William Steele Movies

Showdown is the story of a trail boss named Shad Jones (Bill Elliott) whose younger brother is murdered. Knowing that a member of a wagon train is responsible for the killing, Shad joins the train in attempt to discover who the guilty man is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Tom Destry (James Stewart), son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn't believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent (Brian Donlevy). His detractors laugh even louder when Destry signs on as deputy to drunken sheriff Wash Dimsdale (Charles Winninger). But the laughter subsides when Destry casually proves himself a crack shot, despite his abhorrence of firearms. Later, when saloon chanteuse Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich), Kent's gal, takes umbrage at Destry's indifferent reaction to her charms, she vows to make a fool of the new deputy. A huge moneymaker, Destry Rides Again served as a spectacular comeback for Marlene Dietrich, who two years earlier had been written off as "box office poison." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first of thirteen singing-Westerns starring former San Francisco Opera barytone Fred Scott, Romance Rides the Range was thoroughly geared to the handsome singer's forté: light opera. Scott played Barry Glendon, an opera singer who returns to the old homestead after an especially successful season. At the ranch, he encounters neighbors Carol Morland (Marion Shilling) and her brother Jimmy (Buzz Barton, who had been conned into buying a parcel of useless land. In love with Carol, Barry cons the con-men (Robert Kortman and Theodore Lorch) into believing that the Morland property contains a hidden gold mine. Veteran funnyman Cliff Nazzarro (an expert in the art of the "double take") provided comic relief and Scott sang Only You and On the Range, both by Fred Stryker and Johnny Lange. Filmed at Placerito Canyon near Newhall, California, Romance Rides the Range was produced by poverty row company Spectrum ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Yankee Buck Jones turns into a south-of-the-border Robin Hood in this fine, if flawed, Western from Columbia Pictures. Arriving with a shipment of food for the starving peons of La Loma, CA, Santa Fe Stewart (Jones) finds himself falsely accused of murdering local businessman Don Marco Ramirez (Emile Chautard) and stealing his valuable cargo. The Yankee Bandit, however, manages to escape from jail and embarks on a quest to defeat local mayor Don Alberto (George Humbert) and his brother Commandante Emilio (Luis Alberni), who have been starving the populace in order to take over their valuable land. With the assistance of Juan (Charles Stevens), whose young son was killed by the Commandante, the hero does his best to feed the hungry and soon discovers a surprising ally in a rich stranger. The latter is revealed to be the governor of California, traveling to La Loma to investigate the uprising. When the dust settles, the governor appoints Juan the new mayor of La Loma and Santa Fe its new commandant. To make sure the Yankee will remain in town, the governor gives the blessing for a union with lovely Dolores Ramirez (Helen Mack). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this western, the locals are being plagued by "Black Death" an evil outlaw who shoots victims with chemical bullets that turn them black. He is pursued by a brave Texas Ranger. When the ranger learns that the killer is following a wild West show --the one the ranger used to work in--the hero rejoins. He soon catches up to the crook and ends up following him to Mexico. A deadly gunfight ensues and the Black Death finally dies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Buster Keaton's second starring talkie finds him cast as wealthy, pampered Elmer, who heads down to the local employment office to hire a new chauffeur. Elmer isn't aware that the office has been converted into a World War I recruiting center, and before he knows it, he's in an ill-fitting uniform, enduring the verbal cannonades of sergeant Ed Brophy. The film's plot is based in part on Keaton's own wartime experiences, notably the bit in which he marches the wrong way and is trammeled by his fellow soldiers. Though Buster Keaton considered Doughboys the best of his MGM talkies, the film seems today to be one of his worst efforts, helped not at all by the excruciating performance of Ed Brophy. The best sequence is the camp show, with Buster cavorting in drag and performing a ukulele duet with Cliff Edwards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This typical Universal "Blue Streak Western" starred the studio's popular Jack Hoxie as a cowboy named Ned Raleigh, who fancies himself as a descendant of Sir Walter Raleigh. Ridiculed for his chivalry towards ladies in general and lovely Beth Stone in particular, Raleigh finally gets to show what he's really made of when a crooked neighbor, Manning (William A. Steele), attempts to take over the Stone spread. In order to save her family ranch, Beth agrees to marry Manning but is saved in the nick of time by Ned and his horse Scout. Leading lady Ena Gregory, an Australian, was also known under the name Marion Douglas. Hoxie's wife, Marin Sais, appeared in a supporting role. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Marking the 50th anniversary of General George Armstrong Custer's famous defeat at Little Big Horn, Universal re-created the battle in their biggest production ($400,000) of the year, The Flaming Frontier. Veteran screen actor Dustin Farnum came out of semi-retirement to play Custer -- to overwhelmingly positive notices -- and according to studio publicity, the film employed several thousand extras, including many Native Americans. Universal re-created Fort Hays, Custer's outpost, on the back lot in the San Fernando Valley and a duplicate of Crane City was erected at great expense near Pendleton, Oregon. Unfortunately, the studio also cast their resident cowboy star, the lackadaisical Hoot Gibson, in the starring role, and the entire production was thus geared to Gibson's familiar shtick rather than faithfully re-telling the story of one of the great blunders in military history. In the hands of Edward Sedgwick, Gibson's usual director, the slaughter at Little Big Horn proved little more than a plot contrivance. Gibson played a Pony Express rider admitted to West Point due to the influence of a powerful senator (George Fawcett), whose daughter (Anne Cornwall) he loves. In return, Gibson assumes the blame when the senator's wastrel son (Harold Goodwin) gets in trouble with the daughter (Kathleen Key) of a crooked Indian agent (Ward Crane). Gibson is expelled and returns West to join Custer's forces. To get even with Gibson, whom he still accuses of defiling his daughter, the Indian agent conspires with Sitting Bull (African-American actor Noble Johnson) to lure Custer and his troops into an ambush. Misinformed about the strength of the enemy, Custer and his 400 men are slaughtered by Indian warriors numbering in the thousands. Gibson, meanwhile, has been sent for reinforcements, thus surviving the massacre. He later leads an uprising among the settlers against the nefarious Indian agent, who has taken the senator's daughter prisoner. Most reviewers were appreciative of Universal's great expenditure, but Variety's scribe saw the film as little more than an ordinary Gibson Western. Sadly, modern audiences are prevented from forming an opinion, as no prints now survive. However, many of the more spectacular sequences later found their way into The Indians Are Coming (1930), a Universal serial released in both silent and sound versions. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Pulp writer Henry Herbert Knibb wrote the original story of this silent Hoot Gibson western, which enjoyed an above-average cast that included statuesque comedienne Gertrude Astor as a saloon belle, a devilish-looking Tully Marshall as a notorious outlaw named "The Spider," as well as future western series stars Fred Humes and Newton House. The last mentioned, a freckle-faced kid actor whose riding skills were highly admired at the time, played the hero as a child. Leading lady Gladys Hulette, a pioneering actress who had risen to fame as Princess Nicotine back in 1909, was suffering a career setback at the time despite having been Richard Barthelmess' leading lady in Tol'able David (1921). All that star power notwithstanding, Ridin' Kid from Powder River emerged as an average Gibson outing in which the cowboy star tracks down the villain who murdered his father. An enduring cliche, the story was remade by Gibson in 1930 as The Mounted Stranger. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Universal's crack Western team of director Edward Sedgwick and star Hoot Gibson crafted a fine little silent oater about a returning war veteran who lands in the middle of a range feud. On the train bound for home, Gibson renews his friendship with the daughter of a neighboring rancher (Laura La Plante), only to find that their fathers are fighting over water rights. The returning vet is declared a coward by the citizenry because of his natural reticence when a nasty villain (William A. Steele) threatens to blow up a dam. Gibson overcomes his condition in time to save the girl from the ensuing flood, however, restoring his heroic image for all time. The usually comedy-prone Gibson kept his preference for slapstick to a minimum this time around and Shootin' for Love emerged as one of the star's better vehicles. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A drifter, Racey Dawson (Buck Jones) falls for pretty Molly Dale (Eileen Percy), the daughter of alcoholic rancher Henry Dale (Robert Daly) but is soon falsely accused of murdering the old man. The real killer, however, proves to be McFluke (G. Raymond Nye), a powerful rancher who covets the valuable Dale property. The most unusual aspect of this average silent western is the casting of popular comedienne Mae Busch as a dance-hall girl holding the key to solving the murder. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide