Ronald Davidson Movies
A graduate of the University of California, Ronald Davidson tried to make a go as a rancher prior to entering the literary field as a short story writer. He turned to motion pictures in 1936 and went on to provide screenplays for a host of low-budget Westerns until appointed story director of Republic Pictures' serial division in 1943. From 1944 on, Davidson was also listed as associate producer on nearly all of the company's classic chapterplays, remaining with the serial unit until 1955 and King of the Carnival, the last chapterplay produced by Republic. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1963
In this Korean War drama, three POWs escape the North Koreans and try to make it safely across enemy lines. During their flight, the soldiers encounter a young boy and his German Shepherd. The boy hates the communists because they killed his parents for sheltering American soldiers, and he offers to help the Americans escape. The journey is arduous and one of the soldiers dies. The fugitives are then joined by a victim of brainwashing. Finally they find the rescue helicopter, but the two original soldiers refuse to board until they can ensure the safety of the brave boy. They decide to take him to America, even though it means they may be court-martialed. One of the men becomes the lad's step-father. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, William Bendix, (more)
- 1956
Distributed by Republic, the 64-minute documentary Zanzabuku was produced independently by cinematographer Lewis Cotlow. The film recounts an eight-month African safari embarked upon by Cotlow and his four-man crew. The trek takes the men through Tankanyika, Uganda, Kenya, and what was then known as the Belgian Congo. Making excellent use of telephoto lenses, the film garners gasps with its up-close-and-personal scenes of charging rhinos, hippos and elephants. Children should enjoy the scenes involving a frisky baby lion, even though the photography in this sequence is rather murky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
- Add Radar Men from the Moon [Serial] to QueueAdd Radar Men from the Moon [Serial] to top of Queue
In the second of Republic Pictures' three "Rocket Man" serials, the government assigns Commando Cody (George Wallace) to look into a series of strange atomic explosions threatening the United States' defense systems. As Cody discovers, the threat comes from the Moon, whose ruler, Retik (Roy Barcroft), is planning an invasion of Mother Earth due to a severe lack of atmosphere on his own planet. Retik works through Krog (Peter Brocco), an inter-planetary henchman who does all the financing and hiring on Earth. Unfortunately, the hooded lunar visitor fails miserably on both fronts: the preparations for the invasion are severely under funded and the hired guns, such as former prison inmate Graber (Clayton Moore), less than competent. But despite these caveats, Commando Cody and his fellow space travelers, Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne) and Ted Richards (William Bakewell), have to suffer through 12 chapters before finally destroying the threat from the planet Moon. Radar Men From the Moon was filmed between October 17, 1951, and November 6, 1951, on a budget of $172,840. Most location filming, not excluding plenty of stock footage from earlier Republic serials, was done at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. The serial was followed by a brief television series, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal, which retained Aline Towne as Joan Gilbert but replaced George Wallace and William Bakewell with Judd Holdren and William Schallert. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Wallace, Aline Towne, (more)
- 1952
- NR
An Inter-Planetary cop flies out in his specially designed space suit to stop humanoid zombies from obeying the commands of a psycho research scientist who wants to blow the world out of its natural orbit in this obviously low-budget early 1950s sci-fi serial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Allan "Rocky" Lane and his trusty stallion Black Jack star in Republic's Black Hills Ambush. Lane plays a U.S. marshal who answers a call for help from his old pal Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller). It seems that someone is staging ruinous raids on Nugget's newly established freight line. Realizing that gang leader Bart (Roy Barcroft) is a lost cause, Lane tries to reform gang member Larry Stewart (Michael Hall), thereby forcing the crooks' evil scheme to collapse under its own weight. The highly forgettable leading lady is played by Leslye Banning. Allan "Rocky" Lane continued turning out low-budget westerns for a full decade after Black Hills Ambush was released in 1952 but is probably best-known as the voice of TV-equine Mr. Ed ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Leslye Banning, (more)
- 1950
Former child actor George Breakston spent his adult career as a producer, headquartered in Africa. Co-produced by Breakston and Yorke Coplen, Jungle Stampede is a documentary filmed in British East Africa (now Kenya), the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) and Uganda. The usual shots of wildlife specimens in their native habitat are complemented with lengthy sequences of tribal customs. Ronald Davison provides the enthusiastic narration. Jungle Stampede was distributed in America by Republic Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Johnny Mack Brown does his usual Johnny Mack Brown thing in the Monogram western Range Justice. Once more teamed with comic sidekick Max Terhune, Brown champions the cause of feisty lady rancher Ma Curtis (Sarah Padden). A gang of crooks led by the scurrilous Stoner (Fred Kohler Jr.) is trying to drive Ma off her land. Going undercover, Brown joins the gang to bore from within. The rest of the story adheres religiously to the formula firmly established in previous Johnny Mack Brown oaters. Legendary stunt man Eddie Parker is seen in a rare speaking role as "Lacey." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1949
In this late entry in Monogram's Jimmy Wakely series of musical Westerns, Wakely and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) come to the aid of Reno Browne, whose brother, Steven (Riley Hill), is convicted and sentenced to death for killing an enemy of their later father. Wakely and Cannonball, who has enrolled in a detective correspondence course, do a bit of investigating and are soon on the track of the real killer, Carson (Dennis Moore), the leader of a gang smuggling ore from Mexico. Although ostensibly a Jimmy Wakely vehicle, Across the Rio Grande became something of a showcase for supporting actors Riley Hill and Dub Taylor. The latter made much of his mail-order detective schtick, to the point of firing a bullet into a recently acquired "bulletproof" vest. The bullet, alas, was not deflected by the vest but by Cannonball's correspondence-manual. Across the Rio Grande marked the screen debut of radio songstress Polly Bergen, who appeared as a cantina singer under her real name Polly Burgin. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Reno Browne, (more)
- 1949
In his second-to-last Monogram Western, country & western singer Jimmy Wakely does hardly any singing at all as he and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) attempt to catch the villain who caused the death of 16-year-old Perry Andrews (Buddy Swan), a student at the Sheriff's Association School. Perry was shot by Marshal Jim Braden (Jack Ingram), who mistook him for a murderous claim jumper. Due to young Perry's suspected involvement in a crime, the foundation supporting his school is threatening to withdraw all funding. To save the school, Wakely and Cannonball tracks down the claim jumper (Nolan Leary) by pretending to be outlaws themselves. A clean-cut veteran of Gene Autry's radio show, Wakely became Monogram's best bid in the Singing Cowboy sweepstakes. His series ran from 1944 to 1949, almost exclusively in the hinterlands. By that late date, B-Westerns were facing stiff competition from television and Wakely left to form his own record label. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Monogram's four-year-old Jimmy Wakely western series began to wind down with Courtin' Trouble. As was customary, Jimmy does more singin' than fightin' or shootin' in this leisurely entry. The plot concerns an ongoing feud between cattlemen and frontier merchants. Adding fuel to the fire is an outlaw gang, masterminded by saloon owner Leonard Penn (the real-life father of actors Sean and Christopher Penn). Virginia Belmont plays a lady attorney who is determined to bring things to a peaceful conclusion, while Dub "Cannonball" Taylor is the all-around comedy relief. Star Wakely manages to squeeze three musical numbers into the film's 56-minute timespan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Wakely, Virginia Belmont, (more)
- 1948
In this western a cowboy and his gang must take on a band of bad-to-the-bone female outlaws. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1948
In this western a singing cowboy and his side-kick rescue a pretty gal who runs a stagecoach and finds herself in trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1948
Daredevils in the Clouds was one of Republic's several attempts to transform former cowboy star Robert Livingston into a non-cowboy leading man. With customers and creditors breathing down his neck, Terry O'Rourke (Livingston), the head of Polar Airways, does his best to bring his planes in on time. Johnny Martin (James Cardwell), top man at Trans-Global Airlines, covets O'Rourke's business, and will do anything-even commit murder-to gobble up Polar's clientele. Mae Clarke, who hadn't had a leading role in years, is quietly effective as Kay Cameron, a grounded aviatrix who carries a torch for her boss O'Rourke. The film is distinguished by the excellent miniature and special-effects work of the Lydecker Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, James B. Cardwell, (more)
- 1948
In this western, a Texas Ranger and his pardner gallop after a band of desperadoes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1946
- NR
One of the most entertaining serials to be released by Republic Pictures, this mystery employed yet another inscrutable invention, a counter atomic device known as Cyclotrode X, sought after by yet another cloaked villain, The Crimson Ghost of the title. But just like the well-known criminologist Duncan Richards (Charles Quigley) and his lovely assistant Diana Farnsworth (Linda Stirling), the Saturday Matinee kids had a tough job spotting the person hiding behind the hideous disguise. The studio took no chances this time and ingeniously cast stunt-man Bud Geary to embody the villain while several actors supplied the voice, including I. Stanford Jolley, whose role was minor but who received fourth-billing and was therefore highly suspect. When The Crimson Ghost was unmasked in the 12th and final chapter, he proved to be yet another actor, Joseph Forte, who had enacted a character seemingly above suspicion. Instead of feeling cheated, however, the young target audience subconsciously enjoyed the above-average writing and fine direction by the talented William Witney and Fred C. Brannon, and no one complained. Quigley and Stirling were at the top of their serial game, and to the bemused surprise of more recent viewers, television's Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, played one of the master villain's henchmen, a cold-hearted gangster. The Crimson Ghost was also released in an edited feature version, retitled Cyclotrode. In 1966, yet another edited version was given the title Cyclotrode X. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Popular latter-day serial queen Linda Stirling starred in the title role in this well-made 12 chapter serial produced by genre specialist Republic Pictures. Stirling plays Barbara Mededith, a pretty girl who takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro. Off course, "being a mere woman," Barbara needs the assistance of a stalwart young man, in this case Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis), a government secret agent. Arguably the most popular serial heroine since the days of Pearl White, Linda Stirling's other top-billed serial role was as The Tiger Woman (1944). The choice of Lewis as Stirling's male lead was surprising; the Mexican-born Lewis, although handsome enough and a veteran of Universal's popular "Collegians" 2-reelers, had recently played mostly villains. Produced by Ronald Davidson, Zorro's Black Whip benefitted from second unit direction by stunt-man extraordinaire Yakima Canutt and special effects by the famed Theodore Lydecker. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1944
The most obvious discrepancies concerning this otherwise well-remembered cliffhanger from genre specialist Republic Pictures are the quite demure-looking leopard outfit worn by the serial's heroine, Linda Stirling, and that Darkest Africa looks suspiciously like the hills of suburban Chatsworth. Apparently, producer William J. O'Connell acquired the leopard costume on the cheap but too late for the title to be changed, and the location never really mattered to Republic's mostly juvenile target audience. Making her serial debut, Stirling's innate athleticism came in handy playing Kay Arnold, an heiress turned Jungle Goddess who helps oil company representative Allan Lane fight off a villainous competitor headed by unscrupulous attorney Fletcher Walton (LeRoy Mason) and his henchman, general store proprietor Tom Daggett (Crane Whitley). The remaining 11 chapters had either Stirling rescuing Lane from one peril after another, or vice versa. Although not quite as independently heroic as serial queens such as Pearl White and Ruth Roland, Linda Stirling came as close as anybody, which of course was Republic's goal all along. Her sex appeal, despite the demure costume, was obvious and although this was not why she had chosen the acting profession, Linda tore into her serial assignments with legendary gusto. Ironically, the native of Long Beach, CA, had begun her career studying with Ben Bard, the widower of Ruth Roland. The serial was re-edited and released in a feature version re-titled Jungle Gold. In 1951, Republic resurrected the entire chapterplay under the title Perils of the Darkest Jungle. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
A typical war time Republic Pictures serial, G-Men vs. the Black Dragon featured the combined efforts of three allied operatives -- Rex Bennett of the USA (Rod Cameron), Vivian Marsh of the British Secret Service (Constance Worth, an Australian) and Chang Sing (Roland Got) of the Chinese counter-espionage division -- who battle the Japanese Black Dragon Society. Headed by the maniacal Oyama Harushi (Nino Pipitone, Sr.), the notorious society conducted a campaign of terror and sabotage against America until stopped by the united heroes in the 15th and final chapter, "Democracy in Action." That the Japanese master spy was played by an Italian-American was only par for the course. Much of the footage from this serial -- including a spectacular exploding submarine -- was re-used many times over, notably in the 1951 serial Flying Disc Man from Mars. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Rod Cameron is the virile hero, and Joan Marsh the dauntless heroine; both are Allied secret agents working to outwit the Gestapo in North Africa. The acting honors go to Lionel Royce, who plays the dual role of kindly Sultan Abou Ben Ali and the sadistic German Baron Von Rommler. The baron imprisons the sultan, then takes his place, the better to swing the African Arabs to the Nazi cause. Running 15 episodes, Secret Service of Darkest Africa was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennett, who here as elsewhere indulges in his specialty: well-choreographed action sequences, with plenty of heavy objects being thrown directly at the camera. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Cameron, Joan Marsh, (more)
- 1942
One of the best serials ever made, Spy Smasher has managed to find favor even among non-serial aficionados. Like his fellow masked avenger, Batman, Spy Smasher possessed no super-human powers but was a mere mortal of flesh and blood. In brief, Spy Smasher, alias Alan Armstrong (Kane Richmond, and his twin brother Jack (also Richmond) pursue a nefarious German agent known only as The Mask (Hans Schumm). Witney and screenwriters Ronald Davidson, Norman S. Hall, Joseph Poland, William Lively and Joseph O'Donnell imbued their hero with a dark uniform very similar to the one he wore in the comics, but added a fancy belt decorated with a large "V" for "Victory" and the morse code symbol for the letter, three dots and a dash. The coup de grace, so to speak, was Mort Glickman's signature score adapted from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Leading man Richmond managed to make his identical twins a little less identical than the usual routine split-screen characterizations and the character of Jack Armstrong, the All-American boy, was actively mourned when killed off in chapter eleven, "Hero's Death," in perhaps the most unique chapter ending in the history of serialdom. Kane Richmond, who had been around Hollywood's action studios since 1930 and had even appeared as a Martian in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), became a major genre icon on account of his stellar performance as the Spy Smasher. Borrowed from Columbia Pictures, flaxen-haired Howard Hughes discovery Marguerite Chapman proved one of the best purveyor's of serial pulchritude thus far as Jack Armstrong's imperiled fiancee Eve Corby, and Tristram Coffin, later a serial hero himself, was capital as Drake, The Mask's chief henchman who manage to insinuate himself as Jack's friend. The subsequent feature release Spy Smasher Returns constituted not a sequel but an edited-down version of this serial. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge) leads an expedition into the most remote part of the Libyan desert in search of her father, Professor Henry Gordon (Robert Strange), who disappeared while seeking out the long-lost golden tablets of Hippocrates. The tablets, among other attributes, are reputed to contain the cures for any number of deadly diseases that still plague mankind. Nyoka and her father are the only two people in the world who can translate the papyrus giving directions to the hiding place of the tablets. Her allies in her search include: Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore), a young physician; Torrini (Tristram Coffin), an Italian adventurer; Professor Campbell (Forbes Murray), a colleague of her father's; and Red Davis (Billy Benedict), their driver. Opposing them is Vultura (Lorna Gray), the leader of a deadly desert cult, who regard the tablets as sacred and will do anything -- including committing murder -- to prevent their discovery and removal. Aided by her ally, Cassib (Charles B. Middleton), and the Taureg tribesmen, Vultura and her cultists lay all manner of deadly traps, involving everything from burning pits of fire and tunnels filled with hurricane-like winds to just plain getting crushed by the embrace of Vultura's trained gorilla, Satan (Emil Van Horn). Meanwhile, Nyoka and her expedition also face the danger of treachery from within. Nyoka must first secure the papyrus and avenge the murder of Major Reynolds in the opening chapter, and then get past the opposing Taureg tribesmen -- and little does she realize that the leader of the Tauregs is far closer to her than she ever could have guessed. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1941
In this serial, onetime football hero Slingin' Sammy Baugh stars as Tom King, a Texas Ranger on the hunt for the Nazis who killed his father. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1941
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The Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 12-episode Republic serial based on the comic book character of the same name. Young Billy Batson (Frank Coghlan Jr.) is part of a scientific expedition in a remote section of Siam. Trapped in an ancient tomb, Billy happens upon an ancient shaman acronymically named Shazam (each letter in his name stands for a famous Greek or Roman god). Because Billy has obeyed the warnings written on the sacred chamber, the old man rewards the boy with the ability to turn into superhero Captain Marvel (Tom Tyler). Billy can make the transformation only by uttering the word "Shazam!"--which explains why the script, for suspense purposes, contrives to have Billy bound and gagged at crucial moments. Young Batson finds that his alter ego comes in handy in determining the identity of "the Scorpion," a member of the expedition who plans to kill his colleagues after learning the secret hiding places of the components of a super-weapon called the Golden Scorpion. A well-above-average Republic entry, The Adventures of Captain Marvel is distinguished by the eye-popping stunt work of David Sharpe and by Captain Marvel's utterly convincing flying scenes, courtesy of special-effects maestros Howard and Theodore Lydecker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Frank Coghlan, Jr., (more)
Every time that sinister Oriental megalomaniac Dr. Fu Manchu is ready to kill, sounds of strange drums can be heard coming from -- well, nowhere really. In 1939, Republic Pictures purchased the rights to the first six of British pulp fiction writer Sax Rohmer's popular "Fu Manchu" stories. The result became the studio's second longest action serial and one of its most enduringly popular. The head of a sinister conglomeration known as the Si-Fan, Dr. Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon) goes in search of the Sacred Scepter of Genghis Khan, with which he hopes to rule all the tribes of the Orient and evict the foreign infidels. Helping the good doctor is Fah-Lo-Suee (Gloria Franklin), his Eurasian daughter, and a seemingly unlimited supply of Dacoits, henchmen turned into slaves by having undergone frontal lobotomies. Dr. Fu Manchu is, as always, opposed by Sir Neyland Smith (William Royle) of the British Foreign Office. This time, however, Sir Neyland is not only aided by his very own "Dr. Watson," Dr. Petrie (Olaf Hytten), but also by a young American, Allan Parker (Robert Kellard), whose father (George Cleveland) had become yet another of Fu Manchu's many victims. Complicating the search is the attractive presence of Mary Randolph (Luana Walters) who, like most of her ilk, has a tendency to get herself into serious trouble at the most inopportune moments. Although the Oriental fiend appears all-powerful at times, Sir Neyland and his friends once again save the free world from enslavement -- although it takes them 15 chapters to do so. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Brandon, William Royle, (more)
- 1940
Hi-Yo Silver is a 69-minute abridgement of the 1938 Republic serial The Lone Ranger. Departing from the continuity established by the Lone Ranger radio program (which had been running since 1933), the film offers five leading man, any one of whom might be the legendary "masked rider of the plains". All five team up to combat the outlaw gang headed by the scurrilous Mr. Jeffries (Stanley Andrews), with the assistance of faithful Indian companion Tonto (Chief Thundercloud). As the quintet of heroes are killed off one by one, the identity of the Lone Ranger becomes more and more obvious. The five candidates are played by Lee Powell, Herman Brix (aka Bruce Bennett), Hal Taliaferro (aka Wally Wales), George Letz (aka George Montgomery) and Lane Chandler. The original Lone Ranger serial is no longer available for viewing thanks to a tangle of legalities and a paucity of watchable prints. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Powell
