Bob McKenzie Movies

Prolific supporting actor Olin Francis earned a rare starring role in this silent comedy western about a bashful cowboy who becomes a hero after rescuing the ranch owner's pretty daughter (Estelle Harrison). Although usually cast as an unshaven henchman, the pudgy Francis actually made an appealing hero reminiscent of Universal's lackadaisical Hoot Gibson. The producer-director of this little opus was busy poverty-row denizen Robert McKenzie who saw fit to cast his little daughter, Fay, in a bit part. Fay McKenzie would later grow into a pert western heroine who often appeared opposite Gene Autry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Larry Semon's second film under his new Vitagraph contract is already beginning to show the comic's penchant for overspending on production -- the set includes an elaborate Mexican border town. In this border town, Don Fusiloil (Oliver Hardy) runs a dance hall that illegally sells alcohol. Larry, a federal agent, comes down to investigate and almost immediately runs afoul of the moonshiner who is supplying Fusiloil. Meanwhile, a female agent (Lucille Carlisle) poses as one of the dance hall girls. Larry tries unsuccessfully to blend in with his surroundings, and more through his own ineptitude than anything else, finds out where the hooch is hidden. He and the girl wind up having to escape from the bad guys. But it turns out that the whole predicament was a tall tale Larry has been relating to Carlisle -- he is assuring her that situations like this one never happen in real life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

An honest cowboy is once again falsely accused of being an outlaw in this minor silent western from independent producer Anthony J. Xydias. The victim of accusations this time is the strapping J.B. Warner, who is saved from the lynching party in the last moment by rotund sheriff Robert McKenzie. Proving his innocence by preventing a stage robbery, Warner is eventually cleared of all wrong-doings by his weakling brother. Sadly, this was silent-screen action lead J.B. Warner's final film before succumbing to tuberculosis at the young age of 29. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This Jack Hoxie Western, made during his contract with Universal, has just about every cliché in the book, beginning with the inevitable feud between the cowmen and the sheepmen. Nevertheless, trade magazine Motion Picture News promised, "Will fill the bill wherever fast Westerners please 'em." Peace Parker (Hoxie) has been falsely jailed, and when he is released he resolves to track down whoever framed him. But his bad luck isn't over yet -- he hears that his girl, Jess Marshall (Lola Todd), has become engaged to another man. Parker finds out that the sheepmen have a plot to drive their herds onto the ranch land belonging to Jess' father (Clarke Comstock). Jess is kidnapped and Parker goes to her rescue. He discovers that she still loves him, and he goes on to defeat the sheepherders at their dirty game and clear his own name in the bargain. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

A crooked rancher (George B. French) and his nasty son (Cuyler Supplee) buy up the area's water rights to drive out the local farmers. Enter Fred Humes, the stalwart cowboy hero of the Francis Ford Ranch, who manages to lure the villains into a trap. The prize for ridding the community of outlaws is the old rancher's peppy daughter (Dorothy Gulliver). Edgar Lewis replaced William Wyler as director of the Humes series. Wyler, of course, went straight to the top, while the pedestrian Lewis, a former house director at Fox (who earlier helmed such "socially relevant" melodramas as 1915's Nigger), retired shortly after the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The second in a series of Buck Jones westerns produced by Sol Lesser for Columbia release, Shadow Ranch is the story of a cowboy who comes to the rescue of an embattled female rancher (Marguerite de la Motte). She is being driven off her land by opportunistic saloon owner Albert J. Smith, but the heroic Buck manages to beat the villain into submission. Filmed at the Tiffany-California studios, a rental facility, Shadow Ranch was popular enough for the story to be trotted out again less than a year later as Sunset Trail starring Ken Maynard. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Cimarron was the first Western to win the Oscar for Best Picture--and, until Dances with Wolves in 1990, the only one. The film begins on April 22, 1889, the opening day of the great Oklahoma Land Rush on the Cherokee Strip. Boisterous Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) is cheated out of his land claim by the devious Dixie Lee (Estelle Taylor). Instead of becoming a homesteader, Cravat establishes a muckraking newspaper, and with pistols in hand he becomes a widely respected (and widely feared) peacekeeper. He also displays a compassionate streak by coming to the defense of Dixie Lee, who is about to be arrested for prostitution. Cravat's insistence on sticking his nose into everyone's affairs drives a wedge between him and his young wife Sabra (Irene Dunne), but she stands by him--until he deserts her and her children, ever in pursuit of new adventures. Sabra takes over the newspaper herself, and with the moral support of her best friend, Mrs. Wyatt (Edna May Oliver), she creates a powerful publishing empire. Cimarron makes the mistake of placing most of the action early in the film, so that everything that follows the spectacular opening land-rush sequence may feel anti-climactic. While it's always enjoyable to watch Irene Dunne persevering through the years, it's rather wearing to sit through the overblown performance of Richard Dix, who seems to think that he can't make a point unless it's at the top of his lungs. Cimarron creaks badly when seen today, but it still outclasses the plodding 1960 remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A broad lampoon of celebrity worship, The Half-Naked Truth stars Lee Tracy as a carnival huckster and Lupe Velez as a "kootch" dancer. Reaching for the moon, Tracy passes Lupe off as an exotic foreign princess--and manages to pull the wool over the eyes of all Manhattan. Now "famous for being famous", Lupe is employed for special appearances by Ziegfeldish impresario Frank Morgan. When the fraud is revealed to the world, Tracy returns to the carnival, with Lupe (who's loved him since Reel One) at his side. Half-Naked Truth co-stars Eugene Pallette as Tracy's assistant; the bullfrog-voiced Pallette has a wonderful moment in which he discovers that he's been mistaken for "Princess" Lupe's head eunuch! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical western, everybody sings, even the outlaws. The story follows a government agent who goes undercover as a musical ventriloquist named Fiddlin' to find an ruthless outlaw and his gang. The gang comes to Fiddlin's town, commits a robbery and leaves the ventriloquist to shoulder the blame. He is jailed, escapes, catches the gang, and saves the kidnapped heroine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A far from factual filmed biography of Mexican patriot Pancho Villa, Viva Villa! was written by lengendary screenwriter Ben Hecht. We first meet the young Villa when his father is beaten to death after protesting Diaz' seizure of the Mexican peons' land. Pancho exacts a temporary revenge by knifing one of his father's killers, then heads for the hills, where he organizes a band of renegades. As he "matures," Pancho is played by child actor Phillip Cooper and adult star Wallace Beery. Though ruthless in his treatment of the rich, Pancho is a hero to the poor, who receive the spoils of Villa's raids. Befriended by American reporter Johnny Sykes (Stuart Erwin), Villa becomes internationally famous thanks to Sykes' articles concerning his exploits. Pancho also finds a strong ally in Don Felipe de Castillo (Donald Cook), who introduces the rebel bandit to Madero (Henry B. Walthall), the leader of the peon revolt. Madero convinces Villa to join forces with him, the better to oust the Diaz regime. His principal rival in this goal is ambitious General Pascal (Joseph Schildkraut), who intends to set up an even more despotic regime once Diaz is eliminated. Emerging victorious in his fight against the federales, Villa is encouraged to go back home by Madero. Illiterate and dangerously naïve, Villa quickly runs into trouble with the new government, giving Pascal a chance to humiliate his former "comrade in arms." Later, Pascal shows his true colors by assassinating Madero and assuming control of Mexico. Thirsting for revenge, Villa and his men go on a bloody rampage, culminiating in the ritualistic murder of the treacherous Pascal (he is staked out on an anthill and covered with honey). Made president of Mexico upon the elimination of Pacal, Villa once more finds himself in over his head. Unable to deal with political infighting, Villa retires to his ranch. One day, after running into his old friend Johnny Sykes (Stu Erwin), Villa is shot and mortally wounded by his onetime friend Don Felipe, who holds Pancho responsible for the death of his sister Teresa (Fay Wray). As he dies, Villa begs Johnny to tell him what his epitaph will be. Improvising quickly, Johnny tells of Villa's love for Mexico and his many accomplishments. Partially filmed on location in Mexico, Viva Villa was plagued with a multitude of production problems, not least of which was the diplomatic gaffe committed by Lee Tracy, the film's original Johnny Sykes: While standing on a balcony watching a military parade, an inebrieated Tracy relieved himself on the troops below and was immediately fired. Another crisis arose when the Mexican government objected to star Wallace Beery, on the grounds that Beery usually played villains or buffoons. Despite these and other setbacks, Viva Villa was finally completed under the assured directorial hand of MGM troubleshooter Jack Conway and the expert supervision of David O. Selznick. Though some critics objected to the film's violence, Viva Villa was a financial success. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a band of avaricious men kill a rancher in order to take over his land. The dead man's nephew was slated to inherit the ranch, but he has vanished so the outlaws hire another to impersonate the heir. Trouble ensues when the real heir, a state ranger, appears, gets his revenge, and gets his ranch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Rin Tin Tin clone Tarzan the Wonder Dog is top-billed in the independently produced Inside Information. Tarzan nuzzles up to hero Rex Lease, a detective assigned to locate some missing bonds. The crooks prove no match for Tarzan, who bares his fangs and tears their clothes asunder. A happy ending is had by all, include Lease's lady friend Marion Shilling. Inside Information was co-scripted by Victor Potel, a silent comedy star of the pre-World War I era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide