George Walsh Movies

Bottom-of-the-barrel Western filmmaking on all fronts -- save perhaps hero Tom Tyler's usual competent performance and a restrained sidekick turn by Al St. John -- Pinto Rustlers was directed by Reliable producer Harry S. Webb under the pseudonym of Henri Samuels. Tyler plays Tom Evans, a young cowboy seeking to avenge the murder of his father by a notorious gang of rustlers. Badgering police inspector William Gould into deputizing him, Evans goes undercover as Tom Dawson, a wanted outlaw, and is quickly invited to join the rustlers. The gang is headed by Nick Furnicky (George Walsh), a bandit sporting an indeterminate accent, but the film's real villain is Bud Walton (Earl Dwire), the crooked head of the local cattlemen's association, who has his brother (Murdock MacQuarrie) kidnapped in an attempt to prevent the disclosure of his own dirty deeds. Badly directed, atrociously acted by a cast of veterans that should have known better, and featuring some of the weakest fight scenes in B-Western history, Pinto Rustlers only comes to life at the very end when the gang leader quite literally has the rug pulled from under him. Sadly, this meandering Western marked a rather less than glorious ending to the career of George Walsh, the brother of director Raoul Walsh and a major Fox star in the 1920s. Walsh, who had always traded on physique rather than acting capabilities, had become quite heavy by 1936 and could only find employment in Gower Gulch. Following Pinto Rustlers and Rio Grande Romance (which, despite the title, was a crook melodrama), even those offers dried up. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

One of the few non-western releases from Sam Katzman's Victory Productions, Put on the Spot stars Eddie Nugent as G-Man Bob Andrews. When Joe Bradley (George Walsh) is railroaded into prison for a murder he didn't commit, Andrews takes it upon himself to clear the man. Digging up new evidence, our hero discovers that culprits are involved in smuggling activities along the Rio Grande. The script allows Andrews to travel several hundred miles along both sides of the border, though it is clear that most of the picture was filmed in Chatsworth California. Based on a novel by Peter B. Kyne, Put on the Spot went into production as Rio Grande Romance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Little more than stock footage from the 1934 serial Pirate Treasure, this low-budget action adventure stars stunt man Richard Talmadge as Dick Nelson, a sailor leading an expedition to an uncharted island where a treasure is supposed to be stored. En route, the vessel suffers a mutiny and eventually explodes, leaving two groups of survivors washed up on shore. Dick's group, which also includes the captain (Charles K. French) and his daughter (Alberta Vaughn), is the first to encounter the treasure but is almost defeated by an opposing faction led by nasty Bull Dennis (George Walsh). Although a Regal Pictures Corp. production, Live Wire was filmed at Universal using standing sets. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Originally titled It Ain't No Sin until the censors prevailed, then St. Louis Woman and Belle of New Orleans, until complaints were registered from those two communities, Belle of the Nineties was Mae West's first post-Production Code film. West is cast as cabaret entertainer Ruby Carter, plying her trade along the Mississippi. Having no trouble surviving on her own terms in a man's world, Ruby fends off the unwarranted attentions of a steady stream of libidinous males, reserving her affections for a muscular boxer called The Tiger Kid (Roger Pryor). In keeping with the star's casual liberality, a number of black entertainers and athletes are given ample opportunities in this film, notably Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. The surest sign that the Code had "tamed" West a bit is the fact that she actually marries the hero at film's end. The musical highlights include West's unforgettable rendition of "My Old Flame". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this rough-and-tumble action comedy, Chuck Connors (Wallace Beery) and Steve Brodie (George Raft) are friendly rivals on New York's Bowery in the 1890s. Connors owns a fancy tavern and looks after a streetwise kid named Swipes McGurk (Jackie Cooper), while Brodie is a daredevil willing to do nearly anything to get the better of Connors. When both men fall in love with Lucy Calhoun (Fay Wray), who has fallen on hard times, Brodie takes her under his wing and helps get her back on her feet. Connors is furious that his rival has won her heart, so he goads Brodie into doing something spectacular to prove his love for her -- jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, for example. Reckless but not stupid, Brodie has no intention of making the jump and plans to use a dummy instead, but when Connors and his henchmen show up to make sure that Brodie doesn't back down, the dare is turned into a wager, and Brodie emerges the new owner of Connors' bar after successfully making the jump. In real life, George Raft and Wallace Beery were not nearly so friendly as their characters: Raft persuaded director Raoul Walsh to hire a number of his underworld cronies as extras, which irritated Beery no end. When the two actors had a fight scene, Beery refused to hold back, and the staged fistfight quickly turned into a for-real battle royale. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Danny Dolan (Spencer Tracy) is a good-hearted, streetwise waterfront beat cop in New York City who gets promoted to detective when he saves the life of a drunk (Will Stanton) who falls into the river. He also strikes up an acquaintance with Helen Riley (Joan Bennett), a wisecracking waitress at a nearby diner, which leads to a potential romance. Each one's bravado and tough self-image, however, prevents them from admitting how they feel about each other. Also getting in the way of their romance are Detective Allen (Adrian Morris), who permitted wanted hood Duke Castenega (George Walsh -- the director's brother) to slip off of a boat and into the country while Danny was making his rescue; and Helen's dimwitted sister Kate (Marion Burns), who used to date Duke, but is now marrying dull, steady, loyal merchant seaman Eddie Collins (George Chandler). She can't quite push Duke out of her life, and when he breaks prison and turns up trying to hide out in Kate's home, she's foolish enough to hide him. It falls to Eddie's father (Henry B. Walthall), a paralyzed World War I veteran, to try and warn Danny and save his son's wife and their marriage. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Most of the late-1920s George Walsh vehicles were directed by "B"-picture specialist Bernard McEveety, and Inspiration was no exception. The plot concentrates on ascertaining the parentage of an illegitimate child. Falsely accused of being the daddy, wealthy Walsh is ostracized from polite New York society. He heads for Port Said and a life of drunken depravity, until he is rescued by native dancer Gladys Frazin. Armed with a new reason for living, Walsh cleans himself up and returns to New York to face down his unforgiving accusers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Apparently filmed at the same time as the 1927 George Walsh vehicle His Rise to Fame, Broadway Drifter casts Walsh as the son of a prominent airplane manufacturer. Framed for theft by his crooked uncle, Walsh inexplicably refuses to defend himself and as a result is thrown out of his father's house. After several months of wandering aimlessly about, our hero is afforded the opportunity to clear his name and expose his uncle as a fraud. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ironically, action hero George Walsh's star was on the wane when he appeared in His Rise to Fame. It's the story of a chronic gambler (Walsh) whose addiction to cards and horses loses him job after job. While ruminating on his future in a cabaret, he gets into a fight to defend the honor of his sweetheart, dancer Peggy Shaw. Soundly beaten by his opponent, Walsh retreats in disgrace, then decides to build up his ego -- and physique -- at the local gym. He does such a good job "pumping up" that he launches a successful prizefighting career. But when crooked manager Bradley Page falls for Walsh's girlfriend Shaw, Page resorts to underhanded tactics to make Walsh lose the championship. But our hero isn't about to be humiliated twice in front of the same girl -- no, sir! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The brother of director Raoul Walsh, George Walsh starred in this low-budget gangster melodrama directed by Wesley Ruggles. Walsh plays Jack Banning, a motorcycle cop by day and undercover agent by night. Disguising himself as "Strongarm Samson," Banning infiltrates a gang of smugglers headed by Richard Courtney (a very young Brian Donlevy). Unfortunately, Marion Marcy (Ruth Dwyer) recognizes him and spills the beans to Courtney. The villain orders his henchman, Spanish Joe (Lucien Prival), to take the undercover cop "for a ride," but Banning escapes with the help of female undercover agent Dorina (Laura De Cardi). Marion, who has come to love the heroic policeman, is kidnapped by Courtney, but Banning manages to rescue her in the nick of time. With the gang behind bars, Banning and Marion can finally plan a future together. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

H. H. Van Loan, a specialist in sports yarns (he scripted the first feature-length baseball movie, 1914's Little Sunset), penned the story upon which The Kick-Off was based. George Walsh, whose impressive physique made up for his shortcomings as an actor, stars as farm boy Tom Stephens. When he enrolls in a big-city college, Tom is the object of everyone's ridicule-everyone, that is, except campus sweetie Marilyn Spencer (Leila Hyams). The worm turns when Tom wins the big football game, despite the chicanery of his chief rival. Fraternal note: George Walsh was the brother of director Raoul Walsh, while Wesley Ruggles, director of The Kick-Off, was the brother of actor Charlie Ruggles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though his starring career took a nose-dive after he was dropped from the starring role in Ben-Hur, action hero George Walsh (brother of director Raoul Walsh) still managed to scare up work in such medium-budget vehicles as Blue Blood. Walsh is cast as scientist Robert Chester (we know he's a genius because he wears thick horn-rimmed glasses), as handy with his fist as with a Bunsen burner. Chester puts his test tubes aside to save the honor of Geraldine (Cecile Evans), daughter of chewing-gum magnate Leander Hicks (Robert Bolder). The headstrong Geraldine is on the verge of marrying handsome rum-runner Percy Horton (Philo McCullough), who is posing as a rich malted-milk manufacturer. Chester shows up Percy for the bounder that he is and wins the girl in the bargain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Filmmaker Hugo Ballin) pulled out all the stops on this adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the Napoleonic era. He surrounded his wife, Mabel Ballin, who plays Becky Sharp, with sumptuous period sets and a fine cast. Ballin stays close to the novel, detailing the scheming Becky's tumultuous rise to the top of society circles and back down again. Her ambitions begin with Joseph Sedley (Willard Louis), the brother of her wealthy school friend, Amelia (Eleanor Boardman). When he doesn't respond to her overtures, she becomes governess for the children of Sir Pitt Crawley (Robert Mack) and secretly weds Captain Rawdon Crawley (George Walsh). Amelia meanwhile, has married her childhood sweetheart, George Osborne (Harrison Ford). Since her own marriage has not been a financial success, Becky decides to go for Amelia's husband. Osborne dies in battle and Becky turns her attentions to the rich Marquis of Steyne (Hobart Bosworth). Her husband catcher her with the Marquis and leaves her. After helping bring Amelia together with Captain Dobbin (Earle Foxe), Becky winds up alone, spending her life doing good works. Actually, some of the casting here was too good -- although this was only Eleanor Boardman's fourth film, she got rave notices as Amelia, and the New York Times asserted that she should have played Becky instead of Mabel Ballin. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi