Bill Raynor Movies
Prolific screenwriter William Raynor penned many scripts during the '50s and early '60s, many of which were outdoor adventures. Toward the end of the '50s, Raynor turned more toward comedy writing and eventually switched to writing exclusively for various television series including Get Smart, McHale's Navy, and The Dukes of Hazzard. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Adam Williams is frighteningly effective as the "psycho next door" in Without Warning. Normally a quiet, unobtrusive fellow, Carl Martin (Williams) is pushed over the edge when his blonde wife cheats on him. Thereafter, he uses a pair of garden shears to kill every blonde female with whom he comes in contact. The then-new Los Angeles Freeway provides a thrilling backdrop for the film's pulse-pounding final scenes. Without Warning was produced by Arthur Gardner and Jules Levy and directed by Arnold Laven, the same production team that was responsible for such 1950s and 1960s TV weeklies as The Rifleman, Burke's Law and The Big Valley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adam Williams, Meg Randall, (more)
- 1951
Despite its Latino title, Casa Manana was an all-American production from Monogram studios. The title refers to the nightclub where songstress Linda (Virginia Welles) works. Linda's boyfriend Larry (Robert Clarke) has purchased the nitery, hoping to transform his lady love into a big star. The fly in the ointment is brutish Horace (Robert Karnes), who is also in love with Linda and who isn't too particular about the methods he uses to win her away from Larry. Guest stars in this musical melodrama include the Rio Brothers, Eddie Le Baron Orchestra, Spade Cooley, Yadira Jimenez, Zarco & D'Lores, the Mercer Brothers, Armando & Lita, Betty & Beverly, Olga Perez and Davis & Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Clarke, Virginia Welles, (more)
- 1951
In this North Woods adventure, the Mounties investigate a series of payroll robberies and discover that it is an inside job. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1951
Since Universal was out of the "B"-western business by 1951, many former Universal contractees were obliged to seek work elsewhere. Monogram's Rhythm Inn stars Jane Frazee, Kirby Grant and Lois Collier, Universal alumni all. It all begins when bandleader Dusty Rhodes (Kirby Grant) is forced to pawn his musician's instruments. It so happens that pawnshop clerk Eddie Thompson (Charles Smith) is an aspiring songwriter. Thus it is that band-singer Carol Denton (Jane Frazee) is able to sweet-talk Thompson into allowing the musicians to use their instruments after office hours, with the promise that the clerk's songs will be performed. Complications ensue when Thompson's girl friend Betty (Lois Collier), misunderstanding the situation, becomes jealous. Specialty numbers in Rhythm Inn are provided by the Anson Weeks orchestra, Armida, Jean Ritchie, Ames & Arno and the Ramon Bros. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Frazee, Kirby Grant, (more)
- 1950
The third installment in low-budget producer Lindsley Parson's "Chinook" series, Snow Dog was ostensibly based on pulp writer James Oliver Curwood's 1915 short-story "The Tentacles of the North," which was also the working title. Kirby Grant again played Rod McDonald of the Canadian Royal Mounted, and once again the vehicle was stolen by his canine sidekick, the white malamute Chinook. This time, Rod and Chinook are tracking a mysterious white wolf, thought to have killed several of the local traders. The wolf, who bears a startling resemblance to Chinook, is suspected of guarding the White Woods, an area containing several hidden mines. At first Chinook is accused of being the ferocious killer, but with the help of Louis (Rick Vallin) and his sister Andrée (Elena Verdugo), Rod proves that the mysterious wolf is a wild animal captured and trained by a gang seeking to locate the valuable mines. When a captured Louis refuses to produce a secret map to the mines, his sister is abducted by treacherous Indian nurse Red Feather (Jane Adrian). Chinook, of course, tracks down the kidnap victims and Rod can soon arrest the real force behind the killings, Dr. McKenzie (Milburn Stone), Red Feather's supposedly kindhearted boss. As in the two previous Chinook films, leading man Kirby Grant, a former Universal star, left much of the action in the hands of a younger co-star, in this instance Rick Vallin. A remake of the silent Tentacles of the North (1926), Snow Dog was filmed on locations in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirby Grant, Elena Verdugo, (more)
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