Ted Mapes Movies

Director Robert N. Bradbury puts his cowboy-star son Bob Steele through the customary paces in The Law Rides. The key to a series of murders is the gold coins left at the scene of each crime. It appears for a while as though "battling Bob" is responsible for the killings. He isn't, and it's not long before he ascertains who is. Bob Steele's leading lady in The Law Rides is the winsome Harlene Wood, who here as elsewhere is a lot better than her material. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stampede was the first of western star Charles Starrett's "northerns," filmed through the facilities of Columbia's Canadian studios in Victoria B.C. Based on a story by Peter B. Kyne, the film cast Starrett as Larry, a cattle buyer who crosses the Canadian border to purchase new stock. He quickly runs afoul of a gang of rustlers, who cap their many misdeeds by murdering Larry's brother. Suddenly, our hero becomes a one-man police force, refusing to rest until every last one of the villains has been brought to justice. Stampede was written and directed by Ford Beebe -- evidently not to the satisfaction of Columbia's executives, who replaced Beebe with David Selman for Starrett's next Canadian production Secret Patrol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a cowboy rides into Mesa and finds that he bears remarkable resemblance to a dead man. Actually he is the dead man, but instead of suffering a death, he suffered a blow to the head that caused amnesia five years before. After staying in the town a while, his memories begin to return. He then enlists the aide of some Texas friends to help him bring law to the wild western town. By the story's end, he has fully regained his memory and is able to reclaim his wife and ranch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dick Tracy's G-Men is the second of three Republic serials starring Ralph Byrd as Chester Gould's granite-jawed comic strip plainclothesman. Tracy's foe in this one is notorious international spy Zarnoff (Irving Pichel), who will stop at nothing to sabotage America's military defense system. Not even death can stay Zarnoff from his appointed rounds: after being "killed" by Tracy and the G-Men, the villain is revived by miracle drugs. At one point, Zarnoff masterminds the explosion of a dirigible, permitting Republic to blithely (and tastelessly) insert newsreel footage of the "Hindenburg" disaster. After 15 pulse-pounded chapters, Tracy finally catches up with Zarnoff in the middle of the desert for a grim denoument. Having literally nothing to do as the nominal heroine is young Phyllis Isley, who went on to a rather more rewarding screen career as Jennifer Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite its tantalizing title, Wall Street Cowboy must rank as one of the lesser Roy Rogers films. The story is set in motion by a crooked cartel of stock marketeers who hope to swindle Rogers out of his ranch. It seems that his property is rich with the valuable mineral molybdenum, which the villains want to use for their steel-mining activities. Unable to pay his mortgage thanks to the chicanery of fiancier Niles (Ivan Miller), Roy must rely on the help of an old enemy-turned-friend named Hammond (Pierre Watkin). With a plot that seems more suitable to Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas than Roy Rogers, Wall Street Cowboy is a major disappointment when compared to the star's promising earlier efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forever switching its time-frame from past to present, Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series returned to a contemporary milieu for Three Texas Steers. The story revolves around a bankrupt circus, and the efforts made by Stony (John Wayne), Tucson (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune) to save the show from going under. Carole Landis, a starlet on the verge of bigger things, plays circus owner Nancy, whose efforts to stay afloat are undermined by the covert machinations of her "faithful"manager Ward (Ralph Graves). The film's outcome hinges on a Big Race, with the circus' dancing horse as a contestant; this scene includes an unexpected moment of high comedy, at once relieving and compounding the tension! Three Texas Steers represented Max Terhune's "adios" to the Mesquiteers; his replacement in Wyoming Outlaw was Raymond Hatton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fourteen scriptwriters spent five years toiling over a movie adaptation of war correspondent Vincent Sheehan's Personal History before producer Walter Wanger brought the property to the screen as Foreign Correspondent. What emerged was approximately 2 parts Sheehan and 8 parts director Alfred Hitchcock--and what's wrong with that? Joel McCrea stars as an American journalist sent by his newspaper to cover the volatile war scene in Europe in the years 1938 to 1940. He has barely arrived in Holland before he witnesses the assassination of Dutch diplomat Albert Basserman: at least, that's what he thinks he sees. McCrea makes the acquaintance of peace-activist Herbert Marshall, his like-minded daughter Laraine Day, and cheeky British secret agent George Sanders. A wild chase through the streets of Amsterdam, with McCrea dodging bullets, leads to the classic "alternating windmills" scene, which tips Our Hero to the existence of a formidable subversive organization. McCrea returns to England, where he nearly falls victim to the machinations of jovial hired-killer Edmund Gwenn. The leader of the spy ring is revealed during the climactic plane-crash sequence--which, like the aforementioned windmill scene, is a cinematic tour de force for director Hitchcock and cinematographer Rudolph Mate. Producer Wanger kept abreast of breaking news events all through the filming of Foreign Correspondent, enabling him to keep the picture as "hot" as possible: the final scene, with McCrea broadcasting to a "sleeping" America from London while Nazi bombs drop all around him, was filmed only a short time after the actual London blitz. The script was co-written by Robert Benchley, who has a wonderful supporting role as an eternally tippling newsman. Foreign Correspondent was Alfred Hitchcock's second American film, and remained one of his (and his fans') personal favorites. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Ranger and the Lady stars Roy Rogers and Jacqueline Wells (aka Julie Bishop) in the title roles. Captain Colt (Rogers) of the Texas Rangers finds himself at odds with territorial administrator Kinkaid (Henry Brandon), left in charge of the Lone Star Territory while President Sam Houston is in Washington on important business. Kinkaid immediately begins acting like a sagebrush dictator, levying huge taxes on his fellow Texans and using an army of strong-arm thugs to enforce his restrictive new laws. Though loyal to Houston, Captain Colt eventually realizes that Kinkaid is hardly the right man for the job, leading to a noisy and violent denoument. Unlike the standard simpering western ingenues, heroine Jane (Wells), owner of a trading-service, fights side by side with Colt against the despotic Kinkaid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Wayne goes up against the lottery racket, 1880 Louisiana-style, in this passable time-killer from Republic Pictures. Arriving from New England to look into the Louisiana lottery on behalf of uplifter Blanche Brunot (Helen Westley), attorney John Reynolds (Wayne) falls in love with sultry Julie Mirbeau (Osa Munson), who attempts to persuade him that her father's gaming business is on the up and up. When a New Orleans restaurateur, Gaston (Shimen Ruskin), is found murdered, Reynolds begins to suspect that General Mirbeau's (Henry Stephenson) gang is behind the killing. To meet the attorney halfway, Mirbeau fires his chief henchman, Blackie (Ray Middleton), but is himself killed by one of Blackie's men, Cuffy Brown (Jack Pennick). Reynolds, who has been appointed special city attorney, pays his respect to Julie, but the angry girl accuses him of indirectly causing the death of her father and then flaunts her engagement to Blackie. Said engagement, however, suffers a fatal blow when Julie finds her fiancé in the arms of gambling hall hostess Pearl (Jacqueline Dalya). Taking the stand in court against the racket, Julie's testimony is interrupted when a rainstorm sweeps the area, breaking a levee. While pursuing a fleeing Blackie, Reynolds orders a steamship to block the hole in the levee, a plan that ultimately saves New Orleans. Having survived the potential disaster, Julie leaves the lottery racket behind and agrees to become Mrs. Reynolds. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Range Busters returned to bust a few more ranges in Tonto Basin Outlaws. As ever, the three protagonists are played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. The story takes off when Corrigan takes a job as manager of the Tonto Basin hotel. From here, he intends to observe the comings and goings of the local cowpokes, thereby hoping to uncover a gang of rustlers who've terrorizing the countryside. Making life miserable for Corrigan and his fellow Range Busters is the unwelcome snoopery of Jane (Jan Wiley), a big-city reporter assigned to cover the rustling story for her paper. The fact that the film takes place in 1898, when girl reporters were as scarce as hen's teeth (and almost as pretty), didn't seem to phase the screenwriters a bit; if the viewer wanted logic, the viewer was in the wrong theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Officially a Charles Starrett western, Riders of the Badlands divides its running time fairly evenly between Starrett and second-billed Russell Hayden. The plot concerns a Texas Ranger named Collins (Starrett) and his lookalike, notorious outlaw Langdon (also Starrett). When his wife is killed by Langdon's minions, Barton (Hayden) vows to avenge her death. He mistakenly arrests Collins and sentences the lawman to hang, but our hero manages to escape in time and bring the genuine Langdon to justice. Cliff Edwards costars as a singing dentist (!) who tries but fails to provide an alibi for the hapless Collins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Western star Charles Starrett makes one of his periodic forays into the Great White North in Columbia's Royal Mounted Patrol. When villainous lumberman Frenchy Duvalle (Donald Curtis) refuses to limit his wood-chopping activities, he inadvertently touches off a forest fire. Trapped in the middle of the conflagration, Frenchy's only hope for rescue is mountie Tom Jeffries (Charles Starrett), presently scouring the countryside in his scout plane. Jeffries' reasons for bringing Frenchy out safely are twofold: he must deliver the renegade lumberjack to the authorities, and he happens to be in love with Frenchy's sister Betty (Wanda McKay). A very young Lloyd Bridges appears in a supporting role, as does Kermit Maynard, previously the star of his own "mountie" series at Ambassador Films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thunder River Feud is the latest adventure of "The Range Busters," aka Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. This time, the heroic trio come to the rescue of pretty rancher Maybelle (Jan Wiley), who is stuck in the middle of a deadly range war. Causing all the ruckus is villain Pembroke (Jack H. Holmes), who pits the cattlemen against the homesteaders in hopes of wiping out both factions for his own financial gain. The Range Busters quickly figure out what the bad guy is up to, and from then on in it's "Katy bar the door!" Somewhere along the line, John King gets to sing "What a Wonderful Day". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide