Al St. John Movies
Gawky, loose-limbed Al St. John performed from childhood with his family in vaudeville and burlesque around his home state of California, perfecting an athletic bicycle act that would stand him in good stead for the remainder of his career. Despite his parents' misgivings about "the flickers," St. John was persuaded to enter films by the success of his uncle, Mack Sennett star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. St. John became a "Keystone Kop" in that famous congregation's very first film, The Bangville Police (1913), supported Charles Chaplin and Marie Dressler in the feature comedy Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), and then followed Arbuckle to Comique, where he and the young Buster Keaton functioned as "second bananas" to the hefty star. On his own, St. John starred in Educational comedies (one, The Iron Mule [1925], directed by his now disgraced uncle under the pseudonym of William Goodrich), all along developing his patented rube personality complete with oversized overalls and porkpie hat.St. John himself later claimed that a deal with the Fox company went sour and that he suddenly found himself more or less blacklisted by the major studios. He did appear in one of Roscoe Arbuckle's comeback shorts, Buzzin' Around (1933), but by the mid-'30s he seemed all washed up. To keep food (and, it was rumored, quite a bit of spirits) on the table, St. John switched gears and began pursuing a career in independently produced B-Westerns. He played a variety of characters, both major and minor, before almost accidentally stumbling over the particular role that would sustain him for the rest of his career and make him perhaps the favorite sidekick among kids -- that of the limber, baggy-pants braggart Fuzzy Q. Jones.
Poverty Row company Spectrum had originally intended for Melody of the Plains (1937) to co-star singer Fred Scott with Fuzzy Knight but he proved unavailable and the script was simply never changed. St. John became so popular in the role that, by 1940, he was playing Fuzzy in no less than three Western series simultaneously, PRC's Billy the Kid and Lone Rider programmers and Republic Pictures' Don "Red" Barry vehicles. He remained with the Billy the Kid/Billy Carson Westerns when star Bob Steele was replaced by Larry "Buster" Crabbe and was still Fuzzy Q. Jones in 1947 when Crabbe left in favor of Humphrey Bogart-lookalike Al "Lash" LaRue. In quite a few of these downright poverty-stricken potboilers, St. John provided the only glimmer of entertainment. As LaRue often remarked, "Fuzzy could stumble over a match stick and spend 15 exciting minutes looking for the match." In other words, kids didn't really go to see a Buster Crabbe or Lash LaRue Western, they went to see Fuzzy.
Al St. John was unique among B-Western sidekicks in that he actually carried his films rather than the easily disposable leading men. Both Crabbe and LaRue were well aware of that and remained steadfast in their praise for the diminutive performer. When the LaRue era finally ended with a short-lived television series, Lash of the West (1953), St. John returned to the boards and continued making personal appearances until his death from a heart attack. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This 60-minute pastiche of silent film footage is narrated by humorist Henry Morgan. While the producers clearly worship Buster Keaton, they are confined to public domain material, so many of Keaton's best efforts, notably Sherlock, Jr. and The Navigator, are absent. The clips from Keatons 1917-1919 apprenticeship with Fatty Arbuckle are interesting, though hardly representative. Old "stone face" even smiles and laughs in some of the Arbuckle pictures! Still, there's plenty of great material at hand, especially the lengthy excerpts from Cops (1922) and The General (1926). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
In this western, two Federal Marshals attempt to round up ruthless counterfeiters by having hero Lash LaRue dress up as the mysterious "Frontier Phantom." Unfortunately, the Phantom and his friend end up captured by the town sheriff. They have the darnedest time convincing the fellow lawman that they are really on his side. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
After becoming a promising star, cowboy star Lash LaRue's new series for producer Ron Ormond quickly fell into a groove of predictability. Thundering Trail, for example, offers very little that LaRue's fans hadn't seen already. LaRue is cast as the bodyguard of a newly elected territorial governor (played by Archie Twitchell, best known as the insinuating clothes salesman in Sunset Boulevard). He must protect his charge from the evil machinations of outlaw-leader Ed West (Ray Bennett). Unable to best the villains with his six-guns, Lash resorts to his trusty bullwhip. As was customary in the Lash LaRue films, comic sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John provides the brightest moments. The supporting cast includes such old reliable western hands as Reed Howes, George Cheseboro and Bud Osborne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Sally Anglim, (more)
- 1951
In this western, Lash LaRue and his trusty bullwhip are assigned to keep outlaws from getting to the new territorial governor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this Lash LaRue western, Our Hero aligns himself with the Pinkerton Detective Agency ("We Never Sleep") to capture a vicious outlaw gang. No dummies they, these criminals have developed a rather sophisticated communications system, using tin cans and waxed string. But the villains are no match for LaRue and his trusty bullwhip. Al "Fuzzy" St. John, as ever, is on hand for a few laughs. Producer-director Ron Ormond's Lash LaRue western series for Realart release ran hot and cold; Vanishing Outpost can be described as lukewarm, its protracted dialogue sequences jarring against the more exciting action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Riley Hill, (more)
- 1950
The plot for this Western involves the wives and girlfriends of the Dalton gang, who decide to carry on the gang's criminal activities after the menfolk were either gunned down or locked up. Old-time B-Western star Lash LaRue shows up to take care of them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1950
The title King of the Bullwhip could only refer to one of two western-movie favorites: Lash LaRue or Whip Wilson. Since LaRue was under contract to Ron Ormond productions, it was LaRue who starred herein. Usually associated with the lowest of low-budget productions, LaRue is here surrounded with decent production values and an above-average cast, including Jack Holt, Anne Gwynne, Tom Neal, Michael Whalen, Dennis Moore and George Lewis. And, as always, LaRue is aided and abetted by trusty comical sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Likewise praiseworthy is the plot, a solid mystery yarn concerning an unknown bank robber. The finale finds LaRue subduing the villain with a startling exhibition of expert whip-cracking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1949
Lash LaRue essays a dual role in the 1949 western Outlaw Country. LaRue plays himself (or at least his screen self) and an outlaw known only as The Frontier Phantom. The story finds the "good" Lash and his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) searching for counterfeiters. Meanwhile, the "bad" Lash is in cahoots with the crooks. After the two LaRues face each other in a showdown, the "bad" Lash turns good and helps the hero round up the villains. The leading lady this time out is Nancy Saunders, whose previous experience included a handful of Three Stooges 2-reelers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Dan White, (more)
- 1949
Lash LaRue stars as U.S. deputy, with Al "Fuzzy" St. John as his comic-relief deputy. Lash and Fuzzy are on the trail of El Sombre (Michael Whalen), a notorious bandit. Unbeknownst to everyone but the audience, El Sombre doubles as a kindly dentist named Jarvis. While trying to stem the villain's activities, Our Heroes rescue heroine Vicki (Noel Neill) from various perils. True to his name, Lash LaRue wields his bullwhip with deadly accuracy. Son of a Badman received better reviews than usual, by virtue of the clever screenplay by Ron Ormond and Ira Webb and the top-flight supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Noel Neill, (more)
- 1949
If it weren't for the movies, how would the public have known that Billy the Kid, who died at the age of 21, had a son? According to this low-budget sagebrusher, Billy (George Baxter) didn't die in 1881 as previously reported, but escaped to another town, started up a whole new life as a respectable banker, and fathered a boy named Colt (Johnny Jones). U.S. marshal Jack Garrett (Lash LaRue) doesn't believe that Billy has gone straight, but he changes his mind when a gang of outlaws try to frame the ex-outlaw. Amusingly, the most dangerous character in this little opus is the nominal heroine (Marion Colby)! As always, Lash LaRue is partnered with comical sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, June Carr, (more)
- 1948
Produced on the cheap by Ron Ormond and his wife, June Carr, this Western was one of ten to star Lash LaRue and Al St. John, formerly of PRC. They are assigned to catch a gang of outlaws working out of Rhyolite, a town run by Duce Rago (Ray Bennett), who is posing as a legitimate businessman. With the help of an elderly widow, Mrs. Owens (Sarah Padden), and a female undercover agent (Peggy Stewart), Lash and Fuzzy manage to infiltrate the gang and bring Rago and his henchman, Brant (former Western star Jim Bannon), to justice. The Ormonds produced a quite unnecessary sequel to this Western, The Black Lash (1952), which contained sequences lifted in their entirety from Frontier Revenge. A former serial queen at Republic Pictures, Peggy Stewart was a fine actress who deserved better than what the Ormonds had to offer. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1948
Dead Man's Gold, starring the black clad, whip wielding Lash LaRue and his sidekick, Fuzzy (Al St. John), is the kind of cheesy low-budget production in which legendary lawman Wyatt Earp's name is misspelled "Erpt" in a foreword. Arriving at their friend Jim Thornton's ranch in Gold Valley, Lash and Fuzzy learn from Thornton's niece, June (Peggy Stewart), that her father has gone missing for three days. Lash finds some gold nuggets and realizes that the land may be valuable and a target of claim jumpers terrorizing the valley. As it turns out, Thornton has been murdered by the town's crooked mayor (Lane Bradford), who is in league with the Thornton foreman (Terry Frost). Lash and Fuzzy "persuade" the foreman to turn state's evidence and the mayor is brought to justice. Dead Man's Gulch was one of ten ultra-cheap Westerns produced by Ron Ormond, his wife, former vaudevillian June Carr, and Ira Webb. The budgets were so tight that stunt doubles were eliminated. Years later, LaRue and frequent adversary Terry Frost wondered how they ever survived the quite realistic-looking fight scenes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1948
Although technically crude, Stage to Mesa City, an entry in PRC's "The Cheyenne Kid" series, was a great favorite with the small fries when unceremoniously dumped on theaters in February of 1948. Al "Lash" LaRue once again played the black-clad, whip-wielding hero who, along with sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), comes to the aid of troubled stagecoach proprietor John Watson (Steve Clark). Watson, who has been forced to sell his ranch in order to keep the stages running and win a valuable mail contract, is opposed by Baxter (Marshall Reed), a crooked lawyer working for the mysterious "The Boss." When Watson is found murdered, his grown children, Margie (Jennifer Holt) and Bob (Brad Slavin), assign Marshals Cheyenne Davis and Fuzzy to catch his killer and unmask the mysterious "The Boss." Needless to say, the latter proves to be the least likely candidate and is therefore easy to spot for any armchair detective in the audience. Stage to Mesa City was remade in 1951 as Stage to Blue River, this time starring the less than enthralling Whip Wilson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Jennifer Holt, (more)
- 1947
Return of the Lash exists primarily to display the bullwhip-wielding prowess of cowboy star Al "Lash" LaRue. The plot is set in motion when six wanted outlaws are rounded up and captured by The Cheyenne Kid (LaRue). Collecting the reward money, Cheyenne instructs his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) to give the money to a group of financially strapped ranchers. Alas, Fuzzy falls off his horse, loses his memory, and forgets what became of the money. Fortunately, he snaps out of his amnesia during a climactic fistic set-to with secondary villain Kirby (George Cheseboro). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Mary Maynard, (more)
- 1947
In this low-budget Western from PRC, Marshal Cheyenne (Al "Lash" LaRue) and his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) are looking into the strange goings-on in the town of Buffalo Gap. A ranger (Bob Woodward) has been killed and the trail leads to a gang headed by Bill Judd (Jack Ingram). There is yet another killing, young Al Walters (Steve Drake) is brutally shot by Judd after calling gambler Grayson (Terry Frost) a cheat. But the sheriff (Henry Hall) seems remarkably hesitant to arrest the culprit and may be taking his orders from a mystery boss, who operates out of a shack in the wilderness. Teaming up with Al's pretty sister, Betty and her Uncle Bob (William Fawcett), Cheyenne and Fuzzy go in search of the mystery villain, whose identity may come as a surprise to anyone who has never seen a Grade-Z movie before. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Jennifer Holt, (more)
- 1947
Despite the producer claiming Border Feud to be a "New PRC Picture," this Western is essentially the same old wheeze that the studio had been trotting out for years. The one where Marshal Cheyenne Davis (Lash LaRue) assumes the identity of a hired gun, The Tiger, whom nobody in town has actually met. The crooked saloon owner, Barton (Bob Duncan), is fanning the flames of a feud between warring mining families in the hopes of grabbing the Blue Girl gold mine for his mystery boss. With the help of the local sheriff -- none other than old friend Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), whom everybody insists is "quite capable" despite appearances to the contrary -- Cheyenne not only quells the feud but also manages to unmask the brain behind the troubles, the local doctor (Ian Keith). For the record: LaRue cracks his trademark whip twice in Border Feud. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Al St. John, (more)
- 1947
Whip-wielding westerner Lash LaRue closes out his 1947 schedule with Cheyenne Takes Over. Once again teamed with comical sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John), the Cheyenne Kid (LaRue) investigates the murder of a prosperous rancher. The audience knows that PRC's all-purpose villain George Cheseboro is the culprit, and so does saloon owner Fay (Nancy Gates). Intimidated into silence by the bad guys, Fay turns to Cheyenne and Fuzzy for help. Surprisingly, Lash LaRue lays his legendary bullwhip aside in the last reel, preferring to use his fists to bring the criminals to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Nancy Gates, (more)
- 1947
"King of the Bullwhip" Lash LaRue continues lashing away in the PRC western Ghost Town Renegades. In this one, the Cheyenne Kid (LaRue) and Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) investigate mysterious goings-on in an abandoned mining town. The villains have suddenly taken an inordinate interest in the town's played-out mine, and it looks like the mine's rightful owners will end up getting the shaft. But Cheyenne wields his whip in the last reel, forcing the bad guys to cower in submission. The better-than-usual cast includes Jennifer Holt (daughter of Jack, sister of Tim) as the heroine and William Fawcett, future costar of TV's Fury, in one of his "grizzled" characterizations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Al St. John, (more)
- 1947
This western follows Billy the Kid on another shoot-em-up adventure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
