Joe McGuinn Movies

In this routine western set in 1864 in Montana, U.S. Marshal Jim McDowell (James Philbrook) is trying to safely get a treasure-trove of gold bullion out East, where it will help the Union cause in the Civil War. Standing in his way are first a band of Native Americans and then some crafty outlaws headed by double-dealing sheriff Henry Plummer (Marshal Reed). Since the sheriff has insider information, he and his band of bad guys have a special hot line to what happens next. Meanwhile, Marshal McDowell is aided and abetted by his wife Rose (Nancy Kovack), a woman who married him for her own particular reasons. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this western, an Eastern gambler buys a mail-order ranch, heads out to claim it and discovers that the deed is unregistered, the rightful owner is dead, and that the land has been taken over by cattle rustlers. Strapping on the title weapon, the fellow rectifies the situation, but only after proving himself innocent of murder charges. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A suspenseful courtroom drama, The Story on Page One was the second and last film directed by the distinguished American playwright Clifford Odets (who also wrote the screenplay). Jo (Rita Hayworth) and Larry (Gig Young) are lovers accused of murdering Jo's husband. Their trial lawyer, Victor Santini (Anthony Franciosa) has his work cut out for him on two different fronts. For one, he has to overcome his own tendency to hit the bottle, and for another, he has to somehow win this case. As revealed in the beginning, Jo's husband died accidentally. Yet the unpredictability of the courtroom proceedings indicate that a verdict of "not guilty" is going to be anything but automatic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A pre-superstardom Charles Bronson plays a US marshal in Showdown at Boot Hill. Tracking down a wanted murderer to a small town, Bronson kills him in a shootout. It develops that the dead man, whose criminal past was unknown to his fellow townsfolk, was a popular and highly respected member of the community. The decedent's friends refuse to identify the body, thereby denying Bronson the opportunity of collecting the reward money. At first angered by this, Bronson is gradually won over to the townspeoples' point of view. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only thing genuinely brave about Three Brave Men is the second word in the title. The film is based on the true story of a Navy employee who was fired as a security risk, then took the case to court to prove his loyalty to the United States. Ernest Borgnine plays the victimized employee, whose life is ruined simply because he once briefly participated in an alleged "Pinko" organization. Borgnine and his family are ostracized from the community when word leaks out about his so-called disloyalty. Lawyer Ray Milland takes Borgnine's case; he pleads so eloquently on behalf of his client's patriotism that the navy, represented by Eisenhower lookalike Dean Jagger, reinstates Borgnine. The problem in Three Brave Men is in how the material is approached. Instead of attacking the atmosphere of paranoia that fostered the Communist "witch hunts" of the 1950s, the crucifixion of Borgnine is treated as a necessary evil in the interests of "democracy." The low point comes at the end, when Ray Milland profusely thanks the Navy for their open-mindedness before his client has been exonerated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Prince of Pirates is fairly elaborate for a Sam Katzman production, though its low budget does betray itself in the closing scenes. Utilizing plenty of stock footage from Joan of Arc (as he'd previously done in Thief of Damascus), producer Katzman offers the viewer a 16th-century swashbuckler, with John Derek as Robin Hood-like buccaneer Prince Roland. Having lost his throne to his evil older brother Stephan (Whitfield Connor), Roland forms a band of volunteers to oust Stephan and bring peace and harmony to his land (by busting several heads along the way). Barbara Rush co-stars as Nita, the daughter of a deposed count and a fine swordswoman in her own right. The film's best line is unintentionally funny: After being fetchingly attired in form-fitting blouse and slacks during most of the film, Nita is garbed in hoop-skirted feminine finery, whereupon Roland snickers "At last, you look more like a woman!" Far from a classic, Prince of Pirates is an agreeable time-passer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A master blend of comedy, domestic drama and sudden tragedy, The Marrying Kind remains one of the best collaborations between star Judy Holliday, screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and director George Cukor. The film begins at the end, with married couple Florence and Chet Keefer (Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray) seeking a divorce. Both parties state their cases before understanding judge Carroll (Madge Kennedy)--whereupon the story of their marriage unfolds in a series of revelatory flashbacks. After an amusing recap of their courtship days, the film details the many major and minor trials and tribulations of married life. In the film's most unforgettable sequence, one of the couple's children dies by drowning while Florence and Chet are obliviously engaged in one of their petty squabbles. Throughout the testimony, the Judge gives equal time to both parties, and in so doing demonstrates that all aspects of marriage work both ways. In the final scenes, the Judge allows the Keefers to reconsider their impending divorce, but not before offering a few understanding and unobtrusive words of advice. Judy Holliday is in top form, while Aldo Ray delivers what may be his finest performance. Featured in the cast as Ray's sister-in-law is Peggy Cass in her film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stock footage abound in this otherwise average Rex Allen musical Western from Republic Pictures. When crooked ranch foreman Link Felton (Roy Barcroft) diverts the "Comanche Limited" into an old mineshaft, causing the engine to explode, everyone believes that ranch owner Carlos Alvarez (Nestor Paiva) is among the dead and buried travelers, everyone including Lita, the old man's granddaughter (Estelita Rodriguez), whose Eastern fiancée Rodney Brewster (Douglas Evans) is a greedy tyrant. Although his main goal is to recover a shipment of gold from the buried train, Felton has no compelling reasons not to assist Brewster in rustling a herd of cattle brought in by former Alvarez cowboys Rex Allen and Slim Pickens. But unbeknownst to Felton and Brewster, old man Alvarez is still very much alive. Rex Allen and an aggregation calling itself the Republic Rhythm Riders perform "I'll Sing a Love Song Again," by Jack Elliott and Aaron Gonzales, and Allen's own "Hide Away Your Troubles" and "The Railroad Corral." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

That veteran reprobate Roy Barcroft plays yet another outlaw in The Cherokee Flash, a perfectly acceptable B-Western from Republic Pictures, but Barcroft's title character reforms this time and even adopts a young orphan. Years later, the Cherokee Flash, now known as Jeff Carson, is visited by former gang members who promptly blackmail him into doing their bidding. Carson refuses, of course, but lands in jail anyway, much to the consternation of now-grown foster son Sunset (Sunset Carson) and grizzled sidekick Utah (Tom London). The sheriff (Bud Geary), however, is working for Mr. Big who, unbeknownst to the Carsons, is Jeff's lawyer, Mark Butler (John Merton). Happily, the new doctor in town (Frank Jaquet) and his pretty daughter (Linda Stirling) discover evidence that will clear Jeff once and for all. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Starring the engaging Donald Barry (nicknamed, for obvious reasons, "Red"), this average Republic Western was filmed on-location at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, CA. Barry, a James Cagney look-alike, played a Pinkerton agent masquerading as a criminal in order to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters that is using wealthy widow Lucy Randall (Helen MacKellar) as a front. Arriving at the Dawson ranch, the gang's hideout, Red discovers that the counterfeiting ring is headed by J. Richard Spencer (Ian Keith), the innocent Mrs. Randall's attorney, and Dawson himself (Ted Adams). With assistance from girl reporter Lynn Parsons (Linda Johnson), Red bests the counterfeiters, discovering along the way that he is Mrs. Randall's long-lost son. Voted a top ten Western star by the Motion Picture Herald in 1942, 1943, and 1944, Barry usually benefited from good supporting casts, this time including the veteran Ian Keith and former stage star Helen MacKellar. Leading lady Linda Johnson replaced an ailing Lynn Merrick, Barry's usual co-star. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Granite-jawed Jack Holt plays himself-or at least the screen version of "himself"-in the 15-chapter Columbia serial Holt of the Secret Service. To get the goods on a counterfeiting ring, federal agent Holt poses as master criminal Nick Farrel. The villains swallow this ruse hook, line and sinker, making one wonder how they ever had the intellectual capacity to flood the US with funny money. Aided and abetted by fellow agent Kay (Evelyn Brent), who poses as "Mrs. Farrel", Holt endures numerous brushes with death, emerging from all of them with nary a hair out of place nor a crease in his well-tailored business suit. As usual, director James W. Horne injects several moments of zany comedy in the proceedings: at one point, the villains receive a valuable piece of information, whereupon they all shout "Hooray" in unison! A less intentionally amusing aspect of the film is that neither Jack Holt nor Evelyn Brent change their clothes during the serial's 4-hour length, leading one to assume that the other cast members had lost their sense of smell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cowboy-pic legends Wild Bill Elliot and Tex Ritter team up in The Devil's Trail. While the film contains barely enough plot for one star, it's nice to see Bill and Tex working together so smoothly. Our heroes head to a wide-open town in search of a gang of desperadoes, headed by swarthy Noah Beery Jr. Along the way, Elliot and Ritter find time to pitch woo to leading lady Eileen O'Hearn. The Devil's Trail was based on a story with the more intriguing title "The Town in Hell's Backyard." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George Stevens' Talk of the Town is a quick-witted comedy driven by wonderful performances by Cary Grant, Ronald Colman and Jean Arthur. Michael Lightcap (Colman) is a stuffy law professor in line to a Supreme Court appointment, who is spending the summer at the house of schoolteacher Nora Shelley (Arthur). But Lightcap is not the only guest at the house. Shelley has also let Leopold Dilg (Grant)--a man who had recently escaped from prison, where he was serving a sentence for false accusations of immolating a local factory--stay at the house, telling Lightcap that he is a gardener. In addition to striking up a friendship, Lightcap and Dilg also compete for the affections of Shelley. Eventually, the professor learns of Dilg's true identity, finding out that Leopold was framed by a crooked government, led by the foreman of the factory, who supposedly died in the fire. When Dilg is captured by the police, Lightcap comes to his defense, bringing the still-alive foreman out of hiding and, in the process, clearing Leopold of all the charges. Talk of the Town received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Original Story, Best Score, Best Editing, and Best Interior Decoration, yet it lost in all of the categories. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide