Steve Haley (Charles Starrett) persuades a group of ranchers beset by rustlers to make a combined cattle drive to Abilene rather than selling their herds for a pittance to local bigshot Big Jim Grady, but Big Jim has some surprises in store that may disrupt the drive — unless the Durango Kid takes a hand. …
Read the full post →“<em>South of the Chisholm Trail</em> (Columbia, 1947)”
In this bizarre post-apocalyptic movie that really owes nothing but its title to H. Rider Haggard’s classic fantasy adventure tale, Sandahl Bergman plays the leader of one tribe. As their goddess, she routinely kills those chosen in a ritual to be her lovers. Things change, however, when two brothers, whose sister has been abducted by …
Federal marshal Nevada Jack Mackenzie (Johnny Mack Brown), working undercover, comes to the aid of the nephew of old friend Sandy Hopkins, who is now retired, when the nephew is cheated of his money and later ambushed after his herd of cattle is rustled. After Sandy is summoned, he arrives in the guise of a …
Read the full post →“<em>Outlaws of Stampede Pass</em> (Monogram, 1943)”
A police constable (Brian Reece) who dreams of being a plainclothes detective but is rather dim gets involved with a femme fatale, who plans to use him as the witness to the killing of a purported attacker. The story winds through several twists and developments, as the constable’s girlfriend (Joy Shelton) takes a hand in …
Read the full post →“<em>A Case for P.C. 49</em> (Hammer, 1951)”
Federal agents use the marvelous Radar to thwart crooks plotting to steal a uranium shipment and deliver it to a foreign power. There are multiple layers of crooks, with varying degrees of competence and all evincing a willingness to sacrifice others to increase their take. Fortunately for the Feds, they have their technological wonder device …
Read the full post →“<em>Radar Secret Service</em> (Lippert, 1950)”
Masked wrestler Santo comes to the aid of the daughter of a deceased old friend, and along the way he finds romance. There’s far too little of the weirdness I associate with the Santo movies, although the trained eagle does add a certain element of interest, but overall the movie is just plain dull. Not …
Read the full post →“<em>Santo y el águila real</em> (1973)”
Fairly ordinary mystery, with a reporter (Grace Bradley) and a homicide detective (Roland Drew) sparring, while enamored of each other, in the course of investigating killings connected with a gambling racket. The writing is OK, including not only the bantering leads but also a DA whose amour is somehow embroiled with the gambling ring, but …
Read the full post →“<em>The Invisible Killer</em> (PDC, 1939)”
The Range Busters come to the aid of a sheriff (Steve Clark) facing a rash of payroll robberies, but matters get really serious when Crash is caught in an explosion set by the gang. A fairly well-crafted script has the obvious leader of the crooks taking orders in turn from an unknown someone else, and …
Read the full post →“<em>Boot Hill Bandits</em> (Monogram, 1942)”
Credit a post at the blog Fists and .45s! for turning me on to the espionage comedy with music Out of Sight. Released in 1966 and starring John Daly as a butler impersonating his secret agent boss, the movie owes a good deal to American International’s beach movies, I’d say, extending even to including musical …
Read the full post →“<em>Out of Sight</em> (Universal, 1966)”
While visiting old client Sir Henry Baskerville, Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner), aided by Dr. Watson (Ian Fleming), solves two killings and the disappearance of a horse. Professor Moriarty (Lyn Harding) and helper Colonel Moran are involved in the plot in this thriller, acting on behalf of a bookie who wants the favored horse to lose …
