Dale Van Sickel Movies

A virtual remake of the earlier The Purple Monster Strikes (1945) and containing an overabundance of stock footage from that serial and G-Men vs. the Black Dragon (1943), this 12 chapter science fiction serial from Republic Pictures featured former RKO contract player Walter Reed as owner of an air patrol company. Along with his lovely secretary, (Lois Collier), Reed is looking into the mysterious doings of a certain Dr. Bryant (James Craven). As it turns out, the good doctor is under the spell of none other than Mota (Gregory Gay), a visiting Martian in search of uranium and other materials needed to power his ferocious weapons of war. Establishing himself in the crater of a volcano, Mota embarks on a terror campaign against the earthlings which seemingly only Reed's Fowler Air Patrol is able to counter. In the end, both Mota and Dr. Bryant are destroyed by one of their own atomic bombs, leaving Reed and Collier able to plan a less stressful future. Cashing in on the enormous popularity of sci-fi in the late '50s, this serial was re-edited and released as a feature film under the new title Missile Monsters. Villain James Craven had played the same role in the earlier The Purple Monster Strikes and was obviously cast in order to match the stock-footage. Roy Barcroft, who had played the title role in "Purple Monster," did not repeat, however, but was still very visible in the re-edited footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Sideshow was the last starring effort of Don McGuire, who would soon abandon acting in favor of writing, producing and directing. McGuire plays Steve Arthur, an undercover T-Man (or Treasury Agent), hot on the trail of jewel smugglers. He traces the crooks to a travelling carnival, where he takes a job as a barker in order to maintain surveillance without arousing suspicion. Among the suspects are sideshow-entrepreneurs Pierre (John Abbott) and Sam (Ray Walker), "kootch" dancer Dolly (Tracey Roberts), and general helpers "Big Top" (Eddie Quillan) and Johnny (Jimmy Conlin). In the course of the film's 67 minutes, Arthur faces death at the tunnel of love, aboard a roller-coaster ride, and within the walls of a wax museum. Sideshow gets by on the novelty of its surroundings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Desert Hawk deserves to be seen on the basis of its cast alone. No more believable than any of Universal's other sword-and-sand epics, this one stars Yvonne de Carlo as Princess Shaharazade (sic) and Richard Greene as Omar, aka the Desert Hawk. By day a humble blacksmith, the Desert Hawk spends his evenings battling against the oppresive regime of Prince Murad (George Macready). One of the Hawk's tactics is to trick Shaharazade into marriage, so that he can enlist the aid of the army commanded by the Princess' father. Murad retaliates by kidnapping Shararazade, leading to an exciting climactic rescue. Never mind all that: the real fun in Desert Hawk is spotting the celebrities-to-be in the supporting cast. Playing the villainous Captain Ras is none other than Rock Hudson, while the Desert Hawk's loyal companions Aladdin and Sinbad are played, respectively, by Jackie Gleason and Joe Besser--and surprise, Joe is heavier than Jackie! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A cooperative of independent oil men goes up against a greedy Eastern syndicate in this Republic Pictures serial directed by Fred C. Brannon. Colonel Arnold (Cliff Clark), his daughter Sally (Judy Clark) and Ward Gordon (Richard Powers) furnish the leadership of the cooperative but are constantly threatened by Eastern mogul Dude Dawson (I. Stanford Jolley) and especially his chief henchman, Hacker. The latter was played by burly Roy Barcroft, Republic's now legendary master villain. Leading man Richard Powers had begun his screen career in the '20s under the name George Duryea, then became Tom Keene, B-Western star, in the '30s. He was again using the Tom Keene moniker when appearing in Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s legendary turkey, Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this suspenseful espionage actioner, the US radar defense system is about to be breached by enemy saboteurs and now only agent Chris Calvert and research-scientist Joan Hughs can stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Republic's Trucolor "special" Susanna Pass stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, King and Queen of the West. Rogers plays "himself," while Evans is cast as female doctor Kay Parker. The villains this time around are trying to force a fish hatchery owner out of business so they can drill for underwater oil. The film's action content never impedes its musical highlights (and vice versa); among the vocal contributors are Estrelita Rodriguez (who figures prominently in one of the cliff-hanging action setpieces) and Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. Susanna Pass represented the on-screen reteaming of Rogers and Evans, after several attempts by Republic to link up their Number One cowboy star with other leading ladies. Surprising, Rogers isn't teamed with a comical sidekick, though Estrelita Rodriguez is admittedly pretty funny as a flirtatious senorita. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to make the magic of King Kong happen again, the production team of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack came up with the 1949 special-effects smorgasbord Mighty Joe Young. Robert Armstrong reprises his Kong portrayal of Carl Denham as hot-shot showbiz entrepreneur Max O'Hara. While in Africa looking for authentic decorations for his new night club, O'Hara makes the acquaintance of Mr. Joseph Young, a ten-foot-tall ape. Unlike King Kong, Joe Young has a heart of gold, thanks in great part to his owner, a lovely lass named Jill Young (Terry Moore). Against her better judgment, Jill allows O'Hara to bring Joe back to the States as a nightclub attraction. Joe proves to be a smash as he participates in Jill's musical act (he lifts her grand piano while she plays "Beautiful Dreamer") and performs a tug-of-war routine with an imposing lineup of professional wrestlers (including Tor Johnson, Man Mountain Dean and Primo Carnera). But when the patrons go home each night, Joe is unhappily relegated to his cage. When a group of obnoxious drunks begin teasing Joe, the disgruntled ape breaks loose and goes on a rampage. Slated to be put to death, Joe redeems himself by rescuing a group of screaming children from an orphanage fire. Featured in the cast are Ben Johnson as the nominal romantic lead, Frank McHugh as Robert Armstrong's assistant, and an uncredited Irene Ryan as a cocktail-lounge patron. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this boxing drama, Jimmy Brody, a retired middle-weight champion turned publisher, must return to the ring when his company encounters financial difficulties. He is set up by some bad-news bookies who try to convince Brody to take a dive. The ex-champ refuses and triumphs even though his hand was broken during the bout. Furious, the gamblers attempt to kill him. Fortunately the cops arrive in the nick of time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Whenever veteran stuntman Yakima Canutt held the directorial reins of a Republic western, it was a sure bet that there'd be plenty of breakneck action. The star of Canutt's Carson City Raiders is Allan "Rocky" Lane, a former college football player who was no slouch in the stunting department himself. Lane plays an agent for a Nevada express company, bound and determined to arrest a gang of stagecoach robbers. The villains try to gain a toehold in Carson City by revealing that local sheriff Tom Drew (Steve Darrell) is a former outlaw. But with Lane's help, Drew clears his name and rounds up the crooks. Billed second in Carson City Raiders--and deserving the honor -- is Allan Lane's faithful steed Black Jack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This action adventure centers on the attempts of the courageous Canadian cops to stop crooks from finding a fabulous hidden treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Desperadoes of Dodge City is set guess where, and stars the muscular Allan "Rocky" Lane. When a group of homesteaders are plagued by a series of bloody outlaw raids, Lane tries to help out with the assistance of the U.S. Cavalry. Unfortunately, Lane's military orders are stolen by the villain, leaving Our Hero with no proof as to his identity or mission. He spends the next four reels tracking down the bad guys, retrieving the valuable documents, and clearing his name. Billed second in Desperadoes of Dodge City is Lane's "wonder horse" Blackjack, thereby relegating leading lady Mildred Coles to fourth place in the cast list, just under comic sidekick Eddy Waller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a cowpoke is trotting towards Wyoming in hopes of buying a ranch when he is arrested for a murder he did not commit, forcing him to prove his innocence before continuing on his journey. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dissatisfied with his postwar Republic westerns (not to mention his comparatively low salary), Gene Autry switched his base of operations to Columbia in 1947, where he wore two hats as both star and producer. Autry's first Columbia effort, The Last Round-Up, is a vast improvement over the Republics that preceded it. The story finds Autry arranging for an impoverished Indian tribe to move from their desolate reservation to a more fertile and attractive location. Understandably, the Indians doubt Autry's motives, having been previously burned by such usurping crooks as Mr. Mason (Ralph Morgan) and his son Matt (Mark Daniels). Once Autry has convinced the Indians that he's on their side, he must contend with the Masons' murderous minions. In the course of events, Gene Autry sings five songs, several of them directed to pert leading lady Jean Heather. Featured among the Indian characters is little Bobby Blake, a recent graduate of Republic's "Red Ryder" series. Some of the action highlights in The Last Round-Up were lifted from the 1940 Columbia "A" western Arizona. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide