Tales Of The Old West, Western Movies and Cowboy Poetry


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Western Movies...the oldies

THE 'B' WESTERNS

The 1930’s were the heyday years for western movies. Hollywood cranked them out and every kid in the country went to the local theater to watch them. They had their moment in history but eventually, like most things the "B" western movies disappeared. If you're lucky you may catch one of these old western movies on some obscure cable channel from time to time…that is, as I said, if you're lucky.

But we know there are more than a few of you out there who would really enjoy watching a good ol’ “B” Western movie every now and again. Why with nothing more than a simple plot and an hours worth of action these old Western movies brought pure and wholesome entertainment into the lives of more than a generation of Americans young and old, and believe it or not, they still can. And it can happen right here.

The American Western movie, where the men were men and the women were always pretty. Where you knew the good guys from the bad and that’s who you rooted for. The guns were flashy, the horses were fast and the bad guys…well, they always met their match.

So take a break, relax, be a kid again and prepare to be simply entertained.

You will need to have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime installed on your computer to play these old western movies. If you need to, you can download any one of them by clicking on one of the above links.
To play your movie, click on the title. A player will open with your selection ready to go. Click on the center arrow and your movie will start. To watch your movie in full screen, click on the menu box in the bottom right corner of the video player.
Enjoy
R&W

Movie Title/Description	Rating	Screen Shots
Aces and Eights (1936) - Harden and Morgan are after Hernandez's rancho. They lend money to his son Jose which is then won back in a crooked poker game. But the notorious card sharp Tim Madigan now posing as Tom Harrington steps in to help Hernandez.

American Empire (1942) - Two friends seeking their fortune in postwar Texas establish a cattle business. One has an ambition to become a emperor in his own domain. Through tragedy he comes to his senses.

Angel and the Badman (1947) - John Wayne plays Quirt Evans, a gunslinger with a nasty rep who is injured and nursed back to health by a Quaker family.

Arizona Days (1928) - Bob Custer, cowboy star of the 1920s and '30s, fights rustlers and saves the heroine from a Fate Worse Than Death in this typical B western from the last days of the silent era. Directed and co-starring J.P. McGowan, sadly overlooked personality who was actively involved in movies from their daqwn until his death in the '50s.

Black Stallion (1939) - An unusual film in that it was comprised of new film footage tacked onto an original film produced by M. H. Hoffman Sr. and Jr.,and never released because of the collapse and merger of the Hoffman's Liberty Company into the newly-formed Republic operation in mid-1935.

Border Caballero (1936) - After his friend is murdered, an FBI sharpshooter takes his place in trying to capture a gang of bankrobbers.

Born to the Saddle (1951) - Bent on revenge for the death of his father and the theft of their ranch, young Bill Walton (Chuck Courtney) rides into town seeking the aid of his uncle.

Brand of the Devil (1944) - Jolley is the leader of the Devil's Brand gang of rustlers. When Molly Dawson sends for the Texas Rangers, Tex, Jim, and Panhandle arrive pretending not to know each other. But eventually their identities become known and they are captured by the gang.

Cavalcade of the West (1936) - Two brothers are separated when young. One becomes the pony express rider Clint Knox and the other the outlaw Ace Carter. Their next meeting finds Ace way-laying Clint as he delivers the mail.

Cowboy Holiday (1935) - A cowboy tries to help his lawman friend, who will lose his job if he doesn't bring in a bandit known as the Juarez Kid.

Fighting Deputy (1937) - The Sheriff and his deputies are after Scar Adams. Scar is the brother of Alice Denton, the girl Deputy Tom plans to marry, and when the Sheriff is wounded she makes Tom refuse the job of Sheriff.

Fighting Stallion (1949) - Released from a navy hospital following WW II, Lon Evans (Bill Edwards) learns that he faces eventual blindness and returns to his Wyoming ranch. He sees a beautiful white stallion named Starlight and his cowhands Lem (Rocky Camron) and Yancy (Merrill McCormick) say he is a killer and cannot be trained. Lon disproves this by training the stallion to act as his guide in preparation for his future blindness.

Ghost-Town Gold (1936) - Barrington's men rob the bank and hide the gold in a ghost town. The ghost town's only citizen finds the gold and tries to use it to bet on a boxing match. Seeing the gold, the Mesquiteers rush to the ghost town and recover the rest of it.

Hard Hombre (1931) - When Peaceful Patton goes to work at the Martini ranch he is mistaken for the notorious outlaw the Hard Hombre. This enables him to force the ranchers to divide up the water rights. But he is in trouble when his mother arrives and exposes the hoax.

Hell Fire Austin (1932) - Heading west, Ken and Bouncer end up at the Brooks ranch where Ken is to ride Tarzan in the big race. But both the Sheriff and Edmonds are after him and he must hide both himself and the horse until race time.

Honor of the Range (1934) - After Sheriff Ken puts money in the safe, his brother Clem gives Rawhide the combination. With the money gone the disgruntled townsmen make Boots Sheriff and lock up Ken. Clem, now a prisoner of Rawhide, has a change of heart and sends Ken a message with the outlaw's location.

In Old Caliente (1939) - Don Jose's foreman Sujarto is an informer for an outlaw gang. After Don Jose's son Carlos is robbed, Roy and Gabby find the outlaws but end up captured and blamed for the robbery. They get even deeper into trouble when Sujarto kills Don Jose and blames Roy.

Last of the Warrens (1936) - Ted Warren returns from WW1 to find that everyone thinks he was dead. The culprit is Kent who intercepted his mail, rustled the Warren cattle, took over the Warren ranch, and is now after Ted's girl friend. When Kent's henchmen fail to kill Ted, Kent shoots Ted's father and leaves him for dead. But only wounded, the plan is to have Warren appear as a ghost to get a confession from Kent.

Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938) - Carson's nephew Paul has been accused of murder. To get in with the gang, Carson poses as a Mexican. He also appears as himself making his costume changes at Katherine's ranch. This leads to trouble when Jimmy finds evidence of his masquerade.

Marked for Murder (1948) - Rangers Dave and Panhandle arrive and are joined by Lawyer Tex to try and stop the range war between the ranchers and the sheep men. After they jail the ranchers for attacking the sheep men, they are lead away from town by a decoy as the real culprits head for town to kill the ranchers and blame the sheep men.

Outlaws of Boulder Pass (1942) - Harkness controls Boulder Pass and his men are overcharging the ranches for its usage. When Tom Cameron steps in to rob the tollgate keepers and return the money to the ranchers, he gets caught.

Pecos Kid (1936) - A gang of robbers steals the deed to the Pecos Ranch and kill the family. The young son escapes, and years later he returns to the ranch to find the killers and reclaim his property.

Phantom Thunderbolt (1933) - A cowboy called The Thunderbolt Kid comes to the aid of a town that is being threatened by outlaws who don't want a railroad to go through the town. A whirlwind of action!

Raiders of Old California (1957) - This western has plenty of action and a nice story that ties together neatly in the end. Jim Davis is, as always, larger than life, buttoned down bib-shirt and all. Faron Young, understated but very good as gunslinging Marshal. The rest of the cast, all veterans give excellent support.

Ride Ranger Ride (1936) - A better than average Gene Autry western that was produced at the beginning of his movie career when his movies features a lot of action and not so many songs to stop the plot cold. Smiley Burnette and Max Terhune play well off each other as sidekicks.

Song of the Gringo (1936) - With real-life outlaw Al Jennings, this Western is the screen debut of Tex Ritter, a lawman going undercover to infiltrate a gang. The leader of the gang is using the ranch of Don Esteban del Valle as his headquarters.

Sunset Range (1935) - Grant hides stolen money in the luggage of Bonnie Shea who is moving west. Later when he and his men arrive to retrieve the money, they also kidnap Bonnie. This sends Reasonin' Bates and his cowhands on their horses after the gangsters in their cars.

Texas Terror (1935) - Sheriff John Higgins quits and goes into prospecting after he thinks he has killed his best friend in shooting it out with robbers. He encounters his dead buddy's sister and helps her run her ranch. Then she finds out about his past. Stars John Wayne.

The Big Show (1936) - When cowboy star Tom Ford disappears, Wilson gets his double Gene Autry to impersonate him. But Ford owes gangster Rico $10,000 and Rico arrives to collect. He fails to get the money but learns that Autry is an impersonator and now blackmails Wilson and his movie studio

The Drifter (1932) - A man known as The Drifter returns home to his cabin in the woods and winds up getting involved with an escaped convict, a gunfighter, lumber company rivals, mysterious family ties and murder.

The Outlaw (1943) - Scandalous for it's time, "The Outlaw" directed by Howard Hughes, is the story of Billy the Kid, Doc Holiday, and Pat Garrett. The plot is thin at best, but we are introduced to a 22 year old Jane Russell which makes the film almost worthwhile.

The Silver Trail (1937) - When the partner of Bob Crandall is missing after he finds a gold claim, Crandall goes to look for him (but not before hearing a few country songs).

Trail Riders (1942) - The sheriff of Gila Springs is murdered by gunmen, leaving the town wide open for corruption. Three traveling cowboys known as the Range Busters ride into town to clean things up.

Western Mail (1942) -The comedy is broad and inane by Frank Yaconelli and his pets. Fred Kohler Jr, Karl Hackett, Sherry Tansey, Gene Alsace bring some color and shading to the bad guys.

West of Hot Dog (1924) - Silent western starring Stan Laurel before he teamed up with Oliver Hardy. Note: This movie can only be viewed properly using the VLC player.

Song of Old Wyoming (1946) - Western starring Eddie Dean,Jennifer Holt,Sarah Padden and Al"Lash"LaRue in his first featured role.This was one of the few features PRC produced in Cinecolor.

McLintock (1963) - This great comedy western stars John Wayne,Maureen O'Hara,Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers,Chill Wills, and Strother Marten. There is a hilarious mudhole fight scene at the end.

Fighting Caravans (1931) - A strikingly handsome (and tall), youthful Gary Cooper -- this is the opportunity to see a giant screen legend when he was a vibrant young newcomer! This alone merits seeing this movie. The dialogue is witty, pithy and fun -- in fact, give me the screenwriter from 1931 over most of today's movies!. There is a lot of fast-paced and exciting western action (and the stuntwork is just plain fun to watch). Yes, this was relatively early movie making, and in some ways it shows, but that also provides tremendous enjoyment for the film buff. Watch it with a light heart, but with reverence for the old films, and I think you can't help but enjoy it.

Ghost Patrol (1936) - Professor Brent (Lloyd Ingraham) invents a radium tube that gives off previously undiscovered rays which can control electricity. He rather foolishly trusts Kincaid (Wheeler Oakman) who imprisons him and forces him to use his invention to crash mail planes, so Kincaid and his gang can rob them. Tim Caverly, alias Tim Toomey (Tim McCoy), an FBI agent, goes to find out what's going on, posing as an outlaw wanting in on Kincaid's racket. With the inadvertent aid of Brent's daughter Natalie (Claudia Dell), Tim discovers Brent and the details of the recent plane crashes. But even when victory is within reach, anything can, and since this is a classic western, it will happen...

Under California Stars (1948) - Rancher Roy and his boys track down a gang who have stolen Trigger and are holding him for ransom.

Border Patrolman (1936) - While this film has stalwart western star George O'Brien and Smiley Burnette,in an early loan out from Mascot/Republic, this is not really a western. It's a nineteen-thirties era drawing room comedy with a little crime and action tossed in for good measure, set at a dude ranch to give it a western motif.

Oath of Vengence (1944) - No Review

Saddle Mountain Roundup (1941) - No Review

Prairie Pals (1942) - Staring Art Davis, a fair actor and western singer, Bill Boyd (Billed as Cowboy Rambler) and Lee Powell. Some songs by Davis and Boyd.

Texas to Bataan (1942) - viewers will be entertained by this western. Two of the greatest stuntmen in moviedom history, david sharpe and tom steele were in it and had a rather nice fist fight against each other. B western movie fans should watch this one. it's worth a look.