Eva Puig Movies

In this western, a Native American boy and his horse Wild Beauty make friends with a gentle doctor who helps the boy save his beloved steed from the cruel industrialist who has been slaughtering horses and using their hides for making shoes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After several years' dormancy, the "Cisco Kid" western-film series returned to the screen with Monogram's The Cisco Kid Returns. Duncan Renaldo, actually Rumanian, starred as the Mexican "Robin Hood of the Old West", with Martin Garralaga as his corpulent sidekick Pancho. In the tradition of 20th Century-Fox's earlier "Cisco" efforts, our hero comes to the aid of an orphaned child, clears himself of a kidnapping charge, and proves that a "solid citizen" is in fact a criminal mastermind. After a trio of Cisco Kid films, Renaldo left the series, to be replaced by Gilbert Roland; but when time came in 1950 for a Cisco Kid TV series, Renaldo was back in the saddle again, this time with Leo Carrillo as Pancho. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Henry King's adaptation of John Hersey's novel is a faithful telling of the story of Major Joppolo (John Hodiak), who is assigned to administrate the Sicilian town of Adano after World War II and attempts to return it to its pre-war tranquility. His initial actions include feeding and clothing the villagers, who have been left starved and destitute by the ravages of the war, and preventing the hanging of its former mayor, a Mussolini supporter, although he makes clear that any hints of Fascism will not be tolerated. Suspicious at first, the villagers finally come to trust Joppolo when he works to reclaim the town bell, stolen from the city hall and a symbol of its identity. Gene Tierney plays the fisherman's daughter that Joppolo falls for, while William Bendix is his compassionate orderly and assistant. A Bell For Adano is a low-key look at the effects of war that builds to a quietly powerful conclusion. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Undercover Man was the first of the "Hopalong Cassidy" series to be released by United Artists rather than Paramount. William Boyd and Andy Clyde return as saddle pals Hoppy and California, while Jay Kirby is cast as their partner-in-adventure Breezy. This time, Hoppy and company take on a gang of outlaws who've been plying their trade on both sides of the US-Mexican border. The plot is thickened by the presence of a mysterious masked rider who's been impersonating both Cassidy and Mexican police official Gonzalez (Antonio Moreno). Most of Undercover Man is an advertisement on behalf of the "good neighbor" policy promoted between North and South America during the War years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM's Rio Rita is an in-name-only remake of the 1929 RKO Radio musical blockbuster, itself based on the long-running Ziegfeld Broadway extravaganza. Bud Abbott & Lou Costello take over from the original film's Burt Wheeler & Robert Woolsey as the comedy leads, while Kathryn Grayson (in her first picture) and John Carroll replace the 1929 version's Bebe Daniels and John Boles. The original plot about an elusive bandit chieftan called the Kinkajou has been jettisoned in favor of an updated melange involving radio broadcasts and Nazi saboteurs. Abbott and Costello are cast as Doc and Wishy, two pet-store employees stranded in Texas. Hoping to return to New York, our heroes stow away in the trunk of the car owned by radio star Ricardo Montera (John Carroll), only to discover that Ricardo is on his way to his home town near the Hotel Vista del Rio, there to renew his acquaintance with childhood sweetheart Rita Winslow (Kathryn Grayson). Unbeknownst to Rita, her ranch become the headquarters for a nest of German spies, headed by hotel manager Craindall (Tom Conway), who've hidden their miniature shortwave radios in a crate of apples. Thanks to well-meaning Wishy, the message-receiving fruit is ingested by dogs and donkeys, leading to an unending stream of "talking animal" gags. Given jobs on the ranch, Wishy and Doc quickly run afoul of the Nazis, but Wishy saves the day with a bit of uncharacteristic quick thinking involving the local Texas Rangers. Only a few traces of the original Rio Rita remain, including two songs and the classic Wheeler - Woolsey "drunk" routine. The new songs by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg are pleasant if unmemorable, attractively performed by Kathryn Grayson and John Carroll. When all is said and done, the film's greatest strength is Abbott & Costello, making the first of three visits to MGM. Highlights include such verbal exchanges as "Pike's Peak" and "Bet you ten dollars you're not there", and a handful of well-crafted slapstick routines involving an auto turntable, a gigantic washing machine and an elusive time bomb. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Cisco Kid rides again, this time in the person of Cesar Romero. Cisco and Pancho (Chris-Pin Martin) come to the aid of proud but ageing cattle king Pedro de Cordoba. Posing as deCordoba's nephew, our hero snoops around in search of those who'd do the old man dirt. The villain turns out to be a close relative of hitherto spotless reputation. We won't reveal the ending of Romance of the Rio Grande, though we'll plant a few hints by noting that the cast includes Patricia Morison, Ricardo Cortez, Trevor Bardette and Tom London. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This remake of Dangerous is set in Singapore and chronicles the exploits of a woman who believes herself cursed. To recover, she is taken to the rubber plantation of a handsome young man. There she finds true happiness and love. Suddenly, her abusive ex-husband shows up. She had thought him dead, and his presence terrifies her. Fortunately an auto accident takes care of him and she can resume her happy life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location at Mesa, AZ, this minor Paramount western featured newcomer Ellen Drew as "Slats" Dangerfield, a young girl returning to her grandmother's ranch in Texas. Old Mrs. Dangerfield (May Robson) is experiencing a rash of cattle rustlings and, fed up with her no-good grandson Carter's (John Miljan) handling of the emergency, she contacts an old beau, Ranger Captain Ben Cadwallader (Charley Grapewin) of the Texas Rangers. Cadwallader assigns young Ranger Jim Kingston (John Howard) to infiltrate the gang, which the stalwart young man does with the expected results. Do "Slats" and Jim fall in love despite her initial dislike of the ranger? And does Mrs. Dangerfield's unsympathetic grandson Carter turn out to be in cahoots with the rustlers? Although not a direct sequel, this well-apportioned B-Western was obviously produced to capitalize on the popularity of the studio's 1936 The Texas Rangers. Robert Ryan, in his fourth film, appears in an unbilled bit part. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. De Mille directed this lavish all-star spectacular paying tribute to America's neighbors to the North. In 1885, as Louis Riel (Francis J. McDonald) tries to organize Indians and French settlers into a fighting force that will battle against the ruling British, Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper) arrives in Canada to arrest Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft), one of Riel's associates who is wanted for murder in the U.S. Rivers promptly falls for nurse April Logan (Madeleine Carroll), which triggers jealously in the straightlaced Mountie sergeant Jim Brett (Preston S. Foster), who is also in love with April. Meanwhile, April's brother, Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston), also a member of the North West Mounted Police, is in love with Louvette (Paulette Goddard), Corbeau's sister and a fiery "half-breed" who lives among the Indians. When Dusty arrives in Canada, he joins forces with the mounties, who are looking for Corbeau on another murder charge, and soon joins the fight against Riel's rebel factions. De Mille imported 300 pine trees for his "forest" set, believing that a woods created on the controlled environment of a soundstage would look more "real" onscreen than location shooting in Canada. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide