Hoot Gibson Movies
Actor Edmund "Hoot" Gibson is said to have been given his unusual nickname because of his boyhood habit of hunting owls. After joining a circus at age 13, Gibson became stranded in Colorado and there began work as a cowpuncher. By age 16 he was a skilled performer in Wild West rodeo shows, going on to win the title of "World's All-Around Champion Cowboy" in 1912. It was about that time that Gibson began working in films as an extra and stunt man, frequently acting as a double for Harry Carey and other western stars; during the teens he appeared in many western two-reelers, but his career progressed slowly. In 1917 Gibson started getting supporting roles in John Ford-Harry Carey westerns at Universal, but this work was interrupted by service in the Army Tank Corps during World War I. Gibson was discharged in 1919 and went back to supporting roles in Ford westerns, soon landing his own two-reel series in which he was billed as "The Smiling Whirlwind."After starring in his first feature films, John Ford's five-reelers Action and Sure Fire, Gibson skyrocketed to fame and went on to become the cowboy idol of millions of American kids in the '20s and well into the '30s. However, Gibson was an atypical western hero as he rarely carried a gun and was more of a comedian than action hero. Universal's #1 cowboy star throughout the '20s--earning $14,000 a week as star and producer--Gibson's only significant rival was Fox's Tom Mix. Gibson's popularity continued until 1936, the last year in which he was on the Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars list; Gene Autry's cowboy style took over after that, and Gibson retired from the screen after making a serial in 1937. He occasionally did a little more film work, though, including the low-budget 1944 Trail Blazers series as well as guest appearances in a few movies. Edward "Hoot" Gibson married and divorced silent-screen actress Helen Wegner Gibson and actress Sally Eilers. ~ Rovi
During a Los Angeles Christmas, a group of 82nd Airborne vets assembles under the leadership of gamblin' man Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) to rip off five Las Vegas casinos just after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. Playboy Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford) joins in the scheme because he's sick of needing his oft-married mother's money, especially now that she's about to wed Duke Santos (Cesar Romero), a self-made man with all sorts of underworld ties. After he receives the news that he could die at any time, newly released convict Anthony Bergdorf (Richard Conte) reluctantly agrees to participate so he can leave some money to his estranged wife and young son. Ocean's own wife, Beatrice (Angie Dickinson), doesn't think much of her husband's promise of a big score to come, but her quiet protests don't dissuade him. With Las Vegas garbage man and fellow vet Josh Howard (Sammy Davis Jr.) and several casino employees among their number, the titular band of thieves have just a few days to get ready for their caper. When Duke Santos, Jimmy's mother, and one of Ocean's discarded paramours all show up in Sin City at the same time as the veterans, the crew's perfect plans face some serious hurdles. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, (more)
Based on an actual Civil War mission, Colonel Marlowe (John Wayne) and Major Kendall (William Holden) are ordered by General Grant to take three regiments 300 miles into enemy territory. They must destroy the railroad line between Newton Station and Vicksburg in hopes of choking off supplies to the South. Marlowe encounters a Southern belle loyal to the enemy, and keeps her in sight throughout the journey so she can't warn the Confederates. Kendall, a Northern surgeon, and the crusty Marlowe have their differences along the way. Action, romance and gory battlefield surgery accompany the army as the mission is completed. John Ford directed this film based on a novel by Harold Sinclair. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Wayne, William Holden, (more)
- 1953
To fully appreciate the western comedy The Marshal's Daughter, one must be aware that its star, a zaftig, wide-eyed lass named Laurie Anders, was in 1953 a popular TV personality. A regular on The Ken Murray Show, Anders had risen to fame with the Southern-fried catchphrase "Ah love the wi-i-i-ide open spaces!" Striking while the iron was hot, the entrepreneurial Murray produced this inexpensive oater, which cast Anders as Laurie Dawson, the singing daughter of a U.S. marshal (Hoot Gibson). Teaming with her dad to capture outlaw Trigger Gans (Bob Duncan), Laurie briefly disguises herself as a masked bandit. Amidst much stock footage from earlier westerns and a plethora of lame jokes and dreadful puns, The Marshal's Daughter is a treat for trivia buffs, featuring such virile actors as Preston S. Foster, Johnny Mack Brown, Jimmy Wakely and Buddy Baer as "themselves." Ken Murray himself makes a supporting appearance as a leering frontier wiseacre named "Sliding Bill Murray." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laurie Anders, Hoot Gibson, (more)
In this low-budget espionage adventure, an ex-FBI agent is convinced by an active agent to help him find a stolen map showing the location of invaluable uranium deposits located on a remote South Pacific island. Later the two, and a few others, end up in a hotel in Death Valley with the maps. Murder ensues as different people vie to get their hands on the valuable documents. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1944
Having worked as a duo in the first three entries of Monogram's low-budget "Trail Blazers" series, veteran Western stars Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson were joined by Bob Steele in the fourth, Death Valley Rangers -- reportedly much to Maynard's dismay. Although not much younger than his august partners, Steele was still nimble enough to take care of the more strenuous fisticuffs and he was even somewhat believable in romantic clinches -- as opposed to his co-stars, whose ever expanding waistlines did not allow for tender scenes. This time, "The Trail Blazers," government agents, investigate a series of gold shipment thefts in Death Valley committed by a gang headed by Jim Kirk (Weldon Heyburn, whose name was misspelled "Hayburn" in the on-screen credits!). Kirk has hired a crooked scientist, Doc Thorne (Karl Hackett), who has discovered a method to pour the stolen gold back into the rock, where it will be indistinguishable from virgin ore. Steele infiltrates the gang and with the help of his partners, Death Valley is soon safe from Kirk and his gang. Like most of the "Trail Blazers" Westerns, Death Valley Rangers was filmed at Corriganville, actor Ray "Crash" Corrigan's movie ranch in Simi Valley, California. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
Unlike previous "Trail Blazers" entries, each of which starred three veteran western heroes, Marked Trails top-bills only two sagebrush favorites. Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele play a couple of wandering do-gooders who take on a gang of oil swindlers. Adopting a series of bewildering (but hardly impenetrable) disguises, the Ol' Hooter and Battling Bob manage to con the con-ners. But when it becomes absolutely necessary, our heroes rely on their fists to mete out justice. Just another western, Marked Trails is given distinction by the presence of perennial "hard-boiled dame" Veda Ann Borg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, (more)
- 1944
The fifth of Monogram's eight "Trail Blazers" Western, Westward Bound was set during the time of Montana gaining statehood. Property values are about to skyrocket and nasty banker Roger Caldwell (Harry Woods) conspire with tax collector Henry Wagner (Karl Hackett) to drive the local ranchers off their land. Enter the "Trail Blazers," Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele, called in by rancher Jasper Tuttle (Hal Price) to investigate. Maynard infiltrates the gang and is elected marshal of Big Horn. Working from the inside, so to speak, he learns that the brain behind Caldwell and Wagner's scheme is Albert Lane (Weldon Heyburn), secretary to the Territorial Commission of Montana. Although severely outnumbered, the aging "Trail Blazers" manage to defeat the conspirators with a great deal of cunning and a couple of sticks of dynamite. The increasingly cantankerous Maynard reportedly took umbrage to Steele's participation and demanded his ouster. However, it was Maynard himself who was forced to leave -- after the sixth entry, Sonora Stagecoach (1944) -- to be replaced in the final two "Trail Blazers" Westerns by Chief Thundercloud. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1944
In their third and final "Trail Blazers" Western together, Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele witness what appears to be a gang of Indians raiding a stagecoach. Investigating, the three lawmen discover that the attackers are actually white bandits dressed as Indians and that their leader is one Polini (Ian Keith), a gangster smuggling diamonds in the axle grease of the stagecoach wheels. Aided by young Donny Davis (Don Stewart) and pert Ruth Hampton (Myrna Dell), the "Trail Blazers" survive several clashes with death -- including being trapped inside a cave -- before Polini and his cohort, Banker Steve Lynch (Karl Hackett), are apprehended. In only her second Western, blonde heroine Myrna Dell was not exactly in awe of her veteran leading men who, as she later recalled were "old enough to be my grandfather!" Maynard, in fact, had come to the end of his long starring career. Unable to get along with his more athletic co-star Bob Steele, the often cantankerous left the series and only returned to films in rare cameo appearances. His place in the final two "Trail Blazers" Westerns was taken by Chief Thundercloud. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1944
Filmed at Corriganville, actor Ray "Crash" Corrigan's movie ranch in Simi Valley, Sonora Stagecoach was the last of Monogram's eight ramshackle "Trail Blazers" Western. The series had already suffered the loss of veteran star Ken Maynard -- who had become too difficult and costly -- and both Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele were nearing the end of their starring careers. This time, the "Trail Blazers," Gibson, Steele and Maynard's odd replacement, Chief Thundercloud), are escorting prisoner Rocky Camron (aka Gene Alsace) to trial in Sonora. Sheriff Hampton (Henry Hall) warns the three marshals that a gang of outlaws may attempt to assassinate Camron, whom the sheriff believes to be innocent. And sure enough, Blackie Reed (Charles King) and his gang do their best to get to the prisoner, who is given a gun in order to defend himself. Rocky, as it appears, was framed for the murder of two deputies, a deed actually committed by Blackie on behalf of stagecoach office manager Paul Kenton (Glenn Strange) and his banker brother, Joe (Karl Hackett). With the help of Betty Miles), Rocky's girlfriend and Weasel (Charles Murray, Jr.), a henchman turned state's evidence, the "Trail Blazers" clear Rocky of all charges and arrest both Blackie and his backers. Gibson and Steele went on to appear together in three additional Monogram Westerns -- Marked Trails, Trigger Law and Utah Kid (all 1944) -- but although they are often designated as "Trail Blazers" Westerns today, they were never produced or advertised as such. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, (more)
- 1944
The Utah Kid was a late entry in Monogram's "Trail Blazers" series. These low-budget westerns usually featured three cowboy stars; this time, however, there are only two, Bob Steele and Hoot Gibson. Though neither star is a spring chicken, Steele is the younger of the two, so he's the "Utah Kid" by default. The plot, involving a gang of crooks who go around fixing rodeo results, was designed to accommodate yards and yards of stock footage. Onetime D.W. Griffith heavy Ralph Lewis plays a supporting role in this 55-minute sagebrusher. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1944
In the penultimate "Trail Blazers" B-Western, the often difficult Ken Maynard found himself summarily replaced by Chief Thundercloud, a somewhat original casting concept for Monogram, a stolid poverty row company that rarely took chances. Thundercloud joined veteran "Trail Blazers" Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele and yet another newcomer, Rocky Camron (aka Gene Alsace), in pursuing nasty "Honest John" Travers (Cy Kendall), a banker who rules the Johnstown area with an iron fist. "Honest John's" supremacy is threatened by the arrival of beef packing company buyer Carl Beldon (George Eldredge), there to purchase cattle from the very same ranchers Travers is trying to freeze out. When Beldon mysteriously disappears and rancher Bob Thornton is mortally wounded by renegades, U.S. Marshals Gibson, Steele and Thundercloud are assigned to investigate. With the assistance of Thornton's pretty daughter Alice (Jennifer Holt) and Sheriff Rocky Camron), the three "Trail Blazers" manage to get the goods on "Honest John," proving that the banker's henchman, Chuck Walters (Charles King), killed both Thornton and Beldon. In no less than her fifteenth B-Western, leading lady Jennifer Holt, daughter of Jack and sister of Tim, suffered the indignity of having her first name misspelled "Jenifer" in the on-screen credits. She shared the humiliation with legendary Native-American athlete Jim Thorpe, whose name read "Thorp." Monogram was just that kind of company. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, (more)
The second entry in Monogram's low-budget "Trail Blazers" B-Western series, The Law Rides Again marked the final directorial effort of Alan J. Neitz (alias Alan James), a veteran genre specialist whose career dated back to 1916. Aging lawmen Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson are this time assigned to determine why an Indian tribe is breaking their treaty with the United States government. Aligning themselves with a notorious criminal (Jack LaRue), Ken and Hoot discover that the tribe is being cheated out of their government sanctioned cattle by a crooked Indian agent (Kenneth Harlan) and his Indian co-cohort (Chief Many Treatise. Filmed on the cheap at Corriganville, actor Ray "Crash" Corrigan's movie ranch in Simi Valley, California, The Law Rides Again's only novelty was stunt-rider Betty Miles) playing a female stage driver. Chief Thundercloud, here playing the Indian chief, would later replace the increasingly difficult Ken Maynard in the final two "Trail Blazers" entries, Outlaw Trail and Sonora Stagecoach (both 1944). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1943
Having functioned as Alvin J. Neitz's assistant director in the first two "Trail Blazers" Westerns, Monogram producer/jack-of-all-trades Robert Emmett Tansey took full charge of the third, Blazing Guns. Aging lawmen Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson are lured out of retirement once again, this time to help rancher Jim Wade (Roy Brent) fight off his own brother, Duke (LeRoy Mason), the self-declared boss of Willow Springs.When Duke retaliates, Ken and Hoot recruits some of the country's most notorious gunslingers, including Lefty (Frank Ellis), Cactus Joe (Eddie Gribbon), Weasel (George Kamel) and Eagle-Eye (Emmett Lynn), to act as backup. Although the aptly named Weasel betrays his friends to Duke, Ken, Hoot and the remaining recruits manage to rid Willow Springs of its less desirable elements. Considering the expanding waistlines of both Maynard and Gibson, the film's obligatory romantic elements were left up to supporting players Roy Brent and Cay Forester. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1943
In a rather desperate attempt to duplicate the success of Republic Pictures' Three Mesqueteers B-Western series, Monogram producer Robert Emmett Tansey hired tired veterans Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson to constitute the "Trail Blazers." Maynard and Gibson (playing themselves) are former lawmen hired to look into the disappearance of horses purchased by Commissioner Brent (I. Stanford Jolley) of the Southwestern Railroad Company. The seller of the herd, Betty Wallace (stunt rider Betty Miles), is unaware that her foreman, Tip (Glenn Strange), is also in the employ of Mel Carson (Ian Keith), a crooked saloon owner with interests in a stagecoach line whose existence is threatened by the railroad. Despite their expanding waistlines, Maynard and Gibson manage to catch the crooks and return the stolen horses, well assisted by young, law-spouting Sheriff Bob Tyler (Bob Baker). The latter, a former Universal star, was added to the cast to provide the necessary romantic sub-plot but the cantankerous Maynard disliked him so much that he was gone by the second instalment of the "Trail Blazers," The Law Rides Again. Maynard himself ended his long starring career after the sixth entry, Arizona Whirlwind (1944), replaced in the final two films by Chief Thundercloud. The initial two "Trail Blazers" films were helmed by Alvin J. Neitz (under the pseudonym of Alan James), and proved the final directorial work of this genre-specialist whose career dated back to the silent era. After the demise of the series, Hoot Gibson and new sidekick Bob Steele filmed another three Westerns for Monogram, often mistakenly referred to as "Trail Blazers" entries. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1941
Produced and directed by George Sherman, Death Valley Outlaws starred James Cagney-lookalike Donald Barry as Johnny Edwards, a cowboy saving lovely Carolyn Johnson (Lynn Merrick) from a gang of vigilante raiders. When his friend, Bill Weston (Michael Owen), becomes the next target of the vigilante gang, Jim promises the dying boy to avenge him. He does so by infiltrating the gang disguised as an outlaw, learning along the way that the leader is bank president Charles Gifford (Karl Hackett). The latter's right-hand man, Jeff Edwards (Milburn Stone), is Johnny's long-lost brother, but the undercover cowboy can only watch as Jeff is mortally wounded by his boss. Enraged, Johnny rushes to the bank where Gifford and the crooked sheriff (Rex Lease) are in the midst of robbing the store, so to speak. Alerted by local veterinarian Doc Blake (Robert McKenzie) and his African-American servant, Snowflake (Fred Toones), the angry citizenry help Johnny round up the gang. A former producer/director/actor from the silent era, rotund and jovial Robert McKenzie was given several good opportunities to shine in the Red Barry series, which was otherwise without a continuing comic sidekick. Less appealing were several appearances by Toones, who in Death Valley Outlaws was treated more or less in the same vein as Barry's horse, Cyclone, and dog Duke. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Lynn Merrick, (more)
Western favorites Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Hoot Gibson head the cast of the 12-chapter Republic serial The Painted Stallion. Corrigan plays American federal agent Steve Clark, on assignment in Santa Fe to draw up a trade agreement with the newly installed Mexican governor. Meanwhile, Walter Jamison (Hoot Gibson) leads a wagon train from Missouri, hoping to take advantage of the new agreement. Among Jamison's passenger are famed frontiersman Jim Bowie (Hal Taliaferro) and a very youthful Kit Carson (Sammy McKim). The destinies of all these personalities intersect when villainous ex-governor DuPrey (LeRoy Mason) schemes to undermine the treaty and take over the New Mexico territory for his own vile purposes. Somewhere along the way, Davy Crockett (Jack Perrin) joins the "good guys" in their efforts to thwart the despicable DuPrey. Years after the release of The Painted Stallion, film historian William K. Everson waxed rhapsodic over a particulary exciting chapter ending-then commented that he hoped never to see that particular ending again, just in case it proved to be less exciting than he remembered. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Sammy McKim, (more)
- 1936
In his final Western for low-budget Diversion Pictures, veteran cowboy ace Hoot Gibson plays a pony express rider who discovers that his worst enemy is his own long-lost brother. As a child, Clint Knox (Jerry Tucker), and his mother Martha (Nina Guilbert), escaped a gang of bandits who killed Mr. Knox Steve Clark and abducted Clint's brother Ace (Barry Downing). Eleven years later, the adult Clint (Hoot Gibson), now a pony express rider, is ambushed by Ace (Rex Lease), a road agent who also robs a stage carrying Martha and pretty Mary Chrisman (Marion Shilling). In the ensuing gunfight, Clint's life is saved when his pocket bible stops one of Ace's bullet. But when Ace, now Clint's prisoner, recites an illegible inscription in the book, Clint realizes that he is his brother. At the trial, Clint successfully convinces the jury to acquit Ace because of the young man's harsh upbringing in the hands of his kidnappers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Rex Lease, (more)
In his penultimate western for small-scale Diversion Pictures, Hoot Gibson enjoyed the company of no less than two pretty leading ladies: June Gale, his current off-screen girlfriend, and Ruth Mix, the daughter of legendary cowboy hero Tom Mix. Gibson played a U. S. Marshal going undercover as the notorious bandit "The Morning Glory Kid" in order to infiltrate a gang of rustlers headed by nasty Mort Ringer (Stanley Blystone). Both Misses Gale and Mix get in his way on occasion and Gibson's true identity is revealed with nearly calamitous results. But when all seems lost, Miss Mix manages to alert the sheriff's posse, a happy turn of events that allows the aging hero to continue romancing Miss Gale. The latter never became the third Mrs. Gibson as has been reported elsewhere but instead married eccentric pianist Oscar Levant. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Ruth Mix, (more)
- 1936
After 25 years, notorious western outlaw Harry Carey is released from prison. He returns to his frontier home town, only to discover that the place has been streamlined and modernized beyond all recognition. Even worse, virtually everyone in town has forgotten Carey; most of the younger folk consider him a nuisance, addressing him derisively as "Pop" (Carey's double-take reaction to this familiarity is priceless). The ex-outlaw seeks out H.B. Walthall, the sheriff who sent him up, hoping for a fond reunion with his old friendly enemy. Alas, Walthall has been relegated to a do-nothing position by new sheriff Ray Mayer, a staunch advocate of "scientific" crime-fighting methods. But when bad guy Tom Tyler and his mob rob a bank and take Carey's daughter Margaret Callahan hostage, it is Carey and Walthall's "old fashioned" methods which save the day. Hoot Gibson co-stars as Callahan's boyfriend, while singing-cowboy Fred Scott appears in a marvelous sequence wherein Harry Carey reacts with disgust upon watching a musical western movie. The Last Outlaw was based on a story by John Ford, who directed a silent version in 1919. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1936
Arguably the best of Hoot Gibson's six Westerns for small-scale producer Walter Futter's Diversion Pictures, Lucky Terror once again presents the veteran star as a carefree drifter falsely accused of murder. This time, the victim is Jim Thornton (George Chesebro), a thief whose pockets are filled with gold. Arrested by the rotund sheriff (Robert Mckenzie), Lucky (Gibson) is defended in court by none other than Charles King, the veteran Bad Guy here playing an alcoholic shyster. King judicial advise to Lucky is to simply flee, which is exactly what our hero does. In the end, Thornton's death is declared an accident and Lucky catches the villains who had been terrorizing Lona Andre's Bonanza gold-mine. Comedy relief is this time provided by veteran silent screen actor Charles Hill Mailes (here billed simply "Charles Hill") as a traveling medicine show proprietor, and Frank Yaconelli as an Italian musician. Like most members of the cast, director Alan James also belonged to the silent era, where he had been billed under his real name, Alvin J. Neitz. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Lona Andre, (more)
- 1936
Based on Tracks, a 1928 short story by Stephen Payne, this low-budget Western from Diversion Pictures told the ancient story of a carefree drifter falsely accused of murdering a rancher. As he had so many times before, Hoot Gibson played the drifter, Ralph Lewis, of the silent era, was the murder victim, and June Gale, Gibson's girlfriend at the time, played the murdered man's pretty daughter. The real culprit, as Gibson learns, is the victim's adopted son and foreman (Wally Wales), who is in cahoots with an unscrupulous attorney (William Gould). Like Gibson's other five Westerns from Diversion Pictures, Swifty proved a generally well-received 62 minutes of sagebrush entertainment. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, June Gale, (more)
- 1935
Neither the best nor worst of Hoot Gibson's westerns for producer Walter Futter, Feud of the West lies somewhere in between. The old Hooter plays a rodeo performer named Whitey, performing some remarkable riding and roping stunts before the plot proper gets under way. Said plot concerns a reclusive hermit named Wild Horse Henderson (Nelson McDowell), a heroine named Molly (Joan Barclay) whose parentage is in doubt, and, of course, the titular feud between ranchers and rustlers. The "mystery" villain of the piece is better hidden than usual, managing to fool even a few veteran whodunit buffs. As always, Hoot Gibson seldom resorts to gunplay when he can solve problems with a quick quip or quicker fists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Joan Barclay, (more)
