Jack Ingram Movies

A typical Gene Autry everything-but-the-kitchen-sink musical Western, The Old Corral featured the spectacle of Autry getting robbed at gunpoint by his future rival, Roy Rogers. Rogers, who was then known as Dick Weston, and his fellow highwaymen (the singing group the Sons of the Pioneers) go about their illegal activities like true gentlemen, of course, refusing to rob female passengers Nora Cecil and Hope Manning. The latter, playing Eleanor Spencer, is wanted by both the authorities and the Chicago mob after witnessing gangster Mike Scarlotti (John Bradford) murder rival Tony Pearl (Buddy Roosevelt). En route to Los Angeles by Greyhound bus, she hooks up with small town saloon owner Martin Simms (Cornelius Keefe) who offers her a job singing in his Turquoise City establishment. Both Simms and Turquoise City sheriff Gene Autry, however, recognize Eleanor as the key witness in the Pearl murder case and the former is quick to notify Scarlotti. Arriving to silence the girl for good, the Chicago mobsters are met by Sheriff Autry, Deputy Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette), and their erstwhile prisoners, the O'Keefe brothers (Rogers, Bob Nolan, and the Sons of the Pioneers, the brothers having taken a break from harmonizing in their cell). The outcome, of course, is a given and the entire gang is soon behind bars. Milburn Morante, a veteran silent screen comedian who was rarely very funny, is actually amusing this time around as a farmer with car troubles, and Lon Chaney Jr. is well cast as Simms' lumbering henchman. Leading lady Hope Manning later signed with Warner Bros., changed her name to Irene Manning, and starred as Fay Templeton opposite James Cagney's George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). Aside from all the aforementioned pleasures, The Old Corral is probably the only chance to see silent screen cowboy star Buddy Roosevelt playing a tuxedo-clad mobster. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Whistling Bullets was one of better Kermit Maynard westerns from the Ambassador Pictures "B"-mill. Based on a story by James Oliver Curwood, the story finds Texas Ranger Larry Graham (Maynard) hot on the trail of an outlaw and his gang. To gain the villains' confidence, Larry poses as an escaped criminal, deliberately gets sent to prison, and befriends the outlaw, hoping that the fellow will lead him to a cache of stolen money. John English, later a mainstay of the Republic "B"-western product., directs, while Harlene Wood co-stars as the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bob Steele once again goes in search for the outlaw who murdered his father in this average Western released by Republic Pictures. The killer, Jim Hatfield (Warner Richmond), is holed up in a South-of-the-Border cantina from whence he runs a series of cattle rustlings and assorted other crimes. The Hatfield gang kidnaps Don (David Sharpe), the young brother of waitress Jean Williams (Lorraine Hayes), and forces him to sign over some traveler's checks to Hatfield. Allowing himself to be captured by the gang, newly deputized Dave Austin (Steele) is sentenced to die at sundown, but by using trickery, the youngster manages to turn the outlaws against each other. Doomed at Sundown was filmed at Newhall and Chatsworth, CA. Leading lady Lorraine Hayes, aka Lorraine Randall, was the sister of popular screen actress Bernadene Hayes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

One of the timelier Three Mesquiteers westerns, Gunsmoke Ranch was inspired by the Ohio and Mississippi river floodings of 1937. As usual, the Mesquiteers are Stony Brooke (Robert Livingston), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune). After rescuing young Marion (Julia Thayer) from the rising flood waters, our three heroes take on a no-good varmint (Kenneth Harlan) who is capitalizing on the disaster by buying up land dirt cheap. Comedy relief is provided by cornpone vaudevillians Oscar and Elmer, who are about as funny as an eviction notice. Actual newsreel footage of the previous years' floods adds a veneer of credibility to Gunsmoke Ranch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Actually it's the great-grandson of legendary 19th century do-gooder Zorro who rides in this 12-chapter Republic serial. Villainous modern-day tycoon Marsden (Noah Beery) supervises the activities of a western outlaw gang from the plush confines of his Manhattan skyscraper. It is Marsden's hope to grab control of a new California-to-Yucatan railroad, and there isn't any low to which he will not stoop to get what he wants; he even deploys a modernistic machine gun and an art-deco twin-prop fighter plane. Recalling the heroic exploits of Zorro, a group of beleaguered Californians send for the masked hero's great-grandkid James Vega (John Carroll), only to find out that he's an airheaded playboy, more interested in his golf score than saving humanity. But like his famous ancestor, Vega rises to the occasion, adopting the mask, cape and whip of Zorro to settle Marsden's hash for good. Outside of its usual quota of thrills and spills, Zorro Rides Again is one of the few serials that can boast a theme song ("Zorro rides again -- riding along, singing a song" etc.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A courageous Texas Ranger leaves his job to mediate a violent, long-standing dispute between his family and that of his sweetheart. When, his investigations reveal that there is a third party of troublemakers involved, he gallops off to stop them and restore the peace. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The prolific Jack Natteford wrote this unusual Gene Autry Western -- or, to be accurate, "Eastern" -- which reportedly suffered cuts after censors found it too violent. Gene, as usual, plays Gene Autry, this time the son of a Georgian cattleman (Charles Middleton) waging a war against the areas "turpentiners," harvesters of pine tree sap. Disowned by his father after siding with the turpentiners, Gene takes up with Colonel Millhouse's (Smiley Burnette) traveling Wild West Show. The show returns to Pine Ridge two years later and Gene discovers that a gang of rustlers is now using the turpentiners as a cover for their crimes. While Gene is occupied with the rustlers, the Wild West Show audience grow restless and Millhouse sends in an imposter (Art Mix), who mimes to a recording of Autry's voice. The leader of the rustlers, Len Parker (LeRoy Mason), takes this opportunity to get rid of his enemy and has the imposter killed. The real Gene, meanwhile, finds his father murdered by what appears to be someone connected by the leader of the turpentiners, Bayliss Baynum (Russell Simpson), and when Autry Sr. is likewise found slain, Gene becomes the natural suspect. The turpentiners demand swift justice, but Gene manages to track down the real culprit with the aid of Baynum's daughter, Milly (Betty Bronson), and the Wild West Show performers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this 20th-century western, hero Gene Autry uses his old-fashioned horse and six-shooter to foil the plans of cattle rustlers who ply their trade via airplanes, refrigerated trucks and shortwave radios. Songs include: "The West Ain't What It Used to Be?", "I Picked up the Trail When I Found You", "Heebie, Jeebie Blues" (sung by Smiley Burnette) and "Defective Detective from Brooklyn" (also by Burnette). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In Two Gun Justice, Tim McCoy indulges in one of his favorite cinematic pastimes: Posing as a suave Mexican bandit, complete with paint-on mustache and Latino accent. The plot contrives to have McCoy go into his "Si, senorita" routine to infiltrate the outlaw gang headed by a nasty galoot named Bart (John Merton). Though his Pancho Villa routine wouldn't convince a cow in real life, McCoy manages to hornswoggle the villains and deliver them to the Long Arm of the Law. Betty Compson and Joan Barclay play the film's two heroines, both of them left in the lurch as our hero gallops off to new adventures. Two Gun Justice was one of a brace of McCoy vehicles helmed by veteran western hand Alan James. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia Pictures' year-long effort to turn utility actor Jack Luden into a western star sputtered onward with Stagecoach Days. Luden is okay in the lead, but the story, about a deadly rivalry between two stage lines, is an exercise in tedium. Things pick up tremendously during the final reel, with the good guys pitted against the bad guys in a thrill-packed stagecoach race. Hal Taliaferro and Harry Woods, both regulars in the Luden series, go through their usual villainous paces, while Eleanore Stewart is the heroine. After the Jack Luden series ran its course, Columbia managed to find a more than suitable replacement in the person of "Wild Bill" Elliot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A B-Western of the old school, Durango Valley Raiders stars diminutive Bob Steele as Keene Cordner, a drifter who obtains the job of foreman for rancher Mac McKay (Karl Hackett). But Keene proves to be the son of Mac's old partner (Steve Clark), with whom he once had a dramatic falling out. A mysterious gang of killers has been targeting the area's ranchers and Mac begins to suspect Keene to be their illusory leader, the Shadow. In order to get to the bottom of the deplorable situation, the youngster plays along for a while and is finally able to unmask the real culprit, whose identity comes as a shock to the community. Produced independently by A.W. Hackel, Durango Valley Raiders was released under the Republic Pictures banner. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

With the departure of John Wayne to more prestigious films, Robert Livingston returned to the role of Stony Brooke in Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series. In Outlaws of Sonora, Stony and his saddle pals Tucson (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune) are hired by a cattleman's association. While transporting his employers' money to the bank, Stony is waylaid by an outlaw who is his exact double (Livingston plays both roles, of course). Keeping our hero under wraps, the villain poses as Stony in hopes of further financial gain. While thus disguised, the false Stony kills a banker, leaving Tucson and Lullaby to wonder if their good pal has gone bad. Eventually everything is straightened out, thanks to the intervention of sharp-witted Dr. Martin (Jack Mulhall). Outlaws of Sonora is one of the best-known "Three Mesquiteers" entries thanks to constant TV exposure and videocassette rentals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Featuring the husband-and-wife team of Jack Randall and Louise Stanley, this lukewarm Monogram Western eschewed the musical interludes that had been a Randall trademark thus far. Randall (the lesser known brother of B-Western star Robert Livingston) plays Jack Lane, a drifter who comes to the aid of an Eastern girl, Nola Day (Stanley). The girl travels West to meet her new guardian, Uncle Moose Walters (Henry Rocquemore), but Uncle Moose has been murdered by saloon owner Bill Larsen (John Merton) and it is Larsen posing as Moose who greets the young lady upon arrival. Jack senses that "Uncle Moose" may not be all he claims but Nola is blissfully unaware of Larsen's deception and becomes furious over the newcomer's interference. The evil Larsen is caught red-handed, of course, and Lola discovers that she has fallen in love with Jack. Al St. John, in between his Westerns with Fred Scott and Bob Steele, did his usual shtick as Randall's sidekick. Gunsmoke Trail was directed by Sam Newfield, one of the busiest -- and most careless -- B-Western directors of all time. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide