Hal Price Movies
Sometimes he was Hal Price, other times he was Harry Price. Sometimes (in fact, much of the time) he wasn't billed at all. Whatever the case, Hal Price was one of the more ubiquitous performers in the field of B-Westerns and serials. He was the bald, mustachioed frontiersman who usually said something like, "We got a nice, quiet town here, stranger...and we aim to keep it that way." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1944
Range Law stars Johnny Mack Brown as "Nevada" and Raymond Hatton as "Sandy", the same characters they played in most of their mid-1940s Monogram westerns. This time, Nevada and Sandy, US marshals both, set out to collar some renegades who've been driving out the local ranchers. It's just possible that one of said ranchers is behind this land-grabbing scheme. The motive: the land is rich with silver. The formidable bad-guy lineup includes Jack Ingram, Stanley Price, and Lynton Brent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, (more)
Law Men is a typically austere entry in Johnny Mack Brown's Monogram western series. This one finds saddle pals Nevada (Brown) and Sandy (Raymond Hatton) working as undercover US marshals. Hoping to thwart a gang of stage robbers, Nevada joins the gang, while Sandy poses as a shoemaker in order to keep tabs on local gossip and heresay. Somewhere around reel five, Nevada is exposed as a lawman; and somewhere around reel six, he and Sandy round up the bad guys. Billed fourth in Law Men is orchestra leader Kirby Grant, later famous as TV's Sky King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, (more)
- 1944
This Johnny Mack Brown western once more teams its star with leathery Raymond Hatton. The boys are cast as U.S. marshals Nevada and Sandy, assigned to solve a series of frontier murders. The victims are all ranchers, with no apparent connection between the killings. To everyone's surprise but the audience, the mystery villain intends to scoop up all the local land for himself. Christine McIntyre, soon to become the Three Stooges' favorite leading lady, registers well in an unsympathetic role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, (more)
- 1943
In this western, Wild Bill and his assistant, try to learn why a young med school graduate is being spurned by the members of his own Native American tribe. The heroes learn that the clan's medicine man is a phony in cahoots with a corrupt Indian agent and that these two are working for a wicked rancher who has been polluting the local drinking water with his illegal irrigation project. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Gabby" Hayes, Anne Jeffreys, (more)
- 1943
Billy the Kid, in the person of former swimming champion Larry "Buster" Crabbe, is once again falsely accused of a crime in this low-budget oater from Poverty Row studio PRC. This time, the sheriff of Red Rock accuses the Kid (Karl Hackett) of terrorizing communities on the border to Mexico. Deciding to investigate the matter, Billy and sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) ride into Red Rock, where they stumble across a murdered deputy and a note claiming responsibility signed by "Billy the Kid." Following a couple of mysterious riders to a nearby cabin, Billy is surprised to learn that the leader of a gang of outlaws is a woman named Kate (Maxine Leslie). She agrees to let Billy join the gang provided that he robs the stagecoach. Jealous henchman Dillon (Jack Ingram) attempts to get rid of his new rival by secretly warning the sheriff, but our hero once again eludes the law and is soon holed up in a cabin with Kate. When the girl flatly refuses to abandon her life of crime, Billy warns the sheriff of an upcoming raid on the bank. The town erupts in gunfire and when the dust settles, Kate and her gang are on the run for their lives. In the end, a mortally wounded Kate shoots Dillon to prevent him from killing Billy. Fugitive of the Plains was reissued in 1947 as Raiders of Red Rock. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, 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
In this entry in the "Lone Wolf" series, the sleuth and former jewel thief, the Lone Wolf finds himself accused of killing a blackmailer in front of the three women he was harassing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Like most of Monogram's 1943 "Range Busters" westerns, Two-Fisted Justice was directed by Robert Tansey. In this outing, the three range-busting heroes are played by John "Dusty" King, Max "Alibi" Terhune and David Sharpe. Our heroic trio rides into the town of Dry Gulch, hoping to bring law and order to the community. This they do, but not before several pulse-pounding adventures, notably a wild runaway-stagecoach sequence. Gwen Gaze, a Universal serial heroine of the 1930s, fulfills the leading-lady obligations, while Max Terhune relies on his ventriloquism skills for laughs. The villain, as ever, is the swarthy Charles King, playing not "Blackie" but "Trigger" this time out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Sharpe, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1943
The Blocked Trail was one of six "Three Mesquiteers" westerns starring Bob Steele, Tom Tyler and Jimmy Dodd. Steele played Tucson Smith, Tyler was Stony Brooke, and Dodd (later famous as the head mousketeer on TV's Mickey Mouse Club) essayed the comedy-relief role of Lullaby Joslyn. The plot of this 6-reel sagebrusher was nothing out of the ordinary, save for a clever gimmick: a "seeing-eye" horse. When a miner is murdered, the dead man's horse is the only individual who can lead both heroes and villains to a hidden mine. Two more "Three Mesquiteers" oaters would be churned out by Republic Pictures before the studio retired the long-running (51 episode) series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
My Son, the Hero was a rare comedy from the PRC studio mills-and rarer still, it was directed by melodrama specialist Edgar G. Ulmer. Roscoe Karns plays a third-rate fight manager misleadingly known as Big Time. Justifiably proud of his war-correspondent son Michael (Joseph Allen Jr.), Big Time tries to measure up to his son's accomplishments by writing letters to the boy, claiming to be a wealthy businessman. When Michael comes home on furlough, Big Time panics, worrying that he'll be exposed as a fraud. But he hasn't taken into consideration his golden-hearted ex-wife Gerty (Patsy Kelly) and punchdrunk prizefighter Kid Slug (Maxie Rosenbloom), who help Big Time come off as a hero in the eyes of his son. My Son, the Hero represented Patsy Kelly's last film appearance until her comeback role in Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Kelly, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1943
This painfully cheap but wildly entertaining PRC production stars a hammy George Zucco in a dual role as the Clayton Twins -- both doctors, one good, one evil. Elwyn Clayton, a practitioner of the black arts, is murdered by his brother Lloyd and returns from the dead as a vampire to seek revenge with the aid of his leering, hunchbacked assistant (Dwight Frye -- who else?). He exacts his vengeance by brutally murdering Elwyn's associates, with all evidence pointing to the only living twin. Jungle Siren director Sam Newfield makes the most of the paltry budget, helped greatly by Zucco's typically flamboyant performance -- which threatens to out-camp even that of legendary eye-roller Frye (who would die of a heart attack some months after this film's completion). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Zucco, Mary Carlisle, (more)
- 1943
In this "Billy the Kid" series western, Billy (Buster Crabbe) is framed by an outlaw gang. Fortunately, state governor Arnold (Karl Hackett) is in Billy's corner, and surreptitiously helps Our Hero prove his innocence and bring the crooks to heel. But he'd better hurry: part of the bad guys' frame involves the kidnapping of Mary (Marjorie Manners), the governor's daughter. Al St. John as usual provides genuine laughs as Billy's sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. Though Buster Crabbe's PRC westerns were as a group pretty threadbare, Western Cyclone is definitely better than usual. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Marjorie Manners, (more)
- 1943
Inasmuch as western star Charles Starrett gained screen fame as the Robin Hood-like "Durango Kid", it stands to reason that Starrett would head the cast of Robin Hood of the Range. The star plays Steve Marlowe, the foster son of railroad manager Henry Marlowe (Kenneth McDonald). When it becomes apparent that the railroad is using underhanded methods to drive local homesteaders off their land, Steve adopts the guise of "The Vulcan", a legendary champion of justice. Of interest is the fact that the hero hasn't any "love interest"; the leading lady is Steve's sister, played by Kay Harris. The film's 54 minutes are fleshed out by the musical interludes of the Jimmy Wakely Trio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Arthur Hunnicutt, (more)
- 1943
In the tradition of Cowboy Commandos, the Range Busters (Ray Corrigan, Dennis Moore, and Max Terhune) take on Black Market Rustlers in this wartime western. The film's villains busy themselves by stealing cattle, then selling the meat on the black market for ridiculously exorbitant prices. The Cattlemen's Association hire our three heroes to put an end to this. It takes them only 54 minutes to do so, but it's a really tough 54 minutes. Featured in the cast was Evelyn Finley, one of the few western heroines who could really ride a horse-and ride it quite well at that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Dennis Moore, (more)
- 1942
Also known as Billy the Kid in Law and Order, this PRC sagebrusher stars Buster Crabbe as Billy "The Kid" Carson and Al St. John as Fuzzy Q. Jones. This time, Billy must impersonate a dead army lieutenant, in order to save the decedent's aunt (Sarah Padden) from marrying the villain of the piece (Charles King). It's a good thing that Billy not only looks like the late lieutenant, but sounds like him as well. Our hero does his job so well that he even manages to claim his lookalike's girlfriend (Wanda McKay) as his own. In England, Law and Order was shipped out as Double Alibi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe
Juilliard-educated former opera-singer George Houston once again played vigilante turned champion of justice Tom Cameron, known colloquially as "The Lone Rider," in this low-budget PRC series entry. Cameron comes to the aid of his friend, the sheriff of Big Horn (Dennis Moore), who's having trouble with a bandit (Carl Sepulveda) masquerading as the legendary outlaw Joaquin Murietta. Sepulveda has been hired by a saloon keeper (Glenn Strange) to scare the area's prospectors into selling or abandoning their claims. Leading lady Vicki Lester refuses to sell, and her house is promptly torched. Enter heroic Cameron, who in between warbling such tunes as "I'm the Best Man in the West" and "Down the Moonlit Trail," manages to put a stop to Strange's reign of terror. Al St. John was once again Houston's comic sidekick, Fuzzy Jones, and the Western also featured future singing cowboy Eddie Dean in a bit part. Lester had "appropriated" her screen moniker from Janet Gaynor's character in A Star Is Born (1937). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Music, gangster melodrama, and snappy newspaper comedy is blended into the usual Western shenanigans in this unusual Gene Autry vehicle filmed on-location at the Russell Ranch near Agoura Hills, CA. Autry, as always, plays himself, a singing star, with Smiley Burnette and Joe Strauch Jr. as sidekicks Frog and Tadpole Millhouse. The trio is visiting Pop Harrison's (Forrest Taylor) Wyoming dude ranch, where Pop's wastrel son, Tex (James Seay), is in trouble with the law. Tex is involved with one Mr. Crowley (George Gordon), who really a gangster named Luigi. Recognized by newspaper reporters Clem (Fay McKenzie) and Hack (Chick Chandler), Crowley and his men indulges in a bit of skullduggery and are the obvious suspects when Pop Harrison is shot. But as Gene discovers, the gangsters are merely red herrings, the real culprit being a person much closer to home. In between detective work and romancing the girl reporter, Autry finds time enough to warble six songs, including Irving Berlin's then very topical "Any Bonds Today?," the official anthem of U.S. Defense Bond campaign. Despite good performances by Fay McKenzie, the daughter of veteran B-Western personality Robert McKenzie, and the always welcome Chick Chandler, Home in Wyomin' was not wholly appreciated by Autry's legion of fans who wanted their star straight up. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1942
"Wild" Bill Elliot is the star of Prairie Gunsmoke. This time Elliot is paired with Tex Ritter, both of whom prove the bane of the bad guys' existence. It's fun to watch Ritter swing into action the moment he finishes singing, though Elliot may not have been overly pleased at sharing the spotlight. The leading lady is Virginia Carroll, one of Hollywood's best horsewomen. Prairie Gunsmoke was Elliot's final Columbia release for the 1941-42 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
A Federal agent masquerades as a horse trader in order to bring outlaw terrorists to justice in this western. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
In this western, a frontier detective disguised as an entertainer performs for the leader of an outlaw gang. At the same time, he learns the whereabouts of the outlaws' hideout. Unfortunately, his true identity is revealed and he must escape if he is to bring the gang to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Just before entering the armed services, Gene Autry delivered one of his best Republic westerns, Cowboy Serenade. Many of Autry's previous vehicles had suffered from too much music and not enough action. Happily, Cowboy Serenade struck the happy medium common to Autry's vintage 1930s efforts. There's even time for a mystery angle as Autry tries to ascertain the identity of the head of a crooked gambling ring. Autry's leading lady this time out is Fay McKenzie, in real life the sister-in-law of comedian Billy Gilbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1942
Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" western series was in its fifth year of production when Raiders of the Range was released in March of 1942. In this one, the Mesquiteers are enacted by Bob Steele (as Tucson Smith), Tom Tyler (Stony Brooke) and Rufe Davis (Lullaby Joslin). Our heroes come to the aid of visionary Doc Higgins (Tom Chatterton), whose efforts to strike oil on his property and thus bring financial security to his community are constantly being undermined by the villains. The main culprit is saloon owner Sam Daggett (Frank Jacquet), who blackmails local wastrel Ned Foster (Dennis Moore) into doing his dirty work. But with the Mesquiteers around, Daggett doesn't have a snowball's chance in you-know-where of succeeding in his skullduggery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, (more)
- 1942
In this episode of the "Billy the Kid" series of westerns, outlaw Billy (Buster Crabbe) is mistakenly appointed Sage Valley's new sheriff. He likes the job and works hard to maintain order. Unfortunately his crooked twin brother, who runs a casino and is in hiding after a murder, wants to keep the town a haven for crooks. To do this, he masquerades as Billy and starts causing trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe
- 1942
Thunder River Feud is the latest adventure of "The Range Busters," aka Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. This time, the heroic trio come to the rescue of pretty rancher Maybelle (Jan Wiley), who is stuck in the middle of a deadly range war. Causing all the ruckus is villain Pembroke (Jack H. Holmes), who pits the cattlemen against the homesteaders in hopes of wiping out both factions for his own financial gain. The Range Busters quickly figure out what the bad guy is up to, and from then on in it's "Katy bar the door!" Somewhere along the line, John King gets to sing "What a Wonderful Day". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1942
Republic's ongoing professional association with the celebrated "Ice-Capades" skating show yielded a number of flashy but forgettable musicals, including 1942's Ice-Capades Revue. Though a plot is hardly necessary, the story concerns New England farm gal Ann (Ellen Drew), whose already-mounting debts are escalated when she inherits a near-bankrupt ice show. Her efforts to revivify this operation are regularly thwarted by a conniving promoter named Duke Baldwin (Harold Huber), who has already tied up all the best arenas for his own skating spectacular. But Baldwin's second-in-command Jeff (Richard Denning) falls in love with Ann and vows to see to it that her show will be staged, come heck or high water. Jerry Colonna goes through his customary zaniness as an eccentric would-be backer who turns out to be a phony, while Barbara Jo Allen again trots out her dizzy "Vera Vague" characterization. Foremost among the skating acts in Ice-Capades Revue is Vera Hruba Ralston, who'd later be elevated to leading-lady status at Republic by her ardent admirer (and future husband), studio president Herbert J. Yates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Drew, Richard Denning, (more)
