Eddy Waller Movies

Allan Lane goes in search of his dead friend's brother in this fast-paced Western from Republic Pictures. Instead of finding his brother Tim as he had been promised, Fletcher Roberts (Bruce Edwards) is confronted by Jason Fox (Rory Mallinson), a criminal who needs Fletcher's horses to equip a gang of army deserters. After killing Fletcher, Fox escapes into Cemetery Ridge, an outlaw haven across the border. Claiming to be a fugitive from the law, "Rocky" Lane (Allan Lane), a border patrol officer and Fletcher's friend, crosses over into the Cemetery Ridge where he hooks up with Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller), the lawless town's pharmacist and only law-abiding citizen. Managing to infiltrate the murderer's gang, Rocky locates Fletcher's brother Tim (William Henry), who idolizes Fox. When learning about his brother's death, Tim changes his mind, however, and helps Rocky and Nugget track down not only Fox but also the town's crooked sheriff (George H. Lloyd). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This western deals with an actual historical event. The story follows the endeavors of a heroic fellow who captures the mastermind behind a plot to assassinate President Lincoln. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Yvonne DeCarlo dons 19th century "adventuress" garb once more in River Lady. This time she's a 19th century gambling queen, in charge of a profitable Mississippi riverboat casino. DeCarlo falls in love with logger Rod Cameron; when he won't succumb to her charms, she tries to buy his affections by setting up a logging empire. DeCarlo's partner Dan Duryea is also fascinated with her, but he's his usual slimy self and hasn't got a chance of either winning the girl or surviving to the fade-out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even star Joan Bennett and director Fritz Lang regarded The Secret Beyond the Door as the weakest of their collaborative efforts. Bennett plays spoiled socialite Celia, who falls recklessly in love with the handsome but emotionally complex Mark Lamphere (Michael Redgrave, in his first American film). After their wedding, Celia becomes uncomfortably aware that Mark's mild distrust of women is actually a deep-set, and potentially dangerous, hatred. Even when facing the possibility that she'll be murdered in her sleep, Celia remains loyal to her unbalanced husband. The slowly mounting tension is enhanced by the mood-drenched cinematography of Stanley Cortez and the feverish musical score by Miklos Rozsa. But when it's all over, The Secret Beyond the Door fails to linger in the memory in the manner of such earlier Lang-Bennett efforts as The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Worthless from a historical aspect, Black Bart is nonetheless an enjoyable fabrication about the fabled Western outlaw. Rescued from a "necktie party," outlaws Charles E. Boles (Dan Duryea) and Lance Hardeen (Jeffrey Lynn) decide that it would be best to part as friends and go their separate ways. When next seen, Boles is a prosperous rancher who supplements his income by robbing the Wells Fargo gold shipments under the alias of Black Bart. Upon learning this, Hardeen rides back into Boles' life demanding a piece of the action. Both of the hero-villains are foiled when they succumb to the charms of the bewitching international courtesan Lola Montez (Yvonne DeCarlo). The story is related in flashback-from a jail cell by the outlaws' erstwhile partner Jersey Brady (Percy Kilbride). Obviously forgotten or ignored by the screenwriters was the fact that the actual Black Bart was really black, an ex-slave who "made bad" in the Wild West . Black Bart was remade in 1967 as Ride to Hangman's Tree. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a season that also saw him as The Denver Kid (1948) and The Sheriff of Wichita, Republic's Allan Lane, still carrying the nickname of "Rocky," became marshal of the title's rough-and-tumble Texas location. Marshal Lane comes to the aid of a group of stagecoach passengers stranded at the spooky Halfway House after driver Ben Dolan (Roy Barcroft crashed the stage in an attempt to outrun a masked gunman. Prospector Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller) realizes that the Halfway House may not be your average hostelry when the night clerk (Denver Pyle) keeps up a lengthy conversation with a non-existent porter named George. After discovering the body of fellow passenger Hiram Short (Charles Williams), Marshal Lane and Nugget become even more mystified when the manager of the place, Welsh (Trevor Bardette), announces that he employs no night clerk and that the only guest in residence is cranky Mrs. Pettigrew (Minerva Urecal). Yet another stranded passenger, Underwood (Tom Chatterton), has vanished into thin air, his room now used for storage. Dolan, the stage driver, also meets with sudden death and the missing Underwood's pretty daughter Marjorie (Mildred Coles) informs Lane that her father was carrying $50,000 on his person, money earmarked for buying a ranch. Arriving to the inn late at night, Marjorie is also served by the spooky night clerk, who offers to take her to see her father. The plot thickens and Marshal Lane realizes that Underwood has been kidnapped for his money. After all the mysterious goings-on have been unmakes as fake, the murder/kidnapper is caught in a dramatic chase between stagecoaches, a chase that ends in a raging river. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry's equine sidekick Champion takes the center stage in western drama, based on a story by fellow sagebrush star Ken Maynard. Walt Bailey (Jack Holt) is teaching his young son Joe (Dickie Jones) how to break in a horse when a high-spirited steed (Champion) throws the boy, leaving him severely injured. Furious, Walt demands that the horse be killed, but instead it escapes and ranch foreman Gene (Gene Autry) decides to train the horse rather than destroy it. When Gene returns with the horse, Walt's range returns anew, but Gene senses that the newly tamed horse's spirit could help inspire Joe to overcome his handicap. This was Gene Autry's first picture in color, and (of course) featured him singing five songs of the West. ~ Mark Deming, 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

Alan Ladd and Robert Preston star as Joe Madigan and Jim Davis, rival grain harvesters in the Midwest's wheat country. The animosity between Joe and Jim intensifies upon the arrival of duplicitous Fay Rankin (Dorothy Lamour). Choosing Jim, Fay demands that she be supported in the manner in which she is accustomed, leading Jim inexorably into a life of crime. A cathartic fistfight between Joe and Jim results in their undying friendship and the hasty departure of the troublesome Fay. All this, plus seemingly endless shots of wheat-harvesting teams at work. Alan Ladd and Robert Preston were both better served the following year in Whispering Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Back to his standard Rocky Lane characterization after a brief series of "Red Ryder" westerns, Allan Lane stars in Republic's Bandits of Dark Canyon. In this outing, Lane takes it upon himself to clear ex-convict Ed Archer (Bob Steele) of a trumped-up murder charge. Making things easier is the fact that the "dead" man is actually very much alive, the better to help one of Archer's false friends stage a big gold heist. It's no surprise that Roy Barcroft plays one of the villains: it is a bit surprising to see John Hamilton, best known to fans of the Superman TV series as editor Perry White, participating in the skullduggery. Featured in the cast is veteran western actor Francis Ford, the father of director Philip Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Chased by a posse to a remote cabin, Jeb (Robert Mitchum) is joined by his fearful wife Thorley (Teresa Wright), awaiting the arrival of the men tracking them, as they try to reason out what has gone wrong in their lives. Jeb can't remember anything about his early childhood except for a horrible incident in which the people around him were killed by a mysterious stranger, whose flashing spurs were all the boy saw. He was raised by Ma Callum (Judith Anderson), alongside her two children, Thorley and Adam, as one of her own. But every time Jeb seemed poised to find peace, or even simple stability in his life, lurking nearby was Grant (Dean Jagger), a one-armed stranger who seemed bent on tormenting Jeb -- Jeb doesn't know who he really is, much less who Grant is, but Grant knows enough about him and is good enough at manipulating human nature to make Jeb a target for jealousy and murder. Making Jeb's life even more complicated is the fact that he and his adopted sister Thorley fell in love with each other, while Adam (John Rodney), his adopted brother, has come to hate him. The machinations around Jeb and Thorley come home to roost in multiple shootings and murder, a deadly chase and a long-planned lynching. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

With Robert Riskin as screenwriter, director William Wellman proved in Magic Town that it was possible to make a Frank Capra-esque picture without Capra himself at the helm. James Stewart plays Rip Smith, a cynical pollster who comes across a small American town named Grandview, which represents a "perfect" balance of ethnic types, professions, political beliefs, and personal opinions (a parody of the then-current "Middletown" study). Smith publicizes this discovery, leading to a barrage of media attention and an onslaught of get-rich-quick entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly, all of this has an adverse effect on the heretofore "average" citizens of Grandview; it also seriously threatens Smith's blossoming romance with local girl Mary Peterman (Jane Wyman), who feels that her friends and neighbors are being used, exploited, and in some cases, corrupted. The satirical thrust of the film bogs down into sentimentality toward the end, but it's fun while it lasts. One of the colorful supporting characters is played by screwball-comedy favorite Donald Meek, who died during production, necessitating a number of hasty and not altogether successful rewrites. Though it pleases audiences today, Magic Town was a financial disappointment in 1947, prompting James Stewart to seek out "tougher" and more challenging roles to restore his box-office appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a young juvenile delinquent convinces other teens to join his gang. The gang raids a warehouse and there he ends up killing the school's most beloved teacher. The boy is tried. In court the D.A.'s adopted daughter stands up for the boy. Years before, when they were both orphans, he had done the same for her. The D.A. is unmoved an tries to prosecute to the full extent of the law. The defense, says the real blame should be upon the boy's parents. The boy is given a life sentence. Unbeknownst to the self-righteous D.A., the boy is his long-lost son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide