Clayton Moore Movies
A circus acrobat from the age of eight, Clayton Moore had performed as an aerialist with two circuses and at one World's Fair before turning 20. He became a male model in New York, then struck out for Hollywood in 1938 to seek out acting jobs. He began at the bottom rung as an extra, worked his way up to stunt man, and by 1939 was playing nondescript supporting roles. Alternating between heroes and villains in serials and B-Westerns, Moore didn't strike professional gold until 1949, when he was selected to play the "masked rider of the west" in the TV version of The Lone Ranger. He remained with the series until 1952, when he walked off the show over a salary dispute. His replacement for 26 episodes was John Hart, who had neither the bearing nor the stirring vocal timbre that had distinguished Moore's performances. Briefly returning to serials, Moore was brought back into the Lone Ranger fold in 1954 at a much higher weekly compensation. He stayed with the series until its last episode in 1956, and also starred in two Technicolor Lone Ranger theatrical features. Thereafter, Moore made a good living trading on his Lone Ranger image in TV commercials and personal appearances. In 1978, the Wrather Corporation, which owned the Lone Ranger property and was about to embark on a new feature film based on the character, served Moore with a court order barring him from appearing in public in the Ranger mask and costume. The outpouring of public support and sympathy eventually forced the Wrather people to reverse their decision, but it should be noted that they weren't quite the Scrooges depicted in the press: Throughout the 1970s, Clayton Moore made many appearances as the Lone Ranger without paying the necessary licensing fee to Wrather. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1949
The Gay Amigo was the second "Cisco Kid" theatrical entry produced for United Artists release by Philip N. Krasne. Duncan Renaldo, who would go on to portray Cisco in the popular 1950s TV series, stars in this outing, together with Leo Carrillo as his comical sidekick Pancho. Cisco and Pancho are wrongfully identified as bandits by a U.S. Cavalry sergeant (Joe Sawyer). Realizing that no one believes their innocence, the boys decide to pose as criminals in order to get the goods on the real crooks. Pancho has some wonderful moments as he holds up a stagecoach and fends off the amorous advances of a spinsterish passenger (Helen Servis), while Cisco enjoys a brief liaison with barmaid Rosita (Armida), the girl friend of the flustered cavalry sergeant. One of the better Krasne-produced "Cisco Kid" efforts, Gay Amigo tells its story in a brisk 62 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, (more)
- 1949
Texas Rangers Tim Holt and Richard Martin are dispatched to halt a gang of masked outlaws terrorizing the frontier. Infiltrating the gang, Holt and Martin learn that the raiders are operating altruistically, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. The real villain, it seems, is the local banker (Frank Wilcox), who is mortgaging the local ranchers out of existence. Holt convinces masked-raider leader Marjorie Lord that it's best to let the law take his course, then rides out to bring the banker to task for his misdeeds. Masked Raiders moves along with the smooth expertise audiences of 1949 had come to expect from RKO's Tim Holt western series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Richard Martin, (more)
- 1949
In this western, a cowboy comes to the aid of the Indians. The story begins as hero, Gene Autry, begins an investigation of a series of Indian raids. They had been stealing food from homesteads located around the reservation. Autry is appalled to discover that they have been taking the food because a sleazy Indian agent has been cheating them out of their food allotments and they are starving to death. Autry saves the Indians and sees that the dishonest agent is punished. He then watches the romance between his female assistant and the Indian chief. Songs include: "One Little Indian Boy," "America," "Silent Night," and "Here Comes Santa Claus." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Sheila Ryan, (more)
- 1949
Someone is unhappy with Steve Downey taking over his murdered brother-in-law's gold mine -- the Tavishes, for example, brothers Scotty and Tommy (Lee Roberts and Richard Emory) and their sister Molly (Gail Davis), who blame runoff from the mine for poisoning their cattle. When Tommy is killed, Scotty points the finger at Steve (Charles Starrett), who is promptly arrested by Sheriff (Smiley Burnette). Smiley's innocence allows Steve a free reign, however, and the hero is able to don his usual disguise as the Durango Kid, defender of all that is right and decent. Smiley Burnette performs his own inimitable "When You Go" and "The Ever-Lovin' Marshal" while country-swing artist Tommy Duncan takes care of "Saturday Night in San Antone" and a very unusual version of "Rock-a-Bye Baby." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1949
In the western Sheriff of Wichita, an unjustly imprisoned Army Lieutenant searches for the actual perpetrators of a robbery he was unfairly accused of five years earlier. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
Not quite as memorable as his previous Riders in the Sky, Gene Autry's Sons of New Mexico is still well up to the star's standard. This time, Gene tries to reform Randy Pryor, a would-be juvenile delinquent, played by Autry-protégé Dick Jones (who later starred in the Autry-produced TV series Range Rider and Buffalo Bill Jr). To this end, Pryor is enrolled at the New Mexico Military Institute, where much of this film was lensed. The kid chafes at the school's regimen and escapes, heading back to his criminal mentor Pat Feeney (Robert Armstrong). Eventually, however, Pryor sees the light, and helps Autry bring Feeney to justice. Featured in the cast is another Gene Autry contractee, Gail Davis, who went on to star as TV's Annie Oakley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Gail Davis, (more)
- 1949
In Frontier Investigator, Allan "Rocky" Lane plays the title character, spending the bulk of the picture searching for the man who killed his brother. The fact that Lane was central to the plotline was an oddity, since in most of his Republic starrers he usually functioned as last-minute problem solver, with the plot intricacies handled by the supporting cast. Lane's co-stars in Frontier Investigator include two actors who'd go on to even greater fame on television. The heroine is Gail Davis, TV's Annie Oakley, while Davis' boyfriend is portrayed by Clayton Moore, the future Lone Ranger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Roy Barcroft, (more)
- 1949
After Ray Milland turned down the leading role in Bride of Vengeance, Paramount contractee John Lund stepped into the role of Alfonso D'Este, second husband of the notorious Lucrezia Borgia. The ruthlessly ambitious Lucrezia is played by Paulette Goddard, who seems ill at ease in the role. MacDonald Carey is better suited to his assignment as Cesar Borgia, the real villain of the piece. The plot proper gets under way when Lucrezia seeks revenge for her first husband's murder. The supporting cast is an odd lot, especially Billy Gilbert as Beppo, a wandering minstrel. A far better recreation of the Borgia "regime" was offered in the like-vintage Prince of Foxes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paulette Goddard, John Lund, (more)
Gene Autry's second 1949 release for Columbia was Riders of the Whistling Pines. As was customary for Autry, the title refers to one of the songs heard in the film, rather than the plotline at hand. The villains busy themselves destroying all the timber in a government forest preserve. When Autry steps in to stop the bad guys, they cook up a frame by accusing him of poisoning cattle. Jimmy Lloyd co-stars as an aviator who figures prominently in the action-packed finale. Autry's leading lady this time out is Patricia White, who later gained prominence on TV as Patricia Barry. At 72 minutes, Riders of the Whistling Pines was one of the longest of Autry's Columbia efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Patricia White, (more)
- 1949
Although ostensibly the grand-son of the legendary hero, Clayton Moore's Ken Mason is little more than a cowboy in a black mask in this 12 chapter Republic serial. Mason, the head of the telegraph line work crew, assumes his ancestor's trade-mark mask (but not whip) in order to prevent a local czar (Roy Barcroft) from sabotaging the burgeoning telegraph line. Pamela Blake, a brunette starlet formerly known as Adele Pearce, played Mason's imperiled girlfriend, and the serial also benefitted from the usual competent work of Republic's great stunt-performers, including Dale van Sickel, Tom Steele, Eddie Parker, and Joe Yrigoyen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
The popular G-Men of the 1930s made a comeback in this action serial produced by Republic Pictures, starring television's future Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore. The serial, however, was not so much a showcase for the pleasant if lightweight Moore, but rather a welcome opportunity for the studio's most effective villain, the near-legendary Roy Barcroft, to strut his considerable stuff. Barcroft plays a notorious gangster who escapes from prison, and via plastic surgery, assumes the identity of the local police commissioner (also Barcroft), who he has kidnapped. The masquerade is so effective that government agents Moore and Ramsay Ames fail to catch on until the 12th and final chapter, logically entitled "Exposed." The serial was re-edited into a feature version entitled Code 645. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
Roy Rogers stars in the full-color Republic "special" The Far Frontier. This time, Roy deals with a plot to smuggle fugitive criminals into the U.S. Old reliable heavy Roy Barcroft plays Bart Carroll, the head bad guy, who'll mow down anyone--friend and foe alike--to avoid capture. Rogers has a score to settle with Carroll, who previously framed Roy's pal on a bank-robbery charge. Gail Davis, TV's Annie Oakley, plays Rogers' romantic interest, while "Lone Ranger" Clayton Moore appears sans mask. Old reliables Trigger, Andy Devine, and Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage round out the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Gail Davis, (more)
- 1948
In a season that also saw him as The Denver Kid (1948) and The Sheriff of Wichita, Republic's Allan Lane, still carrying the nickname of "Rocky," became marshal of the title's rough-and-tumble Texas location. Marshal Lane comes to the aid of a group of stagecoach passengers stranded at the spooky Halfway House after driver Ben Dolan (Roy Barcroft crashed the stage in an attempt to outrun a masked gunman. Prospector Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller) realizes that the Halfway House may not be your average hostelry when the night clerk (Denver Pyle) keeps up a lengthy conversation with a non-existent porter named George. After discovering the body of fellow passenger Hiram Short (Charles Williams), Marshal Lane and Nugget become even more mystified when the manager of the place, Welsh (Trevor Bardette), announces that he employs no night clerk and that the only guest in residence is cranky Mrs. Pettigrew (Minerva Urecal). Yet another stranded passenger, Underwood (Tom Chatterton), has vanished into thin air, his room now used for storage. Dolan, the stage driver, also meets with sudden death and the missing Underwood's pretty daughter Marjorie (Mildred Coles) informs Lane that her father was carrying $50,000 on his person, money earmarked for buying a ranch. Arriving to the inn late at night, Marjorie is also served by the spooky night clerk, who offers to take her to see her father. The plot thickens and Marshal Lane realizes that Underwood has been kidnapped for his money. After all the mysterious goings-on have been unmakes as fake, the murder/kidnapper is caught in a dramatic chase between stagecoaches, a chase that ends in a raging river. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1948
Yet another Hollywood whitewash of a gang of legendary lawbreakers, this oater starred future Lone Ranger Clayton Moore and Steven Darrell in a 13 chapter depiction of how the brothers left lives of crime to become law-abiding prospectors. Opposing this sudden change of heart is a gang of villains headed by the mustachioed George J. Lewis. Noel Neill, of Superman fame, provided feminine charms to the proceedings, which were co-directed by genre specialist Fred C. Brannon and legendary stunt expert Yakima Canutt. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1947
- Add Jesse James Rides Again [Serial] to Queue Add Jesse James Rides Again [Serial] to top of Queue
Clayton Moore stars as Jesse James in this Western serial, in which the notorious outlaw attempts to leave behind the criminal life. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1947
The restful hues of the Trucolor process add to the overall entertainment value of Republic's Along the Oregon Trail. Singing cowboy Monte Hale plays a contemporary of Kit Carson (Forrest Taylor) who, at Carson's request, guides a party of frontiersmen through the wilds of Oregon. Danger looms in the form of despotic Gregg Thurston (Clayton Moore, who later switched to law and order as TV's Lone Ranger), who wants to create his own western empire in Oregon and doesn't cotton to strangers. Thurston and his chief henchmen Stoner (Roy Barcroft) smuggle guns to the Indians, hoping to spark an uprising that will wipe out Hale and his confreres. But our hero prevails, with time left over for a couple of songs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Monte Hale, Adrian Booth, (more)
- 1946
In the tradition of several of the Gene Autry vehicles of the 1930s, Roy Rogers' Helldorado is built around a real-life frontier celebration. In this instance, the story is set against the backdrop of Las Vegas' annual "Heldorado Week", at which time the Old West came to life in the form of costumed revellers, equine parades and pre-rehearsed stagecoach holdups and bank robberies. Arriving in Las Vegas to participate in the festivities, Roy Rogers ends up crossing six-guns with a gang of gamblers who've been delinquent in their income tax. Gee, if Roy had stuck around a bit longer, he could have shot it out with Bugsy Siegel (or Bugsy's Godfather counterpart Moe Green!) Rogers' perennial costar (and later wife) Dale Evans costars as a female sleuth who gets in over her head when she tries to capture the gamblers herself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1946
Andrew Stone's The Bachelor's Daughters has much of the nonsensical breeziness of Stone's earlier screwball comedy Hi Diddle Diddle; the stylistic link between the two properties is emphasized by the presence in both films of stars Adolphe Menjou and Billie Burke. The title characters are four merrily mercenary salesgirls: Eileen (Gail Russell), Terry (Ann Dvorak), Marta (Jane Wyatt) and Cynthia (Claire Trevor). Persuading distinguished-looking floorwalker Mr. Moody (Menjou) and shop assistant Molly (Burke) to pose as their wealthy parents, the girls rent a lavish Long Island mansion and pretend to be heiresses, for the express purpose of landing rich husbands. Eileen catches millionaire Bruce Farrington (John Whitney), Terry goes after Broadway impresario Diane (Russell Hicks), and Marta ends up with Schuyler Johson (played by famed concert pianist Eugene List), son of the owner of the store where she works. Only Cynthia fails in her mission, but there's still hope for her yet at the finale. In the process of snaring their mates, the bachelor's daughters learn the hard way that (all together now) Money Isn't Everything, while middle-aged Moody and Molly find true love without a price tag attached. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gail Russell, Claire Trevor, (more)
- 1942
Director William Witney puts his distinctive stamp on the Don "Red" Barry western Outlaws of Pine Ridge by opening the picture with a body sailing through the plate-glass window of a frontier saloon. Barry stars as gun-slingin' Chips Barrett, who makes it his mission in life to prevent the inaccurately nicknamed Honest John Hollister (Noah Beery Sr.) from becoming territorial governor. Complicating things is the fact that Chips is in love with Honest John's daughter Ann (Lynn Merrick, perennial heroine in the Republic "Red" Barry vehicles). In between a multitude of barroom brawls and shootouts, Emmett Lynn provides genuinely funny comedy relief as a desert rat named Jackpot McGraw. Outlaws of Pine Ridge got the 1942-43 season of Barry westerns off to a rousing start. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Lynn Merrick, (more)
- 1942
Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge) leads an expedition into the most remote part of the Libyan desert in search of her father, Professor Henry Gordon (Robert Strange), who disappeared while seeking out the long-lost golden tablets of Hippocrates. The tablets, among other attributes, are reputed to contain the cures for any number of deadly diseases that still plague mankind. Nyoka and her father are the only two people in the world who can translate the papyrus giving directions to the hiding place of the tablets. Her allies in her search include: Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore), a young physician; Torrini (Tristram Coffin), an Italian adventurer; Professor Campbell (Forbes Murray), a colleague of her father's; and Red Davis (Billy Benedict), their driver. Opposing them is Vultura (Lorna Gray), the leader of a deadly desert cult, who regard the tablets as sacred and will do anything -- including committing murder -- to prevent their discovery and removal. Aided by her ally, Cassib (Charles B. Middleton), and the Taureg tribesmen, Vultura and her cultists lay all manner of deadly traps, involving everything from burning pits of fire and tunnels filled with hurricane-like winds to just plain getting crushed by the embrace of Vultura's trained gorilla, Satan (Emil Van Horn). Meanwhile, Nyoka and her expedition also face the danger of treachery from within. Nyoka must first secure the papyrus and avenge the murder of Major Reynolds in the opening chapter, and then get past the opposing Taureg tribesmen -- and little does she realize that the leader of the Tauregs is far closer to her than she ever could have guessed. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- 1941
Its sophisticated title notwithstanding, Tuxedo Junction is another heap o' cornpone from hillbilly-music favorites The Weaver Brothers and Elviry. The plot has more substance than usual, with a group of tough young migrant workers trying to do their municipal duty by constructing a float for the annual Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California. Initially, the kids' leader Sock (Frankie Darro) was averse to such "sissy work", but he and the rest of the boys are won over by the enthusiasm and down-home goodness of the Weavers. Evidently an attempt by Republic Pictures to emulate the success of Monogram's "East Side Kids" films, Tuxedo Junction works better in the musical department. And yes, that gangly, darkly handsome young fellow playing nominal romantic lead Bill Bennett is future "Lone Ranger" Clayton Moore. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leon Weaver, June Weaver, (more)
- 1941
Hungarian actress Ilona Massey stars as an operative for the Axis in this slightly tongue-in-cheek wartime melodrama. She spends her working hours signalling secret messages to enemy U-boats. George Brent is the U.S. counterspy sent to track down the security leak. Brent's job is made doubly delicate when he falls in love with the seductive Massey. It is said that Ilona Massey never mastered the English language, and had to learn her lines phonetically; if true, why does she handle the funnier lines in International Lady so well? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Brent, Ilona Massey, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.