Kansas Moehring Movies
A busy presence in B-Westerns and serials from 1920-1950, Carl "Kansas" Moehring spent his first decade in films supporting his good friend Hoot Gibson in scores of that silent Western star's best vehicles for Universal. Rarely billed after the changeover to sound, Moehring (who hailed from Ohio despite his nickname) was often one of the villain's henchmen, a stage driver, or on rare occasions -- such as the 1947 Johnny Mack Brown oater Trailing Danger -- a lawman. Moehring passed away at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1950
Set in British Columbia but filmed in Colorado, Cariboo Trail stars Randolph Scott as a cattle-drive boss from Montana. Crooked Victor Jory and his minions stampede the cattle, causing Scott's partner Bill Williams to lose an arm. Out of a job, Scott gives gold mining a try, but even here he is tormented by Jory. The villain is hoist on his own petard when he tries to stir up the local Indian tribes. Proving that the good guys don't always win, Scott gives up mining and turns to cattle ranching. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Bill Williams, (more)
- 1950
The Randolph Scott western Colt .45 was retitled for TV so as not to be confused with the TV series of the same name. The new title, Thundercloud, misleads the audience into expecting a Native American epic. Actually the film involves a gun salesman (Randolph Scott) whose sample case of Colt 45's is stolen by an outlaw (Zachary Scott--no relation to Randolph). Accused of being a member of the outlaw gang when they start using the Colts in their holdups, the salesman is obliged to track down the crooks. Thundercloud, or Colt .45, represented the last film of supporting actor Alan Hale Sr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Ruth Roman, (more)
- 1948
A rather corpulent Johnny Mack Brown more than fills the title role of Frontier Agent. Once more, Brown plays a government man, sent to the badlands to round up an elusive outlaw gang. And once more, he is aided and abetted by Raymond Hatton, an old codger who has a lot more on the ball than people suspect. Director Lambert Hillyer keeps things moving even when nothing much is happening. Though it usually adheres to The Expected, Frontier Agent has a few offbeat touches, just to keep the non-western fans awake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Trailing Danger is one of Johnny Mack Brown's cookie-cutter Monogram westerns. Once again, Brown is teamed with grizzled Raymond Hatton. Once again, he plays his cards close to his chest throughout most of the film. And once again, he springs into action in reel six, trouncing the villains whom he's been cagily avoiding in the previous reels. Both Brown and director Lambert Hillyer were definitely in a rut by 1947, though Trailing Danger performed quite well at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1944
The old bromide about the western town run by outlaws as a hideout for their fellow crooks makes a return appearance in Monogram's Land of the Outlaws. Since the crooks include such reliable disreputables as Charles King and John Merton, the good guys really have their work cut out for them. But not to worry! The heroes are Johnny Mack Brown and Raymond Hatton, whose B-western track record is unbeatable. Land of the Outlaws was directed by Lambert Hillyer, whose sense of rhythm and pace had saved many another inexpensive oater. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Johnny Mack Brown heads the cast of Monogram's Outlaws of Stampede Pass. Per the title, the film concerns a western community held in the grip of a gang of desperadoes. Brown and his dusty sidekick Raymond Hatton set about to round up the bad guys. We know what's going to happen, but as always, Johnny brings a sense of freshness and spontaneity to the proceedings. Outlaws of Stampede Pass was adapted from a story by Johnston McCulley, of "Zorro" fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Man from Rio Grande stars Don "Red" Barry as movie cowboy star Lee Grant. The plot finds Grant coming to the rescue of 8-year-old skating star Twinkle Watts (playing herself), who is being cheated out of an inheritance by scheming John King (Harry Cording). What follows is an unsettling mixture of traditional shoot-'em-up fare and ice-capades stunting. Twinkle Watts was an acquired taste, to say the least, but Republic insisted upon featuring the nimble-footed tyke in the next three Don "Red" Barry westerns. Perhaps as a result, the Barry series came to an abrupt end in late 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Wally Vernon, (more)
- 1943
Wild Horse Rustlers was PRC's 1943 entry in the "Nazis on the prairie" western cycle. Hero Tom Cameron (Bob Livingston) discovers that his twin brother (also Bob Livingston) with a group of German spies. The villains intend to thwart the government's efforts to round up horses for military service. Fortunately, the bad twin turns good by fadeout time, and Democracy is preserved once more. Minus the propaganda angle, this is merely another cattle-rustling opus, with the standard western bad guys (Lane Chandler, Stanley Price) saying "Seig heil!" instead of "Let's get outta here!" As was usual at PRC, Al "Fuzzy"St. John provides the film's best moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Johnson
- 1942
Monogram's "Rough Riders" rolled along smoothly with the 1942 entry Down Texas Way. Once again, the star trio consists of Buck Jones as Buck Roberts, Tim McCoy as Tim McCall, and Raymond Hatton as Sandy Hopkins. The plot, as always, finds Buck, Tim and Sandy cast as undercover US Marshals who pretend to be strangers to one another for the purpose of confounding the villains. This time, Sandy is framed for murder by a gang of frontier racketeers who hope to take over a small town as their headquarters. Working separately (and ostensibly on the wrong side of the law), Buck and Tim rescue Sandy from a lynch mob and foil the crooks' dastardly schemes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, (more)
- 1941
Congress suddenly changes the boundary between Texas and Mexico and the rangers leave the territory to the U.S. cavalry in this fine entry in Republic Pictures long-running Three Mesqueteers western series. Left to fend for himself, the commanding officer, Colonel Langley (Forbes Murray), makes the mistake of trusting LeRoque (Peter George Lynn), a half-breed interpreter who in reality is the feared Commanche renegade Waneeche. Nothing the Three Mesqueteers, "Stony" Brooke (Robert Livingston), "Tucson" Smith (Bob Steele) and "Lullaby" Joslin (Rufe Davis), do or say dissuades Langley from walking straight into a trap and only by taking a typically daring approach are the Mesqueteers able to prevent wholesale slaughter. Gale Storm plays the nominal female lead as the colonel's cheery daughter and comedy relief is provided by spinster-ish Ellen Lowe, as Aunt Amanda, a scalp-hungry Glenn Strange and rube comic Rufe Davis. The latter also performs Smiley Burnette's "Just Imagine That" backed by cowboy swing fiddler Spade Cooley. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, (more)
- 1938
In this wartime drama, cavalry private Dennis Murphy purchases a nervous horse, Sergeant, after it is deemed unfit for military service. With patience and love, Murphy trains his horse into a champion and later proves his worth by sneaking the steed into England where he enters him in the Grand National. He wins. The plucky private also wins the affection of the colonel's daughter. This film is based on a true story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Reagan, Mary Maguire, (more)
- 1923
Universal's crack Western team of director Edward Sedgwick and star Hoot Gibson crafted a fine little silent oater about a returning war veteran who lands in the middle of a range feud. On the train bound for home, Gibson renews his friendship with the daughter of a neighboring rancher (Laura La Plante), only to find that their fathers are fighting over water rights. The returning vet is declared a coward by the citizenry because of his natural reticence when a nasty villain (William A. Steele) threatens to blow up a dam. Gibson overcomes his condition in time to save the girl from the ensuing flood, however, restoring his heroic image for all time. The usually comedy-prone Gibson kept his preference for slapstick to a minimum this time around and Shootin' for Love emerged as one of the star's better vehicles. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Laura La Plante, (more)
- 1923
Hoot Gibson takes off his cowboy gear and dons a naval uniform in this comedy-drama. Sam Pertune (Gibson) is in love with Mae Day (Laura La Plante, who was Gibson's frequent co-star during this period). However, Mae's father Ezra Day (Howard Truesdell) isn't in love with Mae's romance with Pertune. When the young man comes to call, a fight breaks out and Pertune thinks he has killed Day with a poker. He flees and joins the Navy, but when he discovers that the old man wasn't seriously injured, he decides to go home -- only to find out that leaving the Navy isn't all that easy. Nevertheless, Pertune distinguishes himself when he saves Captain Bristol (DeWitt Jennings) from an insane man's attack. When the captain invites him to his home, Pertune discovers that he is Mae's uncle. Not only does he win Mae, he gets a recommendation to the Naval Academy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura La Plante
- 1919
Dorothy Gish stars as a superstitious young miss in this silly farce comedy. Frances Wadsworth (Gish) keeps her eyes on the stars, her hands on the cards, and a rabbit's foot in her pocket. She encourages her friend to elope because "Venus is on the ascendant" and then discovers that there is a light-haired young man in her own future. The man, Malcolm Dale (Ralph Graves), is the best man at her friend's wedding, but Frances balks when he proposes to her on Friday the 13th. The news is even worse when Frances also divines the presence of a dark-haired rival for her blond man's affections. The young lady is Sally Smith (Emily Chichester), daughter of Rockaway Smith (George Fawcett), a Western millionaire who Dale is forced to squire around town. But Frances is reunited with Dale when she spends the night at her friend's home. Burglars break in, as does Dale. The crooks blackjack the lovers into unconsciousness, and it apparently knocks some sense into them because when they come to, they reconcile. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
