Stanley Price Movies

Based on the Holy Scriptures, with additional dialogue by several other hands, The Ten Commandments was the last film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The story relates the life of Moses, from the time he was discovered in the bullrushes as an infant by the pharoah's daughter, to his long, hard struggle to free the Hebrews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. Moses (Charlton Heston) starts out "in solid" as Pharoah's adopted son (and a whiz at designing pyramids, dispensing such construction-site advice as "Blood makes poor mortar"), but when he discovers his true Hebrew heritage, he attempts to make life easier for his people. Banished by his jealous half-brother Rameses (Yul Brynner), Moses returns fully bearded to Pharoah's court, warning that he's had a message from God and that the Egyptians had better free the Hebrews post-haste if they know what's good for them. Only after the Deadly Plagues have decimated Egypt does Rameses give in. As the Hebrews reach the Red Sea, they discover that Rameses has gone back on his word and plans to have them all killed. But Moses rescues his people with a little Divine legerdemain by parting the Seas. Later, Moses is again confronted by God on Mt. Sinai, who delivers unto him the Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, the Hebrews, led by the duplicitous Dathan (Edward G. Robinson), are forgetting their religion and behaving like libertines. "Where's your Moses now?" brays Dathan in the manner of a Lower East Side gangster. He soon finds out. DeMille's The Ten Commandments may not be the most subtle and sophisticated entertainment ever concocted, but it tells its story with a clarity and vitality that few Biblical scholars have ever been able to duplicate. It is very likely the most eventful 219 minutes ever recorded to film--and who's to say that Nefertiri (Anne Baxter) didn't make speeches like, "Oh, Moses, Moses, you splendid, stubborn, adorable fool"? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rebel City is a "B" western with "A" aspirations. Wild Bill Elliot plays gambler Frank Graham, who heads to Kansas in search of his father's murderer. This being 1864, the local military presence is more preoccupied with keeping Southern sympathizers out of the state to worry about Graham's problems. Thus, our hero undertakes the task of exposing the killer himself. As always, the least likely suspect is the guilty party (though sharp-eyed viewers were wise to the villain from the first reel). Marjorie Lord co-stars as Jane Dudley, the comely operator of the local freight line who helps Graham in his task. Producer Thomas M. Fennelly and director Thomas Carr later collaborated on the Richard Diamond TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Considered by many the weakest of Wayne Morris' latter-day B-Westerns, The Marksman features the no longer svelte star as a U. S. Marshall chasing down the gang of rustlers that killed his colleague (I. Stanford Jolley). Masquerading as a harmless prospector, Morris uses a rifle complete with telescopic lens and wins not only the day but also lovely authoress Elena Verdugo. This film was nearly the last hurrah for series B-Western, Wayne Morris and the even less remembered John Carpenter fighting for the dubious honor of being the genre's final hero. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This western stars Sterling Hayden as a man who innocently tends to the needs of a mysterious stranger. When it turns out that the stranger was part of a notorious gang of mercenaries, Hayden is condemned as a conspirator and sent to Hellgate Prison in New Mexico. He earns a pardon thanks to his courage and medical expertise during an epidemic. Hellgate was one of a handful of ambitious 1950s projects from the otherwise cost-conscious Lippert Studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cowboy hero Wild Bill Elliot (whose trademark was wearing his six-shooters backwards in his holsters) stars in this oater. After his brother is murdered by crooked cattlemen, Elliot is determined to bring honest business to the plains of North Dakota, and he pioneers the use of barbed wire to fence in his property. The supporting cast includes Phyllis Coates, Jack Ingram, Denver Pyle, and Fuzzy Knight. This 1952 feature is not to be confused with 1996 crime comedy of the same name, which gave new life to the expression "You betcha!" ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cowboy star Whip Wilson keeps whipping along in Monogram's Night Raiders. This time, Wilson and saddle pal Tom Farrell are federal marshals, assigned to stop the activities of a nocturnal terrorist group. These so-called Night Raiders lay waste to local ranches, but curiously never steal anything. The trail of clues leads to a motivation (fixing an upcoming election) and, inevitably, a Least Likely Suspect who turns out to be the brains of the organization. Fuzzy Knight supplies laughs, while Terry Frost and Marshall Reed provide menace. Whip Wilson's Night Raiders co-star Tom Farrell was the son of actress Glenda Farrell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Monogram's Whip Wilson western series was in its final year of existence when Lawless Cowboys hit the screen. Set in the contemporary West, the film casts Wilson as a Texas Ranger on the trail of a crooked gambling ring. The bad guys are doing their best to fix the results of local rodeo events. With the help of crusading newspaperman Jim Bannon, Wilson corners the crooks and lets them taste the lash of his bullwhip. Fuzzy Knight handles the comedy-relief chores as a disheveled newspaper publisher. Though the Whip Wilson vehicles were seldom any better than adequate, Lawless Cowboys is actually pretty good. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A stage line is once again threatened by a greedy rival in this ultra low-budget western from small-scale Monogram Pictures. This time the owner is lovely Phyllis Coates, who desperately needs to win a valuable mail contract in order to survive. The rival appears at first to be none other than the local sheriff (Pierce Lyden), but he is actually in the employ of a mystery man. Enter the whip-wielding Whip Wilson and his faithful sidekick Fuzzy Knight, and Miss Coates' stagecoach is saved in no time. In fairness to the age-old plot, here credited to former serial writer Joseph F. Poland, we shall not reveal the identity of the mystery villain; suffice it to say, the blackguard turns out to be the least likely candidate and is therefore highly suspicious from the get-go. Stage to Blue River was filmed many times before, most recently as Stage to Mesa City (1948), a "Cheyenne Kid" series entry featuring Al "Lash" LaRue and Al "Fuzzy" St. John. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Texas Lawmen was one of the shortest entries in Monogram's Johnny Mack Brown series, running a scant 54 minutes. This time, Brown is hunting for three desperate criminals. Fortunately for Our Hero, two of the crooks -- Bart and Steve Morrow (Stan Jolley and Lee Roberts) -- are father and son, on the verge of a major falling out. Ultimately, Steve Morrow casts his lot with the Good Guys. Texas Lawmen differs from previous rubber-stamp Johnny Mack Brown westerns in one respect: there is no heroine, nor even a supporting actress in the cast. Texas Lawmen was based on a story by actor Myron Healey, who often showed up in the Brown vehicles as a villain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Whip Wilson rides again in the Monogram western Abilene Trail. Wilson and his grizzled sidekick Andy Clyde are accused of horse stealing, a hangin' offense around these here parts. Eluding the authorities, the boys take jobs at a ranch where the real crook is hiding out. Between whip-cracking sessions, Wilson finds time to romance the ranch owner's pretty daughter Noel Neill ("Lois Lane" on the 1950s TVer Superman). Director Lewis D. Collins keeps things moving fast enough to make up for any plot or budgetary shortcomings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sudden Death is the TV title of the 55-minute western Fast on the Draw. Colorado Ranger Jimmy Ellison has a phobia about handling guns, but it's his job to keep the peace. So Ellison poses as a famous gunslinger, hoping to intimidate a crooked land baron into capitulation. There comes a time in the course of the film that the Ranger must prove that he isn't all talk. Fast on the Draw was one of six Lippert "Four Star" westerns filmed back to back in the space of one month; all six films starred Ellison, Russell Hayden, Raymond Hatton and Betty (later Julie) Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The plot for this Western involves the wives and girlfriends of the Dalton gang, who decide to carry on the gang's criminal activities after the menfolk were either gunned down or locked up. Old-time B-Western star Lash LaRue shows up to take care of them. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi