Bernard McConville Movies

Making his starring debut, Republic cowboy Monte Hale strums his guitar and sings Over the Rainbow Trail by Ken Carson, The Sons of the Pioneers and Down at the Old Hoe-Down by Gordon Foster, and Take Your Time by Glenn Spencer; on the last of these, he is accompanied by Bob Nolan. In between all the warbling, Hale finds enough time to prove that little Bobby Blake's pet bear isn't the one causing death and destruction among the area's cattle. For some reason, Republic chose the Hale series to launch their newly developed Magnacolor scheme, thus making the rather wooden Hale the first of the studio's illustrious cowboys to appear in (almost) natural hues. Adrian Booth (formerly Lorna Gray) made the first of seven appearances opposite Hale as little Bobby's sister, antagonistic at first toward the hero but falling properly in love with him before the fade-out. Little Bobby Blake (formerly Mickey Gubitosi of Our Gang fame) later became Robert Blake and the star of television's Baretta. Monte Hale never quite accepted the tag of "singing cowboy," and his series, which lasted until 1950, became increasingly less musical with each new entry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

The first of Tim Holt's 1943 quota of RKO westerns was Fighting Frontier. This time, Holt appears to be cast as a double-dyed villain. Actually, it's all a ruse, cooked up by the Governor to find out the identity of a clever bandit chieftan. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the name of the bad guy, but it's safe enough to report that Ann Summers is the heroine and Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards provides comedy relief. Amidst the shooting and fisticuffs, music fans are treated to two songs, "On the Outlaw Trail" and "The Edwards and the Drews", the latter performed with relish by Cliff Edwards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Congress suddenly changes the boundary between Texas and Mexico and the rangers leave the territory to the U.S. cavalry in this fine entry in Republic Pictures long-running Three Mesqueteers western series. Left to fend for himself, the commanding officer, Colonel Langley (Forbes Murray), makes the mistake of trusting LeRoque (Peter George Lynn), a half-breed interpreter who in reality is the feared Commanche renegade Waneeche. Nothing the Three Mesqueteers, "Stony" Brooke (Robert Livingston), "Tucson" Smith (Bob Steele) and "Lullaby" Joslin (Rufe Davis), do or say dissuades Langley from walking straight into a trap and only by taking a typically daring approach are the Mesqueteers able to prevent wholesale slaughter. Gale Storm plays the nominal female lead as the colonel's cheery daughter and comedy relief is provided by spinster-ish Ellen Lowe, as Aunt Amanda, a scalp-hungry Glenn Strange and rube comic Rufe Davis. The latter also performs Smiley Burnette's "Just Imagine That" backed by cowboy swing fiddler Spade Cooley. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Though not based on a Zane Grey story, The Cherokee Strip fits in thematically with producer Harry Sherman's Grey series. Richard Dix stars as Dave Morrell, the new marshal of Goliath, Oklahoma. Immediately upon arrival, Morrell finds himself at odds with banker Coy Barrett (Victor Jory), who is actually the leader of all local criminal activities. Cagily playing a game of cat and mouse, Morrell strongly and silently gathers evidence against Barrett, leading to an outsized climactic shootout-just in time, since the film was beginning to drag a bit. Critical comparisons to Dix's 1931 starrer Cimarron could not be avoided, but Cherokee Strip was more straightforward adventure fare than the earlier film. Florence Rice is the pretty but hardly necessary romantic interest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cowboy hero George O'Brien has his hands full with crooked land promoter Paul Everton in Prairie Law. Selling acres and acres of worthless land while promising to provide an unlimited water supply to his customers, Everton sparks off a range war between cattlemen and homesteaders. Working on behalf of the cattlemen, O'Brien brings an end to the feud and takes on Everton's many minions single-handed. Virginia Vale makes a return appearance from previous George O'Brien vehicles to play the requisite heroine. A standard entry, Prairie Law benefits from RKO Radio's usual topnotch production values. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this western, a courageous rancher single-handedly tries to stop avaricious land grabbers from destroying important timberland. The bad-guys claim to do this so they can build a railroad, but the rancher isn't fooled. A New York newspaper reporter is, and she ends up publishing a glowing report about the villains' activities. She remains convinced that the crooks are honest until the rancher exposes their true nature. She then launches a new campaign to stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This formula western stars George O'Brien as a member of the Arizona Rangers, a quasi-vigilante society aimed at ridding the west of lawlessness. O'Brien is assigned to infiltrate a criminal gang in Arizona. For duty's sake, O'Brien must alienate himself with his sweetheart (Laraine Johnson, later known as Laraine Day) and pose as a ruthless bandit. The hero comes awfully close to meeting his doom before the crooks are roped and hog-tied. Arizona Legion represented the 60th screen appearance of veteran action star George O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gene Autry stars in this vintage musical Western that pits a group of poor but honest cattle ranchers against two-faced real estate speculators when it's learned that there may be a gold mine on the ranch. Gene sings four original songs, including "Love Burning Love," "I'm Beginning to Care," and "Goodbye, Pinto," while his sidekick Smiley Burnette gets to croon the deathless "She Works Third Tub at the Laundry." ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An enjoyably silly Gene Autry romp, this music Western had an early ecological message: Horse-power instead of tractors. Or at least tractors manufactured by greedy Thornton Farming Equipment. Having lost his horse-trading business to Thornton (Ivan Miller), Autry signs with Helen Valkis' local Grainville radio station. But unbeknownst to the singer, the program is sponsored by none other than Thornton, and when the farmers cannot live up to the greedy manufacturer's finance plan, they blame Autry. In typical Autry style, Autry not only bests Thornton on the business front, but also receives more attention at the local fair than the Thornton-sponsored Big City entertainment. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Virile George O'Brien straddles the "western" and "crime-flick" genres in RKO Radio's Border G-Men. The plot gets under way when the FBI learns that ammunition and men are being smuggled out of the US and into Mexico in violation of the neutrality act. Federal agent O'Brien is dispatched to Texas to investigate, promptly falling in love with pretty Laraine Johnson (later billed as Laraine Day), whose brother is unwittingly mixed up with the smugglers. Villains John Miljan and Rita LaRoy, in the employ of an unnamed foreign power, use every dirty trick at their disposal to continue their nefarious activities, but O'Brien proves a bit too fast and a great deal too smart for them. Several trade papers applauded RKO Radio's marketing strategy with Border G-Man, which enabled the studio to promote the film as either a straightford western or an espionage adventure, depending upon the demands of the exhibitors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In perhaps their most unusual Western adventure, the Three Mesqueteers -- Stony (Bob Livingston), Tucson (Ray Corrigan), and Lullaby (Max Terhune) -- go in search of Professor Marsh (John Van Pelt), an archeologist who vanished while searching for the lost city of Lukachukai. Along for the ride are Marsh's daughter, Betty (Mary Russell); Rutledge (Roger Williams); and an Indian guide, Otah (Yakima Canutt). The expedition heads straight for the Whistling Skull, a huge rock formation in the "nostril" of which the Mesqueteers discover the missing scientist, gaunt but alive among several mummies. Both Rutledge and Otah prove to be less than helpful, however, and at one point Betty and Stony go missing and are feared lost. As Tucson learns, the natives are under the influence of a fanatical white man, but who is he? Oliver Drake and John Rathmell's screenplay was later reworked into a latter-day Charlie Chan thriller The Feathered Serpent (1949), which featured Bob Livingston as the villain. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Puritan Pictures, a poverty-row operation devoted in the main to Tim McCoy westerns, turned out a few diverting murder mysteries during its short life span. In Death in the Sky, Leon Ames plays a World War I ace whose combat experiences have driven him mad. Convinced that every other aviator on earth poses a personal threat to him, Ames contrives to kill anyone who pilots a plane. Only hero John Carroll and heroine Lona Andre stand in the way of Ames' murder spree. The matching of new footage with stock shots from such earlier air epics as Hell's Angels is not always convincing, but at least the film keeps on the move. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Lonely Trail, directed by Joseph Kane, stars John Wayne as veteran Union officer John Ashley. Ashley (Wayne), upon his return to his hometown in Texas, finds his presence unwanted by his former neighbors, who have all sided with the Confederacy. Law and order is being maintained by the smooth-talking Benedict Holden's (Cy Kendall) armed troopers. Though initially duped by the seedy northerner, Ashley realizes that Holden (Kendall) is merely a carpetbagger who, without the knowledge of the governor, is killing, stealing, and taxing the local ranchers out of their property under the pretense of state authority. In an attempt to thwart Holden's continuous betrayal of the Texas citizens, Ashley himself enlists in Holden's troops. The Lonely Trail also features actors Sam Flint, Bob Kortman, and actress Anne Rutherford. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi