Dorrell McGowan Movies

Filmed in Germany with an American production crew, The Bashful Elephant isn't really about the title character. Most of the screen time is taken up with the elephant's trainer (Helumut Schmid), who is in the midst of an unpleasant divorce. Producer/directors Dorrell and Stuart McGowan had just come off several years of TV's Death Valley Days, and were hoping to crack the family-movie market with The Bashful Elephant. Unfortunately, this middling project never got any farther than bottom-of-bill bookings and occasional engagements in church basements. The brothers had better luck with their next project, the Canadian-based TV adventure weekly The Littlest Hobo--which starred a dog rather than a pachyderm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Snowfire is a family picture in more ways than one. Its producer-directors were brothers Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, the same sibling duo responsible for TV's Death Valley Days; most of the characters are named McGowan; and one of the supporting players is Dorrell McGowan's daughter Melody. The title character is a wild horse who is tamed by young Molly, the daughter of rancher Don Megowan (no relation). The villains try to capture Snowfire for their own nefarious purposes, but Molly manages to outwit the bad guys. Filmed on location at Bryce Canyon, Utah, Snowfire was later re-edited into a 60-minute TV pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Famed attorney Melvin Belli served as executive producer of the heady spy melodrama Tokyo File 212. Filmed in its entirety in Japan, the story concerns a communist conspiracy to undermine American soldiers in Korea by plying them with such creature comforts as girls and alcohol. G-2 agent Jim Carter (Robert Peyton) does his best to thwart the Reds, despite the formidable opposition of femme fatale Steffi Novac (Florence Marly). Eventually, Novac is won over by the Good Guys, but not soon enough to emerge unscathed. Tokyo File 212 was co-produced and directed by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, the sibling screenwriting team who later collaborated on TV's Death Valley Days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Showdown is the story of a trail boss named Shad Jones (Bill Elliott) whose younger brother is murdered. Knowing that a member of a wagon train is responsible for the killing, Shad joins the train in attempt to discover who the guilty man is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Smugglers are working the border between Mexico and California in this action-filled and, of course, tuneful Gene Autry Western. Autry, sidekick Sterling Holloway, and the Cass County Boys get involved with fiery Elena Del Rio (Adele Mara), a singer in the local cantina who alternately throws knives at them and helps catch a gang of jewel smugglers taking advantage of local refugees. Chasing in and out of Joshua Tree National Monument, our heroes go up against a couple of supposedly law-abiding citizens, a peon (Martin Garralaga) who isn't what he pretends to be, and the local rural residents. Happily, everyone takes time out from the mayhem to perform Jack Elliott's "Twilight on the Rio Grande" and "The Pretty Knife Grinder," Smiley Burnette's "It's My Lazy Day" and "Great Grand Dad," Nat Simon and Charles Tobias' "The Old Lamplighter" and a couple of other selections. In addition to Joshua Tree National Monument, Twilight on the Rio Grande was filmed at Victorville, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Though already established as Roy Rogers' favorite leading lady (offscreen and on), Dale Evans was permitted a rare non-western appearance minus Rogers in the 1947 Republic mystery thriller The Trespasser. Evans is cast as nightclub singer Linda Coleman, the sister of newspaper-book reviewer Bruce Coleman (William Bakewell). Bruce is engaged in a clever fraud, peddling rare-book forgeries to collector/publisher Channing Bliss (Francis Pierlot). This bunco scheme is uncovered by aspiring girl reporter Stevie Carson (Janet Martin), with the grudging help of veteran newshound Danny Butler (Warren Douglas). With all this going on, ostensible star Dale Evans has little to do except sing one sultry musical number and look smashing in low-cut gowns -- and, oh yes, indulge in a bit of romance with Stevie's editor Bill Monroe (Douglas Fowley). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's no "valley" in Valley of the Zombies, and only one "zombie," played with relish by Ian Keith. At large in a great metropolitan city, Ormand Murks (Keith), recently brought back from the dead, goes on the prowl for human blood, meaning that he's less of a zombie than a vampire (a phenomenon which he "explains" halfway through the picture). He spends most of his time murderously settling scores with old enemies, drawing the attention of police lieutenant Blair (Thomas Jackson), who like Murks seems well-past retirement age. Suspected of committing the murders, doctor's assistant Terry Evans (Robert Livingston) takes it upon himself to track down Murks, with the aid of pretty nurse Susan Drake (Adrian Booth). The ultimate fate of the so-called zombie is given away by the artwork in the film's opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though released by Republic Pictures, The Tiger Woman is not a serial, as might be assumed from the title. Adele Mara stars as nightclub singer Sharon Winslow, billed for no discernible reason as "The Tiger Woman." Not exactly the sort of girl one takes home to mother, Sharon kills her husband for his insurance money then knocks off the lover who helped her commit the murder. When detective Jerry Devery (Kane Richmond) investigates, Sharon turns on the charm, intending to spin a web around Jerry and eliminate him as well. At this point, the film turns into a bush-league Double Indemnity, with a most surprising denouement. Director Philip Ford was the nephew of John Ford, who'd long since outgrown such silliness as The Tiger Woman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans still weren't man and wife when they costarred in Republic's San Fernando Valley. As always, Rogers is cast as a cowboy who happens to be named Roy Rogers; Evans, on the other hand, plays feisty femme ranchowner Dale Kenyon. At the behest of Dale's grandfather (Andrew Tombes), Roy does the "Taming of the Shrew" bit, taking a job as ranch cook so he can woo and win the volatile Miss Kenyon. He also takes time out to capture a couple of bank robbers who'd earlier relieved him of his life savings. Many of the film's best scenes belong to hoydenish Jean Porter, cast as Dale's bratty kid sister: Ms. Porter would later retire from films to marry director Edward Dmytryk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Big Bonanza was a Republic Studios in-betweener: too elaborate for B picture, not expensive enough for an "A". Richard Arlen stars as an army deserter who heads back to his home town. Unable to hold down a legitimate job, Arlen falls in with childhood chum Robert Livingston, now a high-rolling crook. Jane Frazee is the dime-a-dance girl who acts as a redeeming force for the wayward Arlen. Gabby Hayes shows up as comic relief "Hap" Sweeney. At the bottom of the cast, billed as "Singer," is future Republic singing cowboy Monte Hale. The Big Bonanza was co-scripted by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, later the leading lights of the TV series Death Valley Days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This musical features a number of old-time country music stars as it follows the exploits of a pretty dairy magnate who impersonates a worker to discover the shenanigans going on inside her plant. Songs include: "Cheese Cake," "Swing Your Partner" (Charles Henderson), "Cracker Barrel County" (Frank Loesser, Jule Styne), "Kiss Your Partner" (Dick Sanford, John Redmond, Frank Weldon), "Shug, Shug Yodel" (George "Shug" Fisher), "In the Cool of the Evening" (Walter Bullock, Styne). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this cornball comedy, the Weavers start a Victory garden to help out with the war. The encounter resistance from the local upper-class school. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide