Leo Maloney Movies
A hefty (200 pound) native Californian who began his screen career as a stunt double and assistant director, Leo Maloney hit his stride as a performer supporting Helen Holmes and Helen Gibson in the long-running railroad series The Hazards of Helen (1914-1917). Maloney commenced his directorial career with Helen Gibson's famous husband, Hoot, before starring in and directing a series of independent programmers scripted by his friend Ford I. Beebe. Maloney's Westerns were light on action and heavy on exposition, a situation necessitated by the producer/star's heavy drinking. Still, the oaters -- produced at Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains -- were often refreshing departures from the stunt driven work of the many Tom Mix wannabes who otherwise cluttered the market. Maloney, unfortunately, was a terrible actor whose romantic clinches were customarily received with guffaws if not downright hostility, and although he later signed a distribution deal with the Pathé organization, his ramshackle little oaters remained very much on the periphery of Hollywood film making. Yet it was this most unlikely of screen cowboys who, with borrowed equipment, produced, directed, and starred in the first all-sound independent Western, the otherwise much maligned Overland Bound (1929). Triumphant, Maloney left Hollywood to find a distributor in New York. But he apparently celebrated a mite too lavishly en route and suffered a fatal stroke in a Manhattan hotel room on November 2, 1929, thus never witnessing the premiere of his creation. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1929
Produced and directed by veteran silent-screen cowboy Leo Maloney, Overland Bound was the first all-talking independently made western. Maloney cast fellow silent cowboy Jack Perrin as the leading man (Maloney himself had gotten a little thick-waisted by 1929) who saves the community from a crooked railroad agent (Maloney himself). Maloney filmed his little epic on weekends with borrowed equipment, casting old friends like Wally Wales, Allene Ray and Perrin who worked for a percentage in lieu of wages. An independent producer, Maloney was forced to shop around for a distributor and lined several prospects up in New York. Unfortunately, Maloney didn't live long enough to enjoy all the fruits of his success: he died of a heart attack in his New York hotel room at the age of 41. The film, Maloney's main contribution to the western genre, was released posthumously. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Perrin, Wally Wales, (more)
- 1928
Although not quite the epic its title suggested, this 10 chapter Western serial from genre specialist Mascot was certainly star-studded. Nine former Western stars was added to the line-up by enterprising producer Nat Levine: Jack Perrin, Eileen Sedgwick, Jack Daugherty, Yakima Canutt, Leo Maloney, William Fairbanks, Helen Gibson, Fred Church and Bob Burns. All had been popular at various times in the 1920s but were now at large in a fast-changing Hollywood at the advent of sound. Perrin played Jack Marvin, a fugitive from justice attempting to rescue little Wally Lee (Mickey Bennett) from the clutches of an evil uncle. There is a mysterious fortune at stake but Jack manages to save both the boy and the fortune in the appropriately named final chapter, "The End of the Trail." The Vanishing West, however, was merely the beginning for the enterprising Mascot studio, which continued to grind out serials until swallowed up by Republic Pictures in March of 1935. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Handsome newcomer Don Coleman starred in this independently produced silent Western about a Texas Ranger whose foster-father has been falsely accused of a series of crimes. A former stunt-double for Douglas Fairbanks, Coleman was signed to a personal contract by Gower Gulch maverick Leo Maloney, who carefully groomed him for stardom in a series of well-mounted oaters released by Pathé. Like other Coleman Westerns, The Black Ace benefitted from an above-average supporting cast that included the veteran J.P. McGowan as the foster-father, African-American Noble Johnson as a "half-breed," and the beautiful and talented Jeanette Loff as the girl. The golden tressed Loff later starred opposite Paul Whiteman in Universal's musical extravaganza The King of Jazz, but, like Coleman, never truly made the switch to talkies. Coleman's career suffered a major setback on November 2, 1929 when Leo Maloney suddenly succumbed to a fatal heart attack. He stayed around for a couple of supporting roles but retired in 1935 to take up ranching full time. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Coleman, Jeanette Loff, (more)
- 1928
A huge cast supported pudgy western star Leo Maloney in The Apache Raider, a typically threadbare silent oater in which a cattle thief (Tom London is backed by a group of corrupt politicians. Maloney is on to the villain, however, and takes it upon himself to return the cattle. Soon he is accused of rustling himself and about to be lynched. The townspeople discover their error in time, and the hero is cleared of all wrong-doing. Third-billed Don Coleman signed a contract with Maloney, who starred the handsome former rodeo-rider in four none-too-successful westerns. Maloney, himself a prolific silent screen auteur, never made the top rung of the cowboy ladder either, succumbing instead to alcoholism, dead at the age of 41. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Eugenia Gilbert, (more)
- 1927
Producing and directing his own films, Leo Maloney almost always used the talents of Ford I. Beebe to compose his scripts. Beebe knew every cliche in the book and used several of them in this minor western, which Maloney released through the Pathé organization. On the way to claim his inheritance, Maloney is held up by a villain who proceeds to take over his identity. Maloney himself, meanwhile, is jailed for the villain's crimes but is able to escape and capture the impostor. Beebe later used everything he learned from Maloney to embark on a long and fruitful career helming "B"-Westerns and such serials as Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) and The Green Hornet (1940). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Eugenia Gilbert, (more)
- 1927
Gower Gulch regular Leo Maloney both produced, directed, and starred in this low-budget silent Western about a cowboy helping a young woman (Peggy Montgomery) run her ranch. Their collaboration, however, suffers when Maloney is caught hiding a nester on the property. There is a villain (Joe Rickson), of course, and a kidnapping, but Maloney and Montgomery manage to work everything out by the rousing finale. The enterprising Maloney had obtained a distribution deal with the vast Pathé exchanges and Two-Gun of the Tumbleweed played in more theaters than most Gower Gulch fare. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney
- 1927
Veteran western hero Leo Maloney played a dual role in this inexpensive western, which he also produced (for Pathe) and directed. Maloney plays Honest John Andrews, a cowboy falsely accused of a crime who, in order to catch the true culprit, pretends to be his own twin brother by a mere change of wardrobe. This film co-starred Maloney's protégé, Wyoming rodeo champion Don Coleman, who would star in a Western series of his own in 1928. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney
- 1927
Having learned the tricks of the trade appearing in the action series The Hazards of Helen back in the mid-1910s, Leo Maloney later eked out a comfortable living producing, directing, and starring in scores of low-budget silent Westerns. In Don Desperado, Maloney plays the deputy sheriff in a small Western town terrorized by a masked stage robber known only as the Black Bandit. Leo arrests a vagrant, Frenchy (Bud Osborne), who matches the description of the outlaw. But when the citizenry, headed by Nathan Jessup (Frederick Dana), the father of Maloney's girlfriend (Eugenia Gilbert), favor a quick lynching instead of a trial, the law-abiding Maloney escapes with his prisoner. A lawyer, Blaisdell (Charles Bartlett), agrees to help, but Frenchy manages to disappear. There is another stage robbery and this time the townsfolk turn against Jessup's son (Morgan Davis). Luckily, Maloney proves that the real bandit is in reality Blaisdell, who has been paying Frenchy to attack the stagecoach line. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Eugenia Gilbert, (more)
- 1927
Produced and directed by Gower Gulch regular Leo Maloney, this minor silent Western featured Maloney and his sidekick Mournful Luke (Nelson McDowell) as a couple of drifters seeking shelter from a blizzard. In a mountain cabin, they find the body of an old friend and a note that blames his death on the Border Blackbirds, a notorious gang operating on the border of Canada. On the advice of crooked banker Lars Suderman (Joseph Rickson), the real killer, McWraight (Bud Osborne), points an accusatory finger at the two drifters, and they are arrested. With the help of the murdered man's daughter (Eugenia Gilbert), Maloney manages to escape and find enough evidence to convict both Suderman and McWraight. Appearing as a young mountie in this film is Don Coleman, a discovery of Maloney's who would star in his own Western series from 1928 to 1929. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Eugenia Gilbert, (more)
- 1926
Leo Maloney, one of the best (if not best-looking) of the second-echelon silent western stars, heads the cast of High Hand. Maloney plays Jack, a fun-loving cowpoke who'd rather indulge in random acts of chivalry and athleticism than hunker down to his job. When a local rancher is beaten and robbed by a gang of thugs, Jack champions the poor man's cause. Donning a mask and cape, Jack transforms into "The Collector," robbing the villains of their ill-gotten gains and redistributing said gains to their rightful owners. By film's end, our hero discovers that the ringleader of the bad guys is Wheeler Oakman, the town's leading citizen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Josephine Hill, (more)
- 1926
Produced and directed by busy Gower Gulch denizen Leo Maloney, this silent Western starred Maloney and his frequent leading lady Josephine Hill as the happy-go-lucky cowboy and beleaguered girl rancher, respectively. A nasty money lender (Bus Osborne) is attempting to repossess Hill's ranch, but he never counted on Maloney and his sidekicks, Nelson McDowell, Monte Cristo the horse, and Beans the dog. The hero is briefly accused of robbery and murder, but everything is eventually settled to everyone's satisfaction -- save the nefarious Osborne. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1925
A minor Hatfield and McCoy melodrama set in the wild and woolly West, Across the Deadline features Leo Maloney as an unlikely prairie Romeo and Josephine Hill as his sweet Juliet. Their families are engaged in a long-standing feud about water rights, but when Maloney saves Hill's weakling brother (Rulon Slaughter) from a lynch mob, the star-crossed youngsters are pronounced free to marry. Maloney directed as usual, and the screenplay was concocted by future serial specialist Ford Beebe. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Lee
- 1925
Poverty row producer-director Leo Maloney and his usual screenwriter Ford Beebe fashioned a fanciful tale of a cowboy masquerading as the heir to a valuable ranch in this obscure silent Western released by William Steiner. Nasty foreman Bud Osborne has taken over the ranch from the rightful owners, who then hire Maloney to scare him off. In the end, Maloney is revealed to actually be the heir! Maloney's frequent leading lady, Josephine Hill, is once again along for the bumpy ride. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Josephine Hill, (more)
- 1925
Poverty Row cowboy Leo Maloney both directed and produced this very low-budget revenge Western for release by William Steiner. A favorite of small town audiences, Maloney was one of the era's more rough-and-tumble performers, a bit on the heavy side and not too believable in the acting department. In that respect, he was helped immeasurably by his frequent leading lady, the lovely Josephine Hill. Maloney has gone down in history as the producer of the first independently-made sound Western, Overland Bound (1929). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Silent screen producer-director-actor Leo Maloney shared directorial duties with one Bob Williamson in this obscure low-budget Western. As always, Maloney starred himself, this time as a rancher taking the blame for a killing actually committed by his weakling brother-in-law (Leonard Clapham). Escaping from the law, Maloney hides out on a friendly farm where he romances the inevitable farmer's daughter (Josephine Hill), until the in-law finally confesses. Supporting actor Clapham later changed his name to Tom London and played scores of colorful villains in sound Westerns. Co-director Williamson was a Scottish-born actor-director-writer who worked mainly in very low-budget fare. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Josephine Hill, (more)
- 1924
A well-made entry in Leo Maloney's Range Rider series, Smoke Out stars the veteran cowboy hero as a drifter who rescues a wounded man in the wilderness, the victim of a robbery. Although he is badly hurt, Bob Graham (W. Ray Meyers) is determined to be at the bedside of his dying mother (Minna Ferry Redman), whose ranch he had left as a youngster. Since Bob is in no condition to face the bedridden woman, Watt Rogers (Maloney) pretends to be the returning son. Meanwhile, robbers Stiles (Bud Osborne) and Gus (Pat Rooney) have discovered that their victim is a long-lost heir and Stiles determines to call at the Graham ranch masquerading as Bob. Suddenly there are no less than three Bob Grahams around and fists are flying. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, W. Ray Meyers, (more)
- 1924
Lower-echelon cowboy star Leo Maloney produced and directed this inexpensive silent western, released through independent Hollywood entrepreneur William Steiner. This time Maloney plays a Texas Ranger on the trail of a gang of opium smugglers operating on the border to Mexico. Soon, he is falsely accused of being a smuggler himself but manages to clear his name, apprehend the crooks, and win the girl (Josephine Hill. As always, Maloney was well assisted by the blond Hill and a clever canine named Bullet, but an above-average supporting cast -- including Whitehorse as the girl's father and the always watchable Bud Osborne as one of the villains -- made The Loser's End one of his better efforts. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Watson, Tom London, (more)
- 1924
Small-time screen cowboy Leo Maloney produced, co-directed and starred in this obscure silent Western released by Photo Drama. He played a peace-loving cowboy who must overcome his pacifist convictions when a good friend is found murdered. Maloney's usual team of collaborators included co-director Bob Williamson, leading lady Josephine Hill and the writing team of Ford I. Beebe and Frances Beebe. As always, a good portion of this Western was dedicated to the antics of Maloney's dog, Bullet. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Minor (in status if not physique) western hero Leo Maloney produced, directed and starred in this slipshod silent western melodrama about a drifter who helps a pretty ranch owner Josephine Hill defeat a nasty land speculator (Milton Fahrney). But, in a plot twist all too common to pulp fiction like this, the villain proves to be the girl's long-lost father. Well-known western character Tom London appears as one of the ranch hands under his real name, Leonard Clapham. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Josephine Hill, (more)
- 1923
Real-life siblings Bob Burns and Fred Burns play brothers in this rare surviving two-reel Western, part of Pathé's Range Rider series. The former is a ranger captain who assigns a new recruit, Gene Miller (Leo Maloney), to investigate a series of cattle rustlings. Going undercover as a cowboy at Fred's ranch, Gene rescues the owner's daughter (Pauline Curley) from lustful foreman Tom Barnes (Bud Osborne), whose proposal of marriage she had turned down. Is Barnes the secret leader of the rustlers? Anyone who has ever seen a B-Western will know the answer to that question. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Bobby Burns, (more)
- 1923
In Double Cinched, an entry in the two-reel Range Rider series, cowpoke Leo Maloney turns himself into a countrified dandy -- complete with clip-on tie and a starched collar that has a mind of its own. The reason for this grand overhaul is an upcoming wedding to the neighbor's daughter, Pauline Curley. But the circuit rider who arrives to perform the blessed ceremony is actually an escaped convict played by that dyed-in-the-wool blackguard Bud Osborne. Suddenly, Maloney and Curley aren't married after all. There is a happy ending, of course. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Pauline Curley, (more)
- 1923
An unscrupulous rancher will do just about anything to cheat a prospective buyer in this two-reel Leo Maloney Western. The arid AP Ranch is up for sale and the owner, Dan Murdock (Tom London), attempts to coerce his neighbor, Harding, into pretending that valuable WB creek belongs to the AP. When the honest Harding refuses to go along with the deceit, Murdock pulls a gun on him. To the rescue comes a stranger, John Green (Maloney), who just happens to be the prospective buyer. In revenge, Murdock accuses his elderly neighbor of cattle rustling. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Pauline Curley, (more)
- 1923
Producer-director-star Leo Maloney spared every expense in putting together this very minor western offering about a Texas Ranger (Maloney) tracking down a young man (Chet Ryan) accused of murder. The youngster's father, (Milton Brown), an ex-officer in the Confederate Army, runs the town of King City Judge Roy Bean-style and is all set to hang his own son when the ranger arrives with the real killer. The old man repents and allows the ranger to wed his daughter (Josephine Hill). Maloney shared directorial duties this time with Bob Williamson, offering plenty of footage to a clever pooch, Beans, who played the murdered man's faithful companion. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Horace B. Carpenter, (more)
- 1922
Also-ran western star Leo Maloney played a Texas Ranger in this obscure silent oater. The Ranger saves the daughter (Dixie Lamont) of an old prospector from the lecherous advances of a villainous storekeeper, who then attempts to blow up a valuable mine. The film, distributed on a states rights basis and playing only the hinterlands, was produced by a company calling itself the Long Beach Motion Picture Company. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney
- 1921
Based on a novel by the prolific B.M. Bower (pseudonym for novelist Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair), The Wolverine starred former serial queen and stunt-woman Helen Gibson as a rancher who stands up for an employee (Jack Connolly) unjustly accused of cattle rustling. Ward Warren (Connolly) had come West after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. History repeats itself for Ward when a couple of bandits he had chased off the land, accuses him of being a rustler himself. The former common-law wife of Hoot Gibson, Gibson (née Rose Wenger) had gained stardom replacing Helen Holmes in the long-running The Hazards of Helen. By no means a traditional screen beauty -- but spirited -- Gibson's starring career was brief, and she returned to stunt-doubling in talkies. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
