Buzz Barton Movies

FBO, a minor poverty-row company run by Presidential father Joseph P. Kennedy, cranked out a seemingly endless stream of low-budget oaters starring the likes of Bob Custer, Tom Tyler and Bob Steele. One of the most appealing personalities on the studio roster was freckled Buzz Barton, a 12-year-old boy rider who starred in the "Red Hepner" series. In this, the series premiere, orphaned Red stumbles into the den of a gang of cattle rustlers. He teams up with a cantankerous old-timer (Frank Rice, whose character, Hank Robbins, became a regular in the Hepner series), and the two manage not only to bring the rustlers to justice, but also rescue a cavalry officer's pretty daughter (Lorraine Eason) from her Mexican abductors. Supplying romantic interest for Eason was one Sam Nelson, who also functioned as an assistant director at FBO. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Productive western writer Oliver Drake wrote this average silent oater about a boy hero, who saves a wagon train from an impending Indian attack. Drake used every cliché in the book this time, including having the cavalry show up in the nick of time. FBO's freckled boy rider Buzz Barton did his usual solid work, ably supported by grizzled old Frank Rice, a harbinger of future western sidekicks such as George "Gabby" Hayes and Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Second-string cowboy star Bill Patton takes care of the film's few romantic moments. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This small-scale but entertaining Western was yet another outing for Buzz Barton, FBO's pint-sized cowboy ace, and his scruffy-looking sidekick Frank Rice. This time, Red Hepner (Barton) and Hank Robbins (Rice) obtain jobs on the Bruce ranch after saving Janet Bruce (Gloria Lee) from drowning in quicksand. With the assistance of handsome Hugh Trevor (there to provide a bit of grown-up romance), the two friends rescue the Bruce ranch from falling into the grubby hands of a city slicker. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this rather dramatic entry in FBO's popular "Red Hepner" Western series, the plucky boy rider (Buzz Barton) discovers the dead body of Jim Crawford in the desert. A message scratched on a canteen begs the finder to protect Jim's daughter Ann (Peggy Shaw) from the killer, Luke Matthews (Al Ferguson). Along with faithful sidekick Toby Jones (Milburn Morante) and handsome Jack Pemberton (Kenneth McDonald), Red later saves Ann from a stage holdup. To safeguard the girl from the area's many rough elements, Pemberton marries her, promising to have the union annulled once she is safely out of the territory. Red and Toby later catch Matthews' henchmen, bringing them to justice in the town of Ohi. Matthews, meanwhile, has successfully accused Pemberton of murdering Crawford, and the young man is about to be lynched. But Baxter (Walter Maly), one of Matthews' men, confesses everything, so Pemberton can return to Ann as a free man. As Red and Toby take their leave, Ann and Pemberton begin planning a future together. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Freckled little Buzz Barton again portrays boy rider Red Hepner in this well-made silent western. This time he foils a plan to steal the airmail and in one especially exciting scene takes to the air armed only with a (very effective) slingshot.. As always, the young star gets fine support from grizzled sidekick Frank Rice. Veterans Edmund Cobb and Alma Rayford take care of the few romantic interludes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

FBO's little red-headed cowboy hero Buzz Barton and grizzled Frank Rice once again rights the wrongs of the West in this pleasant oater which was augmented with a music score and various sound effects. This time, the two friends head below the border to the Mexican village of Cajón. The villagers are terrorized by a mysterious outlaw known only as El Lobo and divided in the question of marriage between the mayor's son, Francisco (Duncan Renaldo) and the fiery Dolores (Natalie Joyce). The mayor himself (Tom Lingham) favors a match between Dolores and American Pete Sangor (Bill Patton), while Red Hepner (Barton) and sidekick Hank Robbins (Rice) actively campaign on behalf of Francisco. Red is jailed after pelting Sangor with tomatoes and is thus of no use when the American kidnaps Francisco. During their subsequent search for Francisco, Red and Hank learn that Sangor is actually El Lobo and the film ends with the inevitable showdown on Cajón's main street. Veteran comedian Milburn Morante, who had replaced Rice as Hank Robbins in the previous "Red Hepner" release, The Little Savage, returned, this time in a supporting role. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

FBO's popular boy rider Buzz Barton attempts to save the townspeople whose water supply is held hostage by a villain (Tom Lingham). Along with sidekick Milburn Morante, little Buzz manages to drive the villain into the desert where he, in danger of dying from thirst, willingly agrees to charge a fair price for his water. The Barton westerns were directed by Louis King, the less-talented but prolific brother of Henry King. Like Henry, Louis worked well into the 1950s, albeit in much lesser circumstances. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

John R. Freuler's Big 4 Film Corp. released this early sound western starring stunt-man Yakima Canutt as a cowboy who sells his land to Virginia Browne Faire and her young brother (Buzz Barton). Virginia wants to raise sheep, but a group of beef men violently disagree, and Yak must rescue her from a kidnapping. The main villain is played by Wally Wales (before he changed his name to Hal Taliaferro), a silent western hero who alternated playing good and bad guys for Big 4. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Filmed simultaneously with So This Is Arizona and Riders of the Cactus (both 1931), this ultra low-budget Western features Wally Wales and lariat champion Sam Garrett as brothers entering a country rodeo. Also joining are young Buzz Murphy (Buzz Barton) and Bonnie Starr (Bonnie Jean Gray), the latter to help her father out of some financial troubles. There is a villain, of course, nasty Tex Johnson (Frederick Church), who is attempting to rig the contest in his own favor. Standing in for his shy sibling, Wally proposes to Bonnie, but she misunderstands and considers herself engaged to him. When Johnson's scheming girlfriend, Kate Weston (Tete Brady), fakes an accident in order to spy on the brothers, Wally uses the opportunity to make Bonnie jealous and reject him. The ploy fails, however, when Bonnie instead interrupts Kate with Sam. Johnson has bet 200 dollars on Wally, but as Sam seems to be winning at lariat roping, Kate is ordered to do a bit of sabotage. But young Buzz overhears some of the plotting and informs the sheriff (Gus Anderson), who deputizes both brothers. After beating Kate in the cowgirls' race, Bonnie joins the chase and arrives just in time to see Sam lasso the unfortunate Johnson. After Wally clears up the misunderstanding, Bonnie finally accepts Sam's offer of marriage. Written and directed by silent veteran David Kirkland, Flying Lariats was produced far away from Hollywood by Robert Connell and R.B. Hooper, the latter also doubling as cameraman. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Wild West Whoopee was produced and directed by the redoubtable Robert J. Horner, whose early-talkie westerns ranged from mediocre to gosh-awful. Falling somewhere in-between, this Jack Perrin vehicle hardly represents a milestone in the art of cinema, put it paid its way. Perrin plays a rodeo star who dedicates himself to taming a wild horse. Meanwhile, the villain tries to sabotage our hero's rodeo performance by surreptitiously cutting his stirrups. Perrin faces and conquers this and other obstacles to happiness, claiming heroine Josephine Hill as his prize. This one is worth seeing for its title alone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released by Syndicate, a forerunner of sorts to Monogram Pictures, this Western serial stars veteran silent actor Robert Frazer as Jack Logan, the heir to half of a map to a hidden Indian mine. Evil French-accented trader Jean Gregg (Al Ferguson) sends his chief henchman Mack (Charles King) to make life difficult for Logan, who is aided in his quest by the heirs to the other half of the map, Helen (Blanche Mehaffey) and her kid brother Billy (Buzz Barton), and, most importantly, a uniformed mystery man known only as The Mystery Trooper. Produced by Harry S. Webb and one of Hollywood's few women executives, Flora E. Douglas, The Mystery Trooper has, somewhat unfairly, gone down in history as one of the worst serials made in the sound era. The surviving print is a 1938 reissue, retitled Trail of the Royal Mounted and complete with new, and more colorful, chapter titles. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Having basically bankrolled the struggling Warner Bros., the era's most popular canine, Rin Tin Tin, signed a 5,000-dollars-a-picture contract with Poverty Row operator Nat Levine. The result, a 15-chapter serial (Levine demanded hard labor for his shekels), featured Rinty opposite veteran genre star Walter Miller. When Rinty's owner is murdered for his secret gold mine, the dog joins forces with Department of Justice agent Ramon (Miller) to catch the killer. Rinty, inevitably, is soon suspected of having killed a valuable colt and sentenced to death (shades of a previous Rin Tin Tin vehicle, The Night Cry, 1926). He is saved in the nick of time by Ramon and his juvenile sidekick, Buzz (former Western star Buzz Barton). The villain (Robert Kortman) then kidnaps the dog and forces him to reveal the location of the gold mine. Ramon, Buzz, and the dead prospector's lovely daughter, Dolores (June Marlowe of Our Gang fame) manage not only to save the dog once again but also bring the killer to justice. Sold on the states rights market as a "talkie" (or should it be a "barkie"?), The Silent Defender had long, drawn-out silent sequences interspersed with stilted dialogue. But it was packaged solely for children -- who didn't care about sound one way or another -- and made a mint for Levine's burgeoning Mascot Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

William Colt MacDonald's 1934 story based on the Three Mesqueteers characters was brought to the screen the following year by RKO, who billed it "the Barnum and Bailey of Westerns" and seems to have rounded up every Western star not under exclusive contract. The Western, in fact, could boast of no less than 13 former silent screen cowboy heroes: Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Buzz Barton, Wally Wales (aka Hal Taliaferro), Art Mix (aka George Kesterson), Buffalo Bill Jr. (aka Jay Wilsey), Buddy Roosevelt, Franklyn Farnum, William Desmond, and William Farnum. Carey, Gibson, and Williams played Tucson Smith, Stony Brooke, and Lullaby Joslin, respectively -- the Three Mesqueteers -- who happen upon a stage robbery in progress. They catch the bandit (Ethan Laidlaw) red-handed rifling through the mail and discover that one of the letters is meant for them. Without their knowing, a young friend, the Guadalupe Kid (Steele), has bought a ranch in their names and is awaiting their arrival. The ranch, however, is located in an area controlled by greedy saloon proprietor turned political boss Steve Ogden (Sam Hardy), who takes umbrage to their presence to the point of hiring a professional gunslinger, Sundown Saunders (Tyler). Provoking a confrontation, Sundown challenges Tucson to his trademark sundown showdown. The wily Tucson realizes that Sundown prefers an encounter in the dusk because of failing eyesight and only lightly wounds his opponent. Although a recuperating Sundown turns down Tucson's request to join the fight against Ogden, in the ensuing shootout the gunslinger heroically takes a bullet meant for Tucson. After forcing a confession out of the crooked sheriff (Adrian Morris), the Mesqueteers confront Ogden who is killed in a fight with Tucson. Filmed on locations at Kernville and Newhall, CA, Powdersmoke Range was not the first film version of MacDonald's Mesqueteers. That honor goes to Law of the .45's, a cheap, independently made Western that had starred Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Tucson and perennial sidekick Al St. John as Stony. (The film omitted the third mesqueteer, Lullaby Joslin, altogether). Despite the success of Powdersmoke Range, RKO failed to follow up with a regular series. Bob Steele would play the character of Sundown Saunders in an independently produced Western of that name in 1936 but the Three Mesqueteers as a group found a regular berth with Republic Pictures, which went on to produce 51 highly successful and influential B-Westerns between 1935 and mid-1943. Through several cast changes both Bob Steele and Tom Tyler would at one point or another play one of the mesqueteers, as would Robert Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, ventriloquist Max Terhune, John Wayne, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Rufe Davis, Ralph Byrd, and Syd Saylor. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide