Robert Livingston Movies
Livingston was born Robert Randall. Raised in California, he began his professionl life as a reporter. In the late '20s he began performing onstage and in film shorts. By 1934 he had become an actor in feature films, and in 1936 he began a long stretch as a cowboy star: alongside costars Crash Corrigan and Max Terhune, he appeared as Stony Brooke in the Three Mesquiteers series of Westerns, going on to play the character 29 times; the Mesquiteers were among the Top Ten Western Box-Office attractions in every year from 1937-43. In 1939 he portrayed the Lone Ranger in a serial, then in the early '40s he remained popular as the costar of the Lone Rider series with sidekick Fuzzy St. John; meanwhile, he also played romantic leads in a number of B-movies. Later he appeared in occasional character roles. He was briefly married to starlet Margaret Roach, daughter of film pioneer Hal Roach. His brother was minor actor and singing cowboy Jack Randall. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1975
When a bunch of beautiful stewardesses attempt to relax at a ranch, they find themselves attacked by mysterious horsemen. Ignoring the smarmy script, the Ritz Brothers regale their old fans and win a few new ones by running through some of their classic routines, including the legendary "hero sandwich" bit. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
This low-budget action film from cult director Al Adamson features Georgina Spelvin (The Devil in Miss Jones) in a rare non-porn role as a psychotic assassin set up for murder by her partner (Rosalind Miles) and another woman. Spelvin isn't the only porn actress in this desert-set oddity, which co-stars Barbara Bourbon as well as veteran actor Kent Taylor. The pacing is uneven and the film is a rather grungy affair, typified by a scene in which Spelvin rapes a retarded man and shoots him as he climaxes. This scene was used as a selling point for the film's video release, re-titled to capitalize on the success of I Spit on Your Grave. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Having gained a measure of TV fame by 1958, the nightclub comedy duo of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin decided to give movies a try with Once Upon a Horse. Dan and Dick play Dan Casey and Doc Logan, a pair of nitwitted cowboys who turn to outlawry because they can't make a go at any honest profession. Stealing a valuable herd of cattle, the boys' dreams of financial security are dashed when they're forced to raise money to feed their stolen bovines. Martha Hyer costars as Miss Amity Babb, a resourceful saloon hall owner who applies 20th century business methods to her 19th century operation. For nostalgia buffs, several western-movie favorites (billed as "Our Old Pals") make cameo appearances, including Tom Keene, Bob Livingston, Kermit Maynard and Bob Steele. Hal Kanter's screenplay is full of clever, satirical touches, most of which proved to be too smart for the room in 1958. A financial disappointment, Once Upon a Horse (aka Hot Horse) would be Rowan and Martin's last joint film effort until 1969's The Maltese Bippy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, (more)
- 1953
Winning of the West was Gene Autry's first western vehicle for 1953. It was also one of Autry's better offerings, with the star cast as a territorial ranger with an uncharacteristically nasty streak. When a local newspaper publisher is slain by an outlaw gang, Gene hesitates to pull his gun because he recognizes his own brother (Richard Crane) as one of the outlaws. As a result, he is relieved of his duties and forced to fend for himself. After a series of hair-raising adventures, Autry is compelled to face his brother in a showdown. Somehow, a happy ending arises from all this, though it wouldn't be fair to tell how. Gene Autry is supported by his usual cohorts Smiley Burnette and Gail Davis; he also offers four musical numbers, of which "Find Me My Trusty .45" is the best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1952
Gene Autry and Pat Buttram are innovatively cast as Gene Autry and Pat Buttram in Night Stage to Galveston. Set during the wild-and-wooly days when the Texas Rangers were supplanted by various local corrupt police officials, the story finds Gene at odds with crooked police chief Gen. Slaydon (Robert Livingston). Our Hero's task herein is to stem Slaydon's underhanded activities, and to restore the Rangers to their former glory. Meanwhile, his sidekick Buttram makes with the comic songs and the slapstick sequences. The feminine interest is provided by Virginia Huston, cast as the daughter of crusading journalist Thurston Hall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
- 1952
Something for the Birds is a toothless satire of Washington, filmed during the McCarthy era. For lack of a political target that wouldn't get them labeled as Communists, the producers decided to go after lobbyists. Patricia Neal comes to Washington on behalf of the preservation of the California Condor; she finds herself the object of ridicule for almost everyone, including leading man Victor Mature, a lobbyist for the oil interests who threatens a large bird sanctuary. Edmund Gwenn is one of the few Washingtonians willing to financially back Neal's cause; unfortunately he turns out to be a charlatan with nary a nickel to his name. Eventually Mature is made to realize that the plight of the Condor is worthy worrying about, and he is able to dissuade the agreeable oil executives from drilling on the bird's territory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1951
Saddle Legion stars RKO Radio's resident cowboy hero Tim Holt. As in most of his postwar vehicles, Holt is teamed with Irish-Mexican laugh-spinner Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin). This time, Dave (Holt) and Chito come to the aid of their boss, rancher Fred Warren (Cliff Clark). It seems that crooked cattle inspector Regan (Robert Livington) has falsely claimed that Warren's livestock is infected with disease, the better to steal the cows and bulls for himself and sell them for a tidy profit south of the Border. Our Heroes strive to foil Regan with the help of lady doctor Ann Rollins (Dorothy Malone). Featured in the cast of Saddle Legion is Mexican actress Movita, better known as the first wife of Marlon Brando. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Dorothy Malone, (more)
- 1950
Gene Autry sings his own and Ray Whitley's "Back in the Saddle Again" in the opening sequence of this, the fifth episode of his 1950 television series. A sheriff this time, Gene takes on ten-year-old Jimmy Foster (Billy Gray), whose father, Ben (George J. Lewis), has been jailed for bank robbery. "An ornery little cuss," according to Gene's sidekick Pat (Pat Buttram), Jimmy repays the gesture by smuggling a gun into the jail. A deputy (Wes Hudman) and Ben's partner, Reynolds (House Peters Jr.), are killed as a result of this piece of juvenile delinquency, but little Jimmy sees the error of his ways after an inspirational lecture from Autry. Billy Gray's real-life mother, 1940s starlet Beatrice Gray, appears in an unbilled bit. Restored by Gene Autry Entertainment in 2000, "The Star Toter" premiered originally on August 20, 1950. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Though the hit song "Mule Train" is most closely associated with Frankie Laine, it was Gene Autry who first sang the tune on film, in a picture titled ... what else? .... Mule Train. This time, Autry plays a federal marshal who comes to the aid of a grizzled old prospector who has been framed for murder. The villain, Sam Brady (Robert Livingston), wants to appropriate the prospector's land, and he isn't particular as to how he achieves that goal. Leading lady Sheila Ryan plays a female sheriff who is on Brady's side at first, but who later realigns herself with Autry. Ryan later became the wife of Pat Buttram, who also appears in Mule Train in his usual role as Gene Autry's comical sidekick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, (more)
- 1950
Western star Tim Holt and director Lesley Selander continued their collaboration with Law of the Badlands. Holt and his cohort Chico Rafferty (Richard Martin) are lawmen who pose as desperadoes. The plan is to infiltrate a vicious gang of counterfeiters who've been flooding the frontier with funny money. But when Holt's former girl friend Joan Dixon shows up in town, the jig is up. Law of the Badlands was the least expensive Tim Holt western since the mid-1940s, but thanks to postwar inflation the film lost money--as did most of Holt's subsequent RKO B pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Joan Dixon, (more)
- 1950
In the third entry of his long-running television series, Gene Autry comes across a man murdered by a silver arrow. In Cottonwood, Autry and sidekick Pat Buttram learn that the victim was one of four men responsible for sending Randy Edwards (Jim Frasher) up the river for a crime he may not have committed. The prosecutor in the case, Councilman Frank Andrews (Robert Livingston), demands that Sheriff Garner (Ray Bennett) arrest Randy, who is free after having served his prison sentence. But is Randy the Silver Arrow Killer, or is someone using him as a patsy for his own nefarious purpose? When not hunting down killers, Gene Autry sings "Can't Shake the Sand of Texas From My Shoes." "The Silver Arrow" was restored by Gene Autry Entertainment. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Tim Holt's second RKO western for 1949 was Mysterious Desperado. Once more teamed with Richard Martin as his saddle pal Chito, Tim rides into a sleepy California town, where Chito hopes to claim his uncle's estate. Tim decides to stick around and investigate when it turns out that Uncle was murdered. The number-one suspect is the victim's son (Edward Norris), but if this were true, the movie would be over in 15 minutes. A clue: when in doubt, always look towards the Evil Land Developers. Director Leslie Selander also contributed to the screenplay of Mysterious Desperado. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Richard Martin, (more)
Gene Autry enjoyed considerable success with his recording of Stan Jones' haunting "Riders in the Sky". He then parlayed this success into a film, which proved to be one of Autry's best postwar efforts. The basic plot concerns Autry's efforts to clear rancher Ralph Lawson (Steve Darrell) of a trumped-up murder charge. The trumper-upper, Rock McCleary, is played by Robert Livingston, a former cowboy star who turned to character roles late in his career. The heroine is played by Gloria Henry, ten years removed from her TV fame as Alice Mitchell in Dennis the Menace. The title song is imaginatively staged by director John English, with a ghostly Tom London riding hard and fast as a montage of moody images play across the screen. So effective was this vignette that Columbia included it in the coming-attractions trailer for Riders in the Sky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Gloria Henry, (more)
- 1948
Released in Republic Pictures' low-budget Trucolor and filmed at the majestic location of the title, Grand Canyon Trail stars Roy Rogers is a rancher going up against a crooked mining engineer played by fellow Western star Robert Livingston. The latter, Bill Regan, has conned eastern silver magnate J. Malcolm Vanderpool (Charles Coleman) into believing that his Sintown mine is worthless. But Vanderpool's pretty secretary, Carol Martin (Jane Frazee), is suspicious and travels to the ghost town masquerading as the boss' daughter. Rancher Rogers and his hired hands -- Foy Willing & the Riders of the Purple Sage in their first Rogers Western -- have all invested in the mine, courtesy of hayseed blacksmith "Cookie" Bullfincher (Andy Devine), and are doing a bit of digging themselves. The only person with knowledge of the location of the mine, elderly stage driver Ed Carruthers (Emmett Lynn), is kidnapped by the gang and later murdered. Carol, whom Roy accuses of being in cahoots with the villains, is kept captive in a cabin during a rainstorm and when Mike Delsing (Ken Terrell), one of Regan's men, turns up, she mistakenly believes he has come to rescue her and hits Roy over the head with a vase. Realizing her error, Carol later aids Roy and the Riders capture the gang and their leader, Regan, whom she dispatches with a well-appointed rock. In between the action, Roy and the Riders perform "Everything's Going My Way," by Foy Willing and "Grand Canyon Trail" and "Colorado Joe" by Jack Elliott. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Jane Frazee, (more)
- 1948
Daredevils in the Clouds was one of Republic's several attempts to transform former cowboy star Robert Livingston into a non-cowboy leading man. With customers and creditors breathing down his neck, Terry O'Rourke (Livingston), the head of Polar Airways, does his best to bring his planes in on time. Johnny Martin (James Cardwell), top man at Trans-Global Airlines, covets O'Rourke's business, and will do anything-even commit murder-to gobble up Polar's clientele. Mae Clarke, who hadn't had a leading role in years, is quietly effective as Kay Cameron, a grounded aviatrix who carries a torch for her boss O'Rourke. The film is distinguished by the excellent miniature and special-effects work of the Lydecker Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, James B. Cardwell, (more)
- 1948
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Chan must find out who has been killing people over rare antiques. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Stephanie Bachelor, Republic's answer to Ann Sheridan and Bette Davis, stars in Undercover Woman. The story takes place on a dude ranch, where female private eye Marcia Conroy (Bachelor) has been sent to gather evidence for a divorce case. Instead, she becomes involved with murder when philandering Gregory Vixon (Richard Fraser) turns up dead. None of the ranch's guests is above suspicion so far as sheriff Don Long (Robert Livingston) is concerned, even though Long has a crush on Marcia. Teaming up with Long to solve the killing, Marcia follows the trail of clues to the proverbial least-likely suspect. Originally released at a mere 56 minutes, Undercover Woman was trimmed down even farther for its TV release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephanie Bachelor, Robert Livingston, (more)
- 1946
There's no "valley" in Valley of the Zombies, and only one "zombie," played with relish by Ian Keith. At large in a great metropolitan city, Ormand Murks (Keith), recently brought back from the dead, goes on the prowl for human blood, meaning that he's less of a zombie than a vampire (a phenomenon which he "explains" halfway through the picture). He spends most of his time murderously settling scores with old enemies, drawing the attention of police lieutenant Blair (Thomas Jackson), who like Murks seems well-past retirement age. Suspected of committing the murders, doctor's assistant Terry Evans (Robert Livingston) takes it upon himself to track down Murks, with the aid of pretty nurse Susan Drake (Adrian Booth). The ultimate fate of the so-called zombie is given away by the artwork in the film's opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, Adrian Booth, (more)
According to Hollywood lore, both John Wayne and director Frank Borzage refused to work with Vera Hruba Ralston, the Czech-born inamorata (and future wife) of Republic Pictures owner Herbert I. Yates. Yates somehow managed to convince Wayne to change his mind, but Borzage was replaced by contract director Joseph Kane. The result was Dakota, the company's major release of 1945, a potentially sprawling empire-building Western. Wayne and Ralston play newlyweds heading for Fargo, North Dakota, where they plan to buy land in anticipation of the coming of the railroad. They are opposed by saloon owner Jim Bender (Ward Bond), who also knows about the expansion and is coercing the homesteaders into selling their land to him and his chief lieutenant, Collins (Mike Mazurki). The latter has been elected president of the Wheat Growers Association, and soon the farmers find themselves indebted to Bender. But Wayne, with his wife's help, beats Bender and his henchman at their own game, making certain that the farmers are well compensated for selling their land to the railroad company owned by Ralston's father (Hugo Haas). Contrary to popular belief, Vera Hruba Ralston was not Dakota's chief liability. For some reason, Republic Pictures, normally a leader in action-oriented melodrama, chose to employ an inordinate amount of rear projection footage this time around, making for rather dull viewing. The Western only leaves the confines of the studio back lot for the climactic prairie fire scenes, filmed by a second unit under the direction of stunt expert Yakima Canutt. Apparently a better figure skater than an actress, Ralston actually shows a bit of spirit in some of her scenes but is rather obviously upstaged by the veteran Ona Munson as a kind-hearted saloon entertainer. Munson was borrowed from Warner Bros. and her singing of "Coax Me" by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer remains one of Dakota's main pleasures despite editor Fred Allen's endless cross-cutting to Ralston's reactions. The latter was reportedly a very pleasant person devoid of a prima donna ego and would be cast opposite John Wayne again in The Fighting Kentuckian (1949). Republic serial heroines Linda Stirling and Adrian Booth can be spotted among Munson's dancing girls. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Vera Ralston, (more)
Having previously introduced Cole Porter's hit song "Don't Fence Me In" in Hollywood Canteen, Roy Rogers performs the song once again in this same-named Republic "special." When he's not singing, Rogers is dealing with nosy female journalist Toni Ames (Dale Evans), who hopes to learn the truth about Wildcat Kelly a notorious outlaw who flourished back at the turn of the century. Said outlaw has supposedly been dead for 40 years, but garrulous old-timer Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) offers to give Toni the lowdown on Kelly. After a series of convoluted complications, Roy and Toni discover what the audience has suspected all along: Gabby Whittaker and Wildcat Kelly are one in the same. Perhaps because of its saleable title, Don't Fence Me In was treated with more industry respect than most Roy Rogers westerns, earning excellent reviews and choice play-dates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, (more)
- 1945
The standard Roy Rogers musical western Bells of Rosarita is enlivened by a cute last-reel gimmick. Rogers is appropriately cast as a cowboy star who invariably rescues the heroine from the villain in his movie vehicles. But when Sue Farnum (Dale Evans) is cheated out of her inheritance by the duplicitous business partner (Grant Withers) of her deceased father, Roy finds out with startling suddeness that Real Life isn't like the movies. In order to rescue this genuine damsel in distress, Rogers enlists the aid of his fellow Republic sagebrush stars Wild Bill Elliot, Allan Lane, Don "Red" Barry, Robert Livingston, and Sunset Carson-each astride his own "celebrity" horse. So well-received was the climactic "hero rally" in Bells of Rosarita that the device was repeated again and again by Republic, most memorably in the 1950 Rogers starrer Trail of Robin Hood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1945
Law of the Saddle stars Bob Livingston as Rocky Cameron, aka "The Lone Rider". With his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), Rocky rides into a small town plagued by cattle rustlers. He can expect no help from the Law, since the sheriff is as crooked as the Yellow Brick Road. In fact, the sheriff is the head of the rustlers, meaning that Rocky's really got a dilemma on his hands this time out. The villain in Law of the Saddle is played by Lane Chandler, a former silent-film cowboy star who sustained his career into the 1960s by specializing in stubble-chinned heavies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Miles
- 1945
In this crime comedy, a prominent judge's vacation is interrupted during a sudden storm that forces him to seek refuge in a shady nightclub where he is mistaken by the mobsters for a highly esteemed racketeer. Unfortunately, mayhem erupts when a moll recognizes him as the judge who sent her low-life lover to prison and she blows the whistle. Fortunately, by the story's end, the judge has managed to reform them all. Law and order ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys George, Ruth Terry, (more)
- 1945
In this musical, a humble cigarette girl dreams of auditioning for the handsome bandleader at the nightclub. Her many attempts keep failing until her uncle appears. To help her, he impersonates a colonel and uses his "influence" to get her singing with the band. Eventually their ruse is revealed, but by then the bandleader has fallen in love with her. Songs include: "Tell It to a Star" (Shirley Botwin), "Love Me or Leave Me" (Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson), "You're So Good to Me" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne), "A Batucada Corazon" (Ary Barroso). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Terry, Robert Livingston, (more)
- 1945
A snooty blue-blooded English family learns a bitter lesson about the realities of lower class living in this British comedy. It all happens because the ditzy wife makes a terrible mistake with their money and loses a fortune. Her husband, a banker is at his wit's end as he scrambles about looking for much-needed cash. He tries his wife's wealthy, ailing uncle, but he has bequeathed his fortune to the actress he loved as a boy, (a woman he has never met). The aging star, who long ago disappeared from the screen, has no idea she is an heiress. Meanwhile, just before Christmas the daughter of the family brings home a boozy hambone of a fallen theater star who is short on cash. It is he who finds the missing actress and brings her into the house after convincing her that she and the family are related. Things go swimmingly and wealth is restored until the actor gets drunk and tells her the truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Schildkraut, Billie Burke, (more)
