Theodore Lorch Movies
Hulking (six feet tall), mustachioed American supporting actor Theodore Lorch (or billed more simply Ted Lorch) first gained recognition onscreen as Chingachgook in Maurice Tourneur's handsome production of Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans (1920). During the following decades, Lorch would become a dependable Hollywood character actor who could play almost any role, from a Turkish merchant (1924's The Sea Hawk) to a Prime Minister (1929's The Royal Rider) or a coroner (1932's The King Murder). No role seemed too small (he was merely billed "Man" in 1934's Jealousy) or outrageous (the hissable Squire Cribbs in a hoary 1935 independent production of The Drunkard). Today, however, Lorch is best remembered for playing the High Priest in the serial Flash Gordon (1936) and for menacing the Three Stooges in countless two-reel comedies for ten years between 1937 and his death in 1947. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1948
The Three Stooges are wannabe detectives in this comic short. They show up at Scotland Yard wearing fake facial hair to answer a wanted ad. Inspector McCormick is puzzled by this until they remind him that the notice requested "experienced yard men." So he sends them out to locate some "missing papers" -- in other words, clean up the trash outside of Scotland Yard. The boys get their chance to crack a case when an assignment blows off the inspector's desk and lands at their feet. Dressed in kilts and talking in phony Scotch accents, the Stooges head for Glenheather Castle. After introducing themselves as McMoe, McLarry, and McShemp, they are given the task of guarding the prized possessions of the castle's owner. This is a stroke of luck for the crooks, who, dressed as spooks, proceed to ransack the joint and terrorize the Stooges. Eventually, the Stooges, through no real talent of their own, manage to knock the crooks (who turn out to be the servants) unconscious. The last one to be captured is Lorna Doone (Christine McIntyre), who is making a run for it when the castle's owner returns. To reward the boys, he offers to treat them to some 200-year-old Scotch, but when he opens the cabinet they find a skeleton playing bagpipes. This scares the Stooges witless and they dive out the castle's windows. The beautiful and obviously expensive castle set was not built for this film (or the other two Stooges pictures where it can be seen). It was actually a set for the Columbia feature Lorna Doone, and the shorts department borrowed it. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Filmed in 1946 but held over until January of 1947, Half-Wits Holiday proved a rather sad occasion for the Three Stooges. A remake of the earlier Hoi Polloi, in which a professor wages that he can turn the three dimwits into perfect gentlemen. Sadly, Curly Howard, who had been ailing all year, suffered a stroke on the last day of filming. Supporting actor Emil Sitka, who made his debut with the team in this film, remembered: "No one -- including Moe, Larry, and Jules White -- ever told us how serious his condition was. It was only after the picture had been completed that I found out he took ill." Producer/director White managed to finish the last scene -- the inevitable pie-fight featuring the Stooges' main victim Symona Boniface (as Mrs. Smythe-Smythe) -- by dividing the action between Moe Howard and Larry Fine and inserting reaction shots of the various bystanders. Curly Howard never returned to the series as a member of the team -- he later agreed to a couple of cameos while visiting his former workplace -- and was replaced by brother Shemp. Perhaps the most beloved Stooge, Jerome "Curly" Howard died at the young age of 48 in 1952. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1946
In this two-reel comedy, the Three Stooges found themselves caught in the middle of the war between the states, a setting not visited by the zany team since 1935's Uncivil Warriors. This time around they keep changing allegiance until three Southern Belles (Faye Williams, Eleanor Counts, and Marilyn Johnson) change their minds for them. Curly Howard's increasingly obvious health problems made this effort one of the team's weakest to date. Uncivil Warbirds was a remake of Buster Keaton's Mooching Through Georgia (1939), and contained quite a bit of footage from that earlier comedy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
Written, produced, and directed by the White brothers, Jules and Jack, this two-reeler starred the Three Stooges in a traditional haunted house setting. They arrive at the spooky mansion for the reading of a will, only to find the lawyer murdered. Locked up with the rest of the potential heirs, the three dimwits learn the hard way that "the butler did it."Opening with an almost too realistic murder, the comedy never really gets back on the laugh track. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1940
Columbia's The Lady in Question is a remake of the French Gribouille, a Raimu vehicle from 1939. Brian Aherne plays Andre Morestan, the seeming contently paterfamilias of a bourgeois Parisian family. Summoned for jury duty, Morestan at first believes that accused murderess Natalie Rougin (Rita Hayworth) is guilty, but eventually takes pity on the homeless girl and invites her to live with his family after her acquittal. Things get pretty dicey when Morestan's impressionable young son Pierre (Glenn Ford) falls in love with the enigmatic Natalie and begins committing petty crimes to finance their elopement-leading to a situation not unlike the one that got the girl arrested in the first place! In the original Gribouille, it was abundantly clear that both father and son had a yen for their pretty guest, but this menage a trois has been toned down in the Hollywood version, with Morestan remaining more or less faithful to his long-suffering wife Michelle (Irene Rich). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, (more)
Although there were Westerns before it, Stagecoach quickly became a template for all movie Westerns to come. Director John Ford combined action, drama, humor, and a set of well-drawn characters in the story of a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a distant settlement in Lordsburg, with a diverse set of passengers on board. Dallas (Claire Trevor) is a woman with a scandalous past who has been driven out of town by the high-minded ladies of the community. Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt) is the wife of a cavalry officer stationed in Lordsburg, and she's determined to be with him. Hatfield (John Carradine) is a smooth-talking cardsharp who claims to be along to "protect" Lucy, although he seems to have romantic intentions. Dr. Boone (Thomas Mitchell) is a self-styled philosopher, a drunkard, and a physician who's been stripped of his license. Mr. Peacock (Donald Meek) is a slightly nervous whiskey salesman (and, not surprisingly, Dr. Boone's new best friend). Gatewood (Berton Churchill) is a crooked banker who needs to get out of town. Buck (Andy Devine) is the hayseed stage driver, and Sheriff Wilcox (George Bancroft) is along to offer protection and keep an eye peeled for the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), a well-known outlaw who has just broken out of jail. While Wilcox does find Ringo, a principled man who gives himself up without a fight, the real danger lies farther down the trail, where a band of Apaches, led by Geronimo, could attack at any time. Stagecoach offers plenty of cowboys, Indians, shootouts, and chases, aided by Yakima Canutt's remarkable stunt work and Bert Glennon's majestic photography of Ford's beloved Monument Valley. It also offers a strong screenplay by Dudley Nichols with plenty of room for the cast to show its stuff. John Wayne's performance made him a star after years as a B-Western leading man, and Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar for what could have been just another comic relief role. Thousands of films have followed Stagecoach's path, but no has ever improved on its formula. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Trevor, John Wayne, (more)
- 1938
Orphan of the Pecos is one of the eight Tom Tyler westerns produced by Victory Pictures during the 1937-38 season. Victory was owned by legendary fast-buck entrepreneur Sam Katzman, who also directed this particular film. Tyler is cast as Tom Wade, an agent of the Cattlemen's Protection Agency; this time, he's after the man who killed his parents. Like most of the Victory productions, Orphan of the Pecos has a script seemingly made up on the spur of the moment, compelling Tyler to mouth some bizarre ad-libs. Tom Tyler was seen to better advantage in later years as a character actor and villain in both westerns and contemporary films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Jeanne Martel, (more)
- 1938
Former silent screen cowboy Tom Tyler and newcomer Lon Chaney, Jr. (still billed, modestly, as Creighton Chaney) square off in this inexpensive oater produced by infamous poverty row regular Sam Katzman. Believed by the sheriff (Charles "Slim" Whitaker) to be the notorious bandit Cheyenne Tommy, Tom Wade (Tyler) is in reality an investigator for the Cattlemen's Protective Association looking into a series of cattle rustlings. Along with his dopey sidekick, Dopey (Jimmy Fox), Wade robs the rustlers of their ill-gotten gains until he is recognized by one of the gang, Girard (Chaney). After a great deal of ridin' and shootin', Tom is assisted in bringing down the gang by lovely Sally Lane (Lucile Browne), another operative working undercover as secretary to the leader of the rustlers (Theodore Lorch). The Katzman stamp of poverty is all over this Victory Pictures production, but it is fun to watch Tyler and Chaney, both of whom would later star as the mummy, Kharis, for Universal in the '40s. Director Robert F. Hill makes his usual Hitchcock-like appearance, this time as a townsman. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Lucille Browne, (more)
- 1938
The villains in the "Three Mesquiteers" entry Red River Range are bunch of progressive cattle thieves. This being 1939, the bad guys round up their stolen goods and herd them into streamlined trucks. It's a plot device that had previously used in Republic's Gene Autry series, but it still had plenty of mileage here. Riding to the rescue are the Mesquiteers, who on this occasion consist of John Wayne (Stony Brooke), Ray Corrigan (Tucson Smith) and Max Terhune (Lullaby Joslin). Lorna Gray, aka Adrian Booth, is the heroine, while raucuous comedy relief is provided by old-timer Polly Moran. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1938
In this drama, a Mexican woman attempts to live a peaceful life in California. Unfortunately, land-grabbers kill her father and begin harassing her. Desperate, she sends an impassioned plea for help to Washington, and a special aide is sent to mediate. He and the woman fall in love, and the aide does such a good job that he is elected to be the state's first governor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Keene, Duncan Renaldo, (more)
- 1938
Harold Lloyd plays a professor of Egyptology, frightened by the notion that he has fallen under an ancient Egyptian curse. Lloyd has the opportunity to join an archeological expedition to search for a missing tablet that will determine his fate, but he has to travel from Los Angeles to New York before the party sails to Egypt. Alas, Lloyd is also required to appear in court to answer charges of "indecent exposure" (it's a long story). The rest of the film is a frantic chase with the authorities pursuing the fugitive professor across the country, highlighted by a daredevil sequence atop a moving train. Most of the individual gags are funny, but Professor Beware is several notches below the standard set by Harold Lloyd's silent films. The lukewarm boxoffice response to this film would convince Lloyd that he should retire from performing--which he did, returning to the screen only for 1947's Sins of Harold Diddlebock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Welch, Raymond Walburn, (more)
- 1937
Chester Gould's jut-jawed plainclothesman Dick Tracy first came to the screen in this 15-chapter Republic serial. Ralph Byrd stars as Tracy, a role which both brought him fame and typecast him for life. For the purposes of cliffhanging suspense, the Republic writing staff altered the Tracy "mythos" as set forth in Gould's daily comic strip. As the serial begins, Dick's brother Gordon (Richard Beach) is being controlled by a criminal genius known as "The Spider." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Byrd
- 1937
Weather-beaten western star Harry Carey is consistently better than his material in the cheapie shoot-em-up Aces Wild. Astride his wonder horse Sonny, Cheyenne Harey (Carey) comes to the rescue of heroine Martha (Gertrude Messenger), the owner of a valuable gold mine. The villains try to buy Cheyenne off, but he's not about to be dissuaded from his purpose. Two veterans of Columbia's 2-reel comedy mills show up in important roles: Theodore Lorch as the mustachioed heavy, and second-echelon comic Phil Dunham as a crusading newspaper editor. Also on hand is black comedian Fred Toones, who spent most of his career saddled with the demeaning cognomen "Snowflake." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, Gertrude Messinger, (more)
- 1937
The Three Stooges actually play different characters here (or at least they have different names, different hairstyles, and different mustaches) -- Curly is Buffalo Bilious, Moe is Wild Bill Hiccup, and Larry is Just Plain Bill. They are General Muster's three best scouts, and now that the Indian problem is solved, he needs them to round up a gang of cattle rustlers. At first this sounds like bad news for General Muster and his men but, surprisingly, the boys are nearly halfway competent -- either that, or the rustlers are even more stupid than they are. Disguised as big gamblers from the West (sans mustaches and back to their usual hair), the Stooges head over to the Longhorn saloon, where they sit down to a card game with Longhorn Pete, the proprietor -- who's also the head of the rustlers. They've sent a note, via pigeon, asking for reinforcements, but the bird happens to be Pete's pet and their identities are uncovered. They escape in a wagon containing pots and pans which they toss out to stall their pursuers. There's also a monkey who terrorizes Curly. They wind up at a cabin where they shoot it out with the bad guys. When some bullets accidentally fall into a meat grinder Curly is using, it becomes a machine-gun-like device. The Stooges vanquish the rustlers and, as they are being congratulated, the monkey takes over the meat grinder and sends them off in a hail of bullets. Some shots from this picture would be recycled in 1954's Pals and Gals. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The Three Stooges are lawbreakers in merry olde England in this comic short. For their crimes, the Stooges are sent to the American colonies to defend the Pilgrim settlement against Indians. They arrive, muskets in hand, and proceed to flirt with the daughters of the governor (Vernon Dent). But they get down to business soon enough, as the Indians demand "five thousands shekels" for peace, a far greater sum than the Pilgrims have. While hunting for turkey the Stooges head for the outskirts of Plymouth (you can tell they've reached it by the signs). They mistake the Indians' headdresses for birds and fire, and the battle is on. Larry is caught and tied to a tree. Moe and Curly come to his rescue, knocking out the Indians with their clubs, and then Curly knocks out Moe. Larry faints and when Curly tosses water on him, he misses and wakes up the unconscious Indians, who give chase. The Stooges finally escape in a motorized canoe -- a shot stolen from an earlier short, Whoops, I'm an Indian. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Cheapie king Sam Katzman was both producer and director of the Tom Tyler western The Lost Ranch. "Our Tom" essays his customary role of Tom Wade, troubleshooter for the Cattlemen's Protective Association. When cattle rancher Carroll (Lafe McKee) is captured by outlaws, Carroll's daugther Rita (Jeanne Martel) inaugurates a search. At first convinced that Wade himself is one of the villains, Rita finally wises up and allows him to join the search-and, of course, to rout the villains in the final footage. Billed third in Lost Ranch is former Mack Sennett leading lady Marjorie Beebe, essaying yet another wisecracking comedy role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Jeanne Martel, (more)
- 1936
This second film version of the Edna Ferber/Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II musical Show Boat is considered by many film buffs to be the best of the three. Covering nearly four decades (was there ever an Edna Ferber novel that didn't?), the film stars Irene Dunne as Magnolia Hawks, a role she'd previously played on stage, though not in the Broadway version. The daughter of showboat impresario Captain Andy (Charles Winninger, who was in the Broadway original), Magnolia is swept off her feet by dashing gambler Gaylord Ravenal (Allan Jones). Yearning to appear on the showboat stage, Magnolia gets her chance when Captain Andy's leading lady, the tragic Julie (Helen Morgan, likewise a holdover from Broadway), is ordered not to perform by a small-town sheriff because she is Mulatto. Julie's husband Steve (Donald Cook) loyally walks out with his wife, thereby leaving the leading-man position open--but not for long, since Gaylord Ravenal agrees to take over for Steve, the better to stay close to Magnolia. Despite the disapproval of Magnolia's mother Parthy Hawks (Helen Westley), Magnolia and Ravenal are married. Later on, the couple has a baby girl named Kim. At first, the young family is blissfully happy, but as Ravenal's gambling debts begin to mount, things turn sour. Unable to support Magnolia and Kim, Ravenal walks out on them both. Desperately, Magnolia tries to get a job as a singer in Chicago. She auditions at a night spot where, fortuitously, Julie is the featured attraction. Hoping to give Magnolia a break, Julie gets drunk, forcing the manager to hire Magnolia as a replacement. During her New Years' Eve debut, Magnolia "chokes up" in front of the raucous audience--and then, who should emerge from the crowd but lovable Captain Andy, who gives Magnolia the encouragement she needs. Magnolia goes on to become a famous musical comedy star, as does her grown-up daughter Kim (played as an adult by Sunnie O'Dea). On the eve of Magnolia's retirement from the theater, she is reunited with her now-contrite husband Gaylord Ravenal. While the second half of Show Boat departs radically from both the novel (in which Ravenal never returns ) and the Broadway show, the film manages to capture the spirit of its literary and theatrical ancestors. Of the original score, "Cotton Blossom," "Ol' Man River," "Where's the Mate for Me?" "Make Believe," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," You are Love" and "Bill" are retained, while most of the other songs are heard as background accompaniment. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II penned three new tunes for the film version: "Ah Still Suits Me," "Gallavantin' Around" and "I Have the Room Above." As in all stage and screen versions of Show Boat, the Charles K. Harris standard "After the Ball" is heard in the New Year sequence. In addition to the aforementioned Dunne, Jones, Winninger, Westley, Morgan, and O'Dea, the Show Boat cast includes the magnificent Paul Robeson as Joe (his rendition of "Ol' Man River" can still induce goosebumps), Hattie McDaniel as Queenie and Sammy White and Queenie Smith as the engagingly second-rate vaudeville team of Frank and Ellie Schultz. Though James Whale of Frankenstein fame seems an odd choice for director, he brings a vibrant theatricality to the proceedings that is lacking in other versions. Show Boat literally saved the financially strapped Universal Pictures from receivership--but not soon enough to prevent the ousters of Carl Laemmle Sr. and Jr. in favor of a new administration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, (more)
In 1936, Universal Pictures created a sensation with Flash Gordon, a 13-part adventure serial based on the popular comic strip of the day about a dare-devil do-gooder in outer space. Flash Gordon: Rocketship is a condensed version of that original serial, compressing the original twelve episodes into an efficient 97 minute feature. Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) heads into space with brilliant scientist Dr. Zarkoff (Frank Shannon) and his sweetheart Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) in an effort to throw the planet Mongo off course; it is expected to crash into the Earth within a matter of days. However, once Flash and his crew arrive on Mongo, they have to deal with the supremely evil Ming the Merciless (Charles B. Middleton) and his wicked minions; Ming also appears to have a "fate worse than death" in mind for Dale, while Ming's daughter Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson) has similar designs on Flash. Sharp-eyed film buffs will notice that many of this film's sets, costumes, and musical cues were borrowed from other Universal productions of the period, most notably The Bride of Frankenstein. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Jean Rogers, (more)
- 1936
Kermit Maynard, Ken's less famous brother, plays a Mountie impersonating a killer impersonating a Mountie in this low-budget "Northwestern" produced by independent entrepreneur Maurice Conn from a screenplay "suggested" by the story The Midnight Call by James Oliver Curwood. After apprehending the notorious killer "The Raven" (Yakima Canutt), Royal Canadian Mountie Gale Farrell assumes his identity in order to investigate a feud between fur trapping families. As it turns out, the feud is kept alive by nasty casino owner Henry McClain (John Merton), who answers to supposedly kindly Dr. Martin (Hobart Bosworth). They plan to monopolize the fur trade but Gale sets a trap for the good doctor and the feud comes to an end. Maurice Conn reportedly attempted to cash in on a current vogue by releasing the film as "G-Men of the North" only to learn that Warner Bros. owned the appellation of "G-Man." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kermit Maynard, Hobart Bosworth, (more)
- 1936
The first of thirteen singing-Westerns starring former San Francisco Opera barytone Fred Scott, Romance Rides the Range was thoroughly geared to the handsome singer's forté: light opera. Scott played Barry Glendon, an opera singer who returns to the old homestead after an especially successful season. At the ranch, he encounters neighbors Carol Morland (Marion Shilling) and her brother Jimmy (Buzz Barton, who had been conned into buying a parcel of useless land. In love with Carol, Barry cons the con-men (Robert Kortman and Theodore Lorch) into believing that the Morland property contains a hidden gold mine. Veteran funnyman Cliff Nazzarro (an expert in the art of the "double take") provided comic relief and Scott sang Only You and On the Range, both by Fred Stryker and Johnny Lange. Filmed at Placerito Canyon near Newhall, California, Romance Rides the Range was produced by poverty row company Spectrum ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Scott, Marion Shilling, (more)
- 1935
Based on a story by Damon Runyon, Hold 'Em Yale is also more than a little beholden to O. Henry's Ransom of Red Chief. Spoiled-rotten heiress Clarice Van Cleve (Patricia Ellis) is enticed to New York by fortune-hunter Gigolo Georgie (Cesar Romero), who dumps her in the apartment owned by Runyonesque hoodlums Sunshine Joe (William Frawley), Liverlips (Andy Devine), Sam the Goniff (Warren Hymer) and Benny Southstreet (George E. Stone). Plotting to hold Clarice for ransom, the four hooligans figure that this "dame" will be easy to handle. Boy, are they wrong! Like the proverbial babysitter from hell, the temperamental Clarice is soon ruling the roost in the foursome's hideout. The beleaguered crooks offer to ship the girl back to her father, Mr. Van Cleve (George Barbier), only to find out that he won't take her back -- not even for free! In desperation, the four hoods try to marry Clarice off to college football-hero Hector Wilmot (Buster Crabbe), and to that end they try their best (?) to "fix" the annual Yale-Harvard game so that Hector will prove worthy of the hoydenish heroine -- which, as it turns out, was Mr. Van Cleve's plan all along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Ellis, Cesar Romero, (more)
- 1935
The second of four inexpensive Westerns starring Rex Bell, Ruth Mix, and Buzz Barton, Gunfire seems to have offered employment to nearly every B-Western player not otherwise engaged. Bell and Mix (Tom's daughter) play Jerry Dunbar and Mary Vance, partners in the Double D Ranch. The ranch is also home to Danny (Barton), a kid whom Jerry has rescued from crooked gambler Les Daggett (Lew Meehan), and Sally Moore (Mary Jane Irving), Daggett's stepdaughter, who has refused to marry nasty Alex McGregor (Ted Adams). While a jealous Mary is quietly seething over the presence of Sally, the Double D barn is set ablaze by the mad McGregor clan, who desires the property, and Jerry is framed in the killing of another neighbor. Almost lynched -- twice -- Jerry and Danny arrive back at the still burning Double D just in time to save Mary from the lecherous Dan MacGregor (Philo McCullough). The nasty McGregor family finally rounded up, Jerry proposes to Mary -- forced at gunpoint by nutty Aunt Lydia (Fern Emmett). Gunfire was produced by Marion H. Kohn and Alfred T. Mannon for low-budget Resolute Pictures as part of a series of six Westerns. But due to a glut on the market and a less than enthusiastic response from exhibitors, only four films were ultimately released. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Silent Western star Harry Carey returned to his roots in this low-budget Western from Ajax Pictures. The strong silent type, Carey plays Cheyenne Kinkaid, a stranger claiming to be an outlaw on the run in order to infiltrate a gang lead by the notorious El Diablo (Theodore Lorch). At the villain's lair, Rustler's Paradise, Kinkaid discovers that a girl living there, Connie (Gertrude Messinger), is his long-lost daughter, who, years earlier, had been taken from him by his wife and her lover, Rance Kimball. Kimball, of course, is none other than El Diablo, and with the assistance of Larry Martin (Edmund Cobb) and his vaqueros, Kinkaid manages to catch the entire gang. El Diablo is brought back to Rustler's Paradise, where, tied up and threatened with being skinned alive, he confesses to having killed Kinkaid's wife. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, Gertrude Messinger, (more)
This highly fictionalized biopic of legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley stars Barbara Stanwyck as "Little Sure Shot" Annie. Coming down from the hills of Ohio, Annie rises to fame with Buffalo Bill's (Moroni Olsen) Wild West Show. Her success as a performer is counterpointed by her stormy romance with fellow performer Toby Foster (Preston S. Foster), whose reputation as the World's Great Marksman is shot to holes by Annie's accomplishments. Walking out on Annie and the show, Toby loses himself in the streets of New York but is discovered and dragged back by Annie's faithful Indian friend Sitting Bull (Chief Thunderbird, whose performance is far from politically correct but undeniably amusing). Melvyn Douglas co-stars as Annie's manager and would-be boyfriend Jeff Hogarth, while an uncredited Dick Elliot delivers a hearty performance as press agent Ned Buntline; others in the cast include such 2-reel comedy favorites as Charlie Hall and Harry Bernard, who like director George Stevens were alumni of the Hal Roach fun factory. The much-later musical version of the Annie Oakley story, Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, bears traces of this 1935 film, but not so much as to constitute plagiarism (Coincidentally, Herbert Fields, one of the writers of Annie Oakley, collaborated with his sister Dorothy on the libretto of Annie Get Your Gun). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Preston S. Foster, (more)
