George Meeker Movies
Tall, handsome, wavy-haired character actor George Meeker was never in the upper echelons of Hollywood stardom; off-camera, however, he was highly regarded and much sought after -- as an expert polo player. Meeker switched from stage to screen in the silent era, playing leading roles in such important features as Four Sons (1928). In talkies, Meeker seemingly took every part that was tossed... (read more) his way, from full secondary leads to one-line bits. In his larger roles, Meeker was frequently cast as a caddish "other man," a spineless wastrel who might be (but seldom was) the mystery killer, or the respectable businessman who's actually a conniving crook. He showed up frequently in the films of Humphrey Bogart, most memorably as the white-suited gent in Casablanca (1942) who turns to Bogart after the arrest of Peter Lorre and sneers "When they come to get me, Rick, I hope you'll be more of a help." Other significant George Meeker credits include the role of Robespierre in Marie Antoinette (1938) (cut down to a sniff and a single line -- "Guilty!" -- in the final release print), the supercilious dude who wins Mary Beth Hughes away from Henry Fonda in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), and the smarmy would-be bridegroom of heiress Dorothy Lamour in The Road to Rio (1947). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Slaves of the Invisible Monster
1966
Prepared for television in 1966, Slaves of the Invisible Monster is the feature-length abridgement of the 1950 Republic serial The Invisible Monster (which explains the...
Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion [Serial]
1951
Walter Reed, who also starred in Flying Disc Man from Mars that year, played a government agent looking into a series of truck hijackings in this Republic Pictures action...
Wells Fargo Gunmaster
1951
Allan "Rocky" Lane plays the title role in the Republic oater Wells Fargo Gunmaster. Lane is sent westward by his employers to stem a series of stagecoach holdups. To...
Spoilers of the Plains
1951
Roy Rogers enters the atomic age with this sci-fi western directed by serial ace William Witney. Our hero runs a pipeline near a site where Dr. Manning (William Forrest)...
Twilight in the Sierras
1950
The King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West perform their noublesse oblige in Twilight in the Sierras. Roy Rogers plays a US marshal, pursuing a vicious gang of...
The Invisible Monster [Serial]
1950
Who is The Phantom Ruler? That's the question posed by the 12-part Republic serial The Invisible Monster. Using four illegal European aliens as his minions, the Phantom...
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
1949
Ranger of Cherokee Strip stars Republic horse-opera hero Monte Hale. This time, Steve Howard (Hale) comes to the aid of Joe Bearclaws (Douglas Kennedy), a patriotic...
The Crime Doctor's Diary
1949
Columbia's "Crime Doctor" series drew to a close with 1949's Crime Doctor's Diary. A visibly weary but still virile Warner Baxter stars as Dr. Robert Ordway, whose...
Sky Liner
1949
Set virtually in its entirety in an airborne TWA Constellation (evidently the company agreed to the use of its name in exchange for free advertising), Sky Liner stars Richard...
Omoo Omoo, the Shark God
1949
Omoo-Omoo (The Shark God) is based on a novel by Herman Melville. Within its attenuated budget, the film does a nice job visualizing Melville's concept. A sea captain...
Silver Trails
1949
Singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely stars in Monogram's Silver Trails. It all begins when Jimmy and his comical sidekick Dub "Cannonball" Taylor ride into a small California...
The Denver Kid
1948
Allan Lane goes in search of his dead friend's brother in this fast-paced Western from Republic Pictures. Instead of finding his brother Tim as he had been promised,...
Superman [Serial]
1948
This adventure is the first live-action Superman serial and was one of the most successful multi-chapter films ever made. Superman is played by B-movie hero Kirk Alyn. The...
King of the Gamblers
1948
An honest football player single-handedly takes on a professional gambler and the crooked publisher of a sports magazine to bust up their game-fixing scheme. Unfortunately, his...
The Gay Ranchero
1948
One of the better Roy Rogers films of its period, The Gay Ranchero also happens to be one of the more violent Rogers efforts. The villains want to gain control of a private...
The Dude Goes West
1948
In this western comedy, a milquetoast gunsmith from the East Coast goes to Arsenic City, Arizona because he has heard that everybody their carries guns. His trip West is an...
One Touch of Venus
NR 1948
The spirit of love is back, and she's working in retail in this bubbly romantic musical comedy. Eddie Hatch (Robert Walker) is a window dresser at a large department store;...
Apache Rose
1947
Apache Rose is a "typical" Roy Rogers-Dale Evans musical western: few surprises, but plenty of entertainment value. Rogers plays an oil man who hopes to get drilling...
Home in Oklahoma
1947
One of the better Roy Rogers vehicles of its period, Home in Oklahoma casts Rogers as a crusading frontier newspaper editor. Forsworn to find the murderers of a prominent...
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
1947
A woman struggles to reassemble her broken life in this drama that features Susan Hayward in her first starring role. The woman started out as a night-club singer, but...