Edward T. Lowe Movies

Pirates of Monterey is set during the early 19th century, at a time when California was asserting its independence from Mexico. Rod Cameron plays Phillip Kent, a devil-may-care mercenary hired to transport a shipment of rifles to the American army detachment at Monterey. Along the way, he is forced to do battle with Mexicans, Indians and various and assorted thieves. Somehow, he finds time to pitch woo with the tempestuous Marguerita (Maria Montez), whose fiery Mexican dance routines are something to behold. Less exciting to watch than it is to read about, Pirates of Monterey at least has the advantage of Technicolor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rough, Tough, and Ready looks a great deal like all those Victor McLaglen - Edmund Lowe "friendly enemy" actionfests of the 1920s and 1930s. Indeed, McLaglen stars in the film as Owen McCarey, though the "Edmund Lowe" part, Brad Crowder, goes to Chester Morris. The story is the old bromide about two brawling buddies, duking it out over the same girl, in this case pert Jo Matheson (Jean Rogers). Owen and Brad own a salvage company, but split up over Jo. Both separately sign up for the army, and both are reunited in the Pacific. One of the protagonists saves the other's life in combat, signalling a happy reunion-at least, until the next dame comes along. Director Del Lord handles Rough, Tough and Ready in the slaphappy manner of one of his Three Stooges two-reelers: one is surprised that the stars don't poke each other in the eyes and shout "Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In many ways the most endearing of Universal's B-grade "monster rallies" of the 1940s, House of Frankenstein manages within its 70-minute time span to make room for Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange), Dracula (John Carradine) the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), and a couple of new recruits, mad scientist Boris Karloff and demented hunchback J. Carroll Naish. Escaping from prison, Karloff vows to continue his diabolical efforts to emulate Dr. Frankenstein's "eternal life" experiments; he also swears vengeance on the three men (Sig Ruman, Frank Reicher and Michael Mark) who were responsible for sending him to prison. With the help of fellow escapee Naish, Karloff murders a travelling-carnival impresario (George Zucco) and assumes his identity. He travels first to the village where Ruman is burgomaster. Since his carnival is a "chamber of horrors", Karloff utilizes one of those horrors--Count Dracula--to settle his account with Ruman. Dracula does so, but dies when the first rays of sunlight stream across his body. En route to the next village, Naish gives shelter to runaway gypsy girl Elena Verdugo, who joins the caravan (though she remains incredibly naive concerning Karloff's intentions!) Coming to the village when the Frankenstein monster and the Wolfman were presumably drowned at the end of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1944), Karloff revives the latter, who when he's not baying at the moon is the comparatively good-looking Lawrence Talbot. Karloff secures Talbot's cooperation by promising to perform some brain surgery that will relieve him of his lycanthropy. Later on, Karloff kidnaps and kills his other enemies Mark and Reicher, intending to use their brains to cure Talbot and to reactivate the Frankenstein monster. Jealous of Verdugo's attentions towards Talbot, Naish rebels against Karloff, and is killed for his troubles. Talbot turns into the Wolfman, whereupon Verdugo kills him before expiring herself. And Karloff, rendered immobile by the requisite attack of angry villagers, is dragged by the lumbering Monster into a pit of quicksand. Thus House of Frankenstein has something in common with Hamlet: No one is left alive at fade-out time. It's to scenarist Robert Siodmak's credit that he was able to fashion a coherent screenplay out of the crazy-quilt of copyrighted horror characters handed to him by Universal Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

During WWII, Johnny Weissmuller and his Tarzan character proved useful for Allied propaganda purposes. In the film Tarzan Triumphs, the plot had the ape man fighting Nazis in Africa. In Tarzan's Desert Mystery, released at the height of the war in 1943, he is once again battling Brownshirts in the Libyan desert. Tarzan meets up with Connie Bryce (Nancy Kelly), an American showgirl, and tangles with mercenary Arabs, legions of Nazi warriors, a giant spider, and a bunch of dinosaurs who somehow escaped extinction. In short, it's Tarzan against every evil villain an American filmmaker could have imagined at the time. The film included Johnny Sheffield as Boy, Tarzan's son, along with Tarzan's customary sidekick Cheta the Chimp. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

The second of Universal's "modernized" Sherlock Holmes films pits the Great Detective (Basil Rathbone, of course) against that "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill). Surpassing his previous skullduggery, Moriarty has now aligned himself with the Nazis and has dedicated himself to stealing a top-secret bomb sight developed by expatriate European scientist Dr. Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.). Before being kidnapped by Moriarty's minions, Tobel was enterprising enough to disassemble his invention and distribute its components among several other patriotic scientists. Racing against the clock, Holmes and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) try to stem the murders of Tobel's colleagues and prevent Moriarty from getting his mitts on the precious secret weapon. The now-famous climax finds Holmes playing for time by allowing Moriarty to drain all the blood from his body, drop by drop ("The needle to the last, eh Holmes?" gloats the villain). Dennis Hoey makes his first appearance as the dull-witted, conclusion-jumping Inspector Lestrade. Constructed more like a serial than a feature film, Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (based loosely on Conan Doyle's The Dancing Men) is one of the fastest-moving entries in the series; it is also one of the most readily accessible, having lapsed into public domain in 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama an eager-beaver reporter loses his job when he prints a false story about a society girl. The unemployed reporter, anxious to redeem himself, then gets involves in a gangster backed smuggling operation. Meanwhile the wronged socialite falls in love with him. Unfortunately, he will not marry her because she is to wealthy. But when the gangsters kidnap her, he comes to her rescue and eventually becomes her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Parole Fixer is another entry in Paramount's unofficial "J. Edgar Hoover" series, purportedly based on an actual case in the files of the FBI. The plot revolves around the activities of crooked attorney Paul McGrath, who secures paroles for big-time criminals by pulling a number of political strings. Feeling particularly expansive, McGrath masterminds the kidnapping of socialite Virginia Dale, using ex-con chauffeur Robert Paige as an "inside man". When another of McGrath's stooges, Anthony Quinn, bumps off FBI agent Jack Carson (established as a happy family man in the early scenes, thereby signing his own death warrant!), Carson's partner William Henry vows to bring the whole rotten bunch of crooks to justice. Directed with split-second timing by Robert Florey, Parole Fixer is a masterpiece of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

All Women Have Secrets affords a rare film starring role for James Cagney's talented sister Jeanne Cagney. Set on a college campus, the story concerns the trials and tribulations of married student John (Joseph Allen) and his pregnant wife Kay (Cagney). In addition to their existing financial woes, Kay faces dismissal from her nightclub singing job as her waistline expands. The "secret" refers to the fact that Kay has been withholding the fact that John is about to become a father , lest he offer to quit school to support them both. Some much-needed laughs are provided by Peter Lynd Hayes as the typical campus cutup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Undercover Doctor, like the other entries in Paramount's "FBI" series, could lay claim to being "drawn from today's headlines." The film was loosely based on the career of Dr. Joseph P. Moran, who violated the ethics of his profession by tending to the gunshot wounds of gangster Eddie Krator (Broderick Crawford) and his cronies without reporting those wounds to the police. J. Carrol Naish plays Dr. Bartley Morgan, who covers up his profitable illegalities with the respectable veneer of a posh, highly profitable private practice. FBI agent Robert Anders (Lloyd Nolan) is surprisingly slow on the uptake, never catching on to Morgan's illicit activities until the film is three-quarters over. Heather Angel costars as a socialite who doesn't pick her friends too well, while Janice Logan, future costar of Paramount's Dr. Cyclops, fills the nominal heroine role as Dr. Morgan's nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this espionage drama, an inventor creates a way to send television broadcasts across the country and finds himself pursued by international spies. Eventually the enemy succeeds in stealing the plans. But in the end, he gets it back and even falls in love with his former partner's daughter, with whom, thanks to his new television, he has a long-distance romance. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This typically wild-and-wooly entry in Paramount's "Bulldog Drummond" series gets under way when stiff-upper-lip Scotland Yard inspector Nielsen is kidnapped by master criminal Richard Lane (J. Carroll Naish). Ensconsed in his lavish jungle hideout somewhere in Africa, Lane wines and dines his captive as a prelude for his intended revenge against the good Inspector. As Bulldog Drummond (John Howard), his fiancee Phyllis (Heather Angel), his best friend Algy (Reginald Denny) and his valet Tenny (E. E. Clive) hack their way through the African foliage in search of Nielsen, Lane carries out his evil scheme by strapping the inspector to a pillar and preparing to release a ferocious, ill-fed pack of lions. Even if Nielsen should escape this peril, Lane has covered his bets by planting a time bomb in Drummond's private plane. Were it not for the fact that there were still three films to go in the "Drummond" series, one would be inclined to start worrying. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second of Paramount's "Bulldog Drummond" thrillers, Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (John Howard) is finally about to marry longtime fiancée Phyllis Clavering (Louise Campbell) when the girl is kidnapped. The hijackers, Mikhail Valdin (J. Carroll Naish) and his sister, Erena Soldanis (Helen Freeman), are wanted for the murder of an American millionaire, and Scotland Yard Inspector Neilson (John Barrymore) warns Bulldog that he may be next. But the intrepid hero pays no heed and is soon off on a dangerous journey that culminates at the Mere, a supposed haunted house. Bulldog Drummond Comes Back was based on H.C. "Sapper" McNeile's 1928 novel The Female of the Species, who, an opening credit warns, is "more deadly than the male." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Paramount's "Bulldog Drummond" series got off to a start with 1937's Bulldog Drummond Escapes. Up-and-coming Ray Milland stars as soldier-of-fortune Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, who on this occasion comes to the aid of pretty heiress Phyllis Clavering (Heather Angel). The heroine is being held against her will by scheming "family friend" Merridew (Porter Hall), who hopes to get his mitts on her inheritance. With the help of his silly friend Algy (Reginald Denny) and Scotland Yard inspector Nielsen (Sir Guy Standing), Drummond manages to rescue Phyllis several times -- and, reciprocally, is rescued by her on one occasion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi