Jack O'Shea Movies

Filmed in two-toned Cinecolor, Romance of the West was the second of PRC's western vehicles for singing cowboy Eddie Dean. Our hero is cast as a government agent, bound and determined to prevent an Indian war. The villains are a gang of outlaws who are fomenting discord between the Indians and the white settlers for their own gain. The plan is to have both sides wipe each other out, so that the crooks can move in and claim the silver-rich land. Emmet Lynn, Dean's comedy relief, would be replaced in later entries by Roscoe Ates, all for the better. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Joseph Kane adapted his own story Diamond Carlisle for the screenplay of In Old Sacramento--the third film version of Kane's original tale. Bill Elliot stars as masked bandit Spanish Jack, who behaves as badly as he wishes with few of the usual redeeming features plaguing most cinema desperadoes. In fact, in the earlier film versions of Diamond Carlisle, Elliot's character was the villain! After numerous hairbreadth adventures, Elliot dies in the arms of loving saloon singer Constance Moore. Also released as Flame of Sacramento, this was the first of a long line of films in which onetime "B" cowboy star Bill Elliot would portray a new kind of "B" western hero--one who drank at any opportunity, took advantage of unarmed foes, and lived by his own personal code rather than the edicts of society. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A much celebrated bout between legendary prize-fighters Jim Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons becomes a hot issue in the Nevada community of Carson City in this above-average entry in Republic Pictures popular "Red Ryder" series. Leading citizen Molly McVey (Peggy Stewart) considers boxing to be a display of barbarism and does her utmost to have the fight cancelled. Red Ryder (Allan Lane), in contrast, permits Corbett (George Turner) and his manager Bill Delaney (Roscoe Karns) to use the Duchess's ranch as their headquarters. Our hero, however, almost comes to regret that decision when nearly ambushed by villainous Mckean (Roy Barcroft), who conspires to take off with the prize money. No sooner is McKean dispatched when Red finds himself kidnapped by a couple of ruffians hired by Molly, who still attempts to prevent the carnage. Molly, however, discovers her error and Red returns just in time to witness Corbett losing to Fitzsimmons (John Dehner). Supporting actor George Turner, who bears no resemblance to the real life Jim Corbett (1866-1933), later played the title role in the 1947 serial Son of Zorro. Coprbett, who had won the world heavyweight championship in 1892, did indeed lose the title to Fitzsimmons (1863-1917) in Carson City, NV, March 17, 1897. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Larry "Buster" Crabbe was billed "King of the Wild West" in this the final entry in PRC's ultra low-budget "Billy Carson" series. This time, Carson and sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) prevent a stage holdup, a crime organized by crooked land agent Vic Landreau (Jack O'Shea) in the mistaken belief that the coach was carrying cash earmarked for Devil's Gap rancher Jeff Barkley (Charles "Slim" Whitaker) to pay off the mortgage on his land. The plan thus having failed, Landreau has his henchman Hank Fowler (John L. Cason) frame Fuzzy in the murder of Barkley. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In his first starring role in several years, Robert Armstrong essays a dual role in Gangs of the Waterfront. Armstrong is seen as ruthless gangster Dutch Malone, who happens to be the exact double of mild-mannered taxidermist Peter Winkly. Hoping to avenge the death of his brother at Dutch's hands, Winkly poses as the gang boss, with the covert assistance of DA Brady (William Forrest). One of the curiouser bits of casting finds Martin Kosleck, usually seen in wartime films as Joseph Goebbels, as an Italian gangsters. Filmgoers with long memories would note that Gangs of the Waterfront bore a resemblance to the 1935 Edward G. Robinson vehicle The Whole Town's Talking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first of actor Sunset Carson and director Thomas Carr's collaborations, Santa Fe Saddlemates is about a U.S. marshal (Carson) attempting to break a diamond smuggling ring at the U.S./Mexican border. Accompanied by a female reporter (Linda Stirling), Carson has to pose as a bandit in order to infiltrate the criminals' inner-circle. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Johnny Hart (Rod Cameron) is on the run from the law after killing one of the men who shot his partner. He passes through a town and stops at a saloon owned by singer Lorena Dumont (Yvonne de Carlo). The two seem a good, albeit tempestuous match, although Johnny has no plans to marry -- Lorena has other ideas and a shotgun wedding ensues. Blackie (Sheldon Leonard), an outlaw who is jealous of the marriage, informs Lorena of Johnny's wanted status, and he ends up getting caught by the law after their wedding night. He serves six years and returns to find that he and Lorena don't get along any better than they did before, and that he's also the father of a five-year-old girl (Beverly Simmons). Also lurking about is Blackie, whom he recognizes as one of the men who killed his partner, and Blackie wants Johnny out of the way so he can marry Lorena. Johnny and Lorena fight over custody of their daughter and Blackie nearly gets them each killed at one point or another. He kidnaps their daughter before Johnny dispatches him. He finally realizes that the only way he can win Lorena is to meet her cup for cup and blow for blow, until she understands that he loves her. The film, a sort of Western Taming of the Shrew, ends on a note of romance and reconciliation. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Code of the Prairie was among the first of cowboy star Sunset Carson's vehicles for Republic Pictures. There is nothing extraordinary about the plot, in which Carson, wrongly accused of a crime, vanquishes the villains with a spectacular (and undoubled) display of fisticuffs. What is unusual is the billing. Comedy relief Smiley Burnette is actually billed above nominal leading man Sunset Carson, proof positive of Burnette's enormous popularity with western fans. Burnette's top-dog status in the Carson series would continue until 1945, when he left Republic to join Charles Starrett at Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's oil in them thar' hills and an unscrupulous oil company scout attempts to drive the settlers off their newly valuable land in this typical Red Ryder Western starring "the Peaceable Man" (William Elliott). Oil company representative Walter Garfield (LeRoy Mason) and his equally nefarious associate, Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange), manage to drive several ranchers away, but obstinate rancher Ben Taylor (Jack Kirk) is killed right in front of his daughter, Ann (Linda Stirling). When Red Ryder (Elliott), Ann's neighbor, becomes too nosy, Garfield sends for an old associate, gambler Johnny Bennett (aka the San Antonio Kid) (Duncan Renaldo), and charges him with killing the pesky rancher. The Kid is saved by Red when his horse bolts and they become friends. Although shocked that the newcomer is a notorious gambler, Red's aunt, the Duchess (Alice Fleming), hires him as a ranch hand and Johnny reveals Garfield's nefarious plan. Working together, Red and Johnny manage to trap Garfield and his henchmen and after a dramatic shootout, Red chases the villains to their hideout. A fight breaks out and a pool of oil is set on fire. Garfield is killed in the subsequent blaze and Hanlon is brought to justice. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In his third western for Republic Pictures, Allan Lane plays Tex Jordan, a cattle rancher en route to sell his stock to cattle baron Jack Hatfield (Roy Barcroft). But in the town of Sundown, our hero finds that the omnipotent Hatfield has been squeezing the small ranchers in general and Tex's friend Andy Craig (Jack Kirk) in particular. Andy, who threatens to blow the whistle on Hatfield's unfair business practices, is shot by persons unknown and Tex promises his dying friend to care for a young daughter, Little Jo (Twinkle Watts). Appealing the case to the governor (Herbert Rawlinson), Tex is made a special investigator but due to a lack of physical evidence, Hatfield continues his reign of terror almost unopposed. Until, that is, Tex and sidekick Chihuahua (Duncan Renaldo) concoct a plan to trap the evil empire builder. Sheriff of Sundown reunited Allan Lane with Linda Stirling, his co-star in the contemporary Republic serial The Tiger Woman (1944). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In his second starring Western, Republic's newest cowboy hero Allan Lane went up against Roy Barcroft, the studio's master villain. Lane plays Chick Weaver, a Treasury Department agent whose stagecoach is stopped at gunpoint by Dan (Bud Geary), a hired gun searching for a man named Redmond. As Chick learns in town, Dan is employed by saloon owner Black Jack Barstow (LeRoy Mason). The latter is in cahoots with yet another passenger from the stage, J. Rodney Stevens (Barcroft), head of the U.S. Silver Foundation, which Stevens admits to Barstow is a bogus operation to cheat the local miners out of their strikes, a plan that may be ruined by the mysterious Mr. Redmond. Redmond, of course, proves to be none other than Chick the treasury agent, who has been tracking Stevens all along. Working with another undercover agent, Throckmorton "Other Hand" Snodgrass (Wally Vernon), and local journalist Jessie Wade (Peggy Stewart), Chick gets the goods on both Stevens and Barstow, who are harshly dealt with in the final shootout. A good script and no-nonsense direction by Lesley Selander was almost sabotaged by sidekick Wally Vernon, whose New York accent was out of place in a B-Western, and the precocious Twinkle Watts -- Republic's less than successful answer to Shirley Temple and Jane Withers. Her presence in this and other Westerns was vehemently opposed by their target audience, the small fry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this convoluted western, a sickly cowboy sidekick gets into a terrible fix when he is mistaken for a notorious bank robber and tossed in the clink. There is a huge bounty on the villain's head, and the sheriff happily anticipates the arrival of that bounty on the next stage, unaware that the real crook is waiting in ambush to steal the money. Meanwhile the sidekick's heroic compadre convinces the sheriff that he has the wrong man. Unfortunately, the robbery takes place before they can free the sidekick. The sheriff and the hero ride off to capture the crook. Unfortunately, by this time, the villain has snuck into the jail and has exchanged places with his doppleganger so when the sheriff and the hero bring the outlaw into prison they once again have the wrong man. The hero is then left to try to figure out which of the look-a-likes is really his partner and save him before hanging day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide