Yakima CanuttFilmography

Equus

Crew: Consultant/advisor

Actors: Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews

Synopsis: Richard Burton plays a psychiatrist who attempts to discover why young Peter Firth has taken to mutilating live horses. In probing Firth's psyche, Burton discovers that the source of the boy's obsession is his mother, Joan Plowright, who has raised Firth with a convoluted set of values. Even as he Read More

A Man Called Horse

Crew: Second Unit Director

Actors: Richard Harris, Judith Anderson, Jean Gascon, Manu Tupou, Corinna Tsopei

Synopsis: A Man Called Horse stars Richard Harris as Lord John Morgan, an English peer cast somewhat adrift in the American West. Captured by Sioux Indians, Lord Morgan is at first targeted for quick extinction, but the tribesmen sense that he is worthy of survival. The Englishman passes many of the Read More

Blue

Crew: Second Unit Director

Actors: Terence Stamp, Joanna Pettet, Karl Malden, Ricardo Montalban, Anthony Costello

Synopsis: An international collection of second-string actors grace the cast of this bargain-basement Sergio Leone knock off. Terence Stamp stars as Azul, the son of evil Mexican bandit Ortega (Ricardo Montalban). Although Azul is a mean, low-down, varmint like Ortega's three other sons, there is a slight Read More

Where Eagles Dare

Crew: Second Unit Director, Stunts

Actors: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Michael Hordern, Patrick Wymark

Synopsis: An expensive but enormously profitable war picture, Where Eagles Dare centers upon a daring rescue and even more daring escape. Disguised as Nazi officers, commandoes Maj. John Smith (Richard Burton), Lt. Morris Schaffer Clint Eastwood and six other courageous souls parachute behind enemy lines. Read More

El Cid

Crew: Stunts

Actors: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Gary Raymond, Ralph Truman, John Fraser

Synopsis: When French playwright Pierre Corneille wrote El Cid, a fanciful version of the life of 11th-century Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, aka "El Cid", an attempt was made to honor the "classic unities" and to compress the whole story into a single day! Be assured that the 1961 film version of El Read More

The Lawless Rider

Crew: Director

Actors: John Carpenter, Frankie Darro, Douglas Dumbrille, Noel Neill, Kenne Duncan, Bud Osborne

Synopsis: The redoubtable Johnny Carpenter is producer, author and star of the low-budget western Lawless Rider. Exploiting his slight resemblance to Montgomery Clift to the hilt, Carpenter plays a taciturn sheriff who disguises himself as a notorious gunslinger. His mission: to stem a series of violent Read More

Rocky Mountain

Actors: Errol Flynn, Scott Forbes, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Dick Jones

Synopsis: Rocky Mountain was planned as a big budget western, but Warner Bros. pared down both its budget and its length to "programmer" dimensions. Errol Flynn plays a Confederate officer trying to recruit troops in California. Unfortunately the only folks interested in the Southern cause are bandits and Read More

The Showdown

Actors: William "Wild Bill" Elliott, Marie Windsor, Walter Brennan, Henry Morgan, Rhys Williams

Synopsis: Showdown is the story of a trail boss named Shad Jones (Bill Elliott) whose younger brother is murdered. Knowing that a member of a wagon train is responsible for the killing, Shad joins the train in attempt to discover who the guilty man is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide Read More

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted [Serial]

Crew: Director

Synopsis: This action adventure centers on the attempts of the courageous Canadian cops to stop crooks from finding a fabulous hidden treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

G-Men Never Forget [Serial]

Crew: Director

Synopsis: The popular G-Men of the 1930s made a comeback in this action serial produced by Republic Pictures, starring television's future Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore. The serial, however, was not so much a showcase for the pleasant if lightweight Moore, but rather a welcome opportunity for the studio's most Read More

Carson City Raiders

Crew: Director

Actors: Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, Frank Reicher, Beverly Jons

Synopsis: Whenever veteran stuntman Yakima Canutt held the directorial reins of a Republic western, it was a sure bet that there'd be plenty of breakneck action. The star of Canutt's Carson City Raiders is Allan "Rocky" Lane, a former college football player who was no slouch in the stunting department Read More

Sons of Adventure

Crew: Director

Actors: Lynne Roberts, Russell Hayden, Gordon Jones, Grant Withers, George Chandler

Synopsis: This western mystery offers a behind-the-scenes look at movie making. The trouble begins when a cowboy star is mysteriously killed on the set. A detective investigates and becomes determined to save the prime suspect. Despite the terrible danger he faces, the investigator does not stop until the Read More

Oklahoma Badlands

Crew: Director

Actors: Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, Mildred Coles, Roy Barcroft

Synopsis: Legendary stunt coordinator and second-unit director Yakima Canutt was the man in the director's chair for Republic's Oklahoma Badlands. Canutt makes certain that his star, former Notre Dame football player Allan "Rocky" Lane, is given a real workout in the course of the film's 59 minutes. The Read More

The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James [Serial]

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Yet another Hollywood whitewash of a gang of legendary lawbreakers, this oater starred future Lone Ranger Clayton Moore and Steven Darrell in a 13 chapter depiction of how the brothers left lives of crime to become law-abiding prospectors. Opposing this sudden change of heart is a gang of villains Read More

Twilight on the Rio Grande

Crew: Second Unit Director

Actors: Gene Autry, Sterling Holloway, Adele Mara, Bob Steele, Charles Evans

Synopsis: Smugglers are working the border between Mexico and California in this action-filled and, of course, tuneful Gene Autry Western. Autry, sidekick Sterling Holloway, and the Cass County Boys get involved with fiery Elena Del Rio (Adele Mara), a singer in the local cantina who alternately throws Read More

My Pal Trigger

Crew: Director

Actors: Roy Barcroft, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Al Bridge, Harlan Briggs, George "Gabby" Hayes, Jack Holt, Paul E. Burns, Kenne Duncan, LeRoy Mason

Synopsis: This gentle, tuneful western is one of cowboy crooner Roy Rogers' best and most successful films; it is also his personal favorite. The fanciful tale tells how Rogers obtained his magnificent horse Trigger and begins with horse trader Rogers as he prepares to breed his best mare with his best Read More

Federal Operator 99 [Serial]

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Also released in a feature version -- retitled FBI 99 -- this 12 chapter Republic Pictures serial benefitted from fine second-unit direction of action scenes by the legendary Yakima Canutt. Adhering to the long-held tradition of casting a relative unknown in the starring role for obvious economy Read More

Manhunt of Mystery Island [Serial]

Crew: Director

Synopsis: The luscious Linda Stirling starred in this 15-chapter action serial from genre specialist Republic Pictures as Claire Forrest, the daughter of that eminent inventor of the Radiatomic Power Transmitter, Dr. William Forrest (Taylor Forrest). The good doctor has disappeared during an expedition Read More

Along the Navajo Trail

Crew: Director

Actors: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Dale Evans, Estelita Rodriguez, Douglas Fowley

Synopsis: A tuneful Roy Rogers Western, Along the Navajo Trail finds Dale Evans' Lazy A Ranch under siege from nasty J. Richard Bentley (Douglas Fowley), who is in cahoots with a greedy oil company aiming to erect a pipeline through the property come what may. Drifter Rogers, who is really a U.S. Marshal in Read More

Sheriff of Cimarron

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Directed by one of the finest stuntmen in American cinema, Yakima Canutt, this western follows legendary hero Sunset Carson as he gallops into Cimarron to find his brother and get revenge against the crooks who had him framed and sent to prison for rustling cows. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Dakota

Actors: John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Mike Mazurki

Synopsis: According to Hollywood lore, both John Wayne and director Frank Borzage refused to work with Vera Hruba Ralston, the Czech-born inamorata (and future wife) of Republic Pictures owner Herbert I. Yates. Yates somehow managed to convince Wayne to change his mind, but Borzage was replaced by contract Read More

San Fernando Valley

Crew: Director

Actors: Dale Evans, Jean Porter, Andrew Tombes, Charles Smith

Synopsis: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans still weren't man and wife when they costarred in Republic's San Fernando Valley. As always, Rogers is cast as a cowboy who happens to be named Roy Rogers; Evans, on the other hand, plays feisty femme ranchowner Dale Kenyon. At the behest of Dale's grandfather (Andrew Tombes Read More

Hidden Valley Outlaws

Synopsis: "Wild Bill" Elliott heads the all-star (by B-flick standards, at any rate) western Hidden Valley Outlaws. Elliott does battle with a cartel of ruthless landgrabbers, who are victimizing settlers throughout the Southwest. With such formidable villains as Roy Barcroft, Kenneth Duncan, Leroy Mason Read More

Pride of the Plains

Actors: Smiley Burnette, Nancy Gay, Stephen Barclay, Kenneth MacDonald

Synopsis: Western star Bob Livingston inherits Eddie Dew's "John Paul Revere" character and Gene Autry's perennial sidekick Smiley Burnette in Republic's Pride of the Plains. Livingston is cast as Johnny Revere, while Burnette reprises his tried-and-true "Frog Millhouse" screen persona. Johnny and Frog take Read More

War of the Wildcats

Actors: John Wayne, Martha Scott, Albert Dekker, George "Gabby" Hayes, Marjorie Rambeau

Synopsis: In Old Oklahoma is better known today by its reissue title, War of the Wildcats. John Wayne heads the cast as oil man Dan Somers, who carries on a bitter feud with his crooked rival Hunk Gardner (Albert Dekker). Furthering the animosity between the two men is schoolteacher-turned-novelist Read More

King of the Cowboys

Actors: Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Peggy Moran, Gerald Mohr

Synopsis: The budget for this fine Roy Rogers Western was doubled and the title changed from Starlight on the Trail to the more descriptive King of the Cowboys, mainly due to Rogers' great reception on a personal appearance tour in the fall of 1942. Republic had lost Gene Autry to the war effort and this Read More

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Actors: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff, Katina Paxinou, Arturo de Cordova, Vladimir Sokoloff

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a romantic drama set against the turbulent tapestry of the Spanish Civil War. Gary Cooper plays Robert Jordan, an idealistic American fighting with a Spanish guerilla band. He is assigned to blow up a crucial bridge in order to Read More

Song of Texas

Actors: Sheila Ryan, Barton MacLane, Harry Shannon, Arline Judge

Synopsis: Roy Rogers heads the cast of Song of Texas as a rodeo star named Roy Rogers. Quitting the rodeo operated by larcenous Jim Calvert (Barton MacLane), Roy goes into the ranching business. As a favor to his old pal, washed-up bronco buster Sam Bennett (Harry Shannon), Roy convinces Bennett's daughter Read More

Santa Fe Scouts

Actors: Jimmy Dodd, Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Lois Collier, John James

Synopsis: This late entry in Republic's long-running "Three Mesquiteers" series stars Bob Steele, Tom Tyler and Jimmy Dodd as, respectively, Tucson Smith, Stony Brooke and Lullaby Johnson. This time out, the Mesquiteers try to help young Tim Clay (John James), who's been framed for murder by villains who Read More

Calling Wild Bill Elliott

Synopsis: Wild Bill comes to the rescue when his friend needs him to take care of a crook in this western. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide Read More

Shadows on the Sage

Actors: Jimmy Dodd, Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Cheryl Walker, Harry Holman

Synopsis: Republic Pictures' final 1942 release was the "Three Mesquiteers" western Shadows on the Sage. The better-than-average plot (brainstormed by screenwriter J. Benton Cheney) finds our three heroes battling a crooked banker and an elusive bandit -- who happens to be the exact double of Mesquiteer Read More

Nevada City

Actors: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Sally Payne, George Cleveland, Billy Lee

Synopsis: Nevada City finds Roy Rogers and his perennial sidekick Gabby Hayes cast as stagecoach drivers. Their boss is Joseph Crehan, an ornery crust who can't abide the notion of the railroad cutting into his business. Roy and Gabby try to establish a détente between Crehan and railroad man George Read More

Kansas Cyclone

Actors: Don "Red" Barry, Lynn Merrick, William Haade, Milt Kibbee, Harry Worth

Synopsis: The irrepressible Donald Barry is twice falsely accused of murder in this typical low-budget but well-mounted Republic Western. Barry plays Jim Randall, a lawman assigned to investigate a series of gold shipment robberies. Arriving in the middle of a hold-up, Randall finds himself accused of Read More

Gauchos of El Dorado

Actors: Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Rufe Davis, Lois Collier, Duncan Renaldo

Synopsis: It's "The Three Mesquiteers" again, this time played by Bob Steele (as Tucson Smith), Tom Tyler (as Stony Brooke) and Rufe Davis (as Lullaby Joslin). It all begins when young bank robber Gaucho (played by ex-Mesquiteer Duncan Renaldo) is mortally wounded during a holdup. As the lad lays dying, he Read More

Bad Man of Deadwood

Actors: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Carol Adams, Henry Brandon, Herbert Rawlinson

Synopsis: A mystery man works behind the scenes in this tuneful Roy Rogers western in which the local theatre owner attempts to ruin the honest businessmen of Deadwood. Even the sheriff, Jordan (Monte Blue), answers to nasty Jake Marvel (Ralf Harolde), whose reign of terror forces the decent people to Read More

Saddlemates

Actors: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, Gale Storm, Forbes Murray

Synopsis: Congress suddenly changes the boundary between Texas and Mexico and the rangers leave the territory to the U.S. cavalry in this fine entry in Republic Pictures long-running Three Mesqueteers western series. Left to fend for himself, the commanding officer, Colonel Langley (Forbes Murray), makes Read More

Prairie Pioneers

Actors: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, Esther Estrella, Robert Kellard

Synopsis: Prairie Pioneers was one of a trio of "Three Mesquiteers" westerns directed by the forgotten Les Orleback. On this occasion, the Mesquiteers are enacted by Robert Livingston (as Stony Brooke), Bob Steele (Tucson Smith) and Rufe Davis (Lullaby Joslin). Their mission this time is to save young Read More

The Great Train Robbery

Actors: Bob Steele, Claire Carleton, Milburn Stone, Helen MacKellar, Si Jenks

Synopsis: The Great Train Robbery is not a remake of the 1903 landmark film of the same name; if it had been, it wouldn't have run any longer than eight minutes. This 1941 production isn't even a western, but instead a modern-day melodrama starring Bob Steele as a railroad detective. Steele takes it upon Read More

The Dark Command

Actors: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Walter Pidgeon, Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes

Synopsis: Set in the years leading up to the Civil War and its outbreak, Dark Command tells a fictionalized version of the story of William Clarke Quantrill, the schoolteacher-turned-renegade, whose raids -- ostensibly on behalf of the Confederacy -- turned Kansas into a charnel house. John Wayne plays Bob Read More

Calling Philo Vance

Actors: James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill, Edward S. Brophy, Ralph Forbes

Synopsis: Calling Philo Vance is a perfunctory remake of 1933's The Kennel Murder Case, which many aficionados consider the best of the "Vance" films. James Stephenson plays the titular gentleman sleuth, who must solve the murder of the inventor of a revolutionary new bombsight (the original film concerned Read More

Pioneers of the West

Actors: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Noah Beery, Sr., Beatrice Roberts

Synopsis: When an evil land grabbers forces settlers out of their homes, the courageous Three Mesquiteers ride up to stop him. Rootin' tootin' western action ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Under Texas Skies

Actors: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, Lois Ranson, Henry Brandon

Synopsis: With Under Texas Skies, Republic's Three Mesquiteers underwent a slight change of personnel. Robert Livingston remained as Stony Brooke, but now Bob Steele was seen as Tucson Smith and Rufe Davis assumed the role of Lullaby Joslin. The story opens as Stony returns to his home town, only to Read More

Virginia City

Actors: Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh

Synopsis: Promoted as a follow-up to the popular 1939 western Dodge City (which, indeed, was left wide open for a sequel in its closing scenes), Virginia City bears only surface resemblance to the earlier film. Indeed, the only discerning links between the two pictures are the western setting and the Read More

The Ranger and the Lady

Actors: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Jacqueline Wells, Harry Woods, Henry Brandon

Synopsis: The Ranger and the Lady stars Roy Rogers and Jacqueline Wells (aka Julie Bishop) in the title roles. Captain Colt (Rogers) of the Texas Rangers finds himself at odds with territorial administrator Kinkaid (Henry Brandon), left in charge of the Lone Star Territory while President Sam Houston is in Read More

The Carson City Kid

Actors: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Bob Steele, Noah Beery, Jr., Pauline Moore

Synopsis: Roy Rogers plays an outlaw out to avenge the murder of his brother in this fine Republic Western directed by one of the masters of the genre, Joseph Kane. Learning that the man he believes to be the killer, Lee Jessup (Bob Steele), is running a gambling establishment in Sonora, the Kid manages to Read More

Ghost Valley Raiders

Actors: Don "Red" Barry, Lona Andre, LeRoy Mason, Tom London, Jack Ingram

Synopsis: Donald Barry, not yet Donald "Red" Barry, heads the cast of the Republic western Ghost Valley Raiders. A federal marshal, Barry is assigned to put an end to the activities of a stagecoach-robbery gang. That's why he spends most of the film pretending to be an outlaw himself. Stunt specialist Yakima Canutt Read More

Frontier Vengeance

Actors: Don "Red" Barry, Betty Moran, Ivan Miller

Synopsis: In this western, a cowpoke is framed for the murder of his best friend. Interspersed between the main plot are subplots involving a feud between competing stage lines, and the hero's love affair with a female stage driver. The film's climax involves a stagecoach race. The winner gets the contract. Read More

One Million B.C.

Crew: Stunts

Actors: Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Hubbard, Mamo Clark

Synopsis: Even taking into consideration Of Mice and Men, One Million BC was inarguably the most ambitious feature-film project ever undertaken by producer Hal Roach. Told in flashback, this is the highly fanciful tale of the prehistoric feud between the Rock Tribe and Shell People. Tumak (Victor Mature) Read More

Oklahoma Renegades

Synopsis: The three Mesquiteers ride the long trail home following the Spanish-American war in this western. En route, they have many exciting adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Stagecoach

Crew: Stunts

Actors: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell, George Bancroft, John Carradine

Synopsis: Although there were Westerns before it, Stagecoach quickly became a template for all movie Westerns to come. Director John Ford combined action, drama, humor, and a set of well-drawn characters in the story of a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a distant settlement in Lordsburg, with Read More

The Night Riders

Actors: John Wayne, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Doreen McKay, Ruth Rogers

Synopsis: This "Three Mesquiteers" western is based upon the exploits of one James Addison Reavis, a clever 19th century con artist who through a series of elaborate land swindlers tried to declare himself owner of the state of Arizona (Reavis' checkered career was later the basis for Samuel Fuller's The Baron of Arizona Read More

The Kansas Terrors

Actors: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Jacqueline Wells, Howard Hickman

Synopsis: When both John Wayne and Ray "Crash" Corrigan defected from Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series, the studio hastily replaced them with Robert Livingston (whom Wayne had originally replaced) and future "Cisco Kid" Duncan Renaldo. In Kansas Terrors, Stoney (Livingston) and his saddle pal Read More

The Light That Failed

Crew: Stunts

Actors: Ronald Colman, Walter Huston, Muriel Angelus, Ida Lupino, Dudley Digges

Synopsis: Based on a classic tale from Rudyard Kipling, this melodrama chronicles the desperate attempt of a painter to finish his greatest painting before he goes blind. His affliction is due to a war wound and his final project is to paint a portrait of London's most notorious prostitute. Trouble begins Read More

Wyoming Outlaw

Actors: John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Don "Red" Barry, Pamela Blake

Synopsis: Forever keeping apace of current headlines, Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series came up with the 1939 entry Wyoming Outlaw. The story is based on a true incident, wherein a disgruntled young lawbreaker took refuge in the mountains of Wyoming, successfully eluding a large posse for several days. Read More

Cowboys from Texas

Actors: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Carole Landis, Charles B. Middleton

Synopsis: In this episode of the Three Mesquiteers series of westerns the trio must help two rival sides involved in a range war settle their differences. The story is set in 1906, and the rivals are homesteaders trying to take advantage of Roosevelt's Reclamation Act and the landowners who oppose the act Read More

The Secret of Treasure Island

Actors: Don Terry, Gwen Gaze, Grant Withers, Hobart Bosworth, William Farnum

Synopsis: This 15-chapter Columbia serial is largely set on a remote Carribean island (which looks suspiciously like Catalina). Reporter Larry Kent (Don Terry) arrives on the island to investigate the disappearance of another newshound. It turns out that somewhere in the area is buried a valuable treasure Read More

Overland Stage Raiders

Actors: John Wayne, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Louise Brooks, Anthony Marsh

Synopsis: The "Three Mesquiteers"--John Wayne, Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune--find themselves in the modern-day west in Overland Stage Raiders. The "stages" being raided are actually Greyhound buses, bearing gold shipments to the east. Airborne hijackers steal the gold, but the Mesquiteers vanquish the Read More

Ten Laps to Go

Actors: Rex Lease, Muriel Evans, Duncan Renaldo, Tom Moore, Charles Delaney

Santa Fe Stampede

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John Wayne, Max "Alibi" Terhune, William Farnum, June Martel

Synopsis: The Republic Three Mesquiteers series western Santa Fe Stampede stars John Wayne as Stony Brooke, Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Tucson Smith, and Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin. The plot finds our heroic trio butting heads and exchanging gunfire with a gang of crooked politicians. Head crook LeRoy Mason Read More

Prairie Thunder

Actors: Dick Foran, Ellen Clancy, Frank Orth, Wilfred Lucas, Albert J. Smith

Synopsis: Despite the claim of "an original screenplay by Edward Earl Repp," this entry in Warner Bros.' Dick Foran "singing cowboy" series was a virtual remake of the studio's earlier The Telegraph Trail, whose 1932 screenplay was credited to Kurt Kempler. Prairie Thunder in fact opens with the same Read More

Range Defenders

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Eleanor Stewart, Harry Woods

Synopsis: The Three Mesquiteers are back for more action in this well-photographed Republic western. This time, heroes Stoney Brooke (Bob Livingston), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) find themselves in a middle of a range war between cattlemen and sheepmen. The villains Read More

Riders of the Rockies

Actors: Tex Ritter, Louise Stanley, Charles King, Yakima Canutt, Earl Dwire

Synopsis: This average Tex Ritter music Western provided the former radio and Broadway performer with not one but two comedy sidekicks: Horace Murphy) and Snub Pollard. According to a few dour critics, Ritter would have been much better off without. The three played Arizona Rangers who rescue a pretty Read More

The Mysterious Pilot [Serial]

Actors: Frank Hawks, Dorothy Sebastian, Rex Lease, Guy Bates Post, Kenneth Harlan

Synopsis: Real-life flying ace Frank Hawks stars in the 15-chapter Columbia serial The Mysterious Pilot. Running the gamut of emotions from A to B, Hawks is cast as Jim Dorn, mapmaker for the Royal Canadian Air Force. With his sidekicks, a mountie named Kansas (Rex Lease) and an Indian named Luke (Yakima Read More

The Painted Stallion [Serial]

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Hoot Gibson, Sammy McKim, LeRoy Mason, Jack Perrin

Synopsis: Western favorites Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Hoot Gibson head the cast of the 12-chapter Republic serial The Painted Stallion. Corrigan plays American federal agent Steve Clark, on assignment in Santa Fe to draw up a trade agreement with the newly installed Mexican governor. Meanwhile, Walter Read More

Gunsmoke Ranch

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Julia Thayer

Synopsis: One of the timelier Three Mesquiteers westerns, Gunsmoke Ranch was inspired by the Ohio and Mississippi river floodings of 1937. As usual, the Mesquiteers are Stony Brooke (Robert Livingston), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune). After rescuing young Marion (Julia Read More

Come On, Cowboys

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Maxine Doyle, Willie Fung

Synopsis: A travelling circus provides the background for this "Three Mesquiteers" western. One of the circus owners is a counterfeiter, who when he's caught with the goods shifts the blame to his partner. Our three heroes Stoney (Robert Livingston), Tucson (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune) Read More

Hit the Saddle

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Rita Hayworth, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune

Synopsis: Hit the Saddle has enjoyed more latter-day attention than most of Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" western films thanks to the presence of young Rita Hayworth. Billed under her given name of Cansino, Rita plays a seductive saloon thrush who breaks the heart of Mesquiteer Stony Brook (Robert Livingston Read More

Heart of the Rockies

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Lynne Roberts, Sammy McKim

Synopsis: Heart of the Rockies launched Republic's second season of popular "Three Mesquiteers" westerns. Returning to the fold are Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke, Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Tucson Smith and Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin. This time our heroes play modern-day cattle ranchers who are falsely Read More

Trouble in Texas

Actors: Rita Hayworth, Tex Ritter, Earl Dwire, Yakima Canutt, Dick Palmer

Synopsis: A rather weak entry in producer Edward F. Finney's series of Tex Ritter Westerns, Trouble in Texas enjoyed a much longer than usual shelf life courtesy of its beautiful leading lady Rita Hayworth, then known as Rita Cansino. Ritter stars as a rodeo champion searching for the villains who killed Read More

Riders of the Whistling Skull

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Mary Russell, Roger Williams

Synopsis: In perhaps their most unusual Western adventure, the Three Mesqueteers -- Stony (Bob Livingston), Tucson (Ray Corrigan), and Lullaby (Max Terhune) -- go in search of Professor Marsh (John Van Pelt), an archeologist who vanished while searching for the lost city of Lukachukai. Along for the ride Read More

Roarin' Lead

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Christine Maple, Hooper Atchley

Synopsis: The Three Mesquiteers take on a group of frontier fascists in the zippy series entry Roarin' Lead. This being Season One of the "Mesquiteers" series, the heroic threesome is played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan (as Tucson Smith), Robert Livingston (Stony Brooke), and Max Terhune (Lullaby Joslin). Read More

Riders of the Dawn

Actors: Jack Randall, Warner P. Richmond, George Cooper, Peggy Keys, Frank S. Hagney

Synopsis: The first of 22 inexpensive Westerns starring Jack Randall (aka Addison Randall and Allan Byron), Riders of the Dawn is yet another in a long series of oaters featuring a lawman masquerading as an outlaw. This time around, the lawman is Jack Preston (Randall), a singing marshal searching for the Read More

The Oregon Trail

Synopsis: Though released by Republic, The Oregon Trail was actually filmed by the Lone Star unit at Monogram. John Wayne stars in a bargain-basement rehash of his earlier The Big Trail. Battling his way through reams of stock footage, the Duke leads a wagon train through the rugged frontier. He also keeps Read More

The Lonely Trail

Actors: John Wayne, Ann Rutherford, Cy Kendall, Bob Kortman

Synopsis: The Lonely Trail, directed by Joseph Kane, stars John Wayne as veteran Union officer John Ashley. Ashley (Wayne), upon his return to his hometown in Texas, finds his presence unwanted by his former neighbors, who have all sided with the Confederacy. Law and order is being maintained by the Read More

Outlaw Rule

Synopsis: A very low-budget Western, Outlaw Rule stars former fullback Reb Russell as a lawman in disguise coming to the aid of a young rancher, Danny Taylor (John McGuire), who has been falsely accused of killing the local sheriff. After performing a bit of sleuthing, Reb discovers that the real killer is Read More

Wildcat Trooper

Actors: Kermit Maynard, Hobart Bosworth, Fuzzy Knight, Lois Wilde, Jim Thorpe

Synopsis: Kermit Maynard, Ken's less famous brother, plays a Mountie impersonating a killer impersonating a Mountie in this low-budget "Northwestern" produced by independent entrepreneur Maurice Conn from a screenplay "suggested" by the story The Midnight Call by James Oliver Curwood. After apprehending the Read More

The Vigilantes Are Coming [Serial]

Actors: Fred Kohler

Synopsis: Yet another Zorro imitation, this adventure serial starred Robert Livingston as Don Loring, whose father and brother are killed by the evil General Burr (Fred Kohler). Seeking revenge, Loring dons a black cape and mask, calls himself "The Eagle," and goes about bringing Burr and his men to Read More

Ghost Town Gold

Actors: Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, Kay Hughes, LeRoy Mason

Synopsis: Ghost Town Gold was the second entry in Republic's long-running "Three Mesquiteers" western series. Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Robert Livingston return as Tucson Smith and Stony Brooke, while Max Terhune replaces Sid Saylor as Lullaby Joslin. Almost immediately, comic ventriloquist Terhune Read More

The Clutching Hand [Serial]

Synopsis: The second of three serials produced by the Weiss Bros. for low-budget Stage and Screen Productions, The Clutching Hand brought back that eminent detective Craig Kennedy, who had first appeared in Pearl White's The Exploits of Elaine back in 1915. Now played by the veteran Jack Mulhall, another Read More

King of the Pecos

Synopsis: John Wayne stars in this Western as a law student seeking revenge on the ruthless land baron who killed his parents; after he is thwarted in the courts, he chooses to explore frontier justice instead. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

Winds of the Wasteland

Actors: John Wayne, Phyllis Fraser, Yakima Canutt, Douglas Cosgrove, Lane Chandler

Synopsis: Former pony express riders John Blair (John Wayne) and Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) don't buy the Brooklyn Bridge in this Republic Western, but the two greenhorns instead purchase a dilapidated stage line to a ghost town. While the unscrupulous seller, "Honest Cal" Drake (Douglas Cosgrove), count Read More

The Black Coin [Serial]

Synopsis: The first of three inexpensive serials produced by Louis Weiss for Poverty Row company Stage and Screen Productions, The Black Coin centered around 12 black coins, who together form a treasure map. The plot was as old as the Hollywood Hills, and didn't quite deliver the same punch by 1936, despite Read More

Dante's Inferno

Actors: Spencer Tracy, Claire Trevor, Rita Hayworth, Alan Dinehart, Scotty Beckett

Synopsis: Carnival barker Spencer Tracy befriends elderly concessionaire Henry B. Walthall, who owns a picturesque but stodgy display depicting Dante's Inferno. Walthall is more interested in the spiritual aspects of Man's fascination with Hell, but Tracy uses hoopla and exaggeration to get the suckers into Read More

The Dawn Rider

Actors: John Wayne, Marion Burns, Yakima Canutt, Reed Howes, Denny Meadows

Synopsis: An average entry in the otherwise above-average Monogram/"Lone Star" Western series starring John Wayne, this film is noteworthy for containing one of the last screen appearances of Joseph De Grasse, a major silent screen actor-director, who -- with his screenwriter wife Ida May Park -- created Read More

Cyclone in the Saddle

Westward Ho

Actors: John Wayne, Sheila Manners, Frank McGlynn, Jr., James Farley, Jack Curtis

Synopsis: Westward Ho begins as hero John Wyatt (John Wayne) vows to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of cattle rustlers. Years later, Wyatt is put in charge of a band of vigilantes, bent on rounding up a gang of outlaws. He discovers to his chagrin that one of the bandits is his own long-lost Read More

Lawless Range

Actors: John Wayne, Sheila Manners, Earl Dwire, Frank McGlynn, Jr., Jack Curtis

Synopsis: In this, his fourth Western for Republic Pictures, John Wayne plays John Middleton, a would-be rodeo rider forsaking his chance of winning the championship in favor of searching for an old family friend who is missing under mysterious circumstances. After carrying out a bit of undercover work with Read More

The Lawless Frontier

Actors: John Wayne, Sheila Terry, George "Gabby" Hayes, Earl Dwire, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Earl Dwire supplies a deliciously ripe performance as a half-breed outlaw in this early John Wayne Western from Monogram. After killing John's father, Zanti (Dwire) attempts to abduct pretty Ruby (Sheila Terry), but the girl is saved in the nick of time by John. Unfortunately, the bumbling sheriff Read More

Pals of the Range

Synopsis: Directed by the veteran Elmer Clifton, Pals of the Range was yet another attempt at turning journeyman actor Rex Lease into a viable B-Western hero. Lease plays Steve Barton, a ranch hand promised 1,000 dollars if he can turn the Circle Ranch into a profitable venture. The dilapidated ranch has Read More

Texas Terror

Actors: John Wayne, Lucille Brown, LeRoy Mason

Synopsis: With a 45-minute running time, or thereabouts, Texas Terror was John Wayne's shortest Lone Star/Monogram Western and far from his best. Believing has accidentally killed his best friend (Frank Ball), the sheriff (Wayne) hands over his badge to George "Gabby" Hayes and retreats to the high country. Read More

Rough Riding Ranger

Synopsis: In this western, a family is threatened by poison pen letters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Paradise Canyon

Actors: John Wayne, Marion Burns, Earl Hodgins, Yakima Canutt, Reed Howes

Synopsis: Paradise Canyon is one of the most action-packed entries in John Wayne's "Lone Star" series. On the trail of a counterfeiting gang, undercover agent John Wyatt (Wayne) joins the traveling medicine show of Doc Carter (Earl Hodgins). For a while, it looks as though Doc is the leader of the gang, but Read More

Circle of Death

Actors: Montie Montana, Tove Lindan, Yakima Canutt, J. Frank Glendon

Synopsis: Having allowed his name to be listed as "producer" of Gun Smoke, a low-budget Western actually produced by Willis Kent, rodeo star Montie Montana starred in this inexpensive oater, but without the phony producer credit. Originally intended for football star Reb Russell, Circle of Death featured Montana Read More

Branded a Coward

Actors: Johnny Mack Brown, Billie Seward, Roger Williams, Lloyd Ingraham, Sid Saylor, Bob Kortman

Synopsis: In his first of 16 Westerns for independent producer A.W. Hackel, Johnny Mack Brown is Branded a Coward when instead of preventing a saloon hold-up, he is spotted cowering behind the bar. The reason for Johnny Hume's reticence is to be found in his background: 20 years earlier, little Johnny was Read More

Texas Tornado

Actors: Lane Chandler, Doris Hill, Ben Corbett, Frank J. Glendon

Synopsis: Written and directed by the prolific Oliver Drake, this low-budget Western starred Lane Chandler as a Texas Ranger battling a gang of cattle rustlers. The rustlers have hired Wolf Cassidy (Mike Brand), a notorious city mobster who is captured by the rangers before he reaches his location. Tex Read More

The Star Packer

Actors: John Wayne, Verna Hillie, George "Gabby" Hayes, Yakima Canutt, Earl Dwire

Synopsis: Definitely the most expensive-looking of John Wayne's "Lone Star" westerns, The Star Packer casts "the Duke" as U.S. marshal John Travers. Hoping to flush out a mysterious outlaw chieftain known only as "The Shadow," Travers becomes sheriff of a town where several unsolved murders have occurred. Read More

The Man from Hell

Actors: Reb Russell, Ann Darcy, George "Gabby" Hayes, Jack Rockwell

Synopsis: In his first western, former football star Reb Russell plays Clint Mason, a young parolee returning to Bonanza City intent on proving that he was framed in a stage holdup. The sheriff (Murdock MacQuarrie) tends to believe the youngster but is hamstringed by the local marshal (Jack Rockwell), who Read More

'Neath the Arizona Skies

Actors: John Wayne, Sheila Terry, Shirley Jean Rickert, George "Gabby" Hayes

Synopsis: John Wayne attempts to locate Shirley Jean Rickert's wayward father in this low-budget Western from his days with Monogram. The little girl, a "half-breed," is the heir to a 50,000-dollar Indian oil claim, but she needs the signature of her long-lost father in order to collect. Chris Morrell Read More

Randy Rides Alone

Synopsis: In perhaps the most haunting opening of any B-Western, Randy Rides Alone has John Wayne enter a deserted saloon filled with corpses. To the tinny strains of a player-piano and with someone eerily peeking from behind a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant, Wayne's reconnaissance ends with his arrest for Read More

Blue Steel

Actors: John Wayne, Eleanor Hunt, George "Gabby" Hayes, Yakima Canutt, Edward Peil Sr.

Synopsis: John Wayne once again goes undercover to catch a wanted outlaw in this average entry in his 1934-1935 Western series for Monogram Pictures. Wayne plays John Carruthers, a U.S. marshal, and his quarry is the Polka Dot Bandit, aka Danti (Yakima Canutt), who has taken off with a 4,000-dollar pay Read More

The Lucky Texan

Actors: John Wayne, Barbara Sheldon, George "Gabby" Hayes, Lloyd Whitlock, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: The third entry in John Wayne's superior Lone Star series for producer Paul Malvern, The Lucky Texan features Wayne as Jerry Mason, a young college graduate who, along with old family friend Jake Benson (George Hayes), locates a secret gold field. Returning to town with their gold, the two friends Read More

The Man From Utah

Synopsis: After helping prevent a bank robbery, young drifter John Weston (John Wayne) is assigned by Marshal Higgins (George "Gabby" Hayes to look into a series of suspicious deaths among champion rodeo riders. Weston falls for lovely Marjorie Carter (Polly Ann Young) along the way but she gets jealous Read More

Fighting Through

Synopsis: In his second starring Western for low-budget producer Willis Kent, former All-American fullback Reb Russell played just that, a former football star for Northwestern. He is also a detective for the Cattlemen's Association, assigned to look into a series of cattle rustlings. Posing as a cowboy Read More

West of the Divide

Actors: John Wayne, Virginia Brown Faire, Lloyd Whitlock, George "Gabby" Hayes, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Assigned to write and direct the John Wayne western West of the Divide, Robert N. Bradbury dug out the plotline he'd used so often and to such good effect in his son Bob Steele's vehicles. Wayne plays frontiersman Ted Hayden, who spends most of the picture searching for the man who killed his Read More

Scarlet River

Actors: Billy Butts, Betty Furness, Tom Keene

Synopsis: In Scarlet River, Tom Keene plays "himself," a cowboy movie star, on location in the Wide Open Spaces for his latest epic. The locals chortle and guffaw at these picture people posing as genuine Westerners, but Keene proves his worth by rescuing Dorothy Wilson from villainous ranch foreman Read More

Sagebrush Trail

Actors: John Wayne

Synopsis: So unknown was John Wayne in 1934 that the Variety review of the "B"-western Sagebrush Trail fails to list Wayne in the cast! The second of the Duke's films for Lone Star Productions, this one casts him as an accused killer in search of the real culprit. On the lam from the law, Wayne teams up Read More

Riders of Destiny

Crew: Stunts

Actors: John Wayne, Cecilia Parker, George "Gabby" Hayes, Forrest Taylor, Al St. John

Synopsis: In the first of his 16 Westerns for Monogram, John Wayne plays Singin' Sandy Saunders, a drifter who witnesses what he at first believes to be a stage robbery. In reality, the "road agent" is a girl, Fay Denton (Cecilia Parker), and she is "stealing" her own money in order to prevent a phony stage Read More

The Fighting Texans

Actors: Rex Bell, Luana Walters, Betty Mack, Gordon de Main, Lafe [Lafayette] McKee

Synopsis: In this western, a persuasive young oil salesman persuades the residents of a small Texas town to invest in an oil well. Unfortunately, the bankers are sure that the well is dry. Guess what? It isn't and soon oil and money are flowing like water. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Via Pony Express

Actors: Lane Chandler, Marceline Day, Julian Rivero, Matthew Betz, Doris Hill

Synopsis: Former silent screen cowboy star Jack Hoxie played a Pony Express rider in this, the fourth of six low-budget oaters produced by Majestic. Delivering a valuable deed to El Rio Rancho, Buck Carson (Hoxie) is ambushed by Clem Porter (Matthew Betz) and his gang, who steal the deed. Meanwhile, at El Read More

The Three Musketeers [Serial]

Crew: Stunts

Synopsis: Adapted from Alexander Dumas's novel, this adventure is about a trio of Foreign Legion friends who confront the Devil of the Desert. Three Musketeers is the last of actor John Wayne's three serials for Mascot Studios. It was later edited down to just below feature length and released as the 1946 Read More

The Telegraph Trail

Actors: John Wayne, Marceline Day, Frank McHugh, Otis Harlan, Albert J. Smith, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Directed by Tenny Wright, The Telegraph Trail features John Wayne as John Trent, a calvary scout who has been sent to put a stop to sleazy opportunist Gus Lynch's (Albert J. Smith) crooked business dealings. Lynch (Smith) has convinced High Wolf (Yakima Canutt), a local Native American tribe Read More

The Last Frontier [Serial]

Synopsis: A serial remake of a 1926 Western feature starring William Boyd, The Last Frontier became an early opportunity for young Lon Chaney, Jr. -- still billed Creighton Chaney -- to prove himself worthy of the Chaney name. But young Creighton, handicapped as he was by stilted dialogue and sub-par action Read More

Shadow of the Eagle [Serial]

Synopsis: Mascot produced their serials fast and furious with little concern for believability, acting prowess, or technical niceties. Shadow of the Eagle is neither the best nor worst of the bunch, but rather typical of the company's hit-and-miss methods. The acting is occasionally downright embarrassing Read More

Riders of the Golden Gulch

Crew: Screen Story

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Edmund Cobb, Jack Harvey

Synopsis: Its story credited to stunt-man extraordinaire Yakima Canutt, Riders of the Golden Gulch, from low-budget West Coast Studios, featured Buffalo Bill, Jr. as Bill Edwards, a young man searching for the villain who ruined his banker father. Along the way, Bill is himself accused of robbing a bank but Read More

Wyoming Whirlwind

Actors: Lane Chandler, Adele Tracy, Harry Todd, Al Bridge, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Ostensibly based on a story by pulp writer William Colt McDonald, this minor Western, filmed at Lone Pine, CA, starred Lane Chandler, a former Paramount player. Chandler plays Keen Wallace, a wanted outlaw with a price on his head, who returns to the old homestead only to find his father murdered Read More

The Texan

Synopsis: Produced in 1930 by Poverty Row entrepreneur William Pizor, this shoddy Western starring silent screen cowboy Buffalo Bill, Jr. (aka Jay Wilsey) remained on the shelf until it was released by Sol Lesser's Principal Distributing Corp. in 1932. Unjustly accused of a crime and on the lam, Bill Rusk Read More

The Cheyenne Cyclone

Synopsis: Filmed on-location at Lone Pine, CA, and thus looking a lot better than the average cheapie Western, Cheyenne Cyclone was the second of eight sagebrush thrillers produced by Willis Kent and starring former Paramount cowboy Lane Chandler and his horse Raven. Chandler and Connie Lamont played Read More

Guns for Hire

Synopsis: Filmed on-location at Lone Pine, CA, with interiors made at Hollywood's Talisman Studio, this low-budget Western was the fourth of eight Willis Kent productions to star former Paramount cowboy Lane Chandler. The handsome Chandler, on his beautiful steed Raven, played Ken Wayne (alias "Flip" Read More

Law and Lawless

Synopsis: The third in a series of six Jack Hoxie Westerns produced by poverty row company Majestic, this film featured the former silent screen cowboy doing what he did best: ridin' and shootin'. Hoxie plays a gun fighter, Montana, hired by a Spanish landowner, Lopez (Bob Burns), to investigate a series of Read More

Battling Buckaroo

Synopsis: The third of Poverty Row producer Willis Kent's eight Lane Chandler Westerns, Battling Buckaroo was filmed on-location at the Hearst ranch in Lone Pine, CA. Chandler played Blackjack, a notorious outlaw who nevertheless helps Tonya Mendoza (Doris Hill) and her prospector father (Lafe McKee) escape Read More

The Devil Horse

Synopsis: This adventure film consists of a 12-part serial that has been spliced together. The story basically follows the travails of a hero pursing his brother's killer, a horse thief. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Westward Bound

Actors: Tom London, Pete Morrison, Yakima Canutt, Buddy Roosevelt

Synopsis: In this western, a cowboy finds himself entangled in a saloon incident. He then saves a woman from outlaws, who later turn out to be fake. The hero's father, a senator, then sends him to accompany Roosevelt out West. There the two encounter the hapless girl. This time they save her from real Read More

Lightning Warrior [Serial]

Actors: George Brent, Frankie Darro, Pat O'Malley, Hayden Stevenson, Yakima Canutt, Rin Tin Tin, Georgia Hale

Synopsis: This western serial features the famous trained German Shepherd Rin-Tin-Tin. Rinty gets involved in an Indian uprising caused by a mysterious criminal known as the "Wolf Man" and a father and son who are under attack by outlaws trying to steal their gold mine. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide Read More

Two Fisted Justice

Actors: Tom Tyler, Barbara Weeks, John Elliott, Bobby Nelson, William Walling, Gordon de Main

Synopsis: Cowboy hero Tom Tyler dispenses Two-Fisted Justice in this energetic western. At the outbreak of the Civil War, President Lincoln assigns Kentucky Carson (Tyler) to guard an unprotected frontier outpost. In the company of his youthful sidekick (Bobby Nelson), Carson assumes his duties, which turn Read More

Pueblo Terror

Synopsis: The second of five no-budget westerns starring Buffalo Bill, Jr. (aka Jay Wilsey, The Pueblo Terror featured an august cast of former silent screen players that included former Cecil B. DeMille star Wanda Hawley, stunt-man Yakima Canutt, stunt rider Aline Goodwin, and the enigmatic Art Mix. Read More

Hurricane Horseman

Actors: Lane Chandler

Synopsis: Hurricane Horseman was the first entry in cowboy star Lane Chandler's brief western series for Willis Kent Productions. In emulation of Tom Mix (whom he closely resembled), Chandler plays a gun repairman who wanders into a dusty frontier town, looking for work. Through a series of clever if Read More

Vanishing Legion [Serial]

Crew: Director

Actors: Harry Carey, Frankie Darro, Edwina Booth, Philo McCullough, William Desmond, Joe Bonomo, Yakima Canutt, Rex

Synopsis: Filmed at Newhall, CA, with exteriors shot at Universal City, Mascot Pictures' The Vanishing Legion became the little company's signature serial. Producer Nat Levine had managed to sign veteran cowboy star Harry Carey, blonde starlet Edwina Booth, and Olive Fuller Golden, Carey's wife, all of whom Read More

Battling with Buffalo Bill

Synopsis: "Suggested" by the book The West That Was by legendary showman William F. Cody, this 12 chapter Universal serial was merely another slam-bang affair in which Cody (Tom Tyler) and his younger sidekick, Dave Archer (Rex Bell), battle a nasty claim jumper, Jim Rodney (Francis Ford), and his gang. Read More

The Cheyenne Kid

Crew: Screenwriter

Actors: Buffalo Bill, Jr., Yakima Canutt, Jack Mower, Frank Ellis

Synopsis: Veteran stunt-man Yakima Canutt not only played Buffalo Bill, Jr.'s nemesis in this obscure western from small-scale West Coast Studios, but was also credited with the original story. Not that the story was all that original: Buffalo played Buck Allen, whose girlfriend Betty (Joan Jaccard) doesn't Read More

Canyon Hawks

Actors: Buzz Barton

Synopsis: John R. Freuler's Big 4 Film Corp. released this early sound western starring stunt-man Yakima Canutt as a cowboy who sells his land to Virginia Browne Faire and her young brother (Buzz Barton). Virginia wants to raise sheep, but a group of beef men violently disagree, and Yak must rescue her from Read More

Firebrand Jordan

Actors: Lane Chandler, Sheldon Lewis

Synopsis: Poverty row entrepreneur John R. Freuler's Big Four Corporation released this oater produced by one of Hollywood's few women producers, Flora E. Douglas. Douglas did not deal in filmmaking on the grand scale, to say the least, and Firebrand Jordan played the hinterlands only. Yakima Canutt, while Read More

The Lonesome Trail

Actors: Jimmy Aubrey, Virginia Brown Faire, Yakima Canutt, Art Mix, Charles Delaney

Synopsis: An innocent cowboy is once again suspected of a crime he didn't commit in The Lonesome Trail, an obscure early talkie western from low-budget producer Syndicate that wasted the talents of silent western stars Yakima Canutt, Bob Reeves, Art Mix, and Monte Montague. The accuser (Montague), as it Read More

Bar L Ranch

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Betty Baker, Ben Corbett

Synopsis: Penny-pinching producer John R. Freuler's thoroughly misnamed Big Four Corp. released this early sound western about a ranch hand (Buffalo Bill, Jr. AKA Jay Wilsey) who loses his job when he refuses to hand over some cattle to an obvious crook (Wally Wales). Freuler had both Bill Jr. and Wales Read More

Ridin' Law

Actors: Jack Perrin, Yakima Canutt, Jack Mower, Pete Morrison

Synopsis: Silent-screen hero Jack Perrin and his handsome mount Starlight headlined this low-budget oater from shoestring company Big 4 Film Corp., one of the many Gower Gulch entrepreneurs catching former luminaries whose careers were on a downslide due to talkies. Perrin's father is murdered by villain Yakima Canutt Read More

Riders of the Storm

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Ione Reed, Dorothy Vernon, Bobby Dunn, Charles "Slim" Whitaker

Synopsis: In one of his last starring roles, stunt-man turned silent cowboy star Yakima Canutt battled bad guys such as Charles "Slim" Whitaker under the static direction of J.P. McGowan. Stunt-rider Ione Reed played the ingenue, with veteran comedians Dorothy Vernon and Bobby Dunn providing the occasional Read More

A Texan's Honor

Bad Men's Money

Actors: Peggy Montgomery, Bud Osborne, Charles E. Whittaker, John Lowell, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Directed and written by veteran action specialist J.P. McGowan, this minor Western featured stuntman Yakima Canutt as a cowboy saving a pretty ranch owner (Peggy Montgomery) from a gang of cattle rustlers. Canutt, who had starred in several B-Western series in the late '20s, found his career Read More

The Vanishing West

Synopsis: Although not quite the epic its title suggested, this 10 chapter Western serial from genre specialist Mascot was certainly star-studded. Nine former Western stars was added to the line-up by enterprising producer Nat Levine: Jack Perrin, Eileen Sedgwick, Jack Daugherty, Yakima Canutt, Leo Maloney Read More

The Outlaw Breaker

Crew: Producer, Screenwriter

Synopsis: Produced, co-written (with director Jacques Jaccard), and starring stunt man Yakima Canutt, the surviving The Outlaw Breaker tells the old story of the animosity between the original cattle ranchers and encroaching sheep farmers. Having lost his father and brother to the struggle, young cattle Read More

The Fighting Stallion

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Neva Gerber, Al Ferguson, Bud Osborne, Leonard Trainor

Synopsis: Produced and directed by poverty row maven Benjamin F. Wilson (the "F" stood for Franklin!), this minor silent Western featured stunt-rider Yakima Canutt as a cowpoke hired by an obsessed rancher (Leonard Trainor) to catch and tame a wild mustang. Canutt's equine co-star was Boy the Wonder Horse Read More

The Devil Horse

Actors: Rex the Wonder Horse, Yakima Canutt, Gladys McConnell

Synopsis: Everyone who ever worked with Rex, King of Wild Horses has testified that the magnificent-looking animal was one of the meanest and most contentious "stars" in the movies. Nonetheless, producer Hal Roach knew a valuable commodity when he saw one, thus he cast Rex in such tailor-made vehicles as The Devil Horse Read More

Iron Rider

Synopsis: Yak Halliday (Yakima Canutt) loses his money and his horse to a crooked card player, Parson Larkin (James Corey, more familiarly credited as Jim Corey), who's as handy with a gun as he is with a marked deck. But when he finds out that Larkin and his outfit are running from the law, and all have Read More

Wild Horse Canyon

Cactus Cure

Actors: Dick Hatton, Marilyn Mills, Yakima Canutt, Wilbur McGaugh

Synopsis: Lower-echelon silent screen cowboy Dick Hatton starred in this average oater independently produced by Ben Wilson for release by the Arrow exchanges. Hatton played that standard silent screen character, the Eastern dandy who toughens up on a Western ranch. One of the least impressive of silent Read More

Human Tornado

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Bert Sprotte, Lafe [Lafayette] McKee, Joe Rickson

Synopsis: Stunt-man Yakima Canutt played the title-role in this slow-moving silent Western produced and directed by Benjamin F. Wilson for FBO release. Falsely accused of a robbery and on the run, Canutt discovers the hard way that the crime was actually committed by his no-good brother (Bert Sprotte). Read More

White Thunder

Synopsis: Silent Western star Yakima Canutt played the son of a sheriff caught in the eternal battle between sheepmen and cattle ranchers in this minor oater produced and directed by Benjamin F. Wilson. Returning from college, Yak learns that his dad has been murdered by a man with the ace of spades Read More

Scar Hanan

Synopsis: Stunt innovator Yakima Canutt had already been making his presence known in films for several years by the time F.B.O. starred him in a series of Westerns. This one was the first, and since Canutt wrote the story himself (with the help of George W. Pyper), it's loaded with the kind of masterful Read More

The Desert Hawk

Actors: Benjamin F. Wilson, Mildred Harris, Louise Lester, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Poverty row entrepreneur Ben Wilson both produced and starred in this fanciful silent Western also featuring Charles Chaplin's first wife, Mildred Harris. Wilson played a cowboy falsely accused of killing the local sheriff (Leon de la Mothe, who also directed). Fleeing the law, Wilson obtains a Read More

California in '49

Actors: Neva Gerber, Edmund Cobb, Ruth Royce, Wilbur McGaugh, Charles Brinley

Synopsis: The epic struggle for the rights to California became the basis for Days of '49, a 15-chapter serial produced by Ben Wilson's Berwilla Corporation. The chapterplay was re-edited into this 7-reel feature Western starring Neva Gerber as Swiss settler Johan Sutter's highly fictitious but spirited Read More

Ridin' Mad

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Lorraine Eason, Helene Rosson

Synopsis: Real-life rodeo champ Yakima Canutt does some fine ridin' and ropin' in this silent western about a cowboy who is falsely accused of murdering his sweetheart's father. Steve Carlson (Canutt) escapes from prison and takes a job as a ranch hand. In order to help his family through a devastating Read More

Sell 'em Cowboy

Actors: Dick Hatton, Ed La Niece, Yakima Canutt, Marilyn Mills

Synopsis: Cheap western entrepreneur Ben Wilson produced this obscure silent oater starring the less-than-appealing Dick Hatton as a Chicago saddle manufacturer who is mistaken for a notorious outlaw. A rival company is behind the accusations, and our hero, with the aid of sidekick Martin Turner, manages to Read More

Branded a Bandit

Actors: Yakima Canutt, Judge Hamilton, Wilbur McGaugh, Alys Murrell

Synopsis: Falsely accused of murdering a prospector and on the lam from the law, rancher Jess Dean (Yakima Canutt) not only tracks down the real culprit (shifty-eyed Wilbur McGaugh) but earns the love and respect of his enemy's daughter (Aly Murrell). Directed by prolific western performer Paul Hurst, this Read More

Notch Number One

Actors: Benjamin F. Wilson, Marjorie Daw, Mrs. Arthur Mackley, Reed Howes, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Cowboy Ben Wilson arrives at Arthur Mackley's ranch just in time to prevent the daughter of the house (Marjorie Daw) from marrying scoundrel Reed Howes in this low-budget Western which benefitted from a strong supporting cast. There is the inevitable crooked ranch foreman, of course, played by Read More

Forbidden Range

Actors: Neal Hart, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Veteran B-Western star Neal Hart and Yakima Canutt square off in this low-budget silent oater also produced, directed, and written by William S. Hart. Although a cowman, decent Jack Wilson sides with the newly arrived sheepherders against vicious rancher Buck Madison (Canutt), who is in favor of Read More

Heart of a Texan

Actors: Neal Hart, William Quinn, Yakima Canutt

Synopsis: Actor-director Paul Hurst also wrote this average low-budget Western starring Neal Hart. Hart attempts to save a mother (Sara Bindley) and her daughter (Hazel Maye) from a gang of rustlers led by nasty William Quinn. Kidnapped, Hart and the women are rescued in the nick of time by the ubiquitous Read More

The Girl Who Dared

Synopsis: A young Yakima Canutt plays a supporting role as one of the gang in this obscure but interesting silent western. The star, Edythe Sterling, was once married to western hero Art Acord and enjoyed a lengthy sagebrush career herself. One of the few cowgirls of the silent era (or any era for that Read More