Jack Ingram Movies
A WWI veteran who later studied law at the University of Texas, tough-looking Jack Ingram began his long show business career as a minstrel player and later reportedly toured with Mae West. He began turning up playing scruffy henchmen and assorted other B-Western villains in the mid-'30s and was later the featured heavy in Columbia serials. Ingram would go on to appear in a total of 200 Westerns and approximately 50 serials in a career that later included appearances on such television programs as The Cisco Kid and The Lone Ranger. Many of his later films and almost all his television Westerns, including the Roy Rogers and Gene Autry shows, were filmed on Ingram's own 200-acre ranch on Mulholland Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking Woodland Hills, which he had purchased from Charles Chaplin in 1944 and which remains a wilderness today. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1942
When the order of the Western frontier is threatened by bandits, cowboys are the only measure of justice in the area. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1942
A Federal agent masquerades as a horse trader in order to bring outlaw terrorists to justice in this western. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this western the three Range Busters go undercover, take on a gang of ruthless outlaws, and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
When cowboy star Johnny Mack Brown left Universal for Monogram, he also left one last western, Arizona Trail, unfilmed. Thus it was that veteran sagebrusher Tex Ritter, originally cast in a secondary role, was promoted to the lead-his first such at a major studio in several years. Ritter and Dennis Moore play the sons of Erville Anderson, who is slickered out of his land by villainous Jack Ingram. Janet Shaw, who elsewhere on the Universal lot was playing the slatternly waitress in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, is seen as Ritter's leading lady. Arizona Trails also features comical sidekick Fuzzy Knight, who knows how to wield a six-gun when the need arises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter
- 1950
The second of Columbia's Superman serials, the 15-episode Atom Man Vs. Superman stars Kirk Alyn in the dual role of Clark Kent and the "Man of Steel." This time, Kent/Superman is pitted against bald-pated Lex Luthor (Lyle Talbot), who, disguised as Atom Man, threatens to devastate Metropolis with any number of devilish devices-the deadliest of which is a disintegration machine. Luthor tumbles onto Superman's Achilles' heel: Kryptonite. Once our hero has been exposed to this fatal ore, Metropolis becomes a wide-open town for criminals of all varieties. But Superman regains his full powers in time to stop Luthor from laying waste to Metropolis with his latest demon machine, a sonic vibrator. Also appearing in Atom Man vs. Superman are Noel Neill as Lois Lane, Tommy Bond (the onetime "Butch" of The Little Rascals) as Jimmy Olson, and Pierre Watkin as Perry White. The serial is energetic enough, but the flying scenes (crudely conveyed via animation) are rather laughable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Alyn
- 1943
In the second of PRC's ramshackle Texas Rangers Westerns, Tex Wyatt (Dave "Tex" O'Brien) is blamed for a murder actually committed by Ransom (Jack Ingram) and Holman (Charles King), a couple of thieves. Tex manages to escape and is reunited with his two ranger pals, Jim Steele (James Newill) and Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson), both of whom are working undercover as performers in a medicine show, a plot contrivance that allows baritone Newill to join Carl Shrum and His Rhythm Rangers in Shrum's "Ride, Ride Ride" and Tex Coe's "West Winds." All three rangers obtain jobs with Ransom's freight company, the owner luckily failing to recognize Tex. Everything comes out in the open, however, when lovely Martha Hobbs (Janet Shaw) inadvertently reveals that the newcomers are rangers, but the three heroes are saved in the nick of time by the sheriff's posse. As it turns out, Martha's uncle (Michael Vallon) is the real power behind the crimes. As always, Texas Rangers was defeated by the budget constrictions of PRC, a company known to insiders as "pretty rotten crud." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Long before she became a TV cosmetic-commercial spokeswoman, Barbara Britton essayed the title role in Bandit Queen. Britton plays Lola, daughter of a American father and Spanish-aristocrat mother. When her parents are murdered, Lola forms an outlaw band, dedicated to reclaiming those portions of California illegally seized from her fellow Spaniards. She is aided in this endeavor by dashing bandit Joaquin Murietta (Philip Reed). The film really comes to life whenever Lola settles an argument by wielding her bull-whip! Bandit Queen was Lippert Studios' final release for 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Britton, Willard Parker, (more)
- 1945
Sunset Carson plays a wandering cavalier who rides into the Badlands (hence the title). Heroine Peggy Stewart is bedeviled by bandits who've been raiding the livestock of her ranch. Carson plays his cards close to the vest for 45 minutes, then goes after the baddies in the film's last reel. Also in the cast is Monte Hale, not far removed from his own Republic series. Bandits of the Badlands is kept on the move by director Tommy Carr, who manages to convey the illusion that Sunset Carson has genuine acting ability. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Bob Kane's 1939 Detective Comics superhero The Batman came to the screens in serial form courtesy of Columbia Pictures and producer Rudolph C. Flothow. In time-honored serial fashion, Flothow chose Lewis Wilson for the title role, a relative newcomer, but one with an amazing facial resemblance to the cartoon character. Wilson's athletic ability, however, left a lot to be desired and Douglas Croft, cast as young sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder, looked too old for his role, especially when doubled by a hairy-legged stunt man. For censorship purposes, the serial Bruce Wayne was not a lone Gotham millionaire crusader but gainfully employed by the Unites States government. Said government is terrorized by evil Dr. Daka (J. Carroll Naish), an emissary from Emperor Hirohito complete with atom-smasher ray guns and a device that turns its wearers into zombies. (The device, placed on the skull of its victim, resembles something from a child's Erector set.) Batman and Robin are aided by lovely Linda Page (Shirley Patterson), whose uncle (Gus Glassmire) becomes one of Dr. Daka's first victims. From the Bat Cave, the three crusaders and Wayne's butler, Alfred (William Austin), venture forth to battle the forces of evil in general and a scenery-chewing Naish in particular -- travelling in a convertible and not the later so familiar batmobile. It takes them 15 chapters and a race through an amusement park to finally destroy the evil Daka and the title of the concluding chapter, "Doom of the Rising Sun," must have brought a ray of hope to a war-weary populace. The Batman was directed by Lambert Hillyer, a veteran who knew something about bats from having previously helmed Dracula's Daughter. The serial was popular enough to merit a sequel, although it would take six more years until Columbia debuted The New Adventures of Batman and Robin (1949). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lewis Wilson, Michael Vallon, (more)
- 1945
Shortly before Universal Pictures disbanded its "B" unit, the studio inaugurated an energetic western series starring Rod Cameron. In Beyond the Pecos, Cameron plays a rancher at odds with longtime rival Eddie Dew (himself a "B" sagebrush star at other studios). The two brawny men in Stetsons battle over rights of oil land that borders both their properties. When they tire of squabbling over money, Cameron and Dew fight over the attentions of pretty Jennifer Holt (daughter of Jack Holt). Director Lambert Hillyer handles Beyond the Pecos with his customary speed and efficiency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Here's another entry in PRC's long-running "Billy the Kid" series, again starring Buster Crabbe as Billy Carson and Al St. John as his comic sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. In this outing, a bandit posing as Billy manages to pin several crimes on Our Hero. Cleverly eluding the law (never mind the film's title), Billy endeavors to track down his impostor and put him behind bars. The plot is resolved by a typical PRC fistfight, which as usual is more energetic than expert. Young Anne Jeffreys, a starlet on the threshold of bigger things, is definitely an improvement over the standard western ingenue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe
- 1939
Too many of Gene Autry's Republic western sacrificed action in favor of music. A notable exception to this syndrome is Blue Montana Skies, directed by a fast-action maestro B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. The up-to-date plotline finds Autry battling a gang of fur smugglers operating on the Montana-Canada border. When his business partner Steve (Tully Marshall) is murdered by the crooks, cattleman Autry follows the clues to a ranch owned by Dorothy (June Storey). Unbeknownst to the heroine, the murderers, led by Hendricks (Harry Woods), are working as her ranchhands. By the time she finds this out, it looks like she's next in line for extinction-but not if our hero has anything to say about it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1943
Another low-budget entry in PRC's interminable Texas Ranger series, Border Buckaroos is perhaps the only B-Western to misprint its own name in the titles, which read "Border Buckaroo." (Supporting actor Ethan Laidlaw's name became "Laidlow," and so on.) The rangers -- Tex (Dave "Tex" O'Brien), Jim (James Newill), and Panhandle (Guy Wilkerson) -- are this time en route to Boulder City to investigate the murder of rancher Dan Clark when they happen upon Trigger Farley (Reed Howes), a gunslinger hired by Cole Melford (Jack Ingram), the chief suspects in Clark's murder. Tex assumes Trigger's identity and Jim impersonates Tom Bancroft (Kenne Duncan), the heir to Clark's estate. After a bit of confusion concerning Ellen Clark (Christine McIntyre), the other Clark heir, the rangers get their murderer and the two heirs discover that the ranch contains a secret mine. The blond McIntyre, fondly remembered for her work opposite the Three Stooges, always refused to discuss the Stooges but would happily answer questions about her participation in Westerns like Border Buckaroos. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, (more)
- 1944
Boss of Boomtown was Rod Cameron's first western at Universal Pictures. The film's action highlights are loosely basted to a nickel's worth of plotline. Much of the footage is given over to the friendly-enemy banter between Cameron and his co-star Tom Tyler. Neither leading man was known for his quick wit or gift for repartee, so it's best to ignore the dialogue exchanges and concentrate on the first-rate ridin' and shootin' sequences. Cameron's tenure in Universal's B mill lasted only a year; the actor's greatest fame would rest upon his prolific TV series work of the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1944
Also known as Boss of Rawhide, this "Texas Rangers" western top-bills Dave O'Brien, James Newill, and Guy Wilkerson. This time, the three Rangers are called upon to solve a series of rangeland murders. The victims were all ranchers, and it looks as though the same gang was responsible for all the killings. Our heroes suspect that the gang leader is a "respectable" citizen-but who is it? Pepping up the proceedings (or slowing them down, depending upon one's point of view) are a couple of songs, adequately warbled by the stars. The leading lady is Nell O'Day, an accomplished horsewoman who should have had a western series of her own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, (more)
- 1945
Based on the popular comic strip by Dale Messick, this Sam Katzman-produced Columbia serial starred the beautiful and talented Joan Woodbury, an actress who never really lived up to her early potential. Brenda Starr, Reporter didn't exactly change that sad fact; a rather straightforward tale of a girl reporter who is mistakenly believed to possess the key to the whereabouts of a hidden fortune, the serial was a typically shoddy Katzman effort. A gang of crooks headed by the always watchable Wheeler Oakman spend 13 chapters attempting to force the secret out of poor Brenda, who is always saved in the nick of time by handsome Kane Richmond. In the end, Brenda Starr, Reporter had a couple of attractive leads, and a wonderfully hammy master criminal, but very little else. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Based on a popular comic strip, this 15 episode Columbia chapterplay produced by legendary cheapskate Sam Katzman (aka "Jungle Sam") heralded the beginning of the end of the American movie serial. Starring the otherwise watchable Kane Richmond in the title role, Brick Bradford had pretensions of becoming the next Flash Gordon, but Katzman's notorious reluctance to part with a dollar bill sealed its fate. Perhaps the cheapest producer releasing through a major company (Columbia) in the '40s, Katzman employed a generous dose of carelessly inserted stock footage in his serials, thus earning the epitaph as the typical cigar-chomping hack producer who is in the movie business merely to make a fast buck (actor Mike Starr eminently portrayed the prototype in Ed Wood, 1995). A Secret Service agent employed by the United States government to protect the Interceptor Ray, a newly invented missile, Brick Bradford gets involved with a mysterious scientist, whose "crystal door" transports him to the moon and back, to 18th century Central America, etc. All of this demanded inspiring sets and special effects and not Jungle Sam's tired potted plants and moth-eaten stock footage fauna. Comic strip hero Brick Bradford deserved better and so did his portrayer, Kane Richmond. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Based on the television series Captain Video and His Video Rangers, this 15-chapter serial was pretty much the beginning of the end for that venerable format (the last serial was made five years after this). Although put together by such longtime serial specialists as director Spencer Bennett, producer Sam Katzman and writer Royal Cole, this cheaply filmed anemic entry has Judd Holdren, as Captain Video, flying around in cartoon rocket ships, wearing what appears to be an old football uniform and fighting old robots that aficionados will recognize from serials filmed years before. The plot, such as it is, has Captain Video and his young Video Ranger sidekick battling the evil ruler of the planet Atoma. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1946
That dependable sleuth of pulp fiction fame, Nick Carter, apparently had an equally stalwart son. Chick Carter, Boy Detective did his sleuthing on radio before Columbia producer Sam Katzman brought him to the screen in Chick Carter, Detective. The juvenile hero of the radio waves had underwent certain changes in order for grown-up actor Lyle Talbot to portray him. Talbot's Chick Carter, however, remained strangely inactive in his own serial, allowing crusading reporter Rusty Farrell (Douglas V. Fowley) to perform most of the necessary derring-do. As plainly told as the title would suggest, Chick Carter, Detective was more or less a straightforward crime melodrama that eschewed the usual ray guns, invisibility inventions, and other paraphernalia of the genre. Former MGM starlet Pamela Blake did some snooping of her own as a rival detective, and a gangster bearing the unfortunate name of Nick Polio (George Meeker) indulged in a bit of insurance fraud on behalf of Charles King. With only two bona fide cliffhanger endings, Chick Carter, Detective found little favor with the small fry, its target audience. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1942
The Three Mesquiteers are back in the saddle in Republic's Code of the Outlaws. In this outing, the Mesquiteers are played by Bob Steele (as Tuscon Smith), Tom Tyler (as Stony Brooke) and Rufe Davis (as Lullaby Joslin). Bennie Bartlett costars as the son of outlaw Weldon Heyburn, who refuses to inform on his dad's outlaw gang even after Heyburn is shot dead. Our three heroes try to set Bartlett on the right path-and, incidentally, attempt to round up the gang on their own. Reviewers in 1942 felt that Code of the Outlaws was one of the best "Mesquiteers" entries since the series' salad days of the late 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, (more)
- 1950
Juvenile actor Dickie Moore starred in the title role of this 15 chapter serial as a teen-aged Buffalo Bill Cody, who with an adult friend (played by the husky Jock Mahoney, still billed as Jock O'Mahoney), battles a gang of outlaws secretly headed by an unscrupulous lawyer (George J. Lewis). Since the serial was produced by Sam Katzman (known to his legion of detractors as "Jungle Sam"), it was heavily augmented by sometimes rather ill-advised stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Gene Autry goes up against another "protection" racket in this tuneful series entry, which also features country & western singer Patsy Montana and the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers. Doc Blair (Robert Barrat), a crooked veterinarian, is doing a good business terrorizing the local dairy farmers into paying for not having their deliveries destroyed -- until, that is, Gene and Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) move in. Blair, as it turns out, does not even shy away from murdering the local sheriff (William Farnum) and attempts to get his own stooge, Dave Haines (Buster Crabbe), elected in his stead. But Gene takes up the fight and wins the election. Now he only has to win over Haines' innocent sister, radio announcer Carol Haines (June Storey), whom Blair has used to relay coded messages to his henchmen over the air waves. Autry, Burnette, Patsy Montana, and the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers perform "Colorado Sunset," "On the Merry Way Back Home," "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," "Poor Little Doggie," "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" and "Seven Years with the Wrong Woman," all by Con Conrad and L. Wolfe Gilbert. The Gene Autry debut of producer William Berke, Colorado Sunset was filmed on location at Keen Camp near Hemet, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1948
Yet another comic strip character -- Whitney Ellsworth's Congo Bill -- reached the screens in serial form courtesy of Columbia Pictures' penny-pinching Sam Katzman. But this intrepid jungle hero broke no new ground, to put it mildly. Played by a mustached Don McGuire -- a B-movie actor lacking somewhat in the charisma department -- Congo Bill again used the tired old plot about the search for a white Jungle Goddess, this time the possible heir to a 500,000-dollar trust fund. McGuire does manage to find the girl -- played by buxom Cleo Moore, who later gained fame in several exploitative film noirs of the 1950s -- but only after surviving attacks from a killer gorilla, an assortment of thugs, a runaway boulder, a shooting, and a stabbing, plus various other perils, none of them too exciting. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1953
A "big" western by Allied Artists standards, Cow Country is directed with his usual panache by horse-opera expert Lesley Selander. Adapted from a novel by Curtis Bishop, the film stars Edmond O'Brien as Ben Anthony, an adventurer-for-hire who casts his lot with Texas cattleman Walt Garnet (Robert H. Barrat). The villains want to drive Anthony and his fellow ranchers off their land, but Ben's six-guns prevent this, at least temporarily. Meanwhile, Linda Garnet (Helen Westcott), Walt's daughter and the fiancee of the film's chief bad guy Harry Odell (Bob Lowery), aligns herself with Ben when Odell proves to be spectacularly unfaithful with saloon chirp Melba Sykes (Peggie Castle). Barton MacLane rounds out the cast in one of his standard loud, abrasive roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmond O'Brien, Helen Westcott, (more)
- 1943
A young woman and her two buddies team up to run her newly inherited trucking company. In this comedy, the trouble begins when they agree to haul some gambling equipment to Vegas, get caught and tossed into the hoosegow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
