Reviews

This film starts out slow- but as the plot thickens the story makes a drastic turn as we get a mystery that will make people turn on each other with nobody trusting the other.

Edwina Black, a bitter sickly woman, has died. She is one that is not a likeable person and the locals know of her harsh treatment to her staff and the way she treats her husband Gregory.

Gregory is one that has been browbeat by Edwina and already has eyes for a younger woman, Elizabeth, that works as an assistant in the house. In fact, it is a known rumor that the two are in love.

After Edwina's funeral the two are planning a holiday in Italy - only ruined by an inspector from Scotland Yard- after arsenic is found to be the cause of death to Edwina. With both parties getting an inheritance suspicion falls upon both.

Even though Gregory and Elizabeth are devoted to each other, things beginning to turn when hints of falsehoods begin to swirling between the two. Making for an interesting development and a great mystery.

The first part of the film seems to drag as we begin to learn the characters and their actions. But as the film continues we get a very interesting plot that is made much better by the fact the actors are truly believable. It's a tale that has been written about many times but because of the cast and their performances, this will have you on the edge of your seat when all is done.

One scene stand out in this film. When the lovely Geraldine Fitzgerald is wearing her white dress near the middle of the picture, I do not think I have seen, in black and white, a more beautiful looking performance.

Stay for the entire movie, you will be rewarded. Good film.

I won't say much about this show since I do not want to give anything away. All I will say is it is that the running time of the play is close to 22 minutes (taking out two minutes for Hitchcock's beginning and ending) and for most of the 22 minutes the play was a routine situation that has been played out many times on TV, movies and live plays. What makes this different and memorable from the rest is the last fifteen seconds of the play. Again, I did not see it coming.-- Nice watch since is something I will remember for a long time.

From the start of the film, I had a hard time distinguishing between characters. I was having a difficult time who was English and who was Spanish. We would go from scene to scene not knowing who the character's of the film were associated. However, once in the middle of the movie it became more involved with the main characters and the movie became more interesting and clearer. > Even though some of the acting was very stiff, it did tell a story that was compelling and entertaining. Most of the acting was par for the time period. But there an escape from custody scene in the film that was nearly laughable as guards appear unable to see when the escape person is right in eye sight of them. But overall, the movie did serve its purpose and was entertaining enough to make for a nice watch. > Even with some acting inflexible, this was not the case with Flora Robson, who played Queen Elizabeth I, as her performance was the best thing about this movie. Also, Morton Selten was excellent in one of his last performances. > Even with times the movie was difficult to understand, it was entertaining enough to make the watch absorbing. With a nice cast and forceful message, this was enough to make for a good view.

Sandy Duncan was a very talented performer but for some reason the show never really kick off with the public. It is a show that you want to enjoy but the cast of characters surrounding Ms Duncan were uninteresting as yesterday's jam. It really came down to the show being too vanilla. But that is not all to this show.--- The big wigs at CBS, that actually approved the show for airing, begin to see that the show was just not needed on the CBS Saturday night line-up. The show followed the popular 'All in the Family' which was touching on hot topics while 'Funny Face' was having washing machine problems. The two did not go together and CBS was looking for a way to move the show or rid themselves of the production. But something happened that helped the big wigs and their situation. Ms Duncan began having headaches to the point of not being able to work. She found out that she had a tumor behind one of her eyes. Production stopped after 12 episodes were filmed to let Ms Duncan have surgery that resulted in losing one of her eyes. When the news got out to the public, there was nothing but sympathy for Ms Duncan and hopes for her return to the series. This left the big wigs having to rethink the show since they did not want to appear to have cancelled because of sickness to a very talented person. They even went so far to broadcast the pilot, which had a different cast, because the public was behind Ms Duncan and her fight against the tumor. But this only led to more confusing since the pilot was shown at the end of the season instead of at the first. It was very confusing to see a different cast. The next season, CBS wanted changes. They changed the name of the show to "The Sandy Duncan Show' and a new cast was again introduced. Even though the show had very good ratings the first five weeks, the show began to fade with less viewers each week. In fact the only thing that really changed was the shows titled. It was 'Funny Face' redone. There was many to blame for the series failure but most important was the writing. Silly scripts with a lack of interesting characters does not make for an entertaining show. And some of the fault may have been with Ms Duncan's sickness. Her character was never compelling. At times, her character appeared bored as wanting this nightmare to end. But that may again have to do with the sickness and emotions of the tumor. It was a show you want to like but was not to be.

At the beginning of this movie it appeared to have a lot of potential to be an heart-warming and interesting story. But for some reason instead of being interesting it was more of a bunch of jumbled situations that seemed to lose the flow of the story. The forecast, at the beginning, seemed to be the love of a teenage girl for horses that was going to change her life and effect all the people around her. However, we have to go through a number of dull side plots which appeared to even leave the actor's unexcited.. There were a few good performances as Leonor Varela was believable in her part plus Luke Perry had his moments during the film. But most others seemed stiff and exhausted when delivering lines. In fact, I am not sure that Armand Assante was sober at anytime while the cameras rolled. Many times I could not even understand what he was saying. And then came the climax of the entire film only to be ruined by some foolish announcers trying to put some comedy into a situation that was high drama. This falls right at the feet of the writers and director. A situation that was actually embarrassing. If you can get past some of the dull moments the film does have a message. It was just too hard to find with all the wearisome situation.

I bought a colorized version of this film that had been renamed "Stolen Goods" upon it's DVD release. And I have to say it was one of the better versions I have seen for a 1934 filmed movie. The scenery was wonderful and there was never a dark moment like you get in so many early black and white films. And the ending that made 'riding off in the sunset' come alive. John Wayne and Gabby Hayes, more or less, team up to stop a bunch of villains that is stealing all the transporting of goods making the good people thinking about leaving the town. And when one of the richer man in town says he'll buy the townsfolk land if they wanted to leave- makes you know something may be afoot. This was not that bad of an early "B" western. Plenty of shooting and plenty of riding. Would make for a great afternoon at the theater. With the film being only about 55 minutes long, there is enough action to keep a viewer alert to the very end as two ride into the sunset.

I must say that I did not have high hopes for this film going into the movie. But it really was not that bad. It had all the regular movie plots such as; a handsome hero, a beautiful girl, hated villains and a worried mother. All elements for a great adventure. But for some reason ,perhaps the out-of-date subject, it did not come across very well on the screen. I thought Johnny Sands and Vivian Austin worked well together. And it is always great to see Geraldine Wall, who played the mother, in any cast. The movie seemed to lack a surprising situation. The script was just too tame. This was a low budget movie so special effects are limited to a sound stage with clips of real racing woven in between. But if the viewer can remember that it was 1947 when the film was released, then most can be overlooked. And if overlooked the viewer will be entertained for the 61 minutes.

Even though this movie was a bit rough, it still made for an entertaining watch. This western is fast paced and the viewer does not have much time before leaving one action scene till another arrives. Kermit Maynard seemed stiff throughout most of the movie but near the end Maynard shows his skill by jumping (with help from a spring pad cleverly hidden by some small hay bales) Maynard jumps across a fence and lands straddled on his horse Rocky. Oh what a jump! Even with typical 1930's B westerns poor situations like; odd music playing in the background, a side-kick that always makes mistakes, the lead actor always getting away from the henchmen and film being sped up during fight scenes- there was actually some good moments. Harley Wood , playing the female part, and John Merton, playing the villain, played there part so well they looked kind of out-of-place next to the others actors. This is nowhere close to being a hidden gem but it did keep the viewer on their toes the full hour.

This is not an award winning movie by any means- but with the fast paced action, this was a western that was enjoyable to watch. Some western movies move slow as it builds up excitement as the plot may have two or three action packed segments. However, this tale moves from one situation to another never slowing down for a rest making the movie seem even shorter than the 80 minute length. John Wayne and Vera Ralston worked well together with Wayne beginning that swagger that he was so famous for in later films. This being a low budget film, there are some rough spots in production. The use of very obvious backdrops and sound-stage fake backgrounds made the film look cheap but the story still held up well. An entertaining film that kept the viewer's attention from beginning to end.

To say this was some kind of masterpiece is hard to believe but I will say the story did have some interest. The situation that the main players were placed came across as riveting but it moved at a snail's pace. And with the situation switching from present-time to past-time, made for some confusion as the viewer tried to follow the plot and remember how the story was progressing. Without giving away any of the plot, I found that the main source of confusion was they way the crowd, below the apartment, acted from one scene to the other. It was like they ran hot and then cold all in one progression. > There were some nice performances as Vincent Price was at his best during this film. His character, and they way Mr Price played the character, came across as one of the best performance he had given. Henry Fonda which usually adds to the story, was figured out in the first ten minutes of the film and nothing really new was introduced. As to say, the film became boring very early and did not pick up till the very end. > If this movie has been edited to about an hour in length, then it may have caused more interest.. After ten minutes of the movie, I kept looking for something that was shocking or caused excitement- however there was none forthcoming to the very end. By that time interest was cold.

So, right after the women have a great episode and we are left with many interesting questions, they decide to go on a camping trip. We are back to a show with no action that tries to deliver a message with a social commentary to make us feel all warm inside. However, this episode does nearly the opposite as it feels like a bucket of cold water has been applied by the writers of this episode. The show does feature a nice story that involves Shelia-the-she-wolf, wonderfully played by Gayle Rankin, as she make a decision that will effect her status as a human being. But the side story about the an Asian girl feeling hurt because she jumps out of a fortune cookie every night seems oddly planned. As if they just gave her a conflict so she could have some lines in the show. I mean she waits till she goes camping to all of the sudden feel violated? I have been very critical of the show drifting away from its roots to boring commentary about sad conflict, but at least this show had a reason for the dialog. Some good things and some poor things in the show. But overall this was better reason for a drama lead episode than was earlier in the season. But still would like to get back to the fun side of the series.

For the first time in Season three, the show gets back to its roots and actually entertains the watchers. We get back to wrestling and the connection between the women as a whole. That differs from the past few episodes where the writers take us to conflicts between only one or two characters per show. It was the best show, so far, in the third season as we remember why we started watching years ago. With this episode having more action, there is much time to see that Chris Lowell, that plays Bash, is not an announcer. In fact, it is embarrassing for the viewer as he screams into the microphone only to have the sound come out like a 8 year old screaming for more candy. It is an obvious flaw in the cast. However, this show was back to the reason we started watching the series. Hope they continue with the women as a group and stay away from the useless nudity that has almost ruined the reason to watch.

What has happened to the show that was so enjoyable in the first two seasons.? We have the same actors but it seems the production staff want to get away from the unique aspect of the show and sink into a drama filled with useless sex scenes and boring plots. The uniqueness of the show, the women working together to perform a wrestling match to eek by another week, has gone. The characters of women are no longer the driving force of the show. Now its lifeless and bland and has even sank into the abyss of the bizarre as the writers believe that sex sales the program. Well, this is one situation where sex is bankrupting the series.

I was lucky enough to borrow a copy of this movie from a friend in Europe. Even though the film was on 'PAL standard ' signal, my friend was able , with help, to convert the format to DVD. With the increase lighting and RKO distribution credits, this copy was so much better than others I have seen. But even with this better condition film, at times you can tell that it was copied directly from some kind of projector film since you can detect film cracks and slippage during watching.

About the film- This 1940 early version may not have all the bells and whistles as the 1960 version, but it holds its own with nice acting and an interesting script. Thomas Mitchell does a great job, as the viewer is placed right in the middle of the course that the Father has planned for the family. You end up rooting for the man (Mr Robinson) as he wants what is best for his sons even though his wife is not always on board with his agenda.

This film does a great job of making each son a totally different character from the other sibling with each having their own identity which helps the interest. The viewer can find a little bit of themselves in at least one of the boys on the island

Even though the production staff went rather economical on casting actors (there is only nine credited actors, one a baby, and that involves living in England and boarding a ship for days) the film does go all-out on special effects. Even though they are rough by today's standards, the lightning storm is just as powerful as anything in modern films.

When a film ends and you wish there was more- then everyone associated with the production has done their job. It was an exciting, interesting tale that I wish could have continued with later information about the family. But it was naught to be. Anyway, a film that is just as good as any copy of the story.

When you watch the first two season of the series, you enjoyed the experience and even felt like you were watching a part of people you knew. But something has went wrong in this third season as it feels like these people are nearly brand new and you are being introduced to them for the first time. Things have changed and not for the better.

The only thing that was even remotely interesting was the relationship between Ruth and Sam. But the writers tried to force the viewer into other relationships by showing sex scenes, with others, trying to produce some interest. Get back to the fun of the series. Get back to what makes the some interesting--The Women. It's turning into Payton Place- and that was cancelled many years ago.

We actually get a nice plot in this western theme film. As Hopalong has to fend off a gang of henchmen to save a boy from certain death by the local gang in a small western town.

The plot folds out as the boy's mother and father are killed and their gold stolen. The henchmen did not know that the boy was around and can quickly identify the men. So now the local gang is out to get the boy that has been hidden by a local bar dancer that actually works for the leader of the gang. She is going to try to get the boy back to his grandfather without the gang knowing. But her plan only ends in tragedy. But thanks to Hopalong and Johnny, things appear to be going in the correct direction to save the boy. That is till one of the main characters get shot.

There is nothing real remarkable about the performance and at times it felt the film was lacking action. But near the end, all things come together to make a nice show. Plus it was nice to see Gabby Hayes return to the cast since he was killed off in the last film. But he might just need a re-write to make it to film three.

For a low budget 1935 'B' western, this was not bad. In fact, with the nice editing and the outdoor scenes, this was actually a better filmed movie than some of the high end production companies were making at the time. But it was not one of the best, actually far from the fact.

I guess if this was the first time I had ever seen a Hopalong western, then perhaps it would be better outcome. But this first show was stiff at times. The actors had not gelled and look ill-at-ease reading the script. Hopalong was ready to hang someone without a trial, which is something that would never happen on later episodes of the series.

You can overlook the plot- and overlook the singing- but from William Boyd's almost mannequin appearance and the fact the leading lady appeared to have never acted before, things need improvement. And in later episodes, they will. They will become Saturday matinee movies with action, laughs and gunfire. And this offering was lacking two of the three.

I really could not follow this movie. Was not sure, in some scenes, if they were going back in time or it was something happen in present chronological order. Either way, this was more of a bunch of snippets scenes paste together with little thought to the viewer. Even in the first ten minutes of the film there are only about fifty words spoken and most at a whisper volume. There was so many things the viewer was trying to follow- that it never felt comfortable or entertaining. It really was a disappointing film that has so much potential. Perhaps with better editing, this could have been interesting. In its current form, it is more confusing than enjoyable.

When a show starts out with the Challenger disaster, you would think things would improve with the script. . However, in the showing it only gets worse and more and more melancholy that makes Season Three appear to have been a miscue. Loved the first two seasons- but this show is bring me down. That is not good for a series that relies on viewers. There is very little entertainment in the show as we get saddest in nearly every scene. Even though, this was not the best showing- we can only hope the writers get back to the show we expect. This was not the case in this depressing writing attempt. Give us back the girls that we follow each show. Give us the fantasy we expect. Not news that bring us down. Save that stuff for a documentary.

Went into this movie with high hopes for the film. The trailer was interesting and I am one that tends to enjoy about any movie that has Steve Carell is a part. But after watching, I came away with a sense of reading a news article that was peppered with CGI effects that never expands the story. And the story has so much working for it - that it is depressing to see the story filled with moments that had nothing to do with the plot but was trying to stir emotion. It was like throw a laugh in the script so the audience will forget what little substance is in the film. After viewing the film, the person with me said that the effects were very good. And yes the effects were entertaining but to just judge the movie on effects, when they had very little to do with the story, is not a well thought out plan. If you are judging this film on effects I can see a good review. But if you are a serious movie goer that enjoys a story coming to life right before your eyes, then you will be disappointed. I caught myself, about twenty minutes into the film, wondering when it was going to end. Not a good sign.

As with a number of western films put out in this time period, it was made for the Saturday Matinee to entertain the young people. Since there was no television at the time, movie houses wanted something new each week to get the kids in the theater and turn some kind of profit. These type of films would be shown in a double or triple feature so they needed to be made quickly and as cheaply as possible. Thus, providing the movie house with revenue.

Even though this film is dated, it actually had a interesting plot that is missing from so many of the 'poverty row' western movies. When the Ranger Busters ride into town, they are recruited as lawmen. In the town they have some villains trying to get a teenager in trouble with the law all because of a hanging that happen some time back. These villains, led by Glen Strange, trying to get the young man, Jimmy, to live their life of lawlessness but are actually setting Jimmy up for a fall. And not just any fall, but one that revenge will be returned for the hanging of one of the villain's buddies.

Everything in the film looked to be going well- but when the songs were introduced, the viewer was made aware that this film was made for teenagers. It was bad enough that one of the Busters, Alibi (Max Terhune) has a puppet named Elmer riding around with him. Then when a song breaks out, Elmer has some of the lines in the song. Egad!

For a 'B' western movie this was not too bad. It did have the lovely Luana Walters in the picture that is always a treat for any viewer. But one cannot get past the fact that, poor lighting, questionable sound and previously recorded song tracks - made this movie seem poorly made. But I am sure that in early 1941, before the outbreak of war, this film entertained many a young man sitting in a dark theater on Saturday afternoon.

In this third installment of the Rough Riders series, we have nearly the same situation as the other two stories. As one of the Marshals will be himself while the other two work undercover to help a local a business owner deal with the thugs that want to put him out of business. But with all the Rough Riders scripts. they throw in lots of action to keep the Saturday matinee kids happy.

It begins in a prison where two convicts vow to get Marshal Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) for locking them up. And when they get out they contact Jones and even believe they have killed him. But thinks to his white horse, Silver, help arrives and Marshal Roberts will recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, Marshal McCall (Tim McCoy) is posing as a card shark and Marshal 'Killer' Hopkins (Raymond Hatton) is posing as a delivery driver that also was put in prison by Roberts. They also throw in a young gentleman named Jim Cramer, the general store owner, that at one time was arrest by Marshal Jones and release all because the Marshal had a soft spot of the young man that was responsible for two small children. Cramer was now on the straight and narrow and about to be married. And he is the owner that villains are trying to put out of business. .

There is much action in this film. As with all 'B' westerns there is lots of shooting, fighting and horse-back riding. There is one action scene that stands out about others which involves a stuntman being dragged supposedly by a horse. Due to the speed of the man being pulled, it was more than likely a motorized vehicle. And I am sure, from the footage, that the stuntman received some nasty injuries due to the dragging. It looked frightening. Overall a nice performance by all. And one that never slowed in action.

After watching the first installment of the Rough Riders in the film 'Arizona Bound', I was so much looking forward to a repeat of this entertaining concept. However after watching this film, I was somewhat disappointed with the outcome of the story. For me, it just did not have the flare that the first film project, and had some confusing situations that threw clouds into the plot rather than made the plot enjoyable.

The film starts out about the same way as the first film with the three Marshals (Jones ,McCoy, Hatton ) arriving at a small community that is having trouble with villains. It seems that a group of people are causing havoc throughout the community by killing cowhands and stealing cattle. This was all done in order for someone to take all the water-rights, for very little money, as the farmers went slowly out of business. Enter Marshal Buck Roberts, posing as a criminal to the locals. And with the help of Marshal McCall and a ranch-hand cook that is really Marshal Hopkins- the villains will soon get their justice.

Even though this was a nice story, it seemed to be more complex that others in the series. Perhaps I have got use to watching 'B' westerns with a simple plot and routine stories, that this offering caught me by surprise. Even with some stiff acting by the main characters, the film did have many action scenes that will appeal to most western fans.. Christine McIntyre and Dave O'Brien, guest-stars, worked great together with O'Brien even singing a special tune to an orphan baby that was made to pull at heart-strings. This is a movie that was still nice to watch as we anticipate the third installment of the Rough Rider series.

Watching many of the cheaply made 'B' westerns, I am use to an array of repeat stories that seem so cookie-cut that you can tell the ending only after a few minutes of watching. However, as I sat down to watch this film it became apparent that all 'B' movies are not created equal. This was actually an entertaining story with some fascinating characters.

The story was centered around three Marshals (Rough Riders) that went undercover to find the people responsible for a series of stage robberies in a small Arizona town. The three Marshals, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Ray Hatton arrive in the town at different times as to not arouse the suspicion of the locals with only Jones revealing that he use to be a Marshal but had since retired. And as the plot thickens, the townsfolk will soon learn that they are in the middle of a investigation that will not stop till justice is served.

This was an enjoyable start to the Rough Rider series. -- And sure some of the scenes were rough, as when the trio went through a hail of gunfire and never even got a scratch. Or when a villain was shooting at one of the Marshals and he just walked right towards the villain and never was struck- but it played out well on the screen. An enjoyable watch that has me looking for the next time the Rough Riders ride again. I giving this an solid 8 on the 'B' western index.

For a 'B' western, this really wasn't so bad. It involved the Matinee duo of Buster Crabbe and Al ( Fuzzy) St. John in the Billy the Kid serials that ran in most every theater in the 40's. This time Bill the Kid (Crabbe) and his humorous side-kick, Fuzzy Q Jones, help a teenage brother and sister that have returned to their small town only to find it has become a ghost town. Seems that someone has ran out or killed all the citizens, all in the name of Billy the Kid, in order to get gold that has been found in the area. The problem is they have killed the man that knows the whereabouts of the gold so they are digging in the area to find the spot.

It is not long before Crabbe, using a fake name of Billy Andrews, finds a map with the location of the gold. In the meantime, the villains have found that Bill Andrews real name is Billy the Kids and plan to get rid of him by any means possible.

The movie was a typical matinee western made by many companies call the 'skid-row' productions. But what was odd about this film is that it was released under two titles. The first title, upon beginning release, was 'The Mysterious Rider' with a running time of 56 minutes. Later when it was re-released the title was changed to "Panhandle Trail' with a running time of 40 minutes. One can only guess that the reason for the title change was the fact that there were many films in the western genre that used the title 'Mysterious Rider'. Even by 1942 there had been three movies title 'Mysterious Rider' with one being re-released about the time this movie made it debut. And with the shorten time, it appears that the movie houses were wanting shorter films before the main feature. By doing this they can get a double feature or even a triple feature at a small fee to attract the local population into paying price for admission.

Having watch both titles, it is apparent that the production company tried to shorten some scenes in order to get to the 40 minutes mark. Some of the shortcuts mainly involved people riding up, or away, on horse-back. So most of the cuts were really of no value. However, there is a big cut at the start of the movie. In the first release, it shows the Marshal and his posse chasing Billy and Fuzzy which relayed how and why Billy was in the area. The cut even had a nice scene of Fuzzy jumping into Billy's arms when he thinks he sees a ghost. -- Another cut involved how Fuzzy and the violin got into the vacant saloon, the shorter cut ending when the violin was found in the teenagers house. Not much was lost with the editing but watching the full film does make you feel more informed..

Another nice watch from the early western work.