Lee Morgan Movies

In this horror movie, two people are marooned on a dark island inhabited by a mad count. His wife, a leper, is also crazy. They are cared for by a slave girl whose tongue was cut out by pirates. The stranded pair are captured and tortured by the count. Though they try, they cannot seem to escape. Soon the whole cast comes down with leprosy and dies. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Weird Ones combines the sci-fi genre with the equally popular soft-core erotica field. Mike Braden and Rudy Duran play a couple of press agents, specializing in furthering the career of naked (or nearly-naked) women. The two protagonists do their best to stem the activities of the Astronik, a space alien whose mission consists of torturing and murdering beautiful young ladies. To catch the Astronik, the agents use a phony extraterrestrial --a well-endowed girl -- as bait. Praise or blame for The Weird Ones can be lain on the doorstep of Pat Boyette, who produced, directed and wrote this sexploitationer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a millionaire discovers that he is going to lose half of his business if his missing brother isn't found to keep it out of the ruthless hands that want it, he sends the "last of the fast guns" out in search of him. Finding him won't be the hard thing for our gunfighter, however. Keeping him alive long enough to get back to the claim his share of the family business is going to be the tough part. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

This historical adventure recounts the many exploits of the notorious Mexican bandit Pancho Villa as he evolves from a womanizing thief to a passionate leader of the Mexican revolution. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

With this film, the final American-produced motion picture serial, the once so powerful genre went out with a whimper. Starring a couple of nonentities -- Lee Roberts, a former bit-part player, and Dennis Moore, who had the dubious honor of also starring in the penultimate serial, Perils of the Wilderness (1956) -- the serial was produced by the notorious Sam Katzman and thus consisted mainly of overused stock footage with a few new scenes added for good measure. Roberts and Moore played an army scout and a pony express rider who come to the aid of settlers terrorized by a greedy rancher-turned-outlaw. If nothing else, the last American action serial offered brief employment for several veterans of the genre, including Reed Howes, Kermit Maynard, Al Ferguson, Harry Tenbrook, and the ever popular Bud Osborne. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Man Behind the Gun is a standard-issue Randolph Scott western elevated by good performances and exciting action sequences. Scott plays Callicut, newly arrived in the bustling mid-19th century metropolis of Los Angeles. Outwardly just another soldier of fortune, Callicut is actually an undercover agent for the government, sent to LA to investigate a covert organization that hopes to make Southern California a separate state. When he finds the time, he romances schoolteacher Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore), whose life he'd previously saved during a stagecoach holdup. Callicut's rival for Lora's attentions is Roy Giles (Philip Carey), a hotheaded Army captain who may be in on the secessionist movement. Once Callicut finds out who's behind the movement, all hell breaks loose. Robert Cabal makes a brief appearance in Man Behind the Gun as a supposedly harmless Latino who turns out to be firebrand desperado Joaquin Murietta. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Produced in Arizona, this very low-budget Western starred Walter Wayne as a law-abiding citizen helping to get his neighbor (Steve Raines) out of the hoosegow. The latter, however, repays the gesture by giving shelter to Lee Morgan and his gang of rustlers. Veteran silent screen producer Lester F. Scott Jr., who may or may not have been behind this little oater as well, played a bit part as one of Morgan's henchmen. "Shug" Fisher, billed here as Leroy Fisher, provided comedy relief. Border Fence was distributed by Poverty Row company Astor Pictures Corp. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

John Wayne stars as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke, whose devotion to duty has cost him his marriage to his beloved Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara). Yorke gets word that his son, Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.) -- whom he hasn't seen in 15 years -- has been dropped as a cadet from West Point, and that he lied about his age to enlist in the cavalry, in an effort to redeem himself. By chance, the boy is then assigned to his father's post. Once more, as a function of his duty as a cavalry officer, Yorke must sacrifice his love of family -- he cannot show any preferential treatment to the boy, or exhibit any sign of love and affection. But Jeff is too strong to be injured by his father's actions, and already enough of a man that he is befriended by two older recruits, troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey Jr.), who watch out for him while taking him in as a virtual equal. Yorke's resolve is further tested when his estranged wife, Kathleen, arrives at the post, the better to look after her son -- and possibly to buy back the boy's enlistment, which Yorke, as commanding officer in a remote post with a critical shortage of men, can't and won't permit. After an attack by the Apaches, Yorke orders the post's women and children to be moved to safety, and Jeff is assigned as part of the troop conducting the caravan, despite his wish to participate in the planned action against the Apaches. The caravan is attacked, and the wagon with the children is taken by the Apaches to their encampment in a deserted village across the Rio Grande in Mexico. Yorke has been given permission by General Sheridan (J. Carrol Naish) to take his men into Mexico in pursuit of the Apaches, but the punitive expedition is now a rescue mission, as the Indians' night-time vengeance dance is the prelude to certain slaughter of the children at daybreak. As part of the mission, it's up to Tyree, the slyest man in the troop, to infiltrate the enemy camp, and he chooses Jeff and Boone as the two men he wants with him on this dangerous mission. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Jim Bannon is back as enduring cowboy hero Red Ryder in Eagle-Lion's Roll, Thunder, Roll. As ever, Ryder's cohorts are Little Beaver and the Duchess, here played by "Little Brown Jug" (aka Don Kay Reynolds) and Marin Sais. This time, Ryder tries to prove that a series of cattle raids and ranch fires were not the handiwork of masked Mexican do-gooder El Conejo (I. Stanford Jolley). One of the genuine villains is played by Glenn Strange, a year or so after his impersonation of The Monster in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. While Jim Bannon's "Red Ryder" films made money, there were many "B"- western aficionados who felt that Bannon was an inadequate sub for previous screen "Ryders" Don Barry and Allan Lane; the late film-historian Don Miller suggested that Roll, Thunder Roll should have been renamed Stop, Bannon, Stop. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although technically crude, Stage to Mesa City, an entry in PRC's "The Cheyenne Kid" series, was a great favorite with the small fries when unceremoniously dumped on theaters in February of 1948. Al "Lash" LaRue once again played the black-clad, whip-wielding hero who, along with sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), comes to the aid of troubled stagecoach proprietor John Watson (Steve Clark). Watson, who has been forced to sell his ranch in order to keep the stages running and win a valuable mail contract, is opposed by Baxter (Marshall Reed), a crooked lawyer working for the mysterious "The Boss." When Watson is found murdered, his grown children, Margie (Jennifer Holt) and Bob (Brad Slavin), assign Marshals Cheyenne Davis and Fuzzy to catch his killer and unmask the mysterious "The Boss." Needless to say, the latter proves to be the least likely candidate and is therefore easy to spot for any armchair detective in the audience. Stage to Mesa City was remade in 1951 as Stage to Blue River, this time starring the less than enthralling Whip Wilson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Singing cowboy Eddie Dean and sidekick Soapy (Roscoe Ates) come to the aid of novice cattle rancher Ann Howard (Phyllis Planchard) and her juvenile delinquent brother Tom (Steve Drake). Unhappy about the move West from Chicago, the latter forges Ann's signature on the deed to their ranch, which he then plans to sell to Larson (Bob Duncan), the local saloon proprietor turned crooked sheriff. But unbeknownst to Ann and Tom, the ranch is located right on a silver deposit that will make its owner rich. An undercover government agent, Eddie not only makes sure that Larson is punished but also teaches young Tom the honest Western way of life. When not fighting and shooting, Dean, accompanied by Andy Parker & the Plainsmen, performs "Cathy," "It's Courtin' Time," and "When Shorty Plays the Schottische," the latter a rather festive polka. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

At least 10 percent of the 58-minute Eddie Dean western Shadow Valley is comprised of stock shots from earlier Dean oaters. This time, the star plays as U.S. marshal who comes to the rescue of the standard damsel in distress (Jennifer Holt, sister of Tim and daughter of Jack). The double-dyed villain (George Cheseboro) is a crooked lawyer (and former train robber) who wants to lay claim to the heroine's ranch. What the lawyer knows, but the girl doesn't, is that the land is rich with gold. Roscoe Ates goes through his usual wheezy stuttering routines as Eddie Dean's sidekick Soapy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Whip-wielding westerner Lash LaRue closes out his 1947 schedule with Cheyenne Takes Over. Once again teamed with comical sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), the Cheyenne Kid (LaRue) investigates the murder of a prosperous rancher. The audience knows that PRC's all-purpose villain George Cheseboro is the culprit, and so does saloon owner Fay (Nancy Gates). Intimidated into silence by the bad guys, Fay turns to Cheyenne and Fuzzy for help. Surprisingly, Lash LaRue lays his legendary bullwhip aside in the last reel, preferring to use his fists to bring the criminals to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi