Western “B” Movie Sampler – Vol. 4
Summertime means travel time for me, and that in turn means it’s time for my annual “B” Western sampler!
I find “B” Westerns, which often run under an hour, the perfect thing to relax with after a long day of travel and sightseeing. The portable DVD player I bought a decade ago continues to be one of my very favorite entertainment-related purchases.
I watched four films during my recent vacation, all from different studios and featuring different Western stars. In addition to being diverting entertainment, “B” Westerns often give viewers early looks at up-and-coming stars, which was the case with a couple of these films.
All of these films are readily available on DVD, with the sources noted below.
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Frontier Horizon (George Sherman, 1939)
This movie, also known by the title New Frontier, was John Wayne’s last ’30s “B Western. It was filmed after the release of the star-making John Ford Western Stagecoach (1939) earlier that year.
Frontier Horizon was part of the long-running Three Mesquiteers series, with the trio being completed by Ray Corrigan and Raymond Hatton.
The movie was filmed at Southern California locations including Corrigan’s namesake Corriganville, which I wrote about here in 2021, and also at Iverson Movie Ranch, which I wrote about here in 2022.
Except for a brief prologue, the movie ostensibly takes place circa 1915, but it actually mixes multiple time periods, a practice I’ve termed “Roy Rogers Land.” Much of the movie seems firmly set in the Old West, with transportation by horse and buggy, yet some characters also watch movie footage.
Stock footage of the modern-day construction of a dam is included; incidentally, it’s said by references to have been one of the Van Norman dams in Granada Hills, California. The dams were later abandoned after damage in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. It’s fascinating how often these brief “B” Westerns lead to my learning more about California history.
The plot, focusing on the condemnation of a Western community to make way for said dam, isn’t especially scintillating. There’s plenty of drama inherent in the conflict over land and water rights, yet there’s little character development in this film’s scant 57 minutes, and Wayne is surprisingly underutilized, given that his star was on the ascent.
What made the film especially interesting to me was the cast. In addition to the stardom-bound Wayne, Frontier Horizon features the film debut of 20-year-old Phylis Isley. There’s nothing at all notable about Isley here, in a standard-issue ingenue role; Isley made a couple other film appearances in 1939, then left the screen for four years.
When Isley returned to the movies in 1943, it was under a brand-new name, Jennifer Jones, and she immediately won a Best Actress Oscar for The Song of Bernadette (1943). Jones, of course, went on to a stellar career, with additional notable films including Since You Went Away (1944), Cluny Brown (1946), and Portrait of Jennie (1948), to name just three.
The movie also features 14-year-old Sammy McKim, who was part of a large family of child actors. McKim left acting in the ’50s, turning down a role in John Ford’s The Long Gray Line (1955), in order to take an opportunity to work as an artist at 20th Century-Fox.
In short order McKim moved on to Disney, where he had a long career as an accomplished Imagineer; he was honored as a Disney Legend in 1996. Sammy McKim passed away in 2004, but I had the wonderful opportunity to chat about his career with his son, Matt McKim, at the 2024 Disney D23 Expo. The family celebrated Sammy McKim’s centennial with multiple events in late 2024.
The Frontier Horizon cast also features Eddy Waller, Jody Gilbert, LeRoy Mason, and Betty Mack. It was filmed by Reggie Lanning. The screenplay was written by Betty Burbridge and Luci Ward, based on characters created by William Colt MacDonald.
This film is available on DVD and Blu-ray from the now-defunct Olive Films. I’d recommend anyone interested pick up a copy soon, given that Olive is no longer in business.
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Across the Sierras (D. Ross Lederman, 1941)
This Bill Elliott film, released by Columbia Pictures, was my favorite of the quartet. It combines well-sketched characters with a substantive, surprisingly tough story written by Paul Franklin. A lot happens in 59 minutes, but there’s also some real depth to it.
Wild Bill Hickok (Elliott) rescues his childhood friend Larry (Richard Fiske) from a lynch mob, after which the two men arrive in the community of Arroyo.
Hickok plans to settle down as a “peaceable man” and hopes to convince Larry to do the same, but Larry is swayed by the easy money that comes from crime. Hickok remains on the side of law and order but finds it hard to give up his guns, which interferes with his plans to wed straight-laced Easterner Anne (Luana Walters).
This is a surprisingly brutal film, including the cold-blooded murder of an older man, an accidental killing, and the wounding of the film’s comic relief (Dub Taylor) along with the attempted lynching. There are story elements reminiscent of Owen Wister’s The Virginian, with Wild Bill’s Easterner sweetheart and “Trampas”-like “frenemy,” but unlike the original Wister novel, Across the Sierras builds to a surprisingly bleak ending.
The movie, which doesn’t really have anything to do with the Sierras, was filmed by George Meehan, with locations including Columbia Ranch and Iverson Ranch. I especially appreciated that the filmmakers created a waterfall for a single sequence shot at Iverson; they went to a lot of effort in order to create additional visual interest. As a frequent “B” Western viewer who’s also familiar with many locations, I’ve come to appreciate things like that!
The villain is played by Dick Curtis, one of the founders of Pioneertown, which I wrote about here last month. One of his henchmen was played by LeRoy Mason, who was also a villain in Frontier Horizon. One tends to see the same actors and locations turn up among “B” Westerns, despite their being made by a variety of studios.
It’s a sad side note that some members of this cast died fairly young. Curtis was only 49 when he passed in 1952, and Walters died at 50 in 1963.
Fiske, who effectively plays Elliott’s troubled friend, joined the army in 1942 and was killed in action in France in 1944, age 28. He was posthumously awarded several military honors.
The cast is rounded out by Ruth Robinson and Milt (Milton) Kibbee, who was the brother of the better-known Guy Kibbee and the father of Emmy-nominated soap opera star Lois Kibbee.
Across the Sierras is available as part of a three-film Elliott DVD from Mill Creek.
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Boss of Bullion City (Ray Taylor, 1940)
Boss of Bullion City is a 61-minute Johnny Mack Brown Western released by Universal Pictures. Like Frontier Horizon, there’s a rather unexpected surprise in the supporting cast.
It was also the third film in a row I watched on the trip which was shot at Iverson Movie Ranch!
Tom Bryant (Brown) and his pal Burt (Fuzzy Knight) arrive in Bullion City to start a newspaper. Tom quickly deduces the town sheriff (Western villain extraordinaire Harry Woods) is behind major thefts in the area and sets out to stop him.
This is a fun little film, written by Arthur St. Claire and Victor McLeod from St. Claire’s story, though it has more characters than it knows what to do with. The film’s main problem is it doesn’t seem to know which of its ladies should end up with Brown.
Nell O’Day plays Martha, a spunky Western heroine who can ride and shoot as well as any man. O’Day, who appeared frequently opposite Brown, is an engaging leading lady.
The real surprise, though, is the actress who plays Linda, the daughter of peddler Mike Calhoun (Earle Hodgins): She’s played by future Universal Pictures adventure film star Maria Montez. Montez was fourth-billed, in her film debut, and she’s cute pining after Brown.
Montez was later known as “The Queen of Technicolor,” but though she was filmed here by William A. Sickner in black and white, she remains gloriously beautiful. This is also said to have been the only film in which Montez speaks Spanish, which adds a fun side to her character.
The cast was rounded out by Kermit Maynard, George Humbert, Melvin Lang, Estelita Zarco, and the Guadalajara Trio.
This film is available on DVD from VCI Entertainment; it’s part of an eight-film set featuring a variety of Western stars. For those few still using VHS players (I do!), VCI also put this film out as a single-title video release.
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The Brand of Hate (Lewis D. Collins, 1934)
The final film of this recent batch of movies seen was The Brand of Hate, a 63-minute Bob Steele Western from Supreme Pictures.
Young sweethearts Rod (Steele) and Margie (Lucile Browne) have their plans to wed complicated when her father Joe (William Farnum) has his outlaw brother Bill (George “Gabby” Hayes) and evil nephews (James Flavin and Archie Ricks) unexpectedly show up and demand to move in.
Bill and sons are very dangerous — indeed, they shoot Rod’s father (Charles French) and threaten that Margie will have to marry one of them — so Margie feigns a lack of interest in Rod in order to keep him out of harm’s way. But eventually, thanks in part to Margie’s brave little brother Bud (Mickey Rentschler), Rod learns the truth and sets out to rescue Margie.
The acting in this film, written by Jack Natteford, is often akin to an old-style melodrama, yet it has a certain charming innocence which I found quite agreeable. Steele and Browne are sweet together, and I really appreciated Steele’s athleticism. It’s great fun simply watching him mount a horse! I think he may have done some of his own stunts.
Ironically, leading lady Browne had married Flavin, who plays one of the villains menacing her, the year before this film was released. They were wed until Flavin’s death in 1976.
The movie was filmed by William Thompson. References indicate it was shot in Lone Pine, but my husband and I didn’t recognize any of the film’s locations as being from that area, which we know well. We also couldn’t figure out where it was actually shot!
The Brand of Hate is available on DVD from VCI Entertainment, released as part of a four-film Bob Steele collection.
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It’s hard to believe, but this month marks my seventh anniversary writing the Western RoundUp column here at Classic Movie Hub. I continue to be deeply appreciative of the opportunity to share my love for all things related to Western movies here, and my thanks to all who read and comment!
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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub
Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.
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The New Frontier has a pair of future Academy Award Winners, which doesn’t make it better than it is, but still pretty good. Across the Sierras is better, and Bill Elliott drives the narrative which in a low-key way Bob Steele, a personal favorite, does in Brand of Hate . The least of these, and it is okay, has Johnny Mack Brown in the lead. Johnny might have been Clark Gable if he could act. The story about Johnny getting good parts at Metro and then being replaced by someone better is mind-boggling, but what would anyone running the studio do other than that?
Lots of fun, Laura,
Laura, I really enjoy your wonderfully informative and fun WESTERN “B” MOVIE SAMPLER’s. Also, the photographs you choose add a lot. I like that you write about the locations of where these movies were filmed. As we know, landscapes are characters in a Western movie or TV show. Thank you for writing these important writeups.
I smiled when you wrote, “For those still using VHS players ( I do!).” Well, I still use them, also. I still have a lot of VHS tapes from 30-40 years ago and they still play, whereas many newer DVD’s have already corrupted and no longer play. When I see a dual player, which plays both VHS and DVD’s, at a flea market or anywhere else, I buy it. Many movies on VHS have never made it to DVD, much less Blu-ray or streaming. I won’t give up on my VHS copies of the letterboxed 202 minute version(including overture, intermission, and exit music) of John Wayne’s THE ALAMO(filmed 1959, released 1960). The DVD version is 161 minutes, which is 31 minutes minus of actual movie time(not including overture, intermission, and exit music).
You piqued my interest with your reference to the location filming of THE BRAND OF HATE(1934). IMDb lists Lone Pine, California as the filming location. You write, “References indicate it was shot in Lone Pine, but my husband and I didn’t recognize any of the film’s locations as being from that area, which we know well. We also couldn’t figure out where it was actually shot!” You and Doug have been to Lone Pine several times and you know that neck of the rocks country. I’ll go along with you and Doug’s judgement any day. I’ve never been there, but I’ve viewed a few Westerns in my lifetime, and I don’t think it was filmed in Lone Pine. So, where was THE BRAND OF HATE filmed?
I think that the movie might have been filmed near the old Kernville location. Why? Well, what triggered my memory was the exciting runaway wagon sequence, which involved some top-notch uncredited stunt work. When the wagon goes over the cliff, I believe that I recognize the cliff, which has been used in many other 1930’s movies. The cliff is near old Kernville and the nearby very scenic countryside, which was used for chase sequences, as in this movie. Kernville was razed and moved in 1948 because of the impending construction of the earthen embankment dam, which created Lake Isabella. The cliff is still there, but I don’t know how easy or hard it is to get there. Other Supreme Pictures Productions starring Bob Steele were filmed here in 1934, so I think there’s a good chance that this is the location for THE BRAND OF HATE. Although, the Larkins’ ranch scenes could have been filmed at another location. Well, this is my 25 cents worth on the subject for whatever it’s worth.
I’ve been having a look see concerning Bob Steele recently and I’ve used some of what I found in comments over on Toby Roan’s 50 WESTERNS FROM THE 50S site on the HANG ‘EM HIGH(filmed 1967, released 1968) post. I don’t know who to give credit for this description of Bob Steele in THE BRAND OF HATE, whether it’s the publicists of Supreme Pictures Productions or the William Steiner Distributors, but here it is, “It may be remarked that the story makes unusual demands upon Mr. Steele’s dramatic talents, as well as his recognized ability to ride like a Centaur and fight with the concentrated fierceness of an Indian warrior of old.” I like that.
I look forward to your next write-up.
Another cracker of a write-up, Laura! As you know, you’re very much in Jerry territory here. These B-western (or more accurately series western) stars are all favourites of mine, like Barry and Walter. And by the way, I always learn so much interesting stuff when either of these fellows share their vast knowledge.
The Bob Steele films are at the low-budget end of course but his charm and athleticism draw me in every time. When you see John Wayne in those Three Mesquiteers films he was making when Ford called him up you really just know this guy had ‘star quality’.
The favourite of the 4 films, like yourself and the others, for me is ACROSS THE SIERRAS. This was relatively early in Bill Elliott’s starring career and yet he was so authoritative on the silver screen already. He is a big favorite with me. I also have to say that, among the silly antics of many of the sidekicks, Dub Taylor I somehow find genuinely amusing. Maybe it’s that Georgian accent.
Anyway, as Walter says, keep ’em coming please, Laura.
Jerry, thank you for the kind words. I agree with your knowledgeable take on these wonderful Western Stars and sidekick Walter “Dub” Taylor. I always like seeing Dub Taylor in anything, especially Westerns. Dub is a one-of-a-kind character actor with his unique voice. Many fans of the Western Series will always remember him as “Cannonball.”
I recall viewing him on THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON in 1973. Johnny asked him who his favorite Western Stars were when he was growing up. Dub told him he liked William S. Hart, Hoot Gibson, and Harry Carey. He said that he had recently worked in Sam Peckinpah’s PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID(filmed 1972-73, released 1973) and that Sam was really mad about how MGM Studios had butchered his movie. Also, he talked about duck hunting near Stuttgart, Arkansas. Dub ended the show by playing the xylophone with three mallets in each hand.