Fred Humes Movies

In his second and last Western for low-budget company First Division, veteran cowboy star Hoot Gibson played Neil Gibson, Jr., a city boy turned rodeo champion much against the wishes of his wealthy father (Oscar Apfel). After a drunken spree in Chicago, Neil and his brother-in-law Bert (Charlie Hill) find themselves on a freight train headed West. They embark in the middle of nowhere and obtain jobs as cowhands on a ranch belonging to pretty Ann Ware (June Gale). When the foreman, Dorgan (Stanley Blystone), is revealed to be in cahoots with a combine that is attempting to take over the ranch, Ann replaces him with Neil. The combine turns out to be headed by Thomas Stark (Warner Richmond), Gibson, Sr.'s crooked partner. In the end, Stark and his gang are ousted from the area by the cowboys and Neil proposes to Ann, who gladly accepts. Leading lady June Gale was Hoot Gibson's girlfriend at the time. She later married music eccentric Oscar Levant. Leaving First Division, Gibson signed with Walter Futter's Diversion Pictures for his final series of solo starring Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Yet another heroine faces yet another forced marriage in this typical Fred Humes oater, produced, cookie-cutter style, by Universal. Humes, as Tom Evans, and his companions, Shorty Mullins (Pee Wee Holmes) and Tradin' Sam (Ben Corbett), rescue lovely Helen Turner (Gloria Grey) from being harrassed by Lannister (Tom London) and his men. Despite his defeat, Lannister attempts to persuade Helen's father (Harry Semels) that he, Lannister, is the right man for the girl. Refusing to take "no" for an answer, the villain kidnaps Helen, while his compatriots attempt to keep Tom at bay. Threatening to kill her father, Lannister finally gets his long awaited "yes," but Tom and his friends arrive to change the wedding plans once again. Humes sidekicks, the diminutive Holmes and rustic-looking Corbett, also starred in a series of mild Western comedies under the umbrella titles of "Piperock Stories." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Circus Rookies was a by-the-numbers vehicle for MGM's Mutt-and-Jeff comedy team of George K. Arthur and Karl Dane. As indicated by the title, our heroes -- this time playing a reporter named Francis Byrd and an animal trainer named Oscar Thrush -- join a travelling circus, where they are put to work as menial laborers. Francis and Oscar are smitten by pretty aerialist Belle (Louise Lorraine), prompting both men to perform some rather foolhardy feats of valor. Despite their monumental stupidity, the boys manage to save Belle and everyone else in the circus when a crazed gorilla (played by cowboy star Fred Humes!) goes on a rampage in a runaway train. Circus Rookies was followed in short order by two more Arthur-Dane epics, Brotherly Love and All at Sea, each film cut from the same formula cloth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Universal cowboy Fred Humes comes to the rescue of a beleaguered prospector in this average silent Western helmed by house director Edgar Lewis. Someone is trying to steal old Jeff Lane's (Buck Connors) claim to a valuable mine and cowboy Larry Day (Humes), in love with Lane's pretty daughter (Barbara Worth), goes investigating. The culprit, as it turns out, is the town's outwardly meek druggist (William A. Steele), whose name, "Dr. Lucifer Blade," alone ought to have been a dead giveaway of his nefarious intentions. Getting in the way of things were Universal's hayseed comedy team of Ben Corbett and Gilbert "Pee Wee" Holmes, an acquired taste at best. Leading lady Barbara Worth was formerly known as Hazel Keener. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A crooked rancher (George B. French) and his nasty son (Cuyler Supplee) buy up the area's water rights to drive out the local farmers. Enter Fred Humes, the stalwart cowboy hero of the Francis Ford Ranch, who manages to lure the villains into a trap. The prize for ridding the community of outlaws is the old rancher's peppy daughter (Dorothy Gulliver). Edgar Lewis replaced William Wyler as director of the Humes series. Wyler, of course, went straight to the top, while the pedestrian Lewis, a former house director at Fox (who earlier helmed such "socially relevant" melodramas as 1915's Nigger), retired shortly after the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The founder of Universal, "Uncle" Carl Laemmle, had, as the writer Ogden Nash once pointed out, "quite a big faemmle." Laemmle was a great believer in nepotism and countless members of the Laemmle clan worked at one time or another for the studio. Nephews Edward and Ernest Laemmle directed routine series Westerns and the latter helmed this quite inventive Fred Humes entry. Humes was perhaps not a great thespian but he did boast the largest Stetson in the industry. This time around, Humes promises a dying miner he will look after his ward (Helen Foster. Soon, the place is overrun with varmints, all lusting after Miss Foster and her inheritance. The novelty here, however, was the comedy relief, played to the hilt by gangly Nelson McDowell and rotund Scotty Mattraw. One knowledgeable Western film historian has suggested that the teaming was most likely inspired by the internationally beloved Danish comedians Pat and Patachon. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

William Wyler, a distant relative of Universal's founder Carl Laemmle, directed this routine western about a cowboy, "Smilin'" Sam (Fred Humes), who mistakes lovely Milly (Ena Gregory) and her brother (Churchill Ross) for a couple of outlaws. Everything is quickly sorted out, however, and Humes can search for the real villain. Director Wyler later recalled that moving from the Ted Wells unit to that of Fred Humes was considered quite a step up in prestige at Universal. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Universal owner Carl Laemmle's nephew Ernst Laemmle directed many of the company's lesser cowboys including Fred Humes. In this average silent oater, Humes plays a sheriff who is wounded by a nasty bank robber (Walter Maly) and then nursed back to health by a young girl (Barbara Kent). Like most of "Uncle Carl" Laemmle's many relatives (the old man was a great believer in nepotism), Ernst Laemmle saw his career decline drastically at the changeover to sound. Ernst later attempted to continue his career in his native Germany, but Der Teufelreporter (1930), an action melodrama starring Hollywood's Eddie Polo, did not encourage further offers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Silent screen cowboy Hoot Gibson handled situation comedy better than any of his rivals, with the possible exception of Tom Mix. Many of Gibson's film's were rural farces rather than outright westerns and usually highlighted the star's bumbling attempts to woo a pretty girl. That is exactly what happens in The Hurricane Kid. "The Hooter" loves blond Marian Nixon but the lady has eyes only for slick foreman William A. Steele. That is, until the foreman is unmasked as a crook, and Gibson wins the Big Race. In typical Gibson style, the villain is defeated without a single shot being fired, or any other kind of violence, and a good time was had by all. Leading lady Marian Nixon later signed a contract with Fox and was marketed as that studio's possible replacement for an often recalcitrant Janet Gaynor. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Patsy Ruth Miller plays a female Tarzan in this adventure drama. When John Livingstone marries a circus performer, his father (Joseph J. Dowling) is furious. Nevertheless, he offers to raise the couple's daughter, Lorraine (Doreen Turner). The boat taking the circus to the States wrecks and everyone is reported lost. Lorraine lands on an island, along with her companion, a gorilla named Bimi (Fred Humes), an elephant, and a cage of lions. Lorraine lives amongst these creatures for a decade while her grandfather, who is convinced she is alive, goes in search for her. He finally locates her with the help of Don Mackay (Norman Kerry), a student of the occult. Lorraine and Bimi are brought back to civilization and the girl, now a young lady (as portrayed by Miller), must acclimate herself to a new way of living. When Bimi misbehaves, he is put in a cage. A storm blows and without Lorraine around, Bimi panics and breaks out. He finds the girl and runs off with her. Mackay gives pursuit and rescues Lorraine. Bimi's fate is not so bright -- he is shot and killed. Lorraine is disconsolate at the loss of her friend, but finds happiness in the arms of Mackay. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Pulp writer Henry Herbert Knibb wrote the original story of this silent Hoot Gibson western, which enjoyed an above-average cast that included statuesque comedienne Gertrude Astor as a saloon belle, a devilish-looking Tully Marshall as a notorious outlaw named "The Spider," as well as future western series stars Fred Humes and Newton House. The last mentioned, a freckle-faced kid actor whose riding skills were highly admired at the time, played the hero as a child. Leading lady Gladys Hulette, a pioneering actress who had risen to fame as Princess Nicotine back in 1909, was suffering a career setback at the time despite having been Richard Barthelmess' leading lady in Tol'able David (1921). All that star power notwithstanding, Ridin' Kid from Powder River emerged as an average Gibson outing in which the cowboy star tracks down the villain who murdered his father. An enduring cliche, the story was remade by Gibson in 1930 as The Mounted Stranger. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide