The Exhibitor (Nov 1948-Feb 1949)

. November 10, 1948 THE EXHIBITOR Holt’s post as const supervisor, and Holt desiring to smash the gambling. This is complicated by MacDonald’s love for Gable and her big desire to make good in opera! She drifts between the lovers several times, but the San Francisco earth¬ quake settles the argument by killing Holt, and making Gable go straight. X-Ray: When first reviewed in The Exhibitor in 1936, it was said: “This is a rich, handsome production with strong draw names, a very competent supporting cast, and the earthquake spectacle. It outdoes other Barbary Coast stories in magnificence.” Among the songs heard are: “Would You” and “San Francisco.” Its re¬ issue values are linked to the name values plus the spectacle. Tip On Bidding: Usual reissue price. Ad Lines: “One Of The Screen’s Great¬ est Spectacles Brought Back For Your Re¬ enjoyment”; “A Stellar Cast In One Of The Screen’s All-Time Big Hits”; “Brought Back By Insistent Popular Demand — One Of The Greatest Of Films.” MONOCRAM The Rangers Ride (4767) Musical Western 58m. Estimate: Fair series entry. Cast: Jimmy Wakely, “Cannonball” Taylor, Virginia Belmont, Riley Hill, Mar¬ shall Reed, Steve Clark, Pierce Lyden, James S. Diehl, Milburn Moran te, Cactus Mack, Bud Osbourne, Bob Woodward, Carol Henry, Boyd Stockman. Produced by Louis Gray; directed by Derwin Abrahams. Story: When the Texas Rangers are disbanded, ex-rangers Jimmy Wakely and “Cannonball” Taylor set out to foil the schemes of a crooked private state police set up by Marshall Reed. Steve Clark, in¬ nocent dupe, is convinced by Wakely that the police force is crooked, but is killed. Wakely and Taylor escape from the scoundrels, enlist the aid of Virginia Bel¬ mont and her fiance, Riley Hill, and out¬ wit the crooked state police. X-Ray: This Wakely series entry runs true to form. The plot is fair, and the action is sufficient, and there is a quota of suspense and drama that should please fans. Songs, all by Wakely, are “Are You Ashamed,” “Casting My Lasso To The Sky,” and “The Yodeling Ranger.” Ad Lines: “The Texas Rangers Went Out — And Crooks Took Over”; “Jimmy Wakely Sings His Way Through The Fast¬ est Western In Months!”; “Hear Jimmy Wakely Sing ... In ‘The Rangers Ride’!” Silver Trails (4763) Musical Western 53m. Estimate: Below average series entry. Cast: Jimmy Wakely, “Cannonball” Taylor, Christine Larson, George Lewis, Whip Wilson, George Meeker, Pierce Lyden, William Norton Bailey, Connie Asias, Fred L. Edwards, Robert Strange, Bob Woodward. Produced by Louis Gray; directed by Christy Cabanne. Story: Jimmy Wakely and “Cannonball” Taylor ride to California to help Robert Strange, a rancher, and William Norton Bailey, a settler, to discuss peaceful settlement of difficulties. George Meeker, the county surveyor, and his accomplices. Pierce Lydon and Fred L. Edwards, at¬ tempt to disrupt the peace talks going on by framing George Lewis for the murder jof Bailey, whose daughter, Christine Lar¬ son, tries to find Lewis when he breaks out of jail. An attempt by Jackson to rob Strange of land grants gives the whole thing away. Whip Wilson, Wakely, and Taylor give chase, and apprehend the fbanditB, uniting Larson and Lewis in the happy end. X-Ray: This entry is flimsy. Yet series fans should enjoy the action scenes and some of Wilson’s tricks with a bull-whip. Songs, aU by Wakely, include; “Why Did I Ever Leave Home,” “Serenade,” and “Mission Bells.” Ad Lines: “The Fate Of California Hung In The Balance . . . Who Would Win?”; “It Was The West Or A Crook . . . Watch Jimmy Wakely Make His Choice!”; “Wakely Rides and Sings In ‘Silver Trails’.” Troublemakers (4727) Comedy ' ' 66m. Estimate: Good “Bowery Boys” entry. Cast: Leo Gorcey, Himtz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Helen Parrish, Lionel Stander, John Ridgely, Frankie Darro, Billy Benedict, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Fritz Feld, Bernard Gorcey, Cliff Clark, William Ruhl, John Indrisano, Charles LaTorre, David Hoffman, Pat Moran, Herman Cantor, Buddy Gorman, Maynard Holmes, Charles Coleman. Produced by Jan Grippo; di¬ rected by Reginald LeBorg. Story: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and the rest of the gang, in the sidewalk telescope star-gazing business, see a murder being cornmitted in a hotel room. In spite of manager Fritz Feld’s objections, they and their pal, newly appointed officer Gabriel Dell, search the murder room. John Ridgely, who occupies the room, appears, and can’t understand the fuss. Dell is reprimanded for leaving his beat. To help Dell’s record, Gorcey and Hall tip him off to the location of many gambling dens in his territory, and they are raided, com¬ mendations going to Dell. The raids cut into Ridgely’s take of his rackets, and he tries to bribe Dell through Frankie Darro, with no result. After the newspapers re¬ port the slaying of a prominent doctor, Gorcey and H^l recognize him as the man they witnessed being killed. They meet his daughter, Helen Parrish, at the morgue, and vow to help locate the killer. As a hotel stockholder, she helps the boys get jobs as bellboys, so they can in¬ vestigate. Lionel Stander, ex-gimman just released from prison, turns up to see Ridgely, and gets friendly with Hall. One thing leads to another, with Ridgely find¬ ing the going too warm. He tries to have the pair killed but he and his gang are captured by Dell and reinforcements, and are charged with murder, etc. X-Ray: Better than average production values, an interest-holding yarn, capable acting, humorous gags and situations, and apt direction, put this in the better-thanaverage class for the series. It will make a neat addition to the duallers. Ad Lines: “They Were Looking For Stars, And Saw Murder Instead”; “When ‘The Bowery Boys’ Get Together To Solve A Murder, The Results Are Hilarious”; “There’s Fun Galore As ‘The Bowery Boys’ Prove ‘Troublemakers’ To Lawbreakers.” REPUBLIC The Denver Kid (758) Estimate: Above series average. Cast: Allan “Rocky” Lane, Eddy Waller, William Henry, Douglas Fowley, Rory Mallinson, George H. Lloyd, George Meeker, Emmett Vogan, Haiik Peterson, Bruce Eldwards, Peggy Wynne, Tom Steele, Carole Gallagher. Produced by Gordon Kay; directed by Phillip Ford. Story: In the line of duty Allan “Rocky” Lane, border patrolman enters a tough border town bent on clearing up the mys¬ tery of his best friend’s murder. Lane poses as a trigger man, and joins up with the lawless bunch. Amongst them is the dead man’s brother, William Henry. Lane suspects Rory Mallinson, who has sur¬ rounded himself with deadly gunmen. When Lane convinces Henry that Mallin¬ son instigated his brother’s cold blooded murder, Henry helps Lane to get the open¬ ing. A series of gun duels and chases winds up with the gang being brought to a speedy western justice. X-Ray: Given a fresh zip by the tightly scripted original screenplay by Bob Wil¬ liams, this Lane film will have no trouble holding the series followers and other western-action fans closely interested from start to finish. Lane contributes his • usual clean-cut performance, with the others in the cast joining in nicely. Ad Lines: “The Avenger Rides Again”; “Action, Thrills, And Danger As ‘Rocky’ Lane Leads The Border Patrol To KillerTown”; “Terror Town Mop-Up As The Border Patrol Tackles Its Toughest As¬ signment.” The Plunderers (721) Westertt ' ' 89m. (Trucolor) Estimate: Highly entertaining western. Cast: Rod Cameron, Ilona Massey, Adrian Booth, Forrest Tucker, George Cleveland, Grant Withers, Taylor Holmes, Paul Fix, Francis Ford, James Flavin, Rus¬ sell Hicks, Maude Eburne, Mary Ruth Wade, Louis R. Faust. Directed and pro¬ duced by Joseph Kane. Story: U. S. Army Major Rod Cameron is assigned to find out who is behind a number of holdups and selling of arms to the Indians. Disguised as a desperado with a price on his head, he lets himself get cornered by sheriff George Cleveland while in Francis Ford’s general store with two dance hall girls present, Adrian Booth and Ilona Massey. He supposedly shoots the sheriff, and makes off, but Cleveland is only feigning death to let Cameron get in with the gang. Out-of-town, he runs across outlaw Forrest Tucker, and the pair take a liking to one another. Tucker per¬ suades Cameron to go through a fake wedding with Booth so that she can get out of town and head for California. Dep¬ uty sheriff Grant Withers accidentally gives away Cameron’s true identity to mine owner Taylor Holmes, who is behind the outlaws, and he sends word to Tucker. Cameron is allowed to escape. Later, Tucker, his companidn, Paul Fix, Massey, and Booth are captured by Cleveland and his men and are being taken to a fort to be hung when their journey is inter¬ rupted by an attack of Indians. Holmes, enroute east, is revealed as the boss, and is shot by Tucker. The latter and Fix offer to man a dangerous post outside the fort. Cameron and Booth, also go along, and Tucker persuades Cameron to take her back to the stockade. En route, she is killed by an arrow, and Tucker and Fix are also killed! The cavalry shows up in time, and a rescue is effected. X-Ray: This belongs in the better west¬ ern category with a solid production really filling the screen with action and all the paraphernalia that goes into an attrac¬ tive hoss opry. The cast are made for their parts, the direction, color, and camera work are good, and the story holds interest on high throughout. It is based on a story by James Edward Grant. A high¬ light of the film is an old-fashioned Indian raid on a stockade that is tops for action fans. Two numbers, “I’ll Sing A Love Song” and “Walking Down Broadway,” are sung by Miss Massey. Ad Lines: “A Real Old-Fashioned West¬ ern Filled With Action And Romance”; “A Colorful Spectacle Of The Old West”; “Cowboys And Indians Provide A ThrillA-Minute In This Action-Packed Colorful Thriller.” Servls«€tion 3 2503