Ted Mapes Movies
Ted Mapes grew up on his father's wheat ranch in Nebraska. Upon attaining adulthood, Mapes took on a variety of manual-labor jobs, ending up as a furniture hauler in Los Angeles. Through a movie-studio connection, he landed a job as a grip on the 1929 Doug Fairbanks-Mary Pickford talkie Taming of the Shrew. By the mid-1930s, he'd moved away from the technical side of the business and was working as a stunt man and supporting actor. Mapes performed stunts for such major action stars as John Wayne, Charles Starrett, Joel McCrea and James Stewart. He also doubled for Gary Cooper (whom he closely resembled) in 17 different films, and essayed speaking roles in 13 Republic serials. After retiring from the stunt game, he kept active in Hollywood as an advisor for the American Humane Association, seeing to it that movie animals were properly trained and cared for on the set. In 1978, Ted Mapes was elected to the Stuntman Hall of Fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A man falls for an exotic "bad girl," unaware he's already met the nice girl lurking beneath the surface, in this romantic comedy. Samantha Blake (Joanne Woodward) works for a large department store in New York City as a sort of industrial spy; while ostensively a buyer, Blake's greatest responsibility is to find out what the hot new fashions are going to be, so her store can have cut-price knockoffs on the racks once they hit the boutiques. Samantha is flying to Paris with her co-workers Leena (Thelma Ritter) and Joe (George Tobias) when she meets Steve Sherman (Paul Newman), a no-nonsense reporter who has been assigned to cover the unveiling of the new designer lines. Samantha and Steve don't exactly hit it off, and after arriving in Paris, a depressed Samantha makes her way to a beauty salon after a few cocktails too many. Decked out in a new wig and dressed to the nines, Samantha bumps into Steve, who is convinced she's one of the city of lights' glamorous high-priced call girls. Samantha plays along, and Steve writes a story about her which proves to be a hit with his readers, but as she finds herself falling for Steve, she isn't sure how to tell him that she's really the mousy woman he met on his flight to Paris. A New Kind Of Love also features cameo appearances from Maurice Chevalier and Frank Sinatra, the latter of whom sings the title song. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, (more)
The Rough Riders-Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, and Raymond Hatton-go through their customary paces in the Monogram western Below the Border. Once again, the three stars play characters who are outwardly strangers to one another, but who are secretly working together to defeat a common enemy. This time around, Buck Roberts (Jones), Tim McCall (McCoy) and Sandy Hopkins (Hatton) are in hot pursuit of the desperado who murdered a US marshal and then skeedaddled South of the Border. To keep the villain off track, Buck poses as an ex-convict, Tim pretends to be a wealthy cattle buyer, and Sandy impersonates a saloon handyman. By film's end, however, the three heroes have united as one, and it's curtains for bad guy Slade (Charles King). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, (more)
- 1948
Black Eagle was based on The Passing of Black Eagle, a short story by O. Henry. William Bishop stars as Jason Bond, who stays out of trouble by the simple expedient of avoiding other people. Unfortunately, the plot dictates that Bond must come into contact with several characters, all of whom end up fleecing our hero in one way or another. Even so, Jason manages to enjoy a brief romance with pretty Ginny Long (Virginia Patton) before returning to his life of carefree vagabondage. A very minor film, The Black Eagle makes the most of its excellent supporting cast, including Gordon Jones, Trevor Bardette, Will Wright and stuntman extraordinaire Richard Talmadge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Bishop, Virginia Patton, (more)
- 1950
This film, which is one of a series based on the characters from the Blondie comic strip, finds Dagwood entering the Army Reserve. Blondie visits, only to discover that he has caused all sorts of problems which lead to numerous conflicts. The ORC Training Center, Fort MacArthur, California was used for the setting of this film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Wild Bill comes to the rescue when his friend needs him to take care of a crook in this western. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Red Ryder and his comical sidekick take on a new batch of bad-guys in this western, the 16th in the Red Ryder series. This time the heroic duo try to save a female rancher from a greedy financier who wants her land so he can exploit the enormous oil fields lying under it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
At first glance, Cow Town seems to be a documentary, as an unseen narrator describes the changes made in the Old West by the advent of barbed wire. Before long, however, the audience is assured that this will be a typical Gene Autry western. Autry plays a ranch owner who incurs the wrath of his neighbors by placing barbed wire around his turf. The local cowboys are certain that the new "invention" will mean the end of their jobs, since there will no longer be a need for ranch hands to keep the cattle from roaming free. Feeding into these fears is a group of "concerned citizens," who turn out to be a band of cattle rustlers. Autry manages to round up the baddies, smooth the ruffled feathers of the cowboys, and sing several old favorites. The supporting cast includes Gail Davis, who'd later star in the Autry-produced TV series Annie Oakley, and ace stunt men Jock Mahoney and Ted Mapes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Gail Davis, (more)
- 1944
In this western, the good-guy and his trusty side-kick rescue a pretty gal whose father's cows are threatened by villainous rustlers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Republic Pictures attempted to mix the popular Zorro sub-genre with a modern crime story in this action serial directed by veterans Spencer G. Bennet and Fred C. Brannon. It was an uneasy mix at best, and after establishing that Dolores Quantaro (Adrian Booth) was indeed the granddaughter of the legendary daredevil, the serial settled down to become a rather drawn-out whodunit concerning the murders of several descendants of a Spanish settler. Attempting to get to the bottom of the carnage, Dolores is aided by crime reporter Cliff Roberts (played by future Superman, Kirk Alyn), but despite their combined efforts, it took another 11 episodes before the culprit was finally unmasked. Adrian Booth had been billed Lorna Gray when playing the evil high priestess Vultura in the earlier, and still fondly remembered, Perils of Nyoka (1942). The brunette starlet went on to some success as a leading lady in Republic Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1941
Although rather grandly dedicated to "the law officers of the Old West, who led the fight for law and order in the pioneer days of this country in 1880," Dead or Alive was merely another entry inThe Texas Rangers series, PRC's low-budget answer to Republic Pictures' Three Mesqueteers Westerns. Series regulars Dave Wyatt (Dave O'Brien) and Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson) are joined by lawyer Tex Haines (Tex Ritter) in their fight against outlaw leader Clint Yackey (Ray Bennett). Yackey, the ruthless owner of the Half Way Saloon, has framed Dave Wyatt in a bank robbery and the young ranger is about to be hanged when rescued in the nick of time by Tex and Panhandle. The usual Western shenanigans end in a rather brutal free-for-all involving Yackey, chief henchman Red Avery (Charles King), and the entire gang. The rangers and Tex emerge the winners, of course, much to the delight of lovely Arline Arthur (Marjorie Clements), the legal owner of the Half Way. Ritter, who made his series debut replacing James Newill, sang several songs, including his own "I Don't Care Since You Told Me Goodbye." But despite Ritter's engaging presence, The Texas Rangers series remained a shoddy proposition typical of PRC, a studio known affectionately along Poverty Row as "Pretty Rotten Crud." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1965
This family comedy stars James Stewart as Dr. Robert Leaf, a college professor who dislikes science and tries to instill in his children a love of art and music. So Robert and his wife Vina (Glynis Johns) are dismayed to discover that their eight-year-old son Erasmus (Billy Mumy) is tone-deaf and color-blind; what's worse, he has a genius-level talent for mathematics. Robert isn't sure what to do about Erasmus, but while his older sister Pandora (Cindy Carol) puts his skills to work by getting him to do her homework, his older friend Kenneth (Fabian) has a better idea. Kenneth and Erasmus come up with a foolproof plan for picking the winners in horse racing -- so foolproof that it draws the attention of two con men, Upjohn (John Williams) and Argyle (Jesse White), who want to use Erasmus's skills to clean up at the track. Robert at first refuses, and then relents only when they agree to use a cut of the proceeds to endow a humanities scholarship, though Robert is about the only one surprised when the men prove not to be good to their word. Meanwhile, Erasmus is head over heels in love with French screen siren Brigitte Bardot -- so much so that he's been writing her love letters. In return, the lucky boy has received an invitation to come meet her, and Robert and Erasmus use some of their racetrack winnings to fly to Paris and take her up on her offer. Nunnally Johnson, who received no credit, contributed to the screenplay; Miss Bardot, of course, plays herself (who else could?). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Fabian, (more)
Serial killers are on the loose in this "Lone Rider" entry from PRC reportedly based on the exploits of a real-life 1870s roadhouse operator. A couple of crooks, Ben Gowdey (Ray Bennett) and Grogan (I. Stanford Jolley) have repeatedly sold the Circle C Ranch to unsuspecting buyers, whom they summarily rob and kill before signing the papers. Enter Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John), whose cousin Luke was one of the unlucky would-be ranchers, and Rocky Cameron, alias "The Lone Rider," who goes undercover as a fellow outlaw to catch the murderers. In other words: the usual. Busy B-Western heroine Joan Barclay was for unknown reasons billed Nica Doret for this film only. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fuzzy St. John, Nica Doret, (more)
- 1949
Desert Vigilante perpetuated the long-running "Durango Kid" western series starring Charles Starrett. Per the title, Starrett gallops into a remote desert town, where he single-handedly (or so it seems) rounds up the villainous element. At this point in time, Starrett was being extensively doubled by the legendary Jock Mahoney, and the results were never less than spectacular. The subterfuge was helped along by the fact that Starrett's "Durango" character was required to wear a mask during most of the film. Desert Vigilante represented the first directorial assignment for Fred F. Sears, who remained with the Columbia "B" unit throughout the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1948
Desperadoes of Dodge City is set guess where, and stars the muscular Allan "Rocky" Lane. When a group of homesteaders are plagued by a series of bloody outlaw raids, Lane tries to help out with the assistance of the U.S. Cavalry. Unfortunately, Lane's military orders are stolen by the villain, leaving Our Hero with no proof as to his identity or mission. He spends the next four reels tracking down the bad guys, retrieving the valuable documents, and clearing his name. Billed second in Desperadoes of Dodge City is Lane's "wonder horse" Blackjack, thereby relegating leading lady Mildred Coles to fourth place in the cast list, just under comic sidekick Eddy Waller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1939
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
- Starring:
- Ralph Byrd, Irving Pichel, (more)
- 1946
Monogram added several songs and a barn dance to this otherwise standard Johnny Mack Brown hay burner, in which the veteran cowboy star comes to the aid of a beleaguered female rancher. Just "drifting along," Steve Garner (Mack Brown) obtains the job of foreman on a spread belonging to pretty Pat McBride (Lynne Carver). Unbeknownst to Pat, local banker Jack Dailey (Douglas Fowley) not only holds the mortgage on the ranch but is also the man responsible for the death of Pat's father. Aided by old-timer Pawnee Jones (Raymond Hatton), Steve begins an investigation into Dailey's dirty dealings and barely escapes an accusation of rustling. In order to elude the law, Dailey plans to have Steve arrested for murdering one of his henchmen, Lou Woods (Steve Clark), but the scheme backfires and the sheriff (Jack Rockwell) instead apprehends Dailey and his gang. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Lynne Carver, (more)
- 1949
Charles Starrett returns as The Durango Kid in Columbia's El Dorado Pass. It all begins when Durango, in his everyday guise of Steve Clanton, is falsely accused of robbing a stagecoach. The genuine criminal is not only a thief but a coin collector, searching for a valuable specimen by staging holdups. Future Marcus Welby co-star Elena Verdugo adds spice to the proceedings as the peppery robbery victim, while Smiley Burnette handles the comedy and Shorty Thompson and his Saddle Rockin' Rhythm provide the musical interludes. Some of Charles Starrett's more spectacular stunts were performed by an uncredited Jock Mahoney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, (more)
- 1943
In this western, a decent Indian agent loses his job and his good name after someone steals the government money he was to deliver to a tribe. Because he cannot bear to see the people starve over the long winter, he begins searching for the robbers. He does so by looking for the unusual coins that had been included in the payroll. After he suffers through a series of conflicts with the outlaws, the hero is rescued by the Indians he has been trying to protect. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Arthur Hunnicutt, (more)
- 1948
In this western the two sons of the commanding officer of an outpost attempt to clear their father's name after he is accused of conspiring with the Indians and is forced to resign. To prove his innocence, the men use terribly different methods. The older one, an adventurer, approaches suspects directly, while the younger, an army officer, choose a more subtle, methodical approach. Their different methods serve to temporarily alienate them from each other until at last the truth is discovered. The real traitor is a silver tycoon who framed their pa so he could buy up the Indian land and exploit it for it's valuable ore. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Adler, Griff Barnett, (more)
- 1944
In this western, Billy the Kid must convince Fuzzy not to leave the trail. Fuzzy tries anyway and buys a small-town newspaper. It doesn't take him long to find himself accused of embezzling money from his new business. Unfortunately for Fuzzy, he is innocent. It is his pal the Kid that rides to his rescue, and kills the real embezzler. Fuzzy decides that newspaperin' ain't for him and so leaves the city and attempts to find a quiet place in the country. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
In one of his better later Westerns, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely comes to the aid of a reformed outlaw and his wayward son. Wrongfully accused of a shooting, the outlaw, Hank Cardigan (Lee Phelps), is rescued by Jimmy, who manages to obtain a job for his new friend at the local express office. But Cardigan's unruly son, Tom (John James), is determined to repeat his father's mistakes -- until, that is, Jimmy and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) convince him that crime does not pay. Wakely and an unbilled Ray Whitley perform "I Have Looked the Whole World Over" and Foy Willing's "Rose of Santa Fe." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Music, gangster melodrama, and snappy newspaper comedy is blended into the usual Western shenanigans in this unusual Gene Autry vehicle filmed on-location at the Russell Ranch near Agoura Hills, CA. Autry, as always, plays himself, a singing star, with Smiley Burnette and Joe Strauch Jr. as sidekicks Frog and Tadpole Millhouse. The trio is visiting Pop Harrison's (Forrest Taylor) Wyoming dude ranch, where Pop's wastrel son, Tex (James Seay), is in trouble with the law. Tex is involved with one Mr. Crowley (George Gordon), who really a gangster named Luigi. Recognized by newspaper reporters Clem (Fay McKenzie) and Hack (Chick Chandler), Crowley and his men indulges in a bit of skullduggery and are the obvious suspects when Pop Harrison is shot. But as Gene discovers, the gangsters are merely red herrings, the real culprit being a person much closer to home. In between detective work and romancing the girl reporter, Autry finds time enough to warble six songs, including Irving Berlin's then very topical "Any Bonds Today?," the official anthem of U.S. Defense Bond campaign. Despite good performances by Fay McKenzie, the daughter of veteran B-Western personality Robert McKenzie, and the always welcome Chick Chandler, Home in Wyomin' was not wholly appreciated by Autry's legion of fans who wanted their star straight up. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
As in all his early westerns, Roy Rogers battles true Old West outlaws in the fine In Old Caliente. He is, as usual, Roy Rogers, but this time a trusted hand at the Olde California ranchero belonging to Don José (Frank Puglia). Unbeknownst to the Don, however, his "half-breed" foreman, Suguaro (Frank La Rue), is in league with Calkins (Harry Woods), the nasty Gringo behind a series of gold-shipment robberies. With Suguaro's help, Calkins manages to pin the crimes on Roy and Gabby (George "Gabby" Hayes) and the Don has them imprisoned. But Rita (Katherine DeMille), Don José's Eastern-bred daughter, believes them to be innocent and secures their release. The ensuing chase leads straight to the Pacific Ocean and the evil Suguaro is killed in the surf. Roy Rogers performs "Sundown on the Range", by Fred Rose, "The Moon, She Will be Shining Tonight" and, in a duet with George "Gabby" Hayes, "We're Not Coming Out Tonight", the latter two penned by Walter Samuels. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Mary Hart, (more)
In Old Cheyenne is where the viewer can find Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes this time out. Rogers is cast as frontier journalist Steve Blane, determined to print the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in his weekly rag. But when Steve inaugurates a series of articles about alleged bandit Arapahoe Brown (Hayes), he finds he's been misled: Arapahoe is innocent of the crimes attributed to him. The instigator of this outrage is town boss Sam Drummond (George Rosener), who hopes to use Brown as a scapegoat for his own misdeeds. Steve manages to show Drummond up as the no-good he is, pausing every so often to serenade heroine Dolores Casino (Joan Woodbury) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
