Charles King Movies
Though never officially billed as Charles "Blackie" King, American actor Charlie King played so many "Blackies" in B-westerns that one is astounded to discover that it wasn't his middle name. Drifting into films in the '20s, the squat, stubble-chinned, mustachioed King picked up minor roles as chauffeurs, interns and bridegrooms in the two-reel comedies of such performers as Our Gang, the Three Stooges and Leon Errol. It was during the B-western boom of the early talkie era that King really came into his own, showing up in virtually every other poverty-row oater as a gang boss, lynch-mob leader or sinister henchman. Evidently King felt the day was wasted if he wasn't dynamiting a dam, setting fire to homesteaders' shacks, or engaging the hero in a fistic battle. Outtakes of these westerns have revealed that this "human monster" was actually shy and soft-spoken, never reverting to profanity when blowing his lines (more than can be said for some of the "clean-living" western heroes of the era). In fact, King's private life was governed by his formidable wife, who had spies posted at the studio to make certain that King came home right away with his paycheck without any side trips to bars or gaming tables. Gaining a beard and excess weight in the late '40s, King began appearing less frequently as villains and more often as roly-poly comedy relief. King literally died with his boots on, suffering a heart attack after shooting a 1957 episode of Gunsmoke -- in which he played a corpse! William K. Everson's 1964 coffee-table book The Bad Guys was affectionately dedicated to the scurrilously prolific Charles "Blackie" King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1944
No, the "Pinto Bandit" doesn't go around stealing beans. This is another of PRC's "Texas Rangers" series, starring Dave O'Brien and Jim Newell. This time, the Rangers' principal foe is a masked desperado. Evidently, the villain's main purpose in life is to disrupt the mail service between two frontier communities. With O'Brien and Newell on the job, rest assured that the settlers will get their bills and circulars on time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Newill, Dave "Tex" O'Brien, (more)
- 1944
Rustler's Hideout is more of the same from PRC's resident cowboy stars Buster Crabbe and Al St. John. Cast once again as Billy Carson and Fuzzy Q. Jones, our heroes declare war against a gang of cattle rustlers. Even the villains are making their umpteenth return appearances in the Crabbe - St. John series: Lane Chandler as a clever cardsharp, Charles King and John Merton as the cattle thieves. And, as always, there's the faintest hint of a romance between Billy Carson and the ingenue du jour, in this case Patti McCarthy. Despite the repetitiousness and predictability, Rustler's Hideout posted a profit, as did all of PRC's Buster Crabbe - Fuzzy St. John vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Patti McCarty, (more)
- 1944
In this western, a gang of evil cattle rustlers wreaks havoc upon a community of ranchers. Three Texas Rangers come to the rescue and find out the ring leader works as a local ranch foreman. The bad guys do not escape the trusty Rangers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1944
Being in the presence of a gun-slinger is intimidating enough, but when a "thundering" gun-slinger comes riding over the horizon, it's time to make out the will and pick the coffin. Buster Crabbe plays Billy Carson, aka Billy the Kid, while Al St. John is his grizzled sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. The nephew of a cattle rancher framed for murder, Billy strives to clear his uncle's name and learn the identity of the genuine culprit. Meanwhile he falls in love with Bab Halliday (Frances Gladwin), daughter of another framed cattleman. Al St. John's extended comedy routines are accompanied by a stock musical score that would still be in use in made-for-TV cartoons well into the 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Frances Gladwin, (more)
- 1944
Code of the Prairie was among the first of cowboy star Sunset Carson's vehicles for Republic Pictures. There is nothing extraordinary about the plot, in which Carson, wrongly accused of a crime, vanquishes the villains with a spectacular (and undoubled) display of fisticuffs. What is unusual is the billing. Comedy relief Smiley Burnette is actually billed above nominal leading man Sunset Carson, proof positive of Burnette's enormous popularity with western fans. Burnette's top-dog status in the Carson series would continue until 1945, when he left Republic to join Charles Starrett at Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1944
Replacing James Newell, country and western crooner Tex Ritter joins Dave "Tex" O'Brien and Guy Wilkerson in the last eight of PRC's "Texas Rangers" western series. In his initial effort, Ritter, as Sheriff Tex Haines, is again confronted with Bart Kern (I. Stanford Jolley) and his gang of cutthroats who once before terrorized the community of Red Rock and are now back for a second helping. Despite joining forces with Texas Rangers Dave Wyatt (O'Brien) and Panhandle Perkins (Wilkerson), Tex comes up short against Kern's trigger-happy gangsters. But when a henchman (Charles King) kills the town's mayor, Frank Merritt (Harry Harvey), in cold blood, Mrs. Merritt (Betty Miles) and telegraph owner Jane Deering (Patti McCarty) demand to be sworn in as Texas' first female rangers. To boost the morale of this inexperienced but ultimately victorious group of frontier lawmen and women, Tex sings his own and Robert McGimsey's "Please Remember Me" as well as Tim Spencer's "He's Gone Up the Trail" and "Ride, Ranger, Ride". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1944
Saddle pals Johnny Mack Brown and Raymond Hatton give as good as they get in the action-packed Monogram oater Law of the Valley. In trying to rescue a small western town from the grip of the villains, Brown and Hatton are pummeled and shot at from all directions. But, as every Brown fan can tell you, the tables will be turned by the last reel. Pretty Lynne Carver is the romantic interest, while unpretty Charles King is among the nastier of the villains. Director Howard Bretherton knows his way around westerns, all right; there's nary a dull moment in Law of the Valley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this western, a courageous cowboy stops the land-grabbing conspiracy of a corrupt banker. The banker was planning to wait until hard-working local ranchers made their mortgage payments and then was going to stage a phony robbery so he could foreclose upon their land. Fortunately, the hero finds out about it and brings the crook to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
Partners in most of the low-budget Texas Rangers Westerns, Tex Ritter and Dave O'Brien are at loggerheads through the greater part of this slow-moving entry, the last in the series. In fact, despite a title card that reads, "Tex Ritter and Dave O'Brien as the Texas Rangers," Ritter actually works on Lorraine Miller's ranch. Peggy Barlou (Miller) is the young rancher who refuses to sell her spread to greedy stage-line proprietor John Rankin (Edward Howard). Tex Haines (Ritter), meanwhile, is accused of killing Bill Dugan (Art Fowler), Rankin's bodyguard, but eludes capture long enough to hook up with Dave Wyatt (O'Brien) and Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson), a couple of rangers in disguise. Despite constant arguments about taking the law into one's own hands, the three manage to prevent Rankin from evicting Peggy. In between the arguing, Ritter finds time to warble his own and Frank Harford's "I've Done the Best I Could" and Ernest Tubb's "Try Me One More Time." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
The Great Mike is a horse owned by sensitive farm boy Jimmy (Buzzy Henry). Though the nag is prestently hitched to a milkwagon, Jimmy is convinced that he's got a racing champ on his hands. Convincing big-time sportsman Whitley (Pierre Watkin) that The Great Mike has what it takes, Jimmy and veteran trainer Spencer (Stu Erwin) begin prepping the horse for an important race. A gang of crooks intrudes upon this set-up, threatening the horse's future well-being, but The Great Mike is rescued through the timely intervention of Jimmy's faithful dog. At the time of its release, The Great Mike garnered some good notices, many of them reserved for "Our Gang" alumnus Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, who essays a comedy-relief part. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Erwin, Robert "Buzzy" Henry, (more)
- 1943
Johnny Mack Brown heads the cast of Monogram's Outlaws of Stampede Pass. Per the title, the film concerns a western community held in the grip of a gang of desperadoes. Brown and his dusty sidekick Raymond Hatton set about to round up the bad guys. We know what's going to happen, but as always, Johnny brings a sense of freshness and spontaneity to the proceedings. Outlaws of Stampede Pass was adapted from a story by Johnston McCulley, of "Zorro" fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1943
Though the film's title is The Texas Kid, the film's star Johnny Mack Brown plays a cowboy named Nevada. The titular "kid", played by Marshall Reed, is a former bandit leader who decides to go straight-and gets a bullet in his back for his trouble. Nevada and his sidekick Sandy (Raymond Hatton) take over from the Texas Kid, seeing to it that the stagecoach carrying the payrolls for local ranches aren't molested by the Kid's old gang members. As Monogram pictures go, this one goes rather well, with some well-lensed location shots. The Texas Kid was scripted by Lynton Brent, a general-purpose actor who also plays a small role in the film; Brent is perhaps best known today for his work in Columbia's "Three Stooges" comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, (more)
- 1943
That favorite old B-Western menace Charles King is at it again in Raiders of Red Gap, the last of PRC's "Lone Rider" Westerns starring Robert Livingston. King plays Jack Bennett, the head of a crooked cattle syndicate attempting to drive away the local ranchers in order to build a packing plant. When Jim Roberts (Edward Cassidy) and his neighbors band together and fight back, Bennett hires dandified gunslinger Butch Crane (Roy Brent) but gets instead dopey Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John) in disguise. Fuzzy, of course, is soon in more trouble than he can handle but, happily, The Lone Rider, alias Rocky Cameron (Livingston) is along for the ride. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Dell
- 1943
Wild Bill comes to the rescue when his friend needs him to take care of a crook in this western. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Don "Red" Barry plays Lt. "California Joe" Weldon in this Civil War-era western. Joe is a Union undercover agent, whose job it is to stem the activities of Southern sympathizers. It turns out that the rebels aren't villainous, merely misled. The picture's real heavy is a Quantrill type who intends to play one side against the other and then set up his own personal empire. Like most Don Barry vehicles of this era, California Joe benefits from the comic expertise of Wally Vernon. The simpering cuteness of juvenile actress Twinkle Watts, however, is a decided detriment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Wally Vernon, (more)
The Range Busters bust the range once more in Monogram's Land of Hunted Men. This time around, the star trio consists of Ray "Crash" Corrigan (returning to the Range Busters series after a brief hiatus), Dennis Moore and Max Terhune. The villains, led by good old Charles King, are terrorizing a small town, setting up an "outlaw's hideaway" for themselves. Their reign lasts about 58 minutes of screen time. Best to revel in the ridin' and shootin' in Land of Hunted Men and ignore the alleged comedy relief of black actor Fred "Snowflake" Toones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
The Fighting Valley is another of PRC's "Texas Rangers" westerns, with Dave O'Brien, Jim Newell and Guy Wilkerson as the aforementioned Rangers. This time, our heroes try to find out who's been stealing ore from a valuable smelting mine. One of the independent mine-owners victimized by the crooks is pretty Joan Manning (Patti McCarthy), making the Rangers' mission a bit more pleasant. The revelation of the villain is a surprise to poor Joan, though not necessarily to the audience. Pretty good of its kind, Fighting Valley is marred only by the questionable comedy relief of cadaverous Guy Wilkerson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
In the first entry in PRC's Texas Ranger series, Tex Wyatt (Dave "Tex" O'Brien) and Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson) are recruits assigned by Tex's stern father, Captain Wyatt (Forrest Taylor), to look into a series of cattle rustlings. Despite strict orders not to arrest anyone, Tex goes after nasty Pete Dawson (Bud Osborne) and is kicked off the force for disobedience. He joins the rustlers instead, working as a spy for Panhandle and ranger sergeant Jim Steele (James Newill). The three of them manage to catch the leader of the rustlers (I. Stanford Jolley), and Tex is reinstated as a ranger. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, (more)
The Triangle W Ranch is indeed haunted in this Monogram Range Busters series entry, though not by the spirit of the late outlaw Reno Red as the townsfolk are led to believe, but by nasty Rance Austin (Glenn Strange) and his gang on the premises searching for a stolen gold bullion. Enter the Range Busters, one of whom, Dusty (John "Dusty" King), impersonates the heir to half of the ranch. The other half belongs to Helen Weston (Julie Duncan), and together with Dave (Dave Sharpe), Alibi (Max "Alibi" Terhune), and Red (Rex Lease) they finally nail Rance and his men and locate the gold bullion hidden in -- of all things -- a music box that plays "Little Brown Jug." Co-star Dave Sharpe entered the service during the filming of Haunted Ranch and was replaced in the latter part of the Western by Rex Lease. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
In this western, Billy the Kid has been wrongfully arrested for robbing a train. In order to prove his innocence, the Kid breaks out of the pokey and hits the dusty trail to search for the real robbers. Along the way, he discovers an outlaw band impersonating upstanding ranchers. They are the real thieves, and naturally, the Kid brings them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Iris Meredith, (more)
Cattle Stampede was the 200th production of that legendary B-picture mill, PRC Studios. Buster Crabbe plays Billy the Kid (not the real one), while Al St. John, as ever, is Fuzzy Q. Jones. This time Billy and Fuzzy ("our old pals," as they were always billed) come the aid of a group of Oklahoma ranchers. The villains belong to a gang of cattle rustlers, headed by the swarthy Charlie King (whose character name, surprisingly, isn't "Blackie" ). The titular stampede isn't such a much, but Buster Crabbe's gunplay and Al St. John's buffoonery is well up to par. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Frances Gladwin, (more)
In this western, the Texas Rangers round up rustlers by masquerading as the same. Trouble ensues when while in disguise one of the Rangers is accused of a killing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Another low-budget entry in PRC's interminable Texas Ranger series, Border Buckaroos is perhaps the only B-Western to misprint its own name in the titles, which read "Border Buckaroo." (Supporting actor Ethan Laidlaw's name became "Laidlow," and so on.) The rangers -- Tex (Dave "Tex" O'Brien), Jim (James Newill), and Panhandle (Guy Wilkerson) -- are this time en route to Boulder City to investigate the murder of rancher Dan Clark when they happen upon Trigger Farley (Reed Howes), a gunslinger hired by Cole Melford (Jack Ingram), the chief suspects in Clark's murder. Tex assumes Trigger's identity and Jim impersonates Tom Bancroft (Kenne Duncan), the heir to Clark's estate. After a bit of confusion concerning Ellen Clark (Christine McIntyre), the other Clark heir, the rangers get their murderer and the two heirs discover that the ranch contains a secret mine. The blond McIntyre, fondly remembered for her work opposite the Three Stooges, always refused to discuss the Stooges but would happily answer questions about her participation in Westerns like Border Buckaroos. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, (more)
