Wild Bill Rides Again

WILD BILL ELLIOTT WESTERN COLLECTION (1951-54) Western great "Wild Bill" Elliott sauntered into the Fifties at the top of his Cowboy game and soon signed up at a new studio, Monogram Pictures (soon to become Allied Artists). Along with his two-fists, six guns and ramrod righteousness, Wild Bill brought something else to bear on this series of Westerns - brain matter. Themes and ideas sprinkled throughout this run include cross-breeding cattle (The Longhorn, 1951), civic redemption (Waco, 1952), the limits of familial obligation (Kansas Territory, 1952), cross plains survival tactics (The Maverick, 1952), 19th century shipping logistics (Rebel City, 1953), personal redemption (Topeka, 1953), manipulated lynch mob mentality (Vigilante Terror, 1953), and how to conduct a wild west dragnet (The Forty-Niners,1954, presented in its correct widescreen aspect ratio!). Don't get us wrong about the smarts though - there's still lots of Wild Bill action aplenty!

Dark Drama on DVD

PUBLIC HERO NUMBER 1 (1935) Top-lined Lionel Barrymore is but the supporting player in this crackerjack crime drama inspired by the exploits of the notorious Purple Gang and the fate of John Dillinger. Chester Morris stars as an undercover fed out to gain the confidence of the Purple Gang's head honcho (Joseph Calleia) and round up the gang. But the fed's cover starts to fray thanks to the gang bosses straight sibling, who is as fetching as she is righteous (Jean Arthur). Barrymore plays a dipsomaniac doc who's the key to entrapping the gang...

SMART GIRLS DON'T TALK (1948) Virginia Mayo stars as a penniless society girl torn between what's right and the charms of Mr. Wrong. Linda Vickers (Mayo) gets swept off her feet after gambling gangster Marty Fain (Bruce Bennett) woos her to the side of keeping mum when his minions "borrow" her car for a hit. Linda's doubts about her arrangement start to grow only after her young doctor brother (Robert Hutton) gets wind of what's going on with her new beau. But it turns out Marty may just need the administrations of a medical practitioner - provided he knows who to keep quiet. Directed by Richard Bare.

FLAXY MARTIN (1949) Virginia Mayo goes full femme fatale for this thriller that's a shadow away from full Film Noir. Zachary Scott plays the fall guy, the arrogant and abrasive mob shyster Walter Colby who thinks he's getting out only to discover he's getting set up for the big fall. Making a break, the now wanted man ends up falling in with a worldly librarian Nora Carson (Dorothy Malone). Hip to fact that gang boss Hap Richie (Douglas Kennedy) may be behind the frame, Colby heads back to the city to get at the truth - but the gun-happy gunsel Roper (Elisha Cook, Jr.) is dogging his steps. Directed by Richard Bare.

SHADOW OF THE WALL (1950) Child star Gigi Perreau ably anchors this psychological suspense thriller starring future First Lady Nancy Davis. David Starrling discovers his wife (Kristine Miller) has been playing hanky-panky with the finance of his sister-in-law Dell (Ann Sothern) and confronts her. Said confrontation ends in death with young Susan Starrling witnessing the horror. Traumatized, Susan is sent to a psychiatric ward while David is sent to the big house. As child shrink Caroline Canford (Davis) attempts to unlock Susan's memories, her helpful Aunt Dell is at hand to ensure the best of...care. This taut drama is directed by Patrick Jackson who coaxes nifty against-type performances from Ann Sothern and Zachary Scott.

CRY OF THE HUNTED (1953) Director Joseph H. Lewis (Gun Crazy, The Big Combo) delivers a spicy backwoods jambalaya that deftly mixes domestic drama, crime, prison break and noir. Barry Sullivan plays Lt. Tunner whose interrogatory pursuit of Creole convict Jory (Vittorio Gassman) turns into the real thing when Jory escapes through the bayou. As cop pursues criminal, hunted becomes reflected in hunter and the two men must find common ground as the swamp tests them both.

BOBBY WARE IS MISSING (1955) Shortly before Bill Elliott would take on the role of Lt. Andy Doyle (later to be renamed Andy Flynn) Neville Brand would play the sheriff's department level-headed investigator in this by-the-book procedural about two boys lost in the mountains above Los Angeles. But these mountains that are about to be blown sky high! Unfortunately for the missing Bobby Ware (Kim Charney) and Mickey Goodwin (Thorpe Whiteman), someone has delivered a ransom note claiming they kidnapped the boys, drawing the search team off the track and pulling the Feds in. Directed by Thomas Carr. 16x9 Widescreen

THE SAFECRACKER (1958) Ray Milland stars and directs this war-time crime-caper character study. Milland plays Colley Dawson, an honest expert locksmith who takes up a Raffleian double life, cracking safes and living the high life as "Simon Ledburn". Colley's ego gets the better of him and gets sent up for a stretch of eight years as the Nazi menace goes to war. Two years in, Colley is offered parole, trading convict life for commando training. Now it's time for Colley to crack the biggest safe of all - the one used by the Abwehr, Hitler's spymasters. 16x9 Widescreen