Roy S. Luby Movies

This diverting cinematic time capsule pits the hard-ridin' Range Busters against a Nazi spy ring. The Busters are played on this occasion by Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Dennis Moore and Max "Alibi" Terhune. The Teutonic villains intend to cripple the war effort by sabotaging local magnesite shipments, but our heroes are a shade too fast for them. Highlights include Johnny Bond's heartfelt performance of that immortal patriotic ballad, "I'll Get the Fuehrer Sure as Shootin'." The most amusing aspect of Cowboy Commandos, at least for western buffs, is the presence of such veteran sagebrush heavies as John Merton and Budd Buster amongst the minions of the Third Reich. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the tradition of Cowboy Commandos, the Range Busters (Ray Corrigan, Dennis Moore, and Max Terhune) take on Black Market Rustlers in this wartime western. The film's villains busy themselves by stealing cattle, then selling the meat on the black market for ridiculously exorbitant prices. The Cattlemen's Association hire our three heroes to put an end to this. It takes them only 54 minutes to do so, but it's a really tough 54 minutes. Featured in the cast was Evelyn Finley, one of the few western heroines who could really ride a horse-and ride it quite well at that. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this western, the courageous Range Busters, round up the rabble-rousing rustlers who've been rendering Rock River really rowdy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Thunder River Feud is the latest adventure of "The Range Busters," aka Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. This time, the heroic trio come to the rescue of pretty rancher Maybelle (Jan Wiley), who is stuck in the middle of a deadly range war. Causing all the ruckus is villain Pembroke (Jack H. Holmes), who pits the cattlemen against the homesteaders in hopes of wiping out both factions for his own financial gain. The Range Busters quickly figure out what the bad guy is up to, and from then on in it's "Katy bar the door!" Somewhere along the line, John King gets to sing "What a Wonderful Day". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"The Range Busters" -- "Crash" (Ray "Crash" Corrigan), Dusty (John "Dusty" King), and "Alibi" (Max Terhune) -- go up against yet another licentious saloon owner in this Western series entry from Monogram. As it turns out, the saloon proprietor, Brand Bolton (John Merton), is actually in the employ of Sundance's corrupt mayor (Budd Buster), who dabbles in a bit of stage robbing on the side. Lawman "Crash" Corrigan, who is thought by everyone to have been killed by a local thug, The Maverick (Glenn Strange), is actually very much alive and manages to collect enough evidence to not only prosecute Bolton but also go after the mayor. But first he and "Dusty" must free disgruntled saloon girl May Meadows (Jean Brooks) and "Alibi," who have been kidnapped. Leading lady Brooks later played Kim Hunter's mysterious sister in the Val Lewton thriller The Seventh Victim (1943). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Like the first entry in the "Range Busters" series, the 1941-42 season opener Saddle Mountain Roundup was as much a whodunit as a western. This time, the murder victim is irascible rancher Magpie Harper (John Elliot). Arriving too late to save Harper from his fate, heroes Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune commit themselves to solving the murder. The identity of the killer is tipped off by the actor's prominence in the screen credits (at this time, he was usually cast in uncredited bit roles). Fairly well directed and acted, Saddle Mountain Roundup is compromised a bit by the surprising shoddy editing of Ray Claire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Range Busters returned to bust a few more ranges in Tonto Basin Outlaws. As ever, the three protagonists are played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. The story takes off when Corrigan takes a job as manager of the Tonto Basin hotel. From here, he intends to observe the comings and goings of the local cowpokes, thereby hoping to uncover a gang of rustlers who've terrorizing the countryside. Making life miserable for Corrigan and his fellow Range Busters is the unwelcome snoopery of Jane (Jan Wiley), a big-city reporter assigned to cover the rustling story for her paper. The fact that the film takes place in 1898, when girl reporters were as scarce as hen's teeth (and almost as pretty), didn't seem to phase the screenwriters a bit; if the viewer wanted logic, the viewer was in the wrong theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Range Riders - Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Albi" Terhune-ride the range once more in Monogram's Kid's Last Ride. Sent to a wide-open town to stem the activities of the local criminal element, our three heroes almost immediately get mixed up in a deadly feud between local land barons Harmon (Al Bridge) and Bart (Glenn Strange). The Range Riders patch things up by deflecting Harmon's son Jimmy (Edwin Brian) from a life of crime, thereby also expediting the romance between Jimmy and Bart's daughter Sally (Luana Walters). Then, almost as an afterthought, the do-gooding trio trounces the villains. Like most of the The Range Riders' entries, Kid's Last Ride was cheap but profitable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Apparently hoping to break out of the series' formula rut, the producers of the "Range Riders" western Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona employ a clever and amusing framing device. At the beginning of the picture, the son of Range Rider John "Dusty" King (played by King) meets the son of Dusty's old pal Ray "Crash" Corrigan (played by Corrigan) in college. After the boys exchange a few reminiscences of their dads' exploits, Dusty's son is knocked out by an accidental blow on the head. When he awakens, he finds he has been transported back to the Old West, and has assumed his father's identity. Once this has been established, the plot proper gets under way, wherein Dusty, Crash and Alibi (Max Terhune) try to stem the criminal activities of the villains (Quin Ramsyey, James Craven, Jack Holmes) and to champion the cause of the heroine (Sheila Darcy). By the time the heroes finally return to the Wild Frontier, the picture is half over, forcing the screenwriters to telescope 6 reels' worth of plot and action into 25 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No sooner had the second of Monogram's "Range Riders" westerns hit the screens than the third entry, West of Pinto Basin, was prepared for release. Once again, the Range Riders are portrayed by Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune, who this time are hot on the trail of a stagecoach holdup gang. Outlaw leader Harvey (Tris Coffin) is able to monitor the routes taken by the local stage line thanks to a "fifth columnist" named Summers (Phil Dunham), an outwardly honest bank employee. The three heroes take jobs as stagecoach drivers to bring the villains out into the open. The romantic interest is handled by Gwen Gaze, previously a minor-league serial heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Independently (and very cheaply) produced, Bad Boy stars Johnny Downs as the title character, one John Fraser. In truth, John isn't really a bad boy, but he's been led astray by crooked Steve Carson (James Robbins). Somewhat weak-willed, our hero gains inner strength through adversity, and by film's end he has squared himself with the Law and rounded up the actual crooks. Of interest is the fact that Bad Boy is one of the few "mainstream" films to offer a major role to legendary black actor-writer-director Spencer Williams Jr., best known to contemporary viewers as Andrew H. Brown on TV's Amos 'N' Andy. Bad Boy was released in December, 1939, the same week that the decidedly superior Johnny Downs vehicle Laugh it Off also hit the screens. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This adventure is the last entry in the "Renfrew of the Mounties" series. This time the tuneful Mountie travels to the north woods where he must thwart an American mobster's plot to swipe a large gold shipment. Interspersed amongst the action are two songs: "You're Easy on the Eyes," and "Crimson Sunset." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi