Lee "Lasses" White Movies
The Southern-fried sidekick to B-Western stars Tim Holt and Jimmy Wakely, Lee "Lasses" White was, according to writer/director Oliver Drake, "the salt of the earth." A co-worker, perennial bad guy Terry Frost, remembered having "a ball every minute I was with (him)." Coming to films late in his long career, the Texas-born performer became a star in early-20th century minstrel shows, earning his nickname (short for "molasses") while trouping with Honey Childs and the famous A.G. Fields Minstrels. He later performed on Nashville radio, including four years with the Grand Ole Opry, before pulling up stakes and moving to Hollywood. By 1941, White was playing Ed Potts, henpecked husband of town gossip Clara Potts (Fern Emmett), in RKO's Scattergood Baines comedies, and he went on to replace the equally elderly Emmett Lynn in the sidekick role of Whopper in the studio's popular Tim Holt Westerns. RKO let White go when Holt left to enlist, but he was back in the harness by 1944, "sidekicking" this time for Jimmy Wakely, Monogram's low-rent answer to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. By 1947, Wakely was persuaded to ditch the veteran performer in favor of the younger Dub Taylor, recently released from Columbia. According to Jimmy, the change ultimately proved detrimental to the series as a whole, as Taylor's brand of very physical humor clashed with his own natural reticence. Never a top favorite with the kids, the target audience of B-Westerns in the '40s, White was really more of a comic actor than a clown and his work -- rolling eyes and swaying walk -- belonged squarely to the long-lost era of blackface minstrel shows. He died in 1949 in Hollywood. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1950
There are those who consider Texan Meets Calamity Jane as one of the worst westerns ever made. It isn't really, but neither is it one of the best. Evelyn Ankers stars as a highly glamorized Calamity Jane, while James Ellison is the Texan of the title, a tenderfoot lawyer named Gordon Hastings. When Calamity's legal gambling operation in South Dakota falls prey to criminal elements, Hastings travels westward to help her out. At first, she's a much better shot than he, but this will change with time. Though released by Columbia, Texan Meets Calamity Jane has all the earmarks of a low-budget independent product. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evelyn Ankers, James Ellison, (more)
- 1950
Produced, written, and directed by the veteran Elmer Clifton (here for obscure reasons billed Elmer S. Pond), Red Rock Outlaw had the audacity to feature its novice star, Bob Gilbert (who also wrote the original story), as identical cousins -- one good, the other bad. The good Gilbert, a rancher, enjoys a campfire singalong with the members of s stranded girls' band, falling in love with Carolina (Ione Nixon), a bleach-blonde looker, along the way. The bad cousin, meanwhile, is scheming with neighboring rancher Jim Martin (Forrest Mathews) to have nice Bob killed so they can combine their properties. Produced in 16 mm back in 1946 or 1947 and released on States' Rights by Screen Features, Inc., Red Rock Outlaw was merely an excuse to showcase a series of country & western specialty acts, including Wanda Cantlon, who, according to an onscreen credit, introduced the song "Alimony" and supplied choreography. Lee "Lasses" White, formerly of Jimmy Wakely musical Westerns, did his usual rustic schtick and the girl band, under the direction of Reno Browne, performed "Boogie Woogie Cowboy, Boogie Joe." It is very likely than leading man Bob Gilbert was a replacement for Spade Cooley, with whom he and most of the cast had been long associated. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Enterprising roadshow exhibitor Kroger Babb was largely responsible for the jerry-built "feature film" The Lawton Story. Most of the footage is devoted to the annual Passion Play at Lawton, Oklahoma, enacted by volunteers from several nearby communities. This portion of The Lawton Story was directed by Harold Daniels and narrated by radio announcer Knox Manning. To bring the film up to feature length, a fictional plotline concerning the preparations for the pageant was hastily assembled, featuring such familiar Hollywood character players as Forrest Taylor, Willa Pearl Curtis and Maude Eburne. These "wraparound" scenes were directed by old reliable William Beaudine. Certain recent publications have mercilessly poked fun at The Lawton Story, pointing out such "mistakes" as the telephone wires behind the crucified Jesus and the wristwatches worn by some of the Passion Play performers. Nowhere do these derisive accounts acknowledge that the audience is made aware that this is not meant to be a historical spectacle, but is in fact a filmed record of an outdoor-theater production. The Lawton Story is better known by its general-release title The Prince of Peace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forrest Taylor
- 1949
Country western star Jimmie Davis heads the cast of the Monogram musical western Mississippi Rhythm. Teamed with perennial comedy sidekick Lee "Lasses" White, Jimmie (playing himself) rides into a small unincorporated community where the citizens are being victimized by crooked land developers. Our hero saves the day when he encourages the locals to incorporate, elect honest leaders and expunge the villains. Jimmie Davis' real-life political savvy would later serve him well when he became Governor of Louisiana. Mississippi Rhythm contains 12 songs, all written by Davis, including his signature tune "You Are My Sunshine." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmie Davis, Veda Ann Borg, (more)
- 1948
In this western comedy, a milquetoast gunsmith from the East Coast goes to Arsenic City, Arizona because he has heard that everybody their carries guns. His trip West is an exercise in misfortune. Everything that could go wrong on the journey, does. At least he meets a pretty woman, also en route to Arsenic City. She goes there in search of her late father's gold mine. They fall in love and work together to find her father's killer and reclaim the mine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Albert, Binnie Barnes, (more)
- 1948
In the early 1930s, Tom Keene was RKO's resident western star. By 1948, Keene had changed his name to Richard Powers, and had slipped unobtrusively into supporting roles. Back at RKO for Indian Agent, Keene/Powers plays a crooked government man who has been rerouting the Indian's food supplies to fatten his own bank account. Racing to the rescue is Tim Holt, who forestalls an Indian uprising in order to bring the duplicitous agent to justice. Indian Agent also features a character performance by Noah Beery Jr. (usually cast as the bucolic best friend of the hero) as a proud Native American chief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Noah Beery, Jr., (more)
- 1948
The Golden Eye is a Charlie Chan mystery set on a Southwestern ranch. A once-dormant mine mysteriously begins to yield gold, bringing out the worst characteristics of several people involved. When murder enters the picture, Charlie Chan interrupts his vacation and investigates, with the dubious aid of his son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and his perennially frightened chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). The script for this film lifts many elements from several earlier sources, including the "high-heeled nun" bit from Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (38). The fourth Monogram "Charlie Chan" film to star Roland Winters as the soft-spoken Chinese sleuth, The Golden Eye is salvaged by the effortless expertise of comic relief Mantan Moreland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, (more)
- 1948
The Cisco Kid and Pancho set off to find the missing owner of a devoted little dog in this western adventure. From the vanished man's sister, the heroes learn that her brother disappeared soon after striking a major gold vein in his mine. In the end Cisco accosts the villain, saves the kidnapped miner and reunites him with his dog. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Carrillo, John Litel, (more)
- 1947
A mysterious crook by the name of "The Poet" is robbing Wells Fargo stages and creating havoc in the Old West. The sheriff is having no luck discovering the desperado's identity; when he comes across James Wylie (Dennis Morgan), a gambler who is running from the law in Carson City, he blackmails him into going undercover and tracking the outlaw down. Wylie takes the next coach out, joined by two tantalizing women, Ann (Jane Wyman) and Emily (Janis Paige). Emily is just a saloon singer (which affords her the chance to croon "I'm So in Love" and "Going Back to Old Cheyenne"), but it turns out that Ann is more unusual -- she's the wife of The Poet. The two team up to track him down (encountering The Sundance Kid and his gang along the way) -- and discover that they make a pretty good team. A popular TV series of the same name was loosely based upon the movie; starring Clint Walker, it ran for 7 years starting in 1955. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alvin, Bruce Bennett, (more)
- 1947
In this western, two cowboys are framed as cattle rustlers and tossed in the pokey. Later, honest ranchers spring them and together they ride out against the rustlers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Produced in Kernville, California, this typical Jimmy Wakely singing Western from Monogram had the former radio troubadour settling a range feud between his uncle and boss (Budd Buster) and a homesteader (songwriter Jack Baxley) by proving that both were the victims of their crooked foremen (Zon Murray and Bob Duncan). Patricia Starling, who also appeared opposite Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson, added a bit of romance to the proceedings, which also benefitted from Wakely's warbling of the old standard Whoppi Ti Yi Yo and his own The Lonesome Trail. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1947
- NR
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
- Starring:
- James Stewart, E.J. Ballantine, (more)
- 1947
A sharecropper's son grows up to be the governor of Louisiana in this rags-to-riches bio-pic that tells the story of Jimmie Davis who was determined to get a good education and make something of himself. Not only did he become known as the singing governor, Davis was also a professor in a women's college, and a streetwise police commissioner. He sings several songs throughout the film including: "You Are My Sunshine," "Nobody's Darling but Mine," "It Makes No Difference," "There's a New Moon over My Shoulder," "Let's Be Sweethearts Again," and "You Won't Be Satisfied That Way." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dottye Brown, Tristram Coffin, (more)
- 1947
The Abbott & Costello western spoof The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap is predicated on an actual Montana law of the 19th century, which dictated that if a man killed another in a gun duel, that man was responsible for the care and support of the victim's family. The film gets under way with an introductory title: "MONTANA: Where Men Are Men? With Two Exceptions." Those exceptions are travelling salesmen Duke (Bud Abbott) and Chester (Lou Costello), freshly arrived in the wide-open western town of Wagon Gap. No sooner has Chester reached Main Street than he is falsely arrested for the murder of Hawkins, the town layabout. He and Duke are spared the hangman's noose when the genially corrupt Judge Benbow (George Cleveland) reminds the jury that Chester is now responsible for Hawkins' debts and family. In short order, Chester is moved bag and baggage into the ramshackle home of the rowdy Widow Hawkins (Marjorie Main) and her brood of seven noisy children. Forced to do all the chores around the Widow's home, poor Chester must also put in overtime at Jake Frame's (Gordon Jones) saloon to pay off Hawkins' debts. While the crafty Duke tries to figure out various methods of extricating Chester from his dilemma, the Widow uses all of her wiles to get Chester to propose marriage to her. The plot goes off on a new tangent when it is discovered that none of the town desperadoes are willing to shoot down Chester, lest they inherit the Widow and her brats. Emboldened by his "untouchable" status, Chester swaggers around town striking fear in the hearts of the local menfolk, bosses Duke around for a change, and is even appointed sheriff! Alas, his invulnerability comes to an abrupt end when it turns out that the Hawkins spread is the most valuable property in town, thereby making Widow Hawkins the territory's most eligible bachelorette. The story comes to an uproarious conclusion when Chester and Jake Frame confront each other in a "high noon" gun duel. Incredibly, screenwriters D.D. Beauchamp and William Bowers originally intended The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap as a vehicle for James Stewart! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, William Ching, (more)
- 1947
C&W singer Jimmy Wakely would never be Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, but he strove to please. In Song of the Wasteland, Jimmy tries to uphold law and order in a tough frontier town. The villainy was in the grimy hands of Holly Bane, Pierce Lyden, Ted Adams and George Cheseboro, so Wakely had his work cut out for him. On hand for laughs was Lee "Lasses" White, whom one western historian characterized as the unfunniest comic relief in screen history. Director Thomas Carr keeps the action flowing, even during the musical sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Despite his unprepossessing screen personality, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely was starred in a series of Monogram westerns, one of which was West of the Alamo. Wakely and comedy sidekick Lee "Lasses" White play a pair of government agents who work undercover to solve a series of baffling crimes. It comes to no one's surprise that the criminal mastermind is the town's leading citizen, in this case banker Clay Bradford (Jack Ingram). As was typical in the Wakely westerns, West of the Alamo is approximately 25 percent action and 75 percent musical. Among the guest warblers this time out is the Arthur Smith Trio, headed by a gospel singer who'd later emcee a popular religious TV talk show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Lee "Lasses" White, (more)
- 1946
With a catchy title song co-written by the film's star and director, this Jimmy Wakely music Western got off to a lilting start. The film, however, quickly turned out to be just another minor entry in the very derivative Monogram/Wakely series. The former radio crooner and his usual sidekick Lee "Lasses" White, get in trouble this time with an unscrupulous cattle king (Stanley Blystone) and his even more unscrupulous foreman (Terry Frost), both of whom are in league with -- you guessed it -- an unscrupulous railroad man (Jack Ingram). Jennifer Holt, daughter of legendary action star Jack Holt and one of the busiest B-Western heroines of the '40s, added feminine appeal, and rustic comedian White contributed with three songs -- I'm Casting My Lasso, If You Knew What It Meant to Be Lonesome, both co-written with Wakely, and the solo effort Out on the Western Range. Although no Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, Jimmy Wakely was popular enough in the hinterlands for his series to last through 1949. He later owned his own recording label. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Peter Cookson, Monogram's answer to Jimmy Stewart, stars in Fear, also known as Black Tower Cookson plays a medical student who becomes involved in a murder. Anne Gwynne is the girl who doesn't completely trust Cookson, but helps him out anyway. Also appearing as one of those oh-too-helpful types is Warren William, who died in 1948, suggested that perhaps Black Tower was lensed a few years before its official 1950 release date. Some sources list Black Tower as a PRC production; this is possible, though PRC was defunct by 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cookson, Warren William, (more)
- 1946
All-American singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely went below the border in this musical Western from the assembly line at Monogram, performing such ditties as Adios Mariquita Linda, Rose of the Rancho, the inevitable La Cucaracha, and his own title tune. As always, Jimmy Wakely plays himself, this time heading for Don Roberto Lopez's (Julian Rivero) ranch to track down a missing gold shipment. En route, he encounters the notorious Texas Kid (Brad Slaven), who steals his clothes along with a letter of introduction and later commits a murder in his name. Dressed in The Kid's outfit, Wakely, meanwhile, pretends to join the gang suspected of stealing the gold and is eventually able to unmask their mysterious leader (Forrest Matthews). Leading lady Dolores Castelli, as Don Roberto's niece, warbles a special rendition of Jarebe Tapatio (aka Mexican Hat Dance), and Wakely's sidekick, Lee "Lasses" White, takes a more active part in the action than usual. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1946
As with his previous music Western vehicle, Moon over Montana (1946), former radio crooner Jimmy Wakely composed the title song for this film. With Wesley Tuttle and His Texas Stars as his backup group, Wakely also warbled Paul Westmoreland's Detour, De Camptown Ladies, by Stephen Foster, and I Miss You Since You've Been Gone by Arthur Smith. The girl Wakely "missed" was Jean Carlin, whose prospector grandfather (Budd Buster) is being harrassed by an unknown force. Wakely and his usual sidekick Lee "Lasses" White investigate and soon determine that the mystery villain is actually a villainess, Flora Carter (Iris Clive), a ruthless lady rancher who holds the mortgage to grandpa Buster's property. In between crooning the aforementioned tunes and winning the big race on his wild mustang, Wakely manages to discover enough evidence to convict the unscrupulous Ms. Carter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1946
If Republic's skating star Vera Hruba Ralston could go "dramatic", so too could Monogram's skating star Belita. Produced by the enterprising King Brothers, Suspense takes place in an ice-skating emporium owned by Frank Leonard (Albert Dekker). No-good heel Joe Morgan (Barry Sullivan) not only strongarms Leonard into sharing the establishment's profits, but also tries to move in on Leonard's wife Roberta (Belita). The plot thickens when Leonard is apparently killed by Morgan, only to return from the dead! But what really does Morgan in is his own checkered past, as personified by his vengeful ex-sweetheart Ronnie (Bonita Granville, in a truly offbeat characterization). Belita's ice-skating solos (staged by Nick Castle) and Philip Yordan's overly complicated script tend to weigh down the proceedings; still, Suspense deserves to be seen, if for no other reason than its dazzling opening sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belita, Barry Sullivan, (more)
Dillinger, the was the ninth effort from the enterprising King Brothers, and their most financially successful film to date. Lawrence Tierney became an overnight cult favorite with his gritty portrayal of maverick bank robber John Dillinger, though top billing is bestowed upon Edmund Lowe as gang chieftain Specs. The film traces Dillinger's criminal career from his first petty theft to his spectacular 1934 demise outside Chicago's Biograph Theater (incidentally, this film was banned in Chicago for several years). Anne Jeffreys plays Dillinger's fictional moll Helen, while Elisha Cook Jr., Marc Lawrence, and Eduardo Ciannelli go through their usual crime-flick paces. The film's set piece is an elaborate armored-car holdup, lifted in its entirety from footage originally shot for Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once (1937). Screenwriter Philip Yordan, fresh from his Broadway triumph Anna Lucasta, earned an Academy Award nomination for Dillinger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys, (more)
- 1945
An above-average entry in the Jimmy Wakely singing cowboy series, this movie features a suspenseful murder mystery set on a dude ranch. Wakely and cohorts John James and Lee "Lasses" White are hired to investigate the mysterious murder of a U.S. marshal. There are plenty of suspects, of course, including a couple of jewel thieves (Claire James and Alan Foster) and the late ranch owner's unscrupulous partner (Jack Ingram). A lovesick ranch guest (Kay Deslys of Laurel & Hardy fame) and sundry Country & Western performers liven things up considerably while Wakely and Co. track down the killer. Filmed at the Circle J. Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, Saddle Serenade included such songs as "My Saddle Serenade", by Johnny Bond, Chiquita, by producer-director Oliver Drake and Sam H. Stept, and Saddle Pals, by Wakely. The western marked the first of three Wakely appearances by John James, a handsome second lead who should not be confused with the later Dynasty star of the same name. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
The second of Monogram's 1945 trio of "Cisco Kid" westerns, In Old New Mexico stars Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Martin Garralaga as Pancho. The plot concentrates on heroine Ellen (Gwen Kenyon), a nurse accused of murder. Gallant Cisco "kidnaps" Ellen from the authorities, then sets about to prove her innocence, all with the cooperation of a sympathetic sheriff. Cisco and Pancho stage an elaborate ruse to force a confession out of the genuine killer, which in real life would of course be thrown out of court-but whoever said that these films had anything to do with real life? After a third "Cisco Kid" entry, South of the Rio Grande, Duncan Renaldo would temporarily leave the series, returning with a vengeance three years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duncan Renaldo, Martin Garralaga, (more)
