Eugene Strong Movies

An above-average "Hopalong Cassidy" series entry, Borderland has Hoppy (William Boyd) going undercover as a bandit in a tough Mexican border town in order to trap a notorious bandit known only as The Fox. Not even sidekicks Johnny Nelson (James Ellison) and Windy (George "Gabby" Hayes) are in on the scheme, concocted jointly by Mexican Army Colonel Gonzales (Trevor Bardette) and Texas Ranger Major Stafford (Earle Hodgins). Lodging with widowed Grace Rand (Nora Lane) and her small daughter, Molly (Charlene Wyatt), both of whom he abuses in order to protect his cover, Hoppy learns that The Fox (Stephen Morris aka Morris Ankrum) is himself performing a bit of masquerade, in this case as a halfwit known as Loco. Windy, however, innocently spills the beans and is promptly kidnapped along with Molly. Chased by Hoppy, who is himself tailed by the villain's henchmen, Gonzales' troops, and a wounded Johnny Nelson, The Fox (alias Loco) escapes to his secret hideaway, a cabin stocked with dynamite. There, Hoppy catches up with him and in an exciting finale keeps the master villain at bay until help arrives. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Produced independently by Edward Small, this surprisingly realistic gangster yarn stars stalwart Richard Arlen as Mal Stevens, an attorney recruited by the newly organized Federal Bureau of Investigation. After Mal and a couple of fellow recruits, Van Rensseler (Harvey Stephens) and Tex Logan (Gordon Jones), foil a plot by Joe Keefer (Bruce Cabot) to kidnap Eleanor Spencer (Virginia Bruce), the trusting debutante foolishly secures Joe's parole. From the outside, Keefer then masterminds a prison break for some of his pals and together they begin a reign of terror. Eleanor's brother Buddy (Eric Linden) goes undercover on behalf of Stevens and is killed by Keefer, but Eleanor, still denying that Keefer, her former chauffeur, is a gangster, blames Stevens. To avoid detection, Keefer kidnaps Dr. Hoffman (George Pauncefort), a noted plastic surgeon, who goes to work altering his appearance. His usefulness over, the good doctor is summarily executed but Hoffman manages to avenge himself from beyond the grave: when the bandages are removed, Keefer's features have been mutilated and his initials carved into the scarred face. Led to the hideout by Keefer's jilted moll Lola (Dorothy Appleby), Stevens confronts the disfigured gangster and there is a final struggle. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This first of four film versions of the Ben Hecht/Charlrd MacArthur Broadway hit stars Adolphe Menjou as explosive Chicago newspaper-editor Walter Burns and Pat O'Brien as his star reporter Hildy Johnson. Hildy is on the verge of getting married and retiring from Burns' dirty little tabloid, but he agrees to cover one last story: the politically motivated execution of convicted cop killer Earl Williams (George E. Stone). Thanks to the stupidity of the police, Williams manages to escape, and Johnson hides the wounded fugitive in a rolltop desk in the prison pressroom. Burns enters the scene, senses a swell story (and also a means of keeping Johnson on his payroll), and conspires with Johnson to keep Williams out of sight until they can secure an exclusive interview. Burns will do anything to keep Johnson on the scene, including having the reporter's future mother-in-law kidnapped. Complicating matters are Johnson's fiancée Peggy (Mary Brian), Williams' girlfriend Molly Malloy (Mae Clarke), and the corrupt mayor (James Gordon) and sheriff (Clarence C. Wilson), who have railroaded Williams to the death house in order to win votes and are now trying to suppress the news that the governor has commuted Williams' sentence. The Front Page was remade by Howard Hawks in 1939 as His Girl Friday, with the symbiotic relationship between Burns and Johnson changed to a sexual one by transforming Hildy Johnson into a woman (played by Rosalind Russell) with Cary Grant as her old flame Walter. It was again remade by Billy Wilder in 1974 with Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, and a young Susan Sarandon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cavern-mouthed comedian Joe E. Brown made his motion-picture debut in the FBO "special" Crooks Can't Win. Surprisingly, Brown was seen in the non-comic role of newspaper reporter Jimmy Wells. The main story concerns a young rookie cop (Sam Nelson), the adopted son of a retired policeman. Though hailed as a hero for nabbing a bank robber on his first day on the beat, the novice cop is summarily dismissed when he refuses to divulge the name of the informant who tipped him off about the robbery (the informant was his own brother). Landing a job as a truck driver, our hero begins to suspect that his ex-boss, the police commissioner, is in league with the local criminal element. With the help of roving reporter Jimmy Wells, the former cop gets the goods on the "commish." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This typically hard-nosed Jack Holt vehicle casts the star as opium smuggler Tom Fellows. While in Shanghai on "business," Tom rescues Mary Blake (Dorothy Revier) from the clutches of his deadly rival London Charlie (Pat Harmon). But Mary can't stay out of trouble, obliging Tom to rescue her a second time. Several hairbreadth escapes later, Mary reveals herself to be "Secret Agent 63" -- whereupon Tom identifies himself as British Intelligence Officer Robert Wellesley, Mary's boss! Blessed with one fast-action scene after another, The Warning can perhaps be forgiven for its nonsensical storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although her brief stardom had faded by 1927, former DeMille leading lady Lillian Rich was equal to the opportunity afforded her by Web of Fate. Rich is cast in the dual role of bitchy actress Gloria Gunther and her sweet-tempered look-alike, Beverly Townsend. When Gloria's face is scarred in a fire, Beverly is persuaded to go on stage in the actress' place. Beverly's success in this endeavor is tarnished when she is blamed for the murder of the film's villain. Put on trial for her life, Beverly is about to be sentenced when Gloria comes forward, emotionally confessing to the crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This muddled, improbable drama was only interesting because it was shot in the swampland of the Florida Everglades. David, a young orphan (Jerry Devine), has a sister (Helen Rowland) who is adopted by a wealthy family, the Winfields. But the family's son mistreats David, and the girl dies of neglect. David goes to live in the Everglades, along with another embittered soul--a mother (Mary Carr) whose family died because of a careless landowner. Together they search for a hidden treasure. David grows up (now played by Eugene Strong), and is determined to exact revenge on the people that wronged him and his sister. When he holds up the son, Hugh Winfield (now played byThomas Gillen), he gets his chance. He kidnaps Hugh's wife, Edwina (Sara Mullen) and puts her to work at the shack where he lives. Edwina, however, grows to love her captor, and returns to civilization only because she hears that her husband is accused of murdering her. When she returns home, however, she discovers him in another woman's arms. Hugh goes looking for David, and finds him diving into the river, still in search of lost treasure. Hugh puts on a diving suit and goes after him. The two men battle underwater, and a hunchback--a denizen of the Everglades--stabs Hugh and kills him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

When her father is ruined, a society girl (Emmy Wehlen) flees to Texas where she falls for a recovering alcoholic playboy (Eugene Strong). By one of those coincidences so endemic to bad writing, the man who caused her father's downfall is now a Texas outlaw known only as "The Shadow" (Harry S. Northrup). With lust in his heart, the bandit leaves a note explaining how he ravished the girl. The playboy is devastated but proposes to the girl anyway. She, however, rejects the offer because of her great shame. The outlaw is then fortuitously shot by the Rangers, clearing the girl's good name with his dying breath. A typical Victorian melodrama, The Trail of the Shadow was based on a story by O.A.C. Lund, a former film director from Sweden who had helmed several such stories in the very early 1910s for the New Jersey-based Eclair Company. German-born Emmy Wehlen later became a star with Metro. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide