Witney Western

 

 (imdb)

THE LONG ROPE-1961-In a town run by a rancher named Ben Matthews (Robert J. Wilke), a judge (Hugh Marlowe) comes to preside over the trial of a Mexican accused of killing Matthew's brother. With the reluctant help of the sheriff (Alan Hale, Jr.), Stone investigates. He also meets gun-slinger Reb (Chris Robinson) who tries to reform. There's a trial where the real murderer is revealed and a quick gun fight. Also with William Kerwin and Lisa Montell. 

The Long Rope was produced by actress Margia Dean (she's in MESA OF LOST WOMEN). She hired veteran B-movie director William Witney who does a good job with this low budget minor western. Dean had planned at least one more movie but no more were ever made.

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Kicks, Baby, Kicks

 

 (imdb)

THE WILD REBELS-1967-Rod Tillman (Steve Alaimo) quits his race car driving and hooks up with the dumb motorcycle gang Satan's Angels led by goofball Jeeter (John Vella). The gang is made up of biker chick Linda (Bobbie Byers), Fats (Jeff Gillen) and Banjo (Willie Pastrano). They want Rod to drive the getaway car for crime they are plotting. He turns them down but then is approached by police Lt. Dorn (Walter R. Philbin) to infiltrate the gang. He agrees and winds up driving their getaway car when they rob a bank. There's a big shoot out with the police in some kind of tower where Rod is cornered by Jeeter until Linda shoots him. 

Stupid cliche nonsense from writer/director William Grefe' who'd made more entertaining films like DEATH CURSE OF TARTU and THE STING OF DEATH (both 1966) and would go on to make a spat of oddball productions like THE HOOKED GENERATION (also with Alaimo), THE NAKED ZOO with Rita Hayworth, STANLEY, IMPULSE with William Shatner and Bacardi rum commercials.

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Another Cheapo Western

 

 (themoviedb.org)

WACO-1966-In Emporium, Wyoming, Sheriff Kelly (Richard Arlen) tries to keep law and order but is shot in the back. Councilman Gates (John Agar) wants the mayor (Robert Lowery) to hire convicted killer Waco (Howard Keel) to clean up the town which is controlled by Joe Gore (John Smith) and his partner in crime Rile (DeForrest Kelly). Waco's old flame, Jill (Jane Russell) is now married to preacher Sam Stone (Wendell Corey). 

Waco helps the mayor's daughter (Tracey Olsen) and roughs up some rowdy ranchers. He helps reform the drunken deputy (Gene Evans) but later, Waco decides to take over the town. He sends for his friend gunfighter Ross (Brian Donlevy). However, when Ross backs out, the whole town decides to defend their territory. 

Ben Cooper is a would-be deputy. Terry Moore works in the bar. Also with Fuzzy Knight. Director RG Springsteen who made many westerns in the  30's and 40's was already working in TV by the time of this low budget production. Singer Howard Keel had starred in THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS in 1963.

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Bank Robbery

 

 (imdb)

BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW-1976-Reckless self-assured car thief Lyle Wheeler (Marjoe Gortner) hooks up with waitress Bobbie Joe (Lynda Carter) and her friend Essie (Belinda Balaski). He and Billie Jo become lovers and do a lot of nonsense until they meet up with BJ's sister Pearl (Merrie Lynn Ross) and her boyfriend Slick (Jesse Vint) and Lyle kills a factory guard. They all go on the run. During a police shootout, which they escape, Essie is killed. They decide to become bank robbers and killers. The tobacco chewing sheriff (Gene Drew) chases them and kills the wrong people at one point. 

This misguided "Bonnie & Clyde" influenced drama from AIP is OK to a point but just goes on too long. Director Mark L. Lester went on to make several high-profile movies like ROLLER BOOGIE (1979), CLASS OF 1984 (1982) and FIRESTARTER (1984) culminating with Arnold Schwarzenegger in COMMANDO. Screenwriter Vernon Zimmerman went on to direct FADE TO BLACK in 1980.

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Buck It Up

 

 (imdb)

BUCKTOWN-1975-Duke Johnson (Fred Williamson) goes to a small racist town in Alabama to sell the club his brother Ben owned before he was killed. Aretha (Pam Grier), a realtor friend of Ben's, becomes Duke's lover. The racist white police chief (Art Lund) and his two flunky deputies harass Duke, start a fight in a bar, then try to kill him. Duke calls his friend Roy (Thalmus Rasulala) who brings in some “muscle”. The chief says “Just remember we're the law. God is on our side”. Duke, Roy and their gangs proceed to kill all the white bigoted lawmen and hold the chief hostage. Roy and his flunkies decide to take over as the law after they meet up with Roy's alcoholic friend (Bernie Hamiton). When they try to rape Aretha, Duke builds a tank and attacks them. He has a fisticuffs show-down with Roy in the finale. 

This is more blaxploitation hi-jinks from director Arthur Marks who made FRIDAY FOSTER with Pam Grier the same year. He made the much more enjoyable J.D.'S REVENGE the next year.

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Noose Hangs In Between

 

NOOSE FOR A GUNMAN-1960-Routine western with gunslinger Case Britton (Jim Davis) returning to a town where he killed 2 men, to meet Della Haines (Lyn Thomas), his bride to be. He also warns the Marshall (Walter Sande) that outlaw Jack Cantrell (Ted DeCorsia) and his gang are heading for the money in their bank. Town big shot Avery (Barton McLane) and his hired gun Link (Leo Gordon) are in cahoots with the gang. Harry Carey Jr is also in it and Victor (father of Al) Adamson has a bit role. The year before NOOSE director Edward L. Cahn and screenwriter Robert Kent also teamed to make the far superior THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE.

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Corman Hill

 

THE BIG DOLL HOUSE-1971-In a women's prison in "some banana republic" newbie Marni Collier (Judy Brown) shares a cell with Alcott (Roberta Collins; later in CAGED HEAT), Grear (Pam Grier), Bodine (Pat Woodell), Ferina (Gina Stuart) and Harrad (Brooke Mills). The place is run by Ms. Dietrich (Christiane Schmidtmer) but the real boss is the mysterious Col. Mendoza. 

After cockroach races, food suppliers Harry (Sid Haig) and Fred (Jerry Franks) come by and Harry feels up Grear. Bodine has a boyfriend revolutionary in the mountains and is tortured by head guard Lucian (Kathryn Loder) for info. When Alcott is caught having sex with Fred she's tortured too. Bodine and Alcott plan an escape and want Collier to help them. Then Alcott and Grear have a fight in the mud. The women plot their escape but Lucian tortures Collier to find out their plans while Dietrich dines with the prison doctor (Jack Davis). Then Harrad stabs Grear in the neck. Though Harry and Fred came for sex with Grear they wind up hiding the remaining women in their truck with Dietrich and the doc as hostages. Ferina is killed chasing her cat. There's an attempted rape, shoot out and explosion before the ironic ending.

This sleazy crazy entertaining movie was an early production from Roger Corman's New World Pictures and was shot in The Philippines by Jack Hill soon after the race car film PIT STOP and few years after filming Boris Karloff's US scenes for his quartet of Mexican made horror films. It's also the feature film debut of Pam Grier (who sings the title song). Before this she had a bit role in BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and was a receptionist at New World. Corman co-produced it with John Ashley. Hill made THE BIG BIRD CAGE the next year also with Grier and Haig.

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Billy Dee Williams

 

THE TAKE-1974-Billy Dee Williams is Lt. Terence Sneed a San Francisco cop sent to Polima, New Mexico to investigate organized crime. He's met by Captain Dolek (Albert Salmi) and no sooner are they involved in a bloody shootout. His boss Chief Berrigan (Eddie Albert) seems frustrated. He visits his ex, Nancy (Tracy Reed) and she's not happy to see him. He meets Manso (Vic Morrow), a mobster with a bad heart and accepts his bribe. Dolek is also on his payroll. Manso also has a lawyer (Sorrell Brooke) who helps with his "investments". Sneed and Dolek investigate James (Frankie Avalon) a small time hood who cries because a cop beat him up when he was a kid. Another cop Tallbear (A. Martinez) helps Sneed out. When Sneed disobeys Manso's orders he's beaten up. 

Despite a long chase and shootout this crime action drama isn't very interesting with Sneed's actions not always making sense and a blah ending. John Chandler (MAD DOG COLL) and Kathleen Hughes (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE) have small roles. Another “all star” action drama from director Robert Hartford-Davies (see last entry).

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Caged Heat

 

CAGED HEAT-1974-Jackie Wilson (Erica Gavin) is arrested in a drug bust and sent to a woman's prison where she meets Belle (Roberta Collins) and Pandora (Ella Reid). The place is run by a hung up wheelchair bound warden McQueen (Barbara Steele) and a pipe smoking doctor (Warren Miller). She puts Pandora in solitary because she had a picture of her boyfriend in her cell. They pick fruit, have fights in the showers and walk around topless. Jackie's cellmate is lifer Levelle (Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith). 

When one inmate Maggie (Juanita Brown) tries to rebel, Jackie is also blamed. They are sent for CPT where the sadistic pipe smoking doctor gives them shock treatments as punishment. Later Jackie and Maggie revolt, steal a truck and then a police car. They almost get arrested for prostitution when they meet up with Maggie's friend Crazy Alice (Lynda Gold). Meanwhile the ⁰doc rapes the comatose Belle (and cries about it). Maggie and Jackie go back for revenge and a bloody shootout caps the finale.

This was screenwriter (and future Oscar winner) Jonathan Demme's debut as a director and also features a soundtrack written and performed by John Cale. I've read Michael Bloomfield plays guitar buon it but I'm not so sure...

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Low Budget Minimalist Western

 

THE SHOOTING-1966-A bounty hunter (Warren Oates) and his dumb friend (Will Hutchins) meet a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins; earlier the title role in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK) who wants them to accompany her on a journey. The two try to figure out her motive and later meet up with her friend Billy, a gunfighter (Jack Nicholson). There's a lot of talk in this moody Western by director Monte Hellman. The ending may seem contrived but pay attention to the minimalist dialogue. Nicholson & Perkins were in RIDE THE WHIRLWIND for Hellman the same year. 

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Short Western

 

OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS-1943-The Kincaids battle corruption led by bad guy Whip McCord (Warner Anderson) and his gang of thugs (including Charles Middleton). When Pop Kincaid (Erville Alderson) is framed for murder, son Nate (Robert Shayne) finds evidence that proves his innocence but while he's off finding the judge (Addison Richards) McCord leads a lynch mob that hangs dad. He and McCord have a furious fist fight and McCord is killed. Nate becomes sheriff and marries the judge's daughter Jean (Juanita Stark). 

First in a Warner Brothers series called "Santa Fe Trails", most starring Shayne but playing different characters. This 20 minute short was directed by B. Reeves Easton who made many westerns and short subjects and the serial UNDERSEA KINGDOM (1936) starring Crash Corrigan.

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Hell Is Right

STRAIGHT TO HELL-1987-More pretentious nonsense from director Alex Cox who seems to want to combine Sergio Leone with Alejandro Jodorowsky while throwing in non-actors and a few character actors: Joe Strummer, Sy Richardson, Courtney Love, Elvis Costello, Jim Jarmusch, Grace Jones, Dick Rude, Miguel Sandoval, Zander Schloss, Fox Harris and The Pogues. As with other Cox projects like WALKER and DEATH AND THE COMPASS it's mostly crap. The plot centers around a group of bank robbers, buried money and shootouts in a south of the border town.

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Rex Lease

THE UTAH KID-1930-In this early sound western na outlaw Cal Reynolds (Rex Lease) Is forced to marry a woman named Jenny (Dorothy Sebastian) in order to save her life from his cutthroat pals at their secret hideout. With his help, she returns home and to her fiance Jim the sheriff (Walter Miller) who's been chasing the outlaw! Returning to the hidden lair, Reynolds beats up the mean and bigger Butch, the kind of leader despite Butch using chair and a broken bottle in their fight. Cal visits Jenny and is arrested by Jim but Jenny convinces Jim to let Cal go since he saved her life and she admits the marriage was not consummated. Later Jim uses a horse Cal gave Jenny to find the outlaw hideout. A big gun battle ensues and Cal, not sure who to help rides away. One of the outlaws follows him. When things don't look so good Butch and his bestie Baxter (Boris Karloff)) hightail it themselves. They also take the preacher that earlier married Cal and Jenny. Butch goes to Jim’s house where Cal is now his prisoner. Jim kills Butch and plans to ride away but Jenny stops him and they declare their love for one another. Jim is pushed aside and Baxter gets away! The preacher is shot and seems to be dead but in the next scene is being helped up. 

Star Rex Lease co-starred in many silent films and had a successful transition to talkies. He starred in several movies and serials but also appeared in bit roles, usually uncredited  (A CHUMP AT OXFORD, THE GRAPES OF WRATH). He appeared in 6 Abbott & Costello movies (and one episode of their TV show) which leads me to believe he and Lou Costello could have been friends since the team would try to get old timers work. Lease was married at least 5 times and died in 1966. (Director Richard Thorpe started out on silent films and later made some Tarzan entries. 

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Boss

BOSS NIGGER-1975-Two black bounty hunters Boss (Fred Williamson also the screenwriter) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) who hunt only white people become sheriff and deputy of a town and basically harass all the white people and give the mayor (RG Armstrong) a hard time. Later Williamson is kidnapped and tortured by Jed Clayton (William Smith) but Amos and Clara Mae (Carmen Haywood) rescue him. A doctor (Don “Red" Barry) patches him up. Later after Clayton kills Clara the townspeople help fight off Clayton's gang and Boss kills Clayton but he seems to be killed at the end (I think...??) 

Despite being directed by the great Jack Arnold (as noted previously he was doing lots of TV shows around this time), BN seems to tread a thin line between drama and parody. Many critics seem to think it's a set up. I personally think it's a disaster and the filmmakers had no idea where they were suppose to take the film.

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Sabata!

SABATA-1969-Sabata, a very cool gunfighter (played by the very cool Lee Van Cleef) interjects himself into the happening of a small town run by weird guy Stengal (Franco Ressel) who wants to buy up all the land because a railroad is going to be built. A redneck jerk named Banjo (William Berger) shoots people with with his banjo which is actually a rifle. Later Sabata is joined by fat drunk Carrincha (Pedro Sanchez) and his Indian friend Alley Cat (Aldo Canti) and along with Banjo lay siege to Stengal's ranch. 

This “spaghetti-western” was the first of a trilogy directed by Frank Kramer (real name: Gianfranco Parolini) and all starring Van Cleef.

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Bad Sheriff

THE BROKEN LAND-1962-In the late 1870's Will Brocious (Jack Nicholson) is being held in jail because his father was an outlaw. Sheriff Cogan (Kent Taylor) is a hard nose operator (he's kind of like a character from a Jim Thompson novel) who's own deputy (Jody McCrea) questions his methods. A dumb guy named Billy (Gary Sneed) is thrown in with Will after being caught stealing a necklace he wanted to give to a local waitress Mavera (Diana Darrin). Dunson (Robert Sampson) is a grouchy guy who gets into a fight with Cogan (an obvious double). Mavera helps the trio escape before she leaves town (Cogan ran her out). Later the guys “rescue” her from a stagecoach and high tail it across the desert with the sheriff in hot pursuit. When his deputy rebels Cogan shoots him and goes after the quartet. He brings them back, killing Billy in the process. Later they expose the sheriff for the no good Union scumbag he is. 

Director John Bushelman was mainly an editor (such as CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON and several Burt Gordon movies ). 

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Phillippines

BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA-1973-In a Philippines jail “black mama” Lee Daniels (Pam Grier), a hooker and “white mama” Karen Brent (Margaret Markov), a revolutionary fight for survival and try to avoid the lesbian guards. When they are chained together and transferred to a maximum security prison Karen's guerrilla boyfriend and his pals try to rescue her. That fails but the women escape. Chained together they argue and fight. Karen wants to go back to her revolution while Lee wants to catch a boat and get away. They mug two nuns and put on their habits. They get a ride from a friendly drunken truck driver and steal his truck. A drug dealer (Vic Diaz) is also looking for Lee and some money she stole from him. A local police captain (Eddie Garcia) hires a local pool shooting pimp (Sid Haig) to find the girls too. Meanwhile the “female defiant ones” kill the blacksmith who could have unchained them and beat up an innocent guy and steal his boat. They are rescued by Karen's boyfriend (until then it seems like they are in two separate movies). An all out battle between the revolutionaries and the drug dealer's gang caps the finale where Karen is killed and Daniels escapes on a boat with the drug dealer's money (he's killed in the battle). 

AIP released this Philippines shot adventure movie in the US during the big boom period for this kind of production. It was directed by Eddie Romero who had previously made several notorious horror movies with John Ashley (including MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND) and THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE (also with Pam Grier). A few years after this was made co-star Margaret Markov retired from acting and married producer/actor Mark Damon.  

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60's Western

HOSTILE GUNS-1967-This AC Lyles production features George Montgomery as US Marshall Gid McCool who transports convicted criminals to the state pen. He needs a deputy but can find no one willing so he "recruits" bad boy Mike Reno (Tab Hunter). Their first prisoner is Hank Pleasant (Leo Gordon) on his way to the gallows for killing a child. They later pick up a corrupt railroad official (Robert Emhardt) and a goat thief (Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales who croons a tune). Their fourth pick up is Laura Mannon (Yvonne DeCarlo), who shot her boyfriend. Laura (she and McCool had once been lovers) manages to come between the duo which leads to them fighting and almost being killed by Pleasant's brother (John Russell) and other family members.

This low budget western has lots of witty dialogue and a great cast which also includes smaller roles with Brian Donlevy, Richard Arlen, James Craig, Fuzzy Knight, William Fawcett, Emile Meyer and Don Barry. It was directed by RG Sprignsteen, a veteran of Westerns since the late forties but by this time (not untypically) he had done a lot of TV. Unfortunately the low budget shows through several times especially with camera crew lights reflecting off the scenery at times!

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Arch Halls

THE CHOPPERS-1961-A group of juvenile delinquents strip cars for kicks in this seldom seen low budget teenage crime drama. The leader of the group is spoiled rich kid Cruiser (Arch Hall Jr. in his film debut), assisted by Torch (future director Robert Paget), Snooper (Larry Buchanan regular Burr Middleton), Ben (Chuck Barnes; later OJ Simpson's agent) and Flip (Rex Holman from MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD). Parts of it are narrated by a reporter named Jim Bradford (producer/writer Arch Hall Sr. in an un-billed role) concerned because  "our greatest national resource is in danger".The gang uses a truck full of chickens and a guitar case full of tools to disguise their operation.

They do business with junk man Moose (Bruno VeSota who had a cameo role in NIGHT TIDE the same year) and harmonica playing Cowboy (Britt Wood who also sings a song). Insurance investigator Tom Hart (Tom Brown) tracks them down with the help of his blonde secretary Liz (Marianne Gaba; also in MISSILE TO THE MOON) and police Lt. Fleming (William Shaw). Cruiser uses a two way radio (while lounging in his cool hot rod) to warn his gang when "the bandits" are closing in.

Arch performs "Monkey In My Headband" and another of his compositions "Konga  Joe" plays on the radio. No matter what anyone says, these songs are cooool! Eventually their car stripping leads to a massive shootout in a junk yard where, after two cops are killed  Cruiser wants to give up but Torch refuses. The cops resort to using a bulldozer to get the gang. After his arrest Cruiser  dejectedly says: "We had a ball. A real ball".

There's a lot of jive talk and it's fairly violent for the time. It was the last movie directed by Leigh Jason who's career started in the late '20's. By the time of THE CHOPPERS he'd been working mostly in TV.

Next up for the father and son Hall team would be EEGAH!

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Armed Response

ARMED RESPONSE-1986-In this crazed sometimes funny Fred Olen Ray action drama, David Carradine plays Jim Roth, a veteran tortured by memories of Viet-Nam who now runs a bar. His war vet father Burt is played by Lee Van Cleef! A Yakusa gang leader named Tanaka (Mako) is after a stolen statue. He dispatches two underlings, Thorton (Ross Hagen acting weird as usual) and one of Jim's brothers (David Goss) to deliver a million dollars to buy the statue from the comic duo of Laurene Landon and Dick Miller. Thorton betrays his partner and a bloody shoot out ensues. He beats it out with the money and the statue. Later Tanaka has another brother (Brent Huff) tortured with some kind of acupuncture. After he dies Jim and Burt go for revenge. Fights, shootings and explosions abound. Some of the dialogue is terrible but Tanaka's main henchmen are played by Michael Berryman and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

Also with Lois Hamilton, Burr DeBenning, Conan Lee and Bobbie Bresee (in one quick scene). This was one of Lee Van Cleef's last roles. He died in 1989 of a heart attack at age 63.

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