard. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Handsome second-lead Dennis Moore took center stage in this entry in PRC's low-budget "Lone Rider" Western series. Moore, who played Sheriff Smoky Moore in previous entries, took a name change this time, to Smoky Hammer. Battling a gang of outlaws out to steal his ranch, Smoky discovers that he has a half-sister, Tess (Marjorie Manners), whose father was killed by her guardian, ranch foreman Clayton (Karl Hackett). Enter vigilantes Tom Cameron, aka "The Lone Rider," and his grizzled sidekick Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John), who once again help Smoky bring the villains to justice. The strapping George Houston, as always, took time out to serenade his leading lady, this time with "Let Me Keep Roamin' the Prairie" and "The Grass Is Always Green in Sunshine Valley," both courtesy of the studio's resident tunesmiths, Johnny Lange and Lew Porter. Manners stayed with PRC through 1945, appearing mostly opposite Larry "Buster" Crabbe. Comic sidekick St. John had become so identified with his scruffy character that he began billing himself Al "Fuzzy" St. John. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Opera singer-turned-cowboy hero George Houston stars in PRC's Lone Rider in Ghost Town. Houston is cast as Tom Cameron, who in the guise of the Lone Rider comes to the rescue of a group of gold prospectors. The villains are a band of big-city racketeers who've brought their strong-arm tactics to the Great Frontier, jumping the prospectors' claims and killing off all opposition. The climax takes place in a supposed ghost town which serves as the gangsters' hideout. Al "Fuzzy" St. John, PRC's house comic sidekick, is on hand for a few snickers, chuckles and guffaws. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tom Cameron (George Houston) is falsely accused of murdering a rancher in this "Lone Rider" Western series entry from poverty row company PRC. When rancher Bowen's will is read, the new owner of the property turns out to be the dead man's niece, Georgia (Hillary Brooke). That doesn't sit well with crooked foreman Clyde Barton (Archie Hall), who with the help of lawyer Murdock (Ted Adams), had planned to take over the spread. A dimwitted ranch hand, Loco (Budd Buster) hints that Cameron might be innocent in rancher Bowen's murder and Georgia decides to clear "The Lone Rider's" name. In between fighting the villains, the opera-trained Houston took time out to sing "A Love that Ended Too Soon," "Down by the Old Alamo," and "Ride 'Em Cowboy," all written by Johnny Lange and Lew Porter. "The Lone Rider" series was produced (very economically) by Sigmund Neufeld and directed by his brother, Sam Newfield. Veteran slapstick comic Al St. John played the hero's sidekick. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Guess what happens in the PRC western The Lone Rider Ambushed? Yes, he does get ambushed, but that's not all. Posing as his lookalike, an imprisoned crook, Tom Cameron (George Houston), aka The Lone Rider, tries to track down a gang of bank robbers. This he does on behalf of an innocent teller, falsely accused of complicity in a recent holdup. Before the film's 6 reels have expended themselves, scores of bad guys lie dead, thanks to a posse led by comedy sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John). When the comedy relief does better than the hero, it's time to call it a day, which the "Lone Rider" series finally did in mid-1942. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In their second Western outing together, PRC's low-budget team of George Houston and Al St. John go in search of a Mexican bandit known as "El Puma." Arriving south of the border disguised as peons, "The Lone Rider," a.k.a. Tom Cameron, and his sidekick Fuzzy learn that Torres (Thornton Edwards), the local mayor, refuses his son Francisco (Howard Masters to court cantina dancer Rosalie (Roquell Verria), whom he considers low-class. Grabbing a chance to get out of a jam, "El Puma," who is really a Gringo named Jarvis (Charles King), frames Tom in the kidnapping of Francisco. But Tom manages to escape before he can be arrested and persuades Rosalie to pretend to be in love with Jarvis. The latter's hideout is then infiltrated by Tom and Fuzzy disguised as gun salesmen and the entire gang is apprehended. Relieved at this happy outcome, Mayor Torres allows Francisco to marry Rosalia. The south-of-the-border setting of this low-budget "The Lone Rider" series entry permitted George Houston, a former opera bass, to perform such enchilada-flavored songs as "It's a Gay Fiesta" and "I'm Pancho, the Mexican Bandit". Heavyset and a bit awkward-looking, Houston was perhaps not the ideal B-Western hero and was replaced by Robert Livingstone in the final six of the 17 "Lone Rider" entries. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Hollywood films about the Revolutionary War almost invariably lost money at the box office, and The Howards of Virginia was no exception, despite the presence of Cary Grant in the lead. Most of the story takes place in the colonial capital city of Williamsburg, Virginia, where Matt Howard (Cary Grant) dedicates himself to the causes of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Remaining faithfully at Matt's side through his early years as a frontiersman and on into his life among the "landed gentry" is his wife Jane Peyton Howard (Martha Scott), the sister of unregenerate royalist Fleetwood Peyton (Cedric Hardwicke).

Most of the high points of the Revolution are herein recreated, including the Stamp Act riots, the Boston Tea Party, and Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech. Curiously, however, director Frank Lloyd stages these scenes in a flat, near-throwaway fashion; even the inflammatory Henry (Richard Gaines) is hampered by unimaginative camera angles. Other historical personages parading through the film include Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, played respectively by Richard Carlson and George Houston. Though it's rather rough sledding in its feature-length version, The Howards of Virginia plays quite well in the half-hour abridgement prepared by Columbia for schoolroom showings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Great Waltz was the first of two films bearing the same title which told the life story of Austrian "Waltz King" Johann Strauss. European singing sensation Fernard Gravet stars as Strauss, while MGM's two-time Oscar winner Luise Rainer is top-billed as Poldi Vogelhuber. Poldi is the wife of Strauss, but she is forced to sit and sulk as her husband carries on a lengthy affair with opera singer Milza Korjus (in her only American film). Husband and wife mend their differences shortly before being introduced to the court of Emperor Franz Josef. The scene everyone remembers is the one in which Gravet and Korjus improvise "The Tales of the Vienna Woods" while taking a buggy ride in the country. It's as corny as all get out, but never fails to earn applause when seen today. Dmitri Tiomkin was given the unenviable task of adapting the original Strauss tunes to conform with the concept of the film, while an uncredited Josef Von Sternberg assisted official director Julien Duvuvier in several crucial scenes. The 1972 The Great Waltz, which starred Horst Buchholtz, is generally conceded to be a disaster. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Since the United States was officially neutral in the Spanish Civil War, the struggle of the Loyalists against Franco's forces didn't find much favor in Hollywood; this drama, produced by Walter Wanger, was one of the few films to deal with the conflict, albeit in watered-down terms. Marco (Henry Fonda) is a simple farmer driven from his land by troops of invading soldiers; in an act of defiance, he makes a speech declaring the need for freedom from tyranny, and soon Marco's fellow peasants are following him as their leader. Marco becomes a member of the Loyalist forces, and his strong words and fierce beliefs allow him to rise through the ranks and become a key member of the struggle. While stationed in a city under blockade, Marco becomes acquainted with Norma (Madeleine Carroll), who serves as a spy for armies allied with Franco; her sympathies are less with his policies than for the safety of her family, who live in an occupied territory. Despite their differences, the two become close when they're trapped in a building during a bombing raid; eventually Norma finds herself swayed by Marco's impassioned call to stop the murder of the innocent people of Spain. While producer Wanger was one of the few people in Hollywood who felt strongly enough about the situation in Spain to put it on film, the resulting picture doesn't say much about the specific political issues involved in the fight against Franco, and the troops Marco and his men encounter wear uniforms designed not to resemble those of any actual countries, for fear of offending nations that sided with Franco. Despite this, Blockade was deemed a strong enough leftist tract to be used against screenwriter John Howard Lawson when he was blacklisted in the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Set in the land Down Under but filmed at Sunland, CA, and on Catalina Island, this low-budget action-adventure stars one of the more forgotten of the singing cowboys, baritone George Houston. Fisherman Wallaby Jim has discovered a rich pearl bed, but his constant brawling gets him in trouble with friends and foes alike. Among the latter is one Rickter (William Von Brincken), an unscrupulous competitor who will stop at nothing, including murder, to get his hands on Jim's strike. In between numerous barroom brawls, George Houston sings "Hi Ho Hum," "Moon Over the Islands," and "The Lady with the Two Left Feet," all by Felix Bernard and Irving Bibo. Low-rent producer Bud Barsky proposed a series of at least four Wallaby Jim adventures,but only Wallaby Jim on the Islands was actually made. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

In this musical, a talented young boy escapes from his orphanage and joins a traveling show where he is adopted by a has-been opera star who teaches helps him develop his marvellous singing voice. When his mentor finds himself terminally ill, he takes the lad to New York to see a real opera. There the boy meets his real father. Songs include: "Let's Sing Again", "Lullaby", "Farmer in the Dell", "La Donna e Mobile", from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto", ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

George Houston stars in this 1941 western as Tom Cameron, a man searching for the man who killed his parents and stole their land, years ago when he was a child. Tom has a clear memory of the man's scarred face and when a strikingly similar crime occurs, he and his trusted friend Fuzzy (Al St. John) prepare to bring this criminal in once and for all. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi