"Jesse James Rides Again " (1947) ... Clayton Moore & Roy Barcroft ... A Republic 13 Chapter Serial"
Republic Pictures present "JESSE JAMES RIDES AGAIN" (1947) (180 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 13-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Clayton Moore, Linda Stirling, Roy Barcroft, John Compton & Tristram Coffin, relive those thrilling days week after week venue brought you to the theater, as you were mesmerized in your seat waiting for the final chapter ... exciting action within 13 episodes from the Republic Serials department, released on June 2, 1947 our plot line has Jesse dodging the law after being wrongly accused of leading the historic 1876 Northfield Minnesota bank robbery - only to clash with hooded raiders using his name while pillaging farmers, because there's oil on their land.
Under Fred C. Brannon (Director), Thomas Carr (Director), M.J. Frankovich (Producer), Franklin Adreon (Screenwriter), Basil Dickey (Screenwriter), Jesse Duffy (Screenwriter), Sol Shor (Screenwriter), Mort Glickman (Original Score), John MacBurnie (Cinematographer), Cliff Bell Sr (Editor), Sam Starr (Editor), Russell Kimball (Art Director), Fred A. Ritter (Art Director), John McCarthy Jr.(Set Decorator), James Redd (Set Decorator), Peggy Gray (hair styles supervisor), Bob Mark (makeup supervisor), Roy Wade (Production Manager), T.A. Carman (sound), Howard Lydecker .(pecial effects), Theodore Lydecker (special effects) ------ the cast includes Clayton Moore (Jesse James), Linda Stirling (Ann Bolton), Roy Barcroft (Frank Lawton), John Compton (Steve Lane), Tristram Coffin (James Clark), Tom London (Sam Bolton), Holly Bane (Tim), Edmund Cobb (Farmer Wilkie), Gene Roth (Sheriff Duffy), Fred Graham (Amos Hawks),
LeRoy Mason (Mr. Finlay), Ed Cassidy (Grant, a driller), Eddie Parker (Capt. Flint ), Tom Steele (Bates/Goff/Phony Messenger/Wagon Driver), Dale Van Sickel (Brock/First Hooded Raider/Cave Gunman/Dynamite Thug), Richard Alexander (Clem, the blacksmith), George Chesebro (Gus Simmons), Charles King (Trent, Henchman in camp) ------ the story line has Clayon Moore hoping to leave his past of Jesse James behind him ... moving to Tennessee he finds himself in the middle of a plot to drive farmers off their land because of oil ... the lovely Linda Stirling and her Dad Tom London own the farmland the hooded raiders Roy Barcroft visit in every episode ... Tristram Coffin is the leader behind the land swindle with Roy Barcroft always in there pitching ... great stunt work by the Republic stunt personnel Tom Steele (stunt double: Clayton Moore), Dale Van Sickel (stunt double: Roy Barcroft & Tristram Coffin), --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter "Deadline At Midnight" ... another winner from the vaults of Republic Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.
CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The Black Raiders
2. Signal For Action
3. The Stacked Deck
4. Concealed Evidence
5. The Corpse of Jesse James
6. The Traitor
7. Talk Or Die!
8. Boomerang
9. The Captured Raiders
10.The Revealing Torch
11.The Spy
12.Black Gold
13.Deadline At Midnight
BIOS:
1. Clayton Moore (aka: Jack Carlton Moore)
Date of birth: 14 September 1914 - Chicago, Illinois (some sources say 1908)
Date of death: 28 December 1999 - Los Angeles, California
Special Footnote, Clayton Moore was a circus acrobat at the age of eight and grew up in the Midwest (Illinois) ... worked in the circus and traveled to New York and then Hollywood where he became a stuntman and bit player ... appeared in various serials "Peril of Nyoka" (1942), "The Crimson Ghost" (1946), "Jesse James Rides Again" (1947), "The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James" (1948), "G-Men Never Forget" (1948), "Ghost of Zorro" (1949), "Radar Men from the Moon" (1952), "Jungle Drums of Africa" (1953) ... .inducted into the "Stuntman's Hall of Fame" in 1982...also received the "Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame'" also the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" both in 1990...Clayton was once quoted "Playing him [the Lone Ranger] made me a better person.", "Once I got the Lone Ranger role, I didn't want any other. I was playing the good guy."..."I will continue wearing the white hat and black mask until I ride up into the big ranch in the sky." (On his costume as the Lone Ranger, February 4, 1985)...Clayton very much enjoyed quoting and lived by "A Ranger's Creed" which included this moral lesson "That God put the firewood there, but every man must gather and light it himself."
BIOS:
2. Roy Barcroft (aka: Howard Harold Ravenscroft)
Date of birth: 7 September 1902 - Crab Orchard, Nebraska
Date of death: 28 November 1969 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Second Special Footnote, actor Roy Barcroft one of the most sought after badmen of the Saturday Matinee era --- His face appeared in more westerns than any cowboy villain who rode the range in the '40s and '50s --- an complete account of "Roy Barcroft:King of the Badmen", which is the title of Bobby J. Copeland's book on the life and times of "Republic Pictures Number One Villain". Barcroft appeared in B-Westerns and Serials - became one of the most recognized actors, when you heard that familiar voice --- you were in for it. Roy was one of the few bad guys that once you saw his name in the credits, you were going to get your money's worth. Barcroft was my first favorite and my second was Harry Woods, who in many ways reminded me of each other --- I remember watching Barcroft in a variety of Republic Serials --- "Manhunt of Mystery Island" (1945), as Captain Mephisto --- "The Purple Monster Strikes" (1945), as the invading Martian --- "G-Men Never Forget" (1948), a dual role as the honest police commissioner and the lead villain (good & bad look-alikes) --- "Don Daredevil Rides Again" (1951) --- "Radar Men from the Moon" (1952), as Retik --- My favorite B-Westerns were the casting of Wild "Bill" Elliott and Allan "Rocky" Lane vs the under handed dealings of Roy Barcroft, boss, leader of the gang or henchmen --- every frame was B-Westerns at their best --- With knock-down-drag-out fight scenes that gave you everything you ever wished for and more in an action film --- fellow actors, producers and directors all agree Roy Barcroft was as beloved as anybody else in the Motion Picture business.
3. Linda Stirling (aka: Louise Schultz)
Date of birth: 11 October 1921 - Long Beach, California
Date of death: 20 July 1997 - Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Third Special Footnote, Linda Stirling was the most popular action star of serials in the 1940s, she was spotted in an advertisement by executives of Republic Studios, who were looking for a beautiful but athletic woman to star in their upcoming serial, "The Tiger Woman" (1944). Despite having no experience in the kind of stunts and athletics that would be required, Stirling was able to convince not only the executives but ace stuntman Yakima Canutt of her capability. She won the role and a contract from Republic, and played hard-riding and -fighting heroines in numerous serials, Westerns, and low-budget adventure films over the next three or four years ... Stirling appeared in three other notable serials "Zorro's Black Whip" (1944), "Manhunt of Mystery Island" (1945), "The Purple Monster Strikes" (1945) and "Crimson Ghost" (1946) ... where she rapidly earned the title "Queen of the Serials." ... She married Republic screenwriter Sloan Nibley in 1946, then retired from films the following year, had a family and once her children were grown Stirling enrolled at UCLA, eventually earning an MA, a BFA and--at age 50--a PhD ... during 1960s, she began a whole new career as a teacher of college English and Drama.
If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 180 mins on VHS ~ Republic Video ~ (5/30/1995)
|