Sigmund Neufeld Movies

In this western, three gringos deposit their loot in a Mexican bank and set up homes in a tiny village where they hope to live long, peaceful lives. Unfortunately other banditos rob their bank, forcing them to ride out after them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

James Craig plays Sheriff Pat Garrett, the man who gunned down Billy the Kid. We always thought that was the end of the story, but Last of the Desperados informs us that Garrett was forced to flee from the vengeance of Billy's gang (we also never knew that Billy had a gang). Everywhere he goes, Garrett is dogged by his pursuers, who leave a trail of corpses in their path to dissuade anyone from helping the former lawman. Finally Garrett puts on his badge again and picks off Billy's buddies one by one. Last of the Desperados was written by western movie "regular" Orville Hampton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lippert's Mask of the Dragon was filmed simultaneously with Fingerprints Don't Lie, utilizing the same director and cast. Richard Travis plays Phil Ramsey, a private eye, headquartered in San Francisco. He is obliged to investigate the murder of an old friend, a Korean war vet who had recently delivered a jade dragon to a Chinatown merchant. Aided by heroine Ginny O'Donnell (Sheila Ryan), Ramsey follows the trail of clues to a deserted TV studio (actually Los Angeles' KTLA). Sid Melton provides comedy relief as the head villain's dopey henchman. Though cheaply produced, Mask of the Dragon doesn't stint entertainment-wise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a dimwitted fellow bumbles off in search of the marriage license bureau and instead finds himself in a recruiting office for the Marines. Before he knows it, the jughead has become a jarhead. Fortunately, his fiancee also joins and they go through boot camp together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this adventure-fantasy, an American rocket ship crashes upon a remote island in the Pacific and an Air Force pilot and a scientist are assigned to find it. They get to the island and suddenly discover that the island is populated by a myriad of extinct animals, including dinosaurs. Fortunately, there is an island girl around to help the handsome captain and his crew recover important pieces of their craft and get back home. Some of this film is comprised of clips from Rocketship X-M and The Terror of Tiny Town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Despite its title, Western Pacific Agent is a contemporary crime melodrama. Kent Taylor stars as a railroad detective, assigned to track down an elusive robber-murderer. The audience knows from the outset who the culprit is (hotheaded Mickey Knox, who delivers an astonishingly vicious performance), but the plot requires the detective to methodically piece together the evidence before making his final move. Helping him solve the crime is the sister (Sheila Ryan) of a slain paymaster (Robert Lowery). The whole story is narrated in flashback by an uncredited Jason Robards Sr. One of the most brutal films of its era, Western Pacific Agent spares the audience nothing: at one point, the villain beats up his own father! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Those scurrilous Chinese communists are up to their old tricks in the 1949 flagwaver State Department - File 649. William Lundigan plays Ken, an operative of the U.S. Foreign Service stationed in North China. Ken is one of several people trapped in a remote village by evil warlord Yun Usu (Richard Loo), who intends to sell his services to the highest bidder, be they Red or otherwise. Our hero manages to get a message out to the Free World before the film's operatically self-sacrificial climax. The characterizations are of the cardboard variety and the dialogue is straight out of Fu Manchu. Still, State Department - File 649 is a fascinating encapsulation of postwar political propaganda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Three on a Ticket was the fourth entry in PRC's "Michael Shayne" series, and arguably the best of the batch. Hugh Beaumont, still ten years away from Leave It to Beaver, stars as Brett Halliday's red-headed private eye Michael Shayne, who this time out is assigned to locate a fortune in stolen bank funds. Mike's only clue is a baggage claim check, which has been torn in three pieces. Tracing these missing fragments, Shayne methodically tracks down the thieves. Though officially based on a story by Brett Halliday, the plot of Three on a Ticket is remarkably similar to the storyline of PRC's Lash LaRue western Law of the Lash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Officially released one month before PRC's "Billy the Kid" entry Prairie Badmen, Ghost of Hidden Valley, another "Billy"effort, was issued simultaneously with the later film for its New York debut in July of 1946. The story is the usual, with Billy Carson (Buster Crabbe) and Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) defended some good guys against some bad guys. This time, a young homesteading couple (Jean Carlin, John Meredith) are menaced by a gang of rustlers. The villains are using the couple's spread to hide their stolen livestock, threatening to kill both husband and wife if they tell the authorities. But Billy and Fuzzy see to it that justice triumphs within the film's allotted 56-minute running time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This threadbare PRC production plays like an Aztec variant on the studio's earlier Devil Bat, with PRC favorite George Zucco assaying the Bela Lugosi role. Zucco plays mad archaeologist Andrew Forbes, who stumbles upon the nest of a monstrous winged serpent -- the apparent source for the myth of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl -- while on a dig in Mexico. After the creature seeks out and kills his wife to recover one of its missing feathers, Forbes learns that he can eliminate his enemies (and protect a cache of plundered Aztec treasure) by planting one such plume on their person and letting Quetzalcoatl do the rest. Like most PRC quickies, this one is painfully cheap but quaintly entertaining; credited director Sherman Scott is actually prolific B-movie journeyman Sam Newfield. The Quetzalcoatl myth would be more cleverly mined by horror auteur Larry Cohen 35 years later in his low-budget monster-fest Q. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Fuzzy's niece is killed in a stagecoach hold-up in this "Billy Carson" Western series entry starring Larry "Buster" Crabbe and Al St. John. Billy and Fuzzy quickly learn that the culprit, who not only killed all the passengers but also absconded with $40,000, may be holed up in lawless Pecos City. Teaming up with Roxy (Patti McCarty), a disgruntled singer at Grant Barlow's (I. Stanford Jolley) saloon, the heroes begin an investigation that leads straight to Ed Sperling (Karl Hackett), who claims that he was forced to join in the holdup. About to reveal the identity of the gang leader, Sperling is shot. Billy, kidnapped by the gang, learns that the true identity of the ruthless leader is known only to a man named Gordon. Making a daring escape, Billy tracks down Gordon, who is sick of the brutality and offers to give himself up. On their way back to town, Gordon is also murdered, but Billy and Fuzzy now know enough to arrest the killer, whose identity comes as a surprise to everyone but the audience. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Number Three in PRC's "Michael Shayne" B-series was the fair-to-middling Blonde for a Day. Hugh Beaumont stars as Shayne, while his real-life wife Kathryn Adams (no, he wasn't married to Barbara Billingsley) costars as his secretary Phyllis. This time, Shayne gets involved with police reporter Helen Porter (Marjorie Hoshelle), who has in her possession damning evidence against a gambling ring. Since Helen has written several biting attacks on the police force, she turns to Shayne for help when her life is threatened. The climax finds Helen in the clutches of the crooks, forcing Shayne to resort to a clever subterfuge to effect her rescue. Purportedly, Blonde for a Day was based on Brett Halliday's very first "Michael Shayne" story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide