The Old Oregon Trail (1928)

Starring: Art Mix

Director: Victor Adamson

Studio: Art Mix Productions

PLOT SUMMARY:

After helping the Mercer family retrieve their horses from a horde of villains, drunken cowboy Calamity Joe (Art Mix) decides to stop his drinking so that he may get closer to Mercer's beautiful daughter (Delores Booth). Years pass, but the two never forgot each other. When Joe competes at a local rodeo, he is spotted by Mercer (F.C. Rose) and his daughter who kindly invite him to dinner. While at Mercer's ranch, Joe intervenes when a dispute occurs between Mercer and his workers. Joe wrangles his friends from Condon City to help finish the work but they are troubled by the embittered teamster (Sid Seals) who Joe scared off. Joe, having enough of these men, wrangles them all together and fights it out with the teamster once and for all.

FILM REVIEW:

I went into The Old Oregon Trail with hesitation considering it was directed by and stars the notorious Victor Adamson, whose output in the sound era ranges from mediocre to poor. I was actually pleasantly surprised to find a film that is actually well made and beautifully photographed. My friend, the great western film historian Ed Hulse who was involved in preserving The Old Oregon Trail for modern day reappraisal, considers the film to be a remarkable achievement considering how impoverished Adamson and his wife, who portrays the heroine in the film, were at this time. Add to this, the most recent lawsuit launched by Tom Mix against Adamson for copyright infringement in using the "Art Mix" name. The character of Art Mix was actually portrayed by three different people, Adamson, most famously George Kesterson and rodeo cowboy Bob Roberts after Kesterson and Adamson were in a salary dispute. Art Mix was clearly meant to capitalize on Tom Mix's popularity. 

There was no real "crew" to speak of on the movie and it was shot for $900 and 5,000 feet of film and shot on location at the actual John Day River which looked much the same as it did during the pioneer days. Paul Allen, the cameraman, utilized his own camera for the film. The only "interior" set, the bar where the brawl breaks out, was actually filmed outdoors using the sun as natural lighting and with a few tables and chairs. Given the limitations of the production of the movie, The Old Oregon Trail is nothing short of impressive. Indeed, the movie features excellent photography, elaborate authentic settings and decent performances. 

The Old Oregon Trail shows how shrewd and cunning of a filmmaker Adamson was, he managed to create a feature-length western for less than $1,000 which, even by the standards of the day, was ultra low budget. It is an impressive piece of work and, I believe, more representative of what Adamson was capable of than his later sound output, which were far more costly to produce due to the conditions of early sound filmmaking. Adamson also doesn't make for a bad screen presence, he portrays the hero quite well and you can tell he believed in this project. It's even amazing the film exists at all. The only reason it is extant today is due to piracy by David Horsely, who donated the 5,000ft of film to the project.

I highly recommend The Old Oregon Trail to anyone who enjoys silent films, especially silent westerns and I absolutely recommend it to film students to show them how to create something on a grand scale for an exceptionally low budget. 

Until next time, pardners!

Range Riders (1934)

 

Starring: Buddy Roosevelt

Director: Victor Adamson

Studio: Superior Talking Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY:

Gold mine owners Sutton (Horace B. Carpenter) and Waldron (Fred Parker) are being terrorized by a local gang of ruffians led by Bull Crawford (Lew Meehan). Sutton, tired of all of the harassment, sends for his son Dick (Buddy Roosevelt) to take care of the gang. When Dick arrives, he poses as a Mexican caballero to not only humiliate the gang but stay one step ahead of them. Dick, along with his sidekick Pedro (Merrill McCormick), round up the claim jumping gang and put an end to their reign of terror.

FILM REVIEW:

Range Riders is one of those great examples of when the star outshines the drab material he's been given. Indeed, Buddy Roosevelt appears to be genuinely enjoying himself as he constantly taunts and humiliates Meehan's gang. The story is as compelling as paint drying, but Roosevelt makes the proceedings enjoyable with his natural charisma. 

Roosevelt is a great example of someone who should have been a bigger star. He had a great look, was quite athletic and had an overall good screen presence. Indeed Roosevelt, who came from the silent era, was an almost who never was, losing out on the opportunity to portray the Cisco Kid in the all-talking 1928 western In Old Arizona due to a leg injury.

Further compounding Roosevelt's plight was when his wife demanded he be given a better salary when he was selected as the star of a series of Monogram Pictures westerns that ultimately went to a young John Wayne. After these two missed opportunities, Roosevelt was relegated to working with ultra bottom-of-the-barrel producer and director Victor Adamson in a series of dirt cheap and poorly produced talking westerns for Superior. Range Riders is so low-budget that during one of the early scenes, one can clearly hear Adamson giving Roosevelt and his co-stars direction to "keep going." 

As stated, Roosevelt really outshines the material and mediocre direction. I quite liked his cocky attitude towards dealing with Meehan's gang and the sequence where he forces Meehan to eat soap is earnestly entertaining. Roosevelt deserved better than these productions but they did offer him one last chance at stardom. After this series of films for Adamson, Roosevelt would go on to play character parts, heavies and even provided stuntwork for a multitude of stars. Roosevelt would pass away in 1973, long forgotten. 

Range Riders is only worth seeking out if you are a Roosevelt fan, a fan of Victor Adamson's or just a fan of the ultra cheap low budget oaters being produced during the 1930s of which I am all three. 

Until next time, pardners!

 

The Unknown Ranger (1920)

 

Starring: Rex Ray

Director: Harris Gordon

Studio: Aywon Films Corporation

PLOT SUMMARY:

Local ranch-hand Buck Manning (Rex Ray) discovers author John Chandler (Ben Hill) stuck on a county road and decides to bring him and his vehicle back to his ranch close to the Mexican border. Manning knows he has seen Chandler's face before but cannot place the name. Chandler claims to be unfamiliar with this part of the country, however is strangely aware of the cliffside hideout of two Mexicans. As it turns out, Chandler is not an author at all and is the headman of an opium smuggling operation. One night while believing everyone is asleep, Chandler escapes to the hideout. Unbeknownst to him, Manning is on his trail. Manning gets the drop on the bandits and chases Chandler along the cliffs and trails him back to the ranch where he seeks medical attention from Jo (Marie Newell). Manning enters the scene and gives Jo the entire story of how he was an undercover ranger sent to track down Chandler. Chandler escapes and Manning is about to shoot before being convinced not to by Jo as Chandler swims across the border.

FILM REVIEW: 

I have never seen a western with a pacifistic bent and, though I'm a pacifist myself, I hope to never see another again. Manning is the first western "hero" I've ever seen who allows the culprit to escape just because his girlfriend told him to. This was the most unsatisfying ending I think I've ever seen, it was akin to watching this past Saturday Night's Main Event where the villainous Gunther overtook and defeated the heroic John Cena. That match did not "send the folks home happy" and I doubt The Unknown Ranger did either in 1920. 

The enigmatic Rex Ray certainly lives up to the film's title. There is virtually nothing known about the wide-mouthed western actor aside from the fact that he made at least three films for Nathan Hirsh's Aywon Film Corporation before seemingly falling off the face of the Earth. Indeed, my friend, the noted western film historian Ed Hulse, was stumped as to who Ray was when I told him of my plans to pen this review. Honestly, it is for the best that Ray dropped out of the movie scene as he certainly does not make for a convincing cowboy hero. Ending notwithstanding, Ray is a diminutive man who possesses the widest grin this side of Joe E. Brown. His face was built for comedy and I'm surprised he landed in westerns instead of appearing in one of the thousand or so comedy shorts being produced at this time. Not once during the film did I believe in Ray and, in all honesty, even the weakest amputee could likely defeat him in a heartbeat.

The other actors are fair to poor and, with all due respect, Marie Newell is the homeliest heroine I've ever seen in a film. She looks less like a woman and more like a twelve year old girl, which makes the "love" scenes more than cringeworthy. 

I was both amused and shocked to see this was a drug smuggling plot and of opium no less. One must wonder who the intended audience was. Imagine the child who went to the theatre, expecting to see some cheap western thrills, coming home to ask his parents at the dinner table, "Mom? Dad? What's 'opium?" I am unsure if this was a common plot element in these near impoverished productions, but it was certainly a new one on me.

One of the elements that made the film a slog to sit through were all of the incessant flashbacks that occur during the film's brief forty-four minute runtime. There were three altogether and it felt like unnecessary padding just to get the film to feature length. The story was weak, the direction uninspiring and the acting was middling to poor. Not recommended unless you are a hardcore western nut like I am.

Until next time, pardners!

  

Frontier Justice (1935)

 

Starring: Hoot Gibson

Director: Robert McGowan

Studio: Diversion Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY: 

Samuel Halston (Joseph W. Girard) is locked up in an insane asylum by crooked Gilbert Ware (Richard Cramer), so that Ware can seize control of the Halston's land and water rights. Halston's son, a practical joker named Brent (Hoot Gibson), comes to town and is told by old friend Ben (John Elliott) that a new regime has taken over his father's range and is forcing cattlemen out. Brent and Ben must produce a five hundred dollar bond before moving forward with their plans to reclaim the ranch. In order to put up the bond, Brent must find his father's five thousand dollar bonds. Brent finds the bonds and receives word from pretty painter Ethel Gordon (Jane Barnes) that he ranch is soon to be overtaken by sheep. Brent, not wanting to stand for this, plans his revenge. Unfortunately for Brent, evil James Wilton (Roger Williams) frames Brent for murder and Brent is promptly arrested. However, Brent escapes, kidnaps Ware, holds him prisoner a the ranch and forces him to write out a confession. However, Wilton and his gang of sheepherders is on their way to the ranch and it's a race against time as Brent gathers his own posse to fight off the sheepmen. 

FILM REVIEW:

Hoot Gibson had been a cowboy hero dating back to the silent era, starring in such Universal Jewels as Chip of the Flying U, The Texas Streak and The Calgary Stampede. When sound entered the motion picture landscape, Gibson made the transition quite well, starring in a handful of westerns for M.H. Hoffman's Allied Pictures Corporation. However, by the mid-1930s, Gibson found himself appearing in lesser pictures for both First Division and Walter Futter's Diversion Pictures. Frontier Justice was one of the Diversion films.

For many years, it has been said that Frontier Justice was Gibson's worst talkie and some would even go so far as to say it was the worst production he ever appeared in. I'm hard-pressed to disagree. Frontier Justice, while featuring some convincing performances, lacks the charm or the verve of other Gibson pictures. Gibson does his best with the tepid material he's been given, but even he can't rise above the overall poor quality of the picture. There is very little of the Gibson charisma on display here, the usually humorous Gibson is given little opportunity to use his brand of humor to progress the plot. Indeed, the only notion we have of that famous fun he injected into so many of his pictures are the practical jokes he plays early in the film's runtime. Even these fall by the wayside by the midway point of the film.

There is also the grating cowboy singalong which comes during Gibson's imprisonment. It comes out of nowhere and serves no purpose other than to have some singing cowboys, which were becoming popular around this time. The entire film moves along at a snail's pace and would be more at home in the early, creaky talkie era than the progressively more advanced mid-1930s. Scenes go on for far too long and the entire proceedings wear out their welcome by the thirty minute mark.

I take other reviewers at their word when they say that Frontier Justice is singlehandedly the worst film Hoot Gibson ever starred in. Not recommended.

Until next time, pardners!

Ghost Town Renegades (1947)

 

Starring: Lash LaRue, Al "Fuzzy" St. John, Jennifer Holt

Director: Ray Taylor

Studio: Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

PLOT SUMMARY:

Crooked Barton City attorney Vance Sharp (Jack Ingram) is luring various heir's to the abandoned mining town Waterhole, to their deaths. Sharp hopes by eliminating the heirs, he may be able to scope out whatever remains in the old, derelict town. Cheyenne Davis (Lash LaRue) and his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) are sent in to investigate the murders. Along the way, two more heirs show up, including beautiful Diane Trent (Jennifer Holt), who offer to help Cheyenne bring down the culprits.

FILM REVIEW:

Ghost Town Renegades was an entertaining, if typical, Lash LaRue vehicle. All the trademarks of one of his westerns are here and he uses his famous bullwhip numerous times throughout the film. I, especially, liked the atmospheric sequences in the musty, old interiors of Waterhole. Perfectly spooky PRC fun. Equally as fun were the four fistfights throughout the film which not only show off Lash's abilities but also St. John's acrobatic prowess. St. John was also delightful in his comic routines, from chasing his hat to the film's end gag of him trying to remove paper which is stuck to his person. Jennifer Holt is a passable heroine, though wooden in her performance. 

Boyd Magers of Western Clippings cites this as one of Lash's best outings for PRC and I am indebted to agree. As I said, all the cliches of a Lash western are here and this is as good place as any to get your feet wet with the King of the Bullwhip's filmography. 

Incidentally, I viewed this film via a cheap, bargain basement DVD released by budget label Family Value Collection, which presents this film on a double-sided disc with another PRC LaRue western, Border Feud, also released in 1947. This release is a dubious one as both of these films remain under copyright. However, the prints on this disc are fantastic and perfectly watchable so, even given the illegal nature of it, I do recommend this cheapie edition until an authorized release comes along.

Until nest time, pardners. 

Ridin' Wild (1925)

Starring: Kit Carson (William Barrymore)

Director: Leon De La Mothe

Studio: Aywon Film Corporation

PLOT SUMMARY:

Jim Warren (Kit Carson) is onboard a train, headed to Tucson, Arizona to escape a dreadful plague which has swept the nation. Meanwhile, Scar-Face Jordon (Jack Richardson), a cattle rustler posing as a cattle buyer, sends his henchmen led by Red Hanson (C.L. James), to make camp while Jordon rescues count sheriff's daughter Betty Blake (Pauline Corley) and her kitten from a tree, all the while getting an eyeful of Blake's shapely leg. 

Betty's father Sheriff Frank Blake (W.R. Maly), who also operates the Circle X Ranch,  receives warning about Jordon and his gang. Warren finally arrives in Tucson and is promptly thrown out of a hotel as "invalids are not welcome." Betty sees Jordon rough-up Warren and goes to comfort the sickly, young man. She tells Warren to go live alone in the hills. At sundown, Warren stumbles along Wild Cat Gulch and discovers Jordon's men camped out. Warren approaches the no-good ruffians and pleads with them to let him spend the night by their campfire. Jordon returns to the campsite, abuses Warren some more and orders his men to keep close watch of him. 

Later that week,  Betty heads out with the stage to deliver gold bullion, while Jordon and his gang prepare Warren for his first holdup. Unbeknownst to them, the sheriff is headed to follow his daughter on the journey, to see no harm becomes of her. In order to save the shipment, the coach driver kicks one of the horses to start the stage moving. An angry Jordon and his gang gallop after it, with Warren in tow. Betty is afraid for her life in the speeding, runaway stage as Warren pursues her and saves the day. The sheriff sees this and promptly deputizes Warren to carryout the delivery and also provides him with a job and lodging on his ranch.

After visiting a local doctor, Warren, now cured of his bronchitis, returns to the loving embrace of Betty. Unfortunately for them, Jordon shows up and spies on them. Betty convinces Warren to enter a local rodeo contest. Jordon pulls Betty aside and attempts to assault her until Warren stops him and the two fight it out. Warren knocks the tar out of Jordon and Jordon seeks vengeance!

It's the day of the rodeo and as Warren prepares for the contest, Jordon and his men conspire to falsely arrest Warren and beat him to a pulp. One of Jordon's henchmen "arrests" Warren and leads him out of town, to be captured by Jordon. Meanwhile, Betty and her father anxiously await to see Warren enter the contest. Warren escapes his captors and races back to the contest. 

Meanwhile, Sheriff Waddell, from neighboring Canyon County, arrives to watch the rodeo. Waddell sees Jordon return to town and captures the marauder and his posse, while Warren wins the contest and marries Betty.

FILM REVIEW: 

Ridin' Wild was a surprisingly average silent western, released through impoverished Aywon films. I say "Surprisingly" given the producer and writer for this film was the notorious, bottom-of-the-barrel producer Robert J. Horner. Horner was the lowest of the low when it came to producing "B" westerns, his films were usually produced on the cheap (very cheap!) and usually weren't much good. Horner's films were marred by weak scripts, actors and editing and there are certainly hints of all three in Ridin' Wild. There are decent to middling performances, odd editing choices and misspelled intertitles. To contemporary audiences, it is best to compare Horner to prolific schlockmeister Ed Wood, however it is an unfair comparison to make as Wood, at least, had some artistic aspirations whereas the legless Robert J. Horner had none. The film was actually somewhat competently made and featured some decent performances, especially from hero Jim Warren portrayed by a man billed as famous frontiersman Kit Carson.

Carson was, in reality, Elia Bulakh, a Russian born actor who also went by the name of William Barrymore though he held no relation to the famous Barrymore acting dynasty. Bulakh was a Cossack soldier, who  escaped execution by using the lid of a can of beef to slit the throat of his executioner. He eventually found his way to the United States He acted in many silent and sound productions, perhaps his most infamous being Victor Adamson's serial-turned-feature The Rawhide Terror, in which he portrays the title role Bulakh, also known as Boris Bullock, passed away in 1973.

Horner was as tragic as he was sleazy. He was nearly killed at the age of six while he and his brother played on a train track. Horner made it safely across the track as an oncoming train sped towards his direction, but not before the vessel took his legs with it. From there, Horner was placed in a home for crippled children where he was abused so terribly, he lost his legs to the point where he had mere stumps. Horner was a conman of the highest rank, he would take out classified advertisements in trade papers promising young actors and actresses the opportunity to become movie stars if they would help fund the production of his movies. Horner would then steal their money and flee town. He also, allegedly, propositioned his female stars. Horner would die from cirrhosis in 1942 and left behind a legacy of films which range from mediocre to piss-poor. Ridin' Wild is in the former camp.

This film received a high definition cleanup by the Library of Congress and the resulting copy I viewed was immaculate and shows how good these films could look if treated properly. Even though this isn't a landmark film by any stretch of the imagination, it still deserved the beautiful treatment it received from the LOC and I applaud them for doing so given no big names are attached to the film.

This film is so obscure, I couldn't locate an original poster or lobby card for it, so you'll have to settle for the film's title card.

Until next time, pardners.

 

The White Outlaw (1925)

Starring: Jack Hoxie, Marceline Day

Director: Clifford Smith

Studio: Universal Pictures Corporation

PLOT SUMMARY:

High atop the Sierra Mountains Scout, the white Appaloosa horse, is on the run from his abusers and finds sanctuary amidst the Sierra's glowing peaks, where many other horses have also taken root. In the valley stands a shack, home of Jack Lupton (Jack Hoxie), a once thriving cattleman whom was driven to his impoverished locale as a result of a plague which drained him of his fortune. 

Lupton is alerted by his faithful canine Bunk (Rex The Dog) to the presence of Scout atop the mountains. Lupton calls out to the animal, but Scout ignores his commands and gallops off. As it turns out, Lupton was Scout's former owner, until one of his ranch-hands brutally abused Scout, forcing the horse to flee the ranch, never to return. This causes great distress for Lupton.

Later that day, ranch foreman James Hill (Duke R. Lee), arrives to evict Lupton from the premises unless he is able to completely pay the lease on the ranch. Hill is also attempting to rid the ranch of Lupton due to their competing attentions for Mary Gale (Marceline Day). Hill and Lupton engage in a brawl, with Bunk also battling Hill and his henchmen. The hero and his loyal hound are defeated and the baddies invade the ranch house to remove Lupton's belongings. Hill and his gang lock Lupton out of his home as Mary rides like the wind to warn the man she loves. 

Mary arrives to find Lupton and his dog lying down after the brawl, where Lupton tells her of how deeply he misses his noble steed. Evicted and homeless Lupton, his new horse and Bunk settle under the stars. At the same time, Scout and a group of his friends are attempting to rescue a foal which fell into a nearby ditch while a grizzly bear attacks the animal. Scout rides off and finds his former owner and attempts to waken him. Lupton follows his old friend and helps rescue the foal. Once all is well, Scout flees his old owner yet again.

Meanwhile, back at the Gale ranch, Hill abuses the ranch's cook George Washington, Jr. (Floyd Shackelford). Mary catches this and scolds him and Hill pleads with Mary, who rejects the brutish man. Lupton returns to the ranch, with the foal and its mother in tow and hypothesizes that Scout may be the culprit for the recent brush of horse rustling which has disturbed operations at the Gale ranch. 

Hill riles the sheriff (Charles Brinley) and tells him that he believes Lupton is the one rustling horses. The sheriff confronts Lupton and tells him to bring in Scout to prove his innocence. Lupton and Mary ride out in search of Scout and find him at the water hole. Lupton attempts to rope him but Mary screams at the sight of a coyote, causing Scout to run off. Lupton finds Mary at the edge of a cliff and rescues her.

Many days later, Lupton finally captures Scout and brings him back to the sheriff and reveals to him the location of the other mares. Lupton recounts his accounts of witnessing Scout breaking down the gates and releasing the mares out into the wild. Hill, of course, attempts to discredit Lupton's story until Washington confirms Lupton's story as true and tells of his experience seeing the "White Outlaw" Scout rustle horses from the ranch.

Hill convinces his fellow ranchmen that Scout ought to be slaughtered for his actions. Lupton, distressed by this, elects himself the job of doing away with his old friend, with Hill and his henchmen trailing him. Lupton rides to a nearby cliff and double crosses Hill and his gang by sending a warning shot to Scout to run off, he then aims his gun at Hill and rides off.

Hill's henchmen discuss plans to round up the mares, which Washington overhears. Hill and his men venture off, while Washington informs Mary of Hill's plans. Washington heads off, finds the sheriff and they all head out on Hill's trail. Hill finds Lupton and the two engage in another scuffle in which Lupton dispatches Hill. With Hill kept at bay by Bunk, Lupton goes forth to find the herd of mares

While Washington finds and apprehends Hill, Lupton rescues Mary from the stampeding horses. The sheriff and Mary's father Malcolm (William Welsh) are reunited with Lupton and Mary, while Washington leads Hill to the sheriff where he is promptly arrested. 

FILM REVIEW: 

The White Outlaw was a fun and at times, emotionally gripping, silent western that deserves a restoration. Indeed the print I viewed, originating from Grapevine Video, is splicy in spots and is missing its main and end titles. The particular copy I viewed also lacked a score. However, none of this detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film. What did, though, was the gratuitous racial content of the film concerning Floyd Shackelmore's character, showing him being abused and the on-screen titles of his lines are stereotypical of the period. However, Shacklemore is provided the opportunity to exact revenge upon his oppressor, which is quite progressive given the time period. 

Jack Hoxie, born January 11, 1885 puts on a grand showing as the hero of the piece and you deeply sympathize with his plight to be reunited with his old friend. This is a real horse lovers western, with the focus being on the relationship between Hoxie and Scout, later to be renamed "Dynamite" during Hoxie's talkies. Hoxie, like many of the screen cowboys of the time, was a rodeo performer who became a popular western hero in the silent era. Hoxie, who was married a grand total of six times, thrived while at Universal but became dissatisfied with his contract and left the studio whereafter his career went into decline. Hoxie made his final film in 1933 and for the remainder of his life performed on the rodeo circuit as well as operating his own dude ranch. Jack Hoxie passed away of leukemia on March 28, 1965 at the age of 80.  

Hoxie is admittedly not the handsomest western star but he does emote wonderfully and you believe he truly loves Scout and the relationship between the two is not only charming but endearing. Marceline Day is the heroine of the piece, a former Mack Sennett bathing beauty and is possibly more well known for her appearances opposite Lon Chaney (London After Midnight) and Buster Keaton (The Cameraman), she is acceptable as the heroine and allegedly became something of a recluse after her star had faded, refusing to grant fans and interviewers access to her.

The rest of the performers are decent to middling with Shackelmore being the worst of all and a cringeworthy stereotype to boot. 

Overall, The White Outlaw is a decent showing for Hoxie, who had become one of Universal's most popular western stars alongside Art Acord and Hoot Gibson. I look forward to furthering my education on Hoxie and his body of work.