Buzz Barton Movies

From Big 4 Film Corp., Breed of the West stars former silent cowboy Wally Wales, in his second talkie, as Wally Weldon, a young cowboy who encounters a lost youth searching for his father. Wally takes the boy, Jim Bradley (Buzz Barton), back to the ranch where the kid obtains the job of cook's helper. While performing his duties, Jim learns that his immediate boss (George Gerwing) and Longrope Wheeler (Robert Walker), the ranch foreman, are planning to rob their employer, Colonel Sterner (Lafe McKee). When Wally finds Jim wounded by one of Longrope's henchmen, the Colonel admits to his daughter, Betty (Virginia Brown Faire), that the child is her long-lost brother. There is a second attempt to rob Sterner but Wally forces the cook to confess and the evil Longrope is arrested by the sheriff (Hank Bell). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Neither the best nor worst of Hoot Gibson's westerns for producer Walter Futter, Feud of the West lies somewhere in between. The old Hooter plays a rodeo performer named Whitey, performing some remarkable riding and roping stunts before the plot proper gets under way. Said plot concerns a reclusive hermit named Wild Horse Henderson (Nelson McDowell), a heroine named Molly (Joan Barclay) whose parentage is in doubt, and, of course, the titular feud between ranchers and rustlers. The "mystery" villain of the piece is better hidden than usual, managing to fool even a few veteran whodunit buffs. As always, Hoot Gibson seldom resorts to gunplay when he can solve problems with a quick quip or quicker fists. ~ Hal Erickson, 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

Former silent teenage star Buzz Barton headlines this juvenile Western from low-rent Big 4 Film Corp. directed by the veteran J. P. McGowan. The freckled Master Barton plays Buzz Dale, a young boy who becomes a local hero after stopping a runaway stage. Buzz's heroic act, however, does not sit well with Duke Remsden (Edmund Cobb), the secret leader of a gang of stagecoach robbers who plans to frame his romantic rival Bart Travis (Francis X. Bushman Jr.) for the attempted robbery. Dressed as Travis, Remsden commits another crime, but Buzz discovers his hideout and is able to alert the sheriff (Franklyn Farnum). In the end, Bart is saved in the nick of time from a necktie party by Buzz and black stable hand Snowflake (Fred Toones). Remsden is finally brought to justice. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Tibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a U.S. marshal impersonates an outlaw and rides to Texas to find the looters who have been raiding supply shipments. He finds them and infiltrates their gang. He soon finds out that the desperadoes have commandeered a ranch and are holding the rancher and his family prisoner while they await the next shipment. Trouble erupts, but justice prevails as the marshal captures the badguys and frees the frightened family. ~ Sandra Brennan, 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

In this western, a looter finds an abandoned, empty mine and begins claiming that he has found the mother lode. Soon, gold-hungry prospectors are giving every penny for a chance to work the mine until the hero rides into town and gets suspicious. Fate intervenes: the hero and the duped miners really do find a mother lode in the "worthless" mine. When they go to stake their claim, the outlaw tries to stop them. He fails and justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, 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

Rolling Caravans was one of four Columbia B-westerns designed to make a star out of utility actor Jack Luden. Harry Woods, a fixture of the Luden series, fills the villain role, while Eleanor Stewart is the heroine once more. The story concerns the efforts of a homesteader named Breezy (Luden) to ward off the bad guys, who've determined that there's gold on his property. By the time the heavies have discovered that Breezy's "treasure" consists primarily of topsoil, the hero has settled accounts with his fists and deposited his enemies in the local calaboose. At one point, Jack Luden indulges in a bit of ventriloquism, suggesting that perhaps he would have been better off as a comedy sidekick rather than a leading man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

FBO's juvenile cowboy hero, Buzz Barton, once again played Red Hepner in this pleasant, if minor, silent western. With his gruff sidekick, Hank Robbins (Frank Rice), Red comes to the rescue of Pap Curtis (James Welch), the owner of a medicine show who is falsely accused of payroll theft. The real culprit, however, is one Cal Rogers (Ethan Laidlaw), who Red catches singlehandedly. Meanwhile, Pap Curtis' daughter Sally (Betty Welch) and the sheriff (Bert Moorehouse) have fallen in love and plan to marry. James and Betty Welch were father and daughter in real life as well. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A Bar-20 cattle drive ends in rustling in this fine Hopalong Cassidy Western from producer Harry Sherman. Windy (George "Gabby" Hayes) makes the mistake of accusing the buyer, Lazy-J owner Tom Hamilton (Frederick Burton), of the theft, but Lucky (Russell Hayden) suspects the foreman Dave Talbot (Stanley Ridges). Hamilton is murdered, however, and Talbot has the perfect alibi: He was playing cards at the Mirage Bar where Hoppy (William Boyd) had gotten himself a job under the guise of being the noted gambler Bill Thompson. With Talbot not able to be in two places at the same time, the marshal (Jack Rockwell) has no choice but to arrest Lucky for murder. Silver on the Sage was Hopalong Cassidy series entry number 25. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This minor Western was the second of three to team former boy rider Buzz Barton with handsome, young Francis X. Bushman, Jr., the son of the silent matinee idol. Barton played Buzz Davis, whose father is murdered by Buck Logan (Edmund Cobb) when the old man refuses to reveal the location of a mine. Before he expires, however, "Pap" Davis (Frank Ball) manages to secretly pass the location on to his son and heir. Harrassed by Logan and his gang, Buzz hooks up with old-timer Andy Wiggins (Charles W. Hertzinger); Andy's granddaughter, Sally (Caryl Lincoln); and young Jim Collins (Bushman, Jr.). Despite a kidnapping attempt and several outright attacks, the four friends manage to keep the mine safe from Logan and his boss, Matt Higgins (Francis Ford). Directed by the veteran J.P. McGowan, Tangled Fortunes was released to rural theaters by the low-budget Big Four Film Corp. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide