Jack Rockwell Movies

Cattlemen Robert Paige and Noah Beery Jr. run up against a shady syndicate, set up to squash the dealing between independent dealers and cattle buyers. Paige sets up his own exchange, in direct competition with cattle baron Thomas Gomez. He also falls in love with Anne Gwynne, daughter of a man killed by Gomez's top henchman Lon Chaney Jr. (billed misleadingly as "Chango the Mad Killer"). In the hands of Universal's resident serial director Ford Beebe, Frontier Badmen exudes an energetic pace that puts many an "A" picture to shame. Western fans were particularly gratified by the presence in the supporting cast of singing cowboy Tex Ritter and onetime silent-screen action star William Farnum. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set during the "man"power shortage of WW II, this low-budget western tells the story of a group of cowgirls hired by the government to stop rustlers from stealing a government contracted-ranchers' cattle. The brave ladies of the group call themselves the Women's Army of the Plains and run themselves as a military unit, using walkie-talkies to talk to cowboys so they can stop impending thefts. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A would-be Western epic soundly defeated by an almost nonexistent budget, West of Texas was the third of 22 "Texas Rangers" oaters released by Gower Gulch company PRC from 1942-1945 in an attempt to compete with Republic's The Three Mesqueteers and Monogram's "Rough Riders" and "Range Busters." Rangers Tex Wyatt (Dave "Tex" O'Brien) and Jim Steele (James Newill) arrive in Gabe's Crossing, NM, to capture Bent Yeager (Henry Hall), a rancher accused of sabotaging the progress of the railroad. As it turns out, railroad representative Bart Calloway (Robert Barron) and lawyer Conlon (Tom London) have falsified land surveys so it appears that Bent's property is on government land. Happily, the third ranger, Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson), is working undercover as a member of Calloway's gang and the villains are brought to justice within the allotted 58 minutes. In between chasing the bad guys, O'Brien and Newill warble their own "Whistle a Song," "El Lobo," and "Tired of Rambling." West of Texas was reissued in a 40-minute version by PRC's successor Eagle-Lion in 1947. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Starring the engaging Donald Barry (nicknamed, for obvious reasons, "Red"), this average Republic Western was filmed on-location at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, CA. Barry, a James Cagney look-alike, played a Pinkerton agent masquerading as a criminal in order to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters that is using wealthy widow Lucy Randall (Helen MacKellar) as a front. Arriving at the Dawson ranch, the gang's hideout, Red discovers that the counterfeiting ring is headed by J. Richard Spencer (Ian Keith), the innocent Mrs. Randall's attorney, and Dawson himself (Ted Adams). With assistance from girl reporter Lynn Parsons (Linda Johnson), Red bests the counterfeiters, discovering along the way that he is Mrs. Randall's long-lost son. Voted a top ten Western star by the Motion Picture Herald in 1942, 1943, and 1944, Barry usually benefited from good supporting casts, this time including the veteran Ian Keith and former stage star Helen MacKellar. Leading lady Linda Johnson replaced an ailing Lynn Merrick, Barry's usual co-star. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

In this western, a cowboy and his pals must stop outlaws from stealing a cache of gold ore. Action ensues, and they succeed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Son of Dracula represents a felicitious creative collaboration between director Robert Siodmak and his screenwriter-brother Curt. The story is set in the American south, where the mysterious Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) has recently taken up residence. Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), a student of the occult, is fascinated by Alucard, so much so that she agrees to become his wife. But when Katherine begins to look and act strangely, her former suitor Frank Stanley (Robert Paige) suspects that something's amiss. Assisted by town doctor Brewster (Frank Craven) and psychologist Laszlo (J. Edward Bromberg), Frank comes to the inescapable conclusion that Count Alucard is actually the dreaded vampire Count Dracula's offspring (this much he might have figured out simply by spelling the man's name backward!) To prevent Dracula from spreading his influence throughout America, Frank and his confreres race against time to destroy the count and, hopefully, rescue poor Katherine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Man from Cheyenne is Roy Rogers, who does his best to squash a gang of cattle rustlers. What Roy doesn't know is that the mastermind behind the gang is a beautiful woman, East Coast socialite Marian (Lynn Carver). Making Marian's job easier is the fact that all the local cattlemen are crazy about her, and have a tendency to tip off the times and locations of their impending cattle drives. But Rogers is not so easily flummoxed-after all, he's a government man. Man From Cheyenne was hailed at the time of its release as the film in which Roy Rogers received his first screen kiss, which was certainly not the case. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A courageous cowboy dons the guise of a Texas Ranger to keep murderous cattle rustlers from harming a beautiful young woman, the daughter of the dead lawman whose clothes he wears. This western follows his adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this western, guns blaze, fists fly, horses run, and justice prevails in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rawhide Rangers is a satisfyingly equitable blend of western action, music and comedy relief. The villains are a group of frontier businessmen who set up a "protective" organization for the purpose of extorting money from the local ranchers. Enter hero Johnny Mack Brown, who has arrived in town to avenge the death of his brother. In short order, Brown deduces that the crooked businessmen were also responsible for his brother's murder, and then all heck breaks loose. Nell O'Day, one of the best horsewomen in Hollywood, is cast as the film's eminently self-reliant heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Border Vigilantes was the 34th entry in the "Hopalong Cassidy" western series, with 32 more still on the way. William Boyd stars once more as black-clad champion of justice Hopalong Cassidy, while Andy Clyde and Russell Hayden tag along as California Carson and Lucky Jenkins. This time our heroes ride into a town bedevilled by outlaw raids, despite the existence of a local vigilante committee. Sensing that something's wrong with this set-up, Hoppy does a bit of digging and discovers that the outlaw chieftan is actually the head of the vigilantes (talk about conflict of interests!) The strong supporting cast includes Frances Gifford, Victor Jory, Morris Ankrum, and former cowboy stars Tom Tyler and Hal Taliaferro (aka Wally Wales). With Border Vigilantes, the series' assistant director Derwin Abrahams was promoted to the director's chair, with splendid results. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Pinto Kid was one of Charles Starrett's last "formula" westerns before he permanently assumed the screen guise of the Durango Kid. The story takes places just after the Civil War, with hostilities between Yanks and Rebels still in effect between Kansas and Texas. The villain, cattle rustler Vic Landreau (Paul Sutton), intends to play both factions down the middle for his own benefit. But Landreau meets his match in the form of wandering do-gooder Jud Calvert (Charles Starrett). The film is highlighted by a violent gun battle, in which, incredibly, nary a drop of blood is spilled. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi