Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

10 ncross countrj and beat the crooks to the raiicho. Nita had been li.-oiiglit back to the rancho with all the servants and their possessions. The carts were hciiii,' niiloaded ^vhen one of the Mexicans heard the thiuifler of lioofs and saw Wallace and his gang tearing down the trail. Just in time the big main gates were s^vung to, ahnost in the frees of the furious raiders. Hastily carts were hacked against them and pieces of furniture piled up to strengthen them. " Some of yon men get a battering ram! Wallace .shouted. In a small cop?e near the gates a tree had already been felled and trimmed for fire- wood. Sis of Wallace's riders slung it between them on their lariats, and, three a side, can- tered tov.ards the gates. The end smashed on the gates with a great tiiud; they quivered, but held. Manuel and Jo.se ktiev.", however, that it was only a matter of minute.i before the ancient wood splintered under the onslaught. They sent Nita and the women into the ranch-house and stayed in the courtvard with their men, guns ready for the moment when the attackers would stream in. With a final crash the doors heeled over, mid the charge of the horsemen scattered the piled fiiiniture in all directions. Firing as thev did so. the Mexicans hacked away. Two of ^Va^ace's men tojipled from their saddles. One of the Mexicans groaned and collapsed. Then the others, dodging the prancing horses, had slipped into the ranch-house. They sent Nita and the women upstairs, for they knew very well that it was the girl Wallace really wanted. Splinters of glass tinkled on the floor as Wallace's men. crouch- ing outside on the porch, fired at the windows. Break it in!" ordered Wallace. A do7,eti men ru.?hed the door. The weight of the Mexicans inside was not sufficient. With roars of triumph, the attackers surged in, driving the lighter built Mexicans before them. The liattle was too close for guns. The room became a mass of struggling men, the Mexican? backing to defend the stone BOY'S CINEMA stairs. It was there that the main struggle developed. And in the middle of all this, Wade Barton swerved at speed through the shattered gate- way, and with a swift glance took in what had hapi>eiied. It was not yet too late to lend his strength to the combat. Under cover of the confusion inside, he raced his horse towards a high balcony, raised himself so that he was standing on the saddle, and leaped upwards witlvout pausing. He got a grip on the railings and hauled himself over. He charged through a bed-room and out on to the landing just in time to find Wallace and Ranee Potter, who had fought their way through, grabbing Nita. With a grin of pleasure. Wade lashed out. His big hst took Wallace on the point of the jaw, sending his heavy body splintering through the railings to crash amongst the struggling men on the floor below. Before Ranee Potter could hit out. Wade grabbed him, bent, and hurled him right over his shoulders. With a jarring thud that drove the breath from his body. Potter landed on his back. Da/.edly he got up, but a punch from Wade sent him over the edge, to land near his chief. The uproar was terrific.' The stairs were still blocked, so Wade himself leaped down, landing witli a thud on the unfortunate Ranee Potter, who was trying to get tos his feet. Desperately Potter hit out, and Ben W^allace, lying on the floor near by, crawled over and clutched a gun that somebody had dropped. With his lips drawn back from his teeth, he took aim 'at Wade's back; but he never pulled the trigger. From the direction of the doorway a shot rang out; he rolled over as the heavy slug crashed into his body. And Don Aliso, standing in the doorway, lowered his smoking gun. Then Monty and his gang rode into the courtyard, and leaped from their horses. They charged into the fight, aiifl the wretched crooks found themselves trapped. De-sperately they tried to fight their way out of the ranch-house, becau^r^ their only hope of escaping justice Every Tuesday was in flight. With gun butts and fists Monty and his men waded into the rascals, who soon flung away their guns and howled for mercy. That was the end of it for the crooks. Bat- tered and biiiised they were .-eparated from the Mexicans and herded apart. Monty took no chances, and those that could stand he bound securely with ropes. The battle was scarcely finished when Sandra Courtney arrived at the ranch and stared in horror as she saw the wounded and the dead. Wade had hauled Potter to his feet and was shaking the treacherous rogue when he saw Sandra Courtney. None too gently he drag.ged the man from the ranch-house and flung him at the woman's feet. '■ Start talking. Potter," he gritted out. "Mi<s Courtney's interested in what you have to say." Sullenly Potter made a full confession, and the woman clo.sed her eyes in pain when she heard of the wicked deeds of her brother. "I'm sorry," Miss Courtney said earnestly to Don Aliso when he had finished, "but you'll have my word there'll be no further trouble. I'll prefer charges ag-ainst Potter, and I'm sure his confession will prove the Courtney ranch has no claim to your land." Don Aliso bowed. " ]Much gracias. JNIiss Courtney." She smiled at Wade, who was lifting Nita down from the stairs. "Don't thank me. Thank Wade Barton and his buckaroos!" Adapted from Incidents in the RKO Radio picture " The Fighting Gringo," which has the following cast: George O'Brien as Wade Barton Luplta Tovar as Nita del Campo Lucio Vlllegas as Don Aliso del Campo William Royle as Ben Wallace Glenn Strange as Ranee Potter Slim Whittaker as Monty Bates Le Roy Mason as John Courtney Mary Field as Sandra Courtney Martin Garralaga as Pedro Bill Cody, senr. as Sheriff Warren SKILFUL GAME for 2 PLAYERS Exciting & Amusing OVER-SHE-GOES is a row, nnvel and intriguing game whirh everyone, yoiiiiK and old, can enjoy. As easy to play as draiiRhts. yet it can be as skilful as chess. The fortunes of the game change very swiftly and the interest is sustained uiuil the last counter has been played. On Sale at all Stalinner^, Tovshnfys and Stores. Order from Boots' Slatinnery Dtpart- menis, Timnthv Whtte'i: and Ta\lnrs, W. H. Smith'':, Wvman's, Harrmh. liiirnsides, or Benlalh. Ktnuston-on-Tl.ames. I'oit free, 2I0, from Dept. //., Waddy Productions, 27a, Farrin^dor. -S,'., ii.C.4. able to speak one of the AVest African native dialects. The search to end all senrches was launched in Hollywood recently. Quite fre- quently the film inoyuls go dashing hither and thither about the countryside, searching for anything from new talent to specialists in various lines of work. And now Para- mount's casting office has been looking for a Negro actor who, of all things, can play a bagpipe for "Safari," in which Edward J-f. tiriffith directs Made- leine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks, juu., Muriel A n g c I 11 s , Tullio Carininati and Lynne Overman. Overman plays the role of a Scottish trader on the West .African coast. He has a Negro servant, who not only plays bagpipes, but also, on occasion, can talk with a Scottish accent ! One other fact, and doubtless a minor one considering his other accomplishment, indi- cates that the Negro actor must also be A DOG'S LIFE "A dog's life" in Hollywood is not the same as "a dog's life" anywhere else; it's a life to be envied. And tl,iat applies cciuallj' to lions, tigers, elephants* mice, rabbits, and, indeed, any animal that has the good fortune to qualify for the cameras. It isn't only the salary—it's the care, the insurance, the pam- pering. That, at any rate, is the opinion of Harold Coles, jnoperty custodian for Selznick International, who assembled a menagerie of domestic stock for "Escape to Happiness" (previously titled "Intermezzo, A Lovo Story "), of which Leslie Howard is the star and associate producer. Coles rented goats, donkeys, macaws, parrots, dogs and assorted poultry for French sea-coast scenes. Buying animals for the camera is an entirely (lifi'erent thing from buying iheni in the open market for pet or table purposes. There are certain prime considerations that cannot bo ignored when purchasing the genus anima/is iictorin. Among these are: pedigree, educa- lioii. temperainent and appearance: not to mention price, and the eternal Hollywood <lues(ion: Can he act? And the price range can be quite consider- able. For example, half a dozen dogs of in- distinct pedigree were paid only 1 dollar a day, but Buzzy, a wire-haired terrier of noblo ancestry and training, earned 25 dollars for each working day, plus a further 7.50 dollars per day for his trainer. Corky, a macaw of some attainments, demanded his trade union rate of 7.50 dollars, but pigs and cows, tho unskill(>d labourers, so to speak, of the in- dustry, were held down to 5 dollars per day. Coles also supplied love-birds, doves, pan-ots, macaws and other feathered actors for "Escape 10 Happiness." but ho was stymied when it came to sea-gulls. February 17111, \Wi.