Glenn Strange Movies
A New Mexican of Native American extraction, actor Glenn Strange held down several rough-and-tumble jobs, from deputy sheriff to rodeo rider, before settling on a singing career. He made his radio bow on Los Angeles station KNX (the CBS-owned affiliate) as a member of the Arizona Wranglers singing group. Thanks to his husky physique and plug-ugly features, Strange had no trouble finding work as a stuntman/villain in western films and serials. He also displayed a flair for comedy as the sidekick to singing cowboy Dick Foran in a series of B-sagebrushers of the late '30s. During the war years, Strange became something of a bargain-basement Lon Chaney Jr., playing homicidal halfwits in a handful of horror pictures made at PRC and other low-budget studios. These appearances led to his being cast as the Frankenstein monster in the 1944 Universal programmer House of Frankenstein; he was coached in this role by the "creature" from the original 1931 Frankenstein, Boris Karloff. Given very little to do in House of Frankenstein and the 1945 sequel House of Dracula other than stalk around with arms outstretched at fadeout time, Strange brought none of the depth and pathos to the role that distinguished Karloff's appearances. Strange was shown to better advantage in his last appearance as The Monster in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) where he convincingly menaced the eternally frightened Lou Costello and even indulged in a couple of time-honored "scare" routines, while still remaining in character (Some scenes had to be reshot because Strange couldn't stop laughing at Costello's antics; towards the end of shooting, Strange broke his ankle and had to be replaced in a few shots by Lon Chaney Jr., who was costarring in the film as the Wolf Man). Though typecast as heavies in both movies and television -- he played the hissable Butch Cavendish in the Lone Ranger TV pilot -- Strange was well known throughout Hollywood as a genuine nice guy and solid family man. Glenn Strange's last engagement of note was his 11-year run (1962-73) as Sam, the Long Branch bartender on TV's Gunsmoke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1940
Filmed at Palmdale, California, this Tex Ritter Western continued a recent trend of limiting Ritter's trademark music numbers in favor of rather ill staged fisticuffs and other action scenes. Ritter, who was never very lucky with his ever changing comic sidekicks, was here saddled with one Frank Mitchell, a New Yorker visibly ill at ease on the celluloid range. Tex and Shorty (Mitchell) ride into Cinco Valley, a gold rich area terrorized by marauders ostensibly lead by one Pablo (Martin Garralaga). Tex, however, recognizes Blackie (Earl Douglas), whose boss is Bannister (Warner Richmond), an American. Suspecting that Bannister and his henchmen are trying to drive the settlers off their potentially valuable land by posing as Mexican banditos, Tex convinces Pablo to help him set a trap for the marauders. Despite a couple of misunderstandings along the way, Tex, Pablo and Shorty gather enough evidence to convict Bannister.Tall, rangy musician Slim Andrews, aka Arkansas Slim, made his screen debut in this film. A personal friend of the star, Andrews was to appear in the next nine Ritter Westerns, sometimes as his comedy relief. Unfortunately, Arkansas Slim was as unfunny as Ritter's previous sidekicks and the series didn't exactly prosper from his participation. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Warner P. Richmond, (more)
- 1940
The three men of the title in this superior B-Western are Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd), Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden), and, making his series debut, grizzled old California Carlson (Andy Clyde). Carlson is the braggart cook of the Gardner outfit, a gang preying on defenseless ranchers, but when apprehended by Texas Ranger Hoppy, the old fool admits to having overstated his famous exploits. The bemused Hoppy takes California along to his namesake state, where Lucky is having a tough time bringing law and order to Santa Carmen, a community terrorized by greedy saloon proprietor Bruce Morgan (Morris Ankrum). Always the hothead, Lucky is determined to show Hoppy that he can handle things himself without any help. A bullet in the shoulder settles the matter once and for all, however, and the three work together to capture Morgan and his gang of cutthroats. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William "Hopalong" Boyd, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1940
Hoof and mouth disease reared its ugly head in this unusual Tex Ritter singing Western from Monogram. Ritter played Tex Rocketts, the sheriff of Sundown who is forced to quarantine the valley's cattle to prevent the spread of the disease. The desperate ranchers, all of whom are in debt to banker Cyrus Cuttler (George Pembroke) and his son Nick (Carleton Young), attempt to get their livestock to market anyway. When one of their number, Steve Davis (Dave "Tex" O'Brien), is arrested and jailed by Tex, the ranchers blame the lawman for their plight. Cuttler advises Steve to kill Tex but the latter, with assistance from government agent Bret Stockton (Glenn Strange), is able to prove that Cuttler's crew has been treating the cattle with acid to generate false symptoms of hoof and mouth disease. In between saving Sundown from the nefarious Cuttler gang, Ritter performed his own I've Done the Best I Could, a song reportedly inspired by the work of African-American folk musician Hudie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Roscoe Ates, (more)
- 1940
Released the same week as Republic's Covered Wagon Days, Monogram's Covered Wagon Trails bears no resemblance to the first-mentioned film, either in terms of plot or quality. Jack Randall plays a heroic westerner who tries to prevent an outlaw gang from interfering with a group of farmers who've pitched camp in the open range. The local cattlemen's association dispatches the crooks to decimate the farmers, something that won't happen so long as Randall has his wits about him. The film's high point (in a manner of speaking) finds Randall, bound hand and foot, gnawing through his ropes as though he were downing an expensive meal. Not surprisingly, Jack Randall's starring career came to an end shortly after the release of Covered Wagon Trails. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Cairns, David Sharpe, (more)
- 1939
Hot on the heels of Frontier Pony Express came the equally exciting Roy Rogers vehicle Rough Riders' Roundup. In the first film, Rogers was an express rider during the Civil War era; in the second, he's a veteran of the Spanish American war (ubiquitous fellow, isn't he?) With several of his fellow Rough Riders, Rogers joins the Texas border patrol, where he almost immediately clashes with a villain named Arizona (William Pawley). While maintaining a respectable facade, Arizona and his minions rob the stagecoaches and express offices, divesting the local prospectors of their hard-earned gold. With the help of grizzled old sidekick Rusty (Raymond Hatton)-not to mention the rest of the Rough Riders-Rogers crushes Arizona's operation once and for all. The film boasts two leading ladies: Rogers' usual vis-a-vis Mary Hart, and former silent star Dorothy Sebastian, here making a comeback attempt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, Mary Hart, (more)
- 1939
Having explored the old wheeze about the young man searching for his brother's killer and the one about the cowboy impersonating an outlaw, Robert Emmett Tansey, the producer/writer of Monogram's Jack Randall Westerns, turned to the ever popular "brothers separated during an attack of their wagon train" story. Fortunately, this time around director Spencer Gordon Bennet and his cast traveled to picturesque Lone Pine, CA, and Across the Plains emerged as one of Randall's better vehicles. After a gang of outlaws attack their wagon train, Little Jack (Buddy Cox) is adopted by a roving band of Indians while Little Jimmy (Texi-Ray Cox) is abducted by the outlaws. Years later, the adult Jack (now Jack Randall) and Jimmy (Dennis Moore) meet again but on opposing sides of the law regarding a shipment of gold. Ignorant of the fact that they are brothers, Jack and Jimmy are about to square off when Buckskin (Hal Price), the old wagon master, brings their true relationship to light. Jimmy, now an outlaw known as the Kansas Kid, discovers that a member of his gang, Buff (Robert Card), is the villain who murdered their parents. Mortally wounded in the ensuing battle, Jimmy, alias the Kid, meets his maker with the knowledge that the death of his parents has been avenged at last. Jack, meanwhile, proposes to Mary Masters (Joyce Bryant), the daughter of the stage line owner. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Randall, Frank Yaconelli, (more)
- 1939
This "Three Mesquiteers" western is based upon the exploits of one James Addison Reavis, a clever 19th century con artist who through a series of elaborate land swindlers tried to declare himself owner of the state of Arizona (Reavis' checkered career was later the basis for Samuel Fuller's The Baron of Arizona, starring Vincent Price). George Douglas plays the Reavis character, here named Talbot. Establishing himself as dictator of an unnamed western territory, Talbot taxes the citizens beyond endurance. Enter the Three Mesquiteers-Stony Brooke (John Wayne), Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune)-who don capes and masks to do battle with Talbot's minions under cover of darkness. Part of the plot hinges on the fact that only President Garfield knows that the Mesquiteer's "crimes" are being committed on behalf of Liberty and Justice For All-and when Garfield is assassinated, our heroes are up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1939
In terms of action, Honor of the West ranks among the best of the Bob Baker westerns. In terms of its script, alas, it must rank as one of the worst. Screenwriter Joseph West (a pseudonym for director George Waggner) seems to have taken a perverse delight in serving up convoluted dialogue that Laurence Olivier might have found impossible to fathom. In one scene, ingenue Marjorie Bell (later known as Marge Champion) delivers a labyrinthine monologue that leaves her literally breathless. Best to turn down the sound and concentrate on the visual aspects of the plot, which deals with sheriff Bob Baker's decision to take off his badge and hunt down his brother's killers without the niceties of the law restraining him. Baker also gets to sing a brace of songs, the best of which is "The Old Chuck Wagon". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Baker, Carleton Young, (more)
- 1939
This formula western stars George O'Brien as a member of the Arizona Rangers, a quasi-vigilante society aimed at ridding the west of lawlessness. O'Brien is assigned to infiltrate a criminal gang in Arizona. For duty's sake, O'Brien must alienate himself with his sweetheart (Laraine Johnson, later known as Laraine Day) and pose as a ruthless bandit. The hero comes awfully close to meeting his doom before the crooks are roped and hog-tied. Arizona Legion represented the 60th screen appearance of veteran action star George O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Carlyle Moore, Jr., (more)
Donald Barry plays the legendary outlaw of the title in this Roy Rogers Western which, needless to say, plays fast and loose with history. Returning to Missouri from the gold fields of California, Gabby Whittaker (George "Gabby" Hayes) is persuaded by his granddaughter, Mary (Pauline Moore), to deposit his earnings in the Northfield bank, which is then promptly robbed. Assigned by the Bankers' Association to track down the presumed culprits, Jesse James and his brother Frank (Harry Worth), Roy Rogers soon learns that the Jameses are innocent in this particular crime, which was instead committed by the bank's greedy president, Sam Wyatt (Arthur Loft). Before Rogers can capture the wily banker, he must contend with the interference of Captain Worthington (Harry Woods), a railroad detective more interested in pocketing the 50,000-dollar reward than see justice done. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1939
If not the best of the Hopalong Cassidy films, Law of the Pampas is certainly one of the better-known entries. This time around, Hoppy (William Boyd) and his pal Lucky (Russell Hayden) head to South America to look after a herd of cattle sold by Cassidy's boss to an Argentine rancher. Villain Ralph Merritt (Sidney Blackmer) wants to get his mitts on that cattle, and he's not above hiring the scum of the earth to do his bidding. Fortunately, Hoppy, Lucky and their new Latino buddy Fernando (Sidney Toler, in a delightful comic characterization) make short work of the bad guys in an outsized barroom brawl. Hungarian-born Steffi Duna is convincing as an Argentine senorita, while an uncredited Rychard Cramer plays a memorably nasty bit role. Contrary to previously published reports, David Niven does not appear in Law of the Pampas, unbilled or otherwise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William "Hopalong" Boyd, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1939
Controversy over ancient Spanish land grants takes center stage in this exciting George O'Brien Western from RKO. Presented with an obviously phony survey, Don Aliso del Campo (Lucio Villegas) resists rancher John Courtney's (LeRoy Mason) demands that he vacate the ancestral range. Knocked unconscious in the ensuing struggle, Aliso recovers to learn that he has become the prime suspect in Courtney's murder. Smelling a rat, trouble shooter Wade Benton (O'Brien) cons dim-witted henchman Rance Potter (Glenn Strange) into revealing that Dan Wallace (William Royle), the Courtney foreman, killed his employer in order to marry the dead man's sister (Mary Field) and take over the property. With Don Aliso in hiding, Benton goes in search of evidence that will convict Wallace and his gang of thugs for the murder of Courtney. The Fighting Gringo was filmed at Chatsworth, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Lupita Tovar, (more)
- 1939
With Phantom Stage, Universal called it quits on singing cowboy Bob Baker's western series. The plot involves a series of outlaw raids perpetrated upon the stagecoach line owned by heroine Mary (Marjorie Reynolds). The perpetrator is a pint-sized crook called The Runt (Tex Palmer), who hides in the cargo trunk of the stage, stealing the contents while the coach is en route to its destination. This plot element is handled in so ludicrous a manner that Bob Baker's musical interludes actually come as a relief! Phantom Stage was written by one Joseph West, actually the nom de plume of the film's director, George Waggner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Baker, Marjorie Reynolds, (more)
Monogram's low-budget Jack Randall Western series went through a change of supervisor/writer with this entry -- Lindsley Parsons replacing Robert Emmett Tansey -- but the improvements, if any, were hardly noticeable. Randall (the brother of better-known B-Western star Robert Livingston) played a Civil War veteran returning to find his father murdered and the family stage line in the hands of Cartwright (Davidson Clark). The quick-tempered Slade (Don Rowan) is convicted of the crime but the real culprit is, of course, the aforementioned Mr. Cartwright, a supposedly solid citizen. Producer/writer Parsons delivered no surprises and Spencer Gordon Bennet's direction was perfunctory at best. The comedy relief, such as it was, was provided by Al St. John, who brought his popular (and endurable) Fuzzy Q. Jones characterization with him from Gower Gulch company Spectrum's Fred Scott musical Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Carroll
- 1939
Robert Emmett Tansey, production supervisor and head writer on Monogram's Jack Randall Westerns, had the gall this time around to outright plagiarize John Ford's newly released Stagecoach (1939). Like John Wayne in Ford's masterpiece, Jack Randall found himself boarding a stagecoach after having his horse shot out from under him. The coach is already occupied by Mary, a saloon belle (Jean Joyce, aka Claire Rochelle), a whiskey salesman (George Cleveland), and Duke (Dennis Moore), an outlaw. By the time Jack and the passengers arrive in town, Tansey mercifully stops imitating Ford long enough to craft a none too spectacular story of Randall attempting to persuade Miss Joyce from working for Polini (Tristram Coffin, sporting the worst "foreign" accent this side of Buck Jones), whom he suspects of heading a counterfeiting ring. As it turns out, both Mary and the whiskey salesman are undercover agents and the greedy Polini is turned over to a gang of Indians, one of whom he once murdered. No one apparently complained about Tansey plagiarizing John Ford (not to mention screenwriter Dudley Nichols) and Overland Mail was dismissed as just another low-budget Western released on the lower half of double bills. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Barnett, Jean Joyce, (more)
- 1939
Range War was the 22nd entry in the durable "Hopalong Cassidy" western series. William Boyd and Russell Hayden return as Hoppy and Lucky, while Britt Wood handles the comic-sidekick duties normally assigned to Gabby Hayes. In this outing, land baron Buck Collins (Willard Robertson) receives advance word that the railroad plans to build in the territory. Realizing that the laying of rails will cut him out of the heavy tolls he's been charging those who ride through his spread, Collins begins cooking up methods to sabotage the railroad. But with Hoppy and Lucky slapping leather on behalf of the good guys, Collins is doomed from the start. Like most of the "Cassidy" entries of the 1930s, Range War is exceptionally well cast, with silent film star Matt Moore as railroad magnate Jim Marlow and Pedro de Cordoba as saintly Padre Jose, among many others. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William "Hopalong" Boyd, Russell Hayden, (more)
- 1939
Too many of Gene Autry's Republic western sacrificed action in favor of music. A notable exception to this syndrome is Blue Montana Skies, directed by a fast-action maestro B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. The up-to-date plotline finds Autry battling a gang of fur smugglers operating on the Montana-Canada border. When his business partner Steve (Tully Marshall) is murdered by the crooks, cattleman Autry follows the clues to a ranch owned by Dorothy (June Storey). Unbeknownst to the heroine, the murderers, led by Hendricks (Harry Woods), are working as her ranchhands. By the time she finds this out, it looks like she's next in line for extinction-but not if our hero has anything to say about it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1938
Filmed on location at Kernville, CA, this B-Western from Poverty Row company Monogram starred Jack Randall as Jack Dinton, the son of a murdered marshal. Jack is given his father's guns to wear by Ranger Chief Holmes (Lloyd Ingraham) and sallies forth to catch a gang of stage robbers. Discovering the bandit's lair, Jack gains entrance by pretending to be an outlaw himself. Once on the inside, he makes the acquaintance of Professor Angel (Barlowe Borland), an ex-convict assigned by the gang to melt down the stolen gold for easier transportation. The professor is convinced to join forces with law and order and accompanied by Jack's African-American sidekick, Pinky (Raymond Turner), they set a trap for the leader of the gang, Chance Moore (Charles King). Randall's leading lady in this and four other Monogram oaters, Louise Stanley, became his partner in real life as well. Although the Randall series had been conceived as an entry in the singing cowboy sweepstakes, the star's operatic voice did not find favor with the audience and Gun Packer was released sans the usual warbling. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Stanley
- 1938
The Last Stand is among the better Bob Baker westerns, with the star getting to show off his athletic prowess as well as his singing skills. The story borrows a page from the repertoire of Bob Steele, with hero Tip (Baker) trying to find out who murdered his father. To expedite this, Tip and his saddle pal Pepper (Fuzzy Knight) offer their services to a Cattleman's Protection Association. When all else fails, Tip disguises himself as an outlaw and joins the suspected murderer's gang. The usual western cliches are adroitly avoided by director Joseph H. Lewis, who clearly hoped that his Bob Baker films would lead to bigger and better things (which they did). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Baker, Constance Moore, (more)
- 1938
Singing cowboy Bob Baker dispenses plenty of Prairie Justice in this 58-minute western. When his father is bushwacked and murdered, Baker vows to bring the mysterious assailants to justice. Posing as an irresponsible drifter, our hero slowly and methodically gathers clues as to the identity of the killers. After five reels of comparative inactivity, he goes after the baddies with both barrels in Reel Six. Dorothy Fay, later the wife of Baker's fellow cowboy troubadour Tex Ritter, is the heroine. The script for Prairie Justice was written by Joseph West, a pseudonym for director George Waggner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Baker, Dorothy Fay, (more)
- 1938
In his fourth starring Western, Universal's singing cowboy Bob Baker comes to the aid of Molly Taylor (Fay Shannon), an Eastern girl about to lose her inherited ghost town because of outstanding property taxes. Gomer (Forrest Taylor), who has discovered oil on the property, kidnaps the girl on her way to the tax collector (Murdock MacQuarrie), but she is rescued in the nick of time by singing Texas Ranger Bob Martin (Baker) and his sidekick, "Cherokee" Walton (Hank Worden). Composer Fleming Allan provided a couple of songs, including "We're Headin' Home" and "That Old Home Trail," but Baker's humdrum vocalizing did not make anyone forget Gene Autry. In contrast to Autry, Baker was easily overshadowed by Universal's well-chosen supporting cast which this time included George Cleveland as a supposedly senile judge, Martin Turner as the heroine's African-American domestic, and the always welcome Hank Worden. The Baker series remained a shaky proposition and by 1939 the star was playing second fiddle to the more robust (and non-singing) Johnny Mack Brown. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1938
The locale is slightly different in the Charles Starrett western Call of the Rockies, but the familiar Starrett formula remains the same. Starrett plays Clint Buckley, who defends female rancher Ann Bradford (Iris Meredith) against mortgage-holding villain Matt Stark (Dick Curtis). The bad guy retaliates by framing Clint for murder, but our hero sets things right in a bone-shattering fistic battle royal. Donald "Slim" Grayson and the Sons of the Pioneers wander in and out of the action to render a trio of pleasant sagebrush ballads. In addition to Iris Meredith and Dick Curtis, Call of the Rockies features such Starrett-series perennials as Edward LeSaint, Edmund Cobb, and George Cheseboro. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Donald Grayson, (more)
- 1938
Spy Ring (aka International Spy) was designed as a trial balloon for new Universal contractee William Hall. He is cast as Captain Todd Hayden, star player of an army-camp polo team. What Hayden doesn't know is that some of his polo cronies are enemy spies, anxious to steal the plans for a revolutionary new anti-aircraft gun. After miles and miles of polo footage, the Captain reveals that the head of the spy ring is blonde femme fatale Jean Bruce (Esther Ralston). This extremely minor film is of marginal interest today because of the onscreen presence of leading lady Jane Wyman and the offscreen omnipresence of cult director Joseph H. Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hall, Jane Wyman, (more)
- 1938
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Baker, Marjorie Reynolds, (more)
