Jack Rockwell Movies

Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) once again embarks on a mild romance with a mature woman in this average Western filmed at Lone Pine, CA. The woman in question is one Mary Joyce (Charlotte Wynters), who calls herself a widow. But there is a husband lurking in the background, Smokey Bob Joslin (Russell Hopton), an escaped jailbird Mary would rather forget. Joslin is in cahoots with a gang of cattle rustlers and it is up to Hoppy and his two sidekicks, Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) and Windy (George "Gabby" Hayes), to take care of business before Mary's young son, Joey (Sonny Bupp), learns the demoralizing truth about his ne'er-do-well father. As a nod to the then so popular singing cowboy Westerns, Renegade Trail features two songs, "Lazy Rolls the Rio Grande" and "Hi That, Stranger," both written by Foster Carling and Phil Ohlman and performed by Eddie Dean and the King's Men quartet. This was the final Hopalong Cassidy entry to feature George "Gabby" Hayes, who left the series over a contract dispute. Hayes was eventually replaced with veteran slapstick comic Andy Clyde. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Charles Starrett plays two-fisted frontiersman Dart Collins in this slick Columbia "B" western. Collins wants to find out who's behind a series of gold-shipment robberies. So does heroine Judy Garfield (Iris Meredith), whose stage transport business faces foreclosure if the holdups continue. It comes as no surprise that the crimes are being orchestrated by the very people who want to force Judy out of business. Periodically interrupting the action are the musical interpolations of the Sons of the Pioneers. Outlaws of the Prairie established the Charles Starrett series' on-screen "family": hero Starrett, heroine Iris Meredith, patriarch Edward J. LeSaint, villains Dick Curtis and Norman Willis, and hangers-on Edmund Cobb, Art Mix and Hank Bell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Roy Rogers starrer is set in motion by a range war between ex-partners Brower (William Farnum) and Jackson (Stanley Andrews). Adding to Brower's headaches is the fact that Jackson is a crook who's not above stealing cattle to suit his purposes. When Jackson manages to frame Brower on a trumped-up criminal charge, that's when hero Rogers swings into action. Roy's leading lady this time out is Lynne Roberts, herein billed as Mary Hart, reportedly because Republic wanted its own "Rogers and Hart" team. The 1944 Warner Bros. musical Shine on Harvest Moon bears no relation to this 1939 Republic oater. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The oft-filmed Zane Grey story The Mysterious Rider was given another go-round by Paramount Pictures in 1938. Produced by Harry Sherman of "Hopalong Cassidy" fame, the film bestows top billing upon stalwart supporting actor Douglass Dumbrille. Usually cast as a villain, Dumbrille is here seen in a sympathetic role as "good bad man" Pecos Bill, who turned to a life of crime after being falsely accused of murder. In the company of his comic sidekick Frosty (Sidney Toler), Pecos chances arrest by returning to his home town to visit his grown daughter Collie (Charlotte Field). He discovers that Collie is about to enter into a loveless marriage Jack (Weldon Heyburn), the shiftless son of Pecos' former foreman Bellounds (Stanley Andrews), who seems to be in cahoots with an cattle-rustling gang headed by Folsom (Monte Blue). In rapid succession, Pecos ends Folsom's criminal activities, clears the name of his old friend Bellounds, and plays matchmaker for Collie and the boy she really cares about, young Wils (Russell Hayden). To long and expensive to qualify as a mere B picture, Mysterious Rider is one of the best of Paramount's late-1930s "Zane Grey" series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Charles Starrett western was directed by Sam Nelson and costarred Iris Meredith, Dick Curtis, Edward LeSaint, Edmund Cobb, Art Mix, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers. Since the same could be said for practically every other Charles Starrett western released in 1938, it would take a truly dedicated movie buff to tell the films apart. The story, involving cattle rustlers, is likewise interchangeable. Even so, Starrett approaches the material at hand as it if were for the first time, delivering the goods and more in the fast-gun and fisticuffs department. Billed fourth in West of Cheyenne is Pat Brady, who would go on to greater fame in the Roy Rogers films and TV series of the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Just before going on a brief one-man strike for better wages, Gene Autry starred in the Republic musical western Prairie Moon. In this one, a trio of tough Chicago orphans are relocated to the Wild West and ensconsed in their late uncle's ranch. The three street punks-Brains (Tommy Ryan), Nails (Walter Tetley) and Slick (David Gorcey)-are the sons of Chicago gangster who was put "on the spot" while hiding out at the ranch. With Autry's help, the kids learn to assimilate themselves to the Wide Open Spaces, and even manage to break up a gang of cowboy racketeers. Shirley Deane, late of 20th Century-Fox's "Jones Family" series, is an appealing heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Directed by Universal hack George WaGGner (yes, he insisted on being billed this strange way), Guilty Trails was the fifth of 12 Bob Baker singing Westerns produced by Universal from 1937 to 1939. Baker played Bob Higgins, a lawman who hangs up his badge after shooting Dan Lawson (Forrest Taylor), the suspect in a bank robbery. He later takes a job on the Lazy D Ranch, where he falls in love with the new owner, Jackie (Marjorie Reynolds). The girl proves to be Dan Lawson's daughter and leaves him after learning of his true identity. Bob, meanwhile, has discovered that the real culprit of both the bank heist and old man Lawson's murder is none other than banker Brad Eason (Jack Rockwell) himself. Eason attempts to flee with his loot but is caught by Bob, who is reunited with Jackie. Although general purpose Western player Hal Taliaferro (formerly Wally Wales) made a surprisingly effective comic sidekick and Marjorie Reynolds a fetching heroine, Guilty Trails suffered from Baker's complete lack of charisma. Such songs as "The Song of the Trail," "There's a Ring Around the Moon," and "Give Me a Home on the Prairie" (all by regular Baker contributor Fleming Allan) did nothing to endear the star to his target audience, the small fry, and by 1939 he was reduced to playing second fiddle to Johnny Mack Brown. Guilty Trails was written by director WaGGner under the pseudonym of "Joseph West." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Black Bandit stars Bob Baker, a singing cowboy whom Universal hoped would prove a worthy competitor to Republic's Gene Autry. We are treated to a double dose of Baker in this one: he plays twin brothers, separated at birth. Need we add that one of the Bakers grows up on the right side of the law, while the other one becomes an outlaw? Ere the final fade-out, the twins unite in a common cause: the eradication of villains Jack Rockwell and Glenn Strange. Marjorie Reynolds, a few years shy of her prominence at Paramount Pictures, is the leading lady. One minor gaffe in Black Bandit: during the inevitable fistfight between the good and bad twin, the man doubling for the trim 'n' slim Bob Baker has a rather sizeable gut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The third entry in a series of 22 Jack Randall Westerns, Stars Over Arizona was the last to be directed by the veteran Robert North Bradbury. Apparently losing confidence in the Randall vehicles early on, Monogram producer Maurice Conn would henceforth assign Randall lesser talents such as J.P. McGowan, Robert Hill, and Raymond K. Johnson. Randall played Jack Dawson, a government agent assigned to return the kidnapped son of Arizona's governor. The kidnapper proves to be Ace Carter (Warner Richmond), a nasty cattle rustler operating out of Tuba City, AZ, and the governor sends enforcement consisting of four former convicts who all owe Jack their lives. Although one of the convicts betrays him, Jack manages to rescue the kidnapped youngster (Sherry Tansey) and bring Carter and his gang to justice. Randall's sidekick, Grizzley, played earlier by George Cooper, was here portrayed by weatherbeaten Horace Murphy, an appealing comic character actor. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A courageous Texas Ranger leaves his job to mediate a violent, long-standing dispute between his family and that of his sweetheart. When, his investigations reveal that there is a third party of troublemakers involved, he gallops off to stop them and restore the peace. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

With the increasing popularity of Republic's sagebrush crooner Gene Autry), rival company Columbia found it necessary to add a musical element to this Charles Starrett Western released in early 1937. As Starrett himself was no singer, the studio hired Donald Grayson to warble Lonesome River, Out in the Cow Country and Pancho's Widow, all by Ned Washington and Sam H. Stept. Grayson played Slim, a tenderfoot learning the ropes on a cattle run from Texas to Dodge City. The teacher is foreman Steve Braddock (Starrett), but training is interrupted by the news that the stagecoach has been held up by the Dawson gang and that Marian Phillips (Marion Weldon) is missing. Saving the girl from her kidnappers, Steve discovers that her father, Kenyon (Russell Hicks) is in cahoots with the gang, Suspecting that the man may be blackmailed by Dawson (Al Bridge), Steve infiltrates the gang by impersonating an outlaw. But Dawson sees right through the masquerade and demands to have him killed. Fortunately, the sheriff's posse arrive at that very moment and Steve can soon resume his courtship of Marian. Dodge City Trail was the first of many Starrett Westerns in which the hero's name is "Steve." The moniker was considered a lucky omen and Starrett retained it when playing his most enduring character, that of "The Durango Kid." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

The "Hopalong Cassidy" series closed out 1937 with its 14th entry, Texas Trail. No surprises in the cast: William Boyd is Hoppy,George "Gabby" Hayes is Windy, and Russell Hayden is Lucky. This time the story takes place during the time of the Spanish American war, when the U.S. army was rounding up as many horses as possible. Hoppy and his pals are hired to deliver an equestrian shipment to the government, a task made difficult by a vicious gang of horse thieves. When things get too hot for our heroes, the Cavalry comes riding to the rescue (a particularly well-photographed sequence, courtesy of the talented Russell Harlan). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi