The Film Detective

Tom Mallory poses as a wanted man while he searches for the cattle rustler who killed his father. His only clue is the name "Westy Mack." He ends up in the badlands of Arizona to meet the deadliest trigger-men the west has ever known. But the tougher they come, the rougher he gets! Tom Keene stars as Mallory, the man from nowhere who could strike fear into the hearts of killers. Directed for Monogram Pictures by Poverty Row specialist Robert F. Hill (Shadow of Chinatown), this forgotten nugget...

Mad scientists raising the dead!Showgirls battling like wild women! What else does one need? Perhaps a scene where a cat's head is squeezed until its eye pops out? It's all here in director Dwayne Esper's glorious 1934 debacle: Maniac! Whether you're a connoisseur of vintage exploitation flicks, or simply find them amusingly inept, this could be the movie for you. It's loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat.' And when we say "loosely," we mean Edgar wouldn't recognize it!

Thirty million readers followed the exploits of Dick Tracy in the daily comics, so it made sense for RKO to jump on the bandwagon. The first entry in what would be a four film series finds Tracy hunting a murderer who slashes his victims to pieces. Morgan Conway stars as the crime-busting detective, while the menacing Mike Mazurki is cast as Splitface, a hulking goon who lurks in the shadows. William Berke, who directed everything from westerns to jungle movies during his years on Hollywood's...

Here's a fun-packed musical show about a struggling college so low on funds, that the only recourse is to contact some famous alumni. Fortunately, bandleader Louis Jordan is an alumni, which guarantees some swingin' jazz. The film is livened up by nine musical numbers, including 'Good Morning Heartache', 'Don't Worry 'bout That Mule', 'You've Got Have a Beat', and 'Long Legged Lizzie'.

HUMAN SACRIFICES! SAVAGE TORTURE! VOODOO RITES! Blood chilling revelations of the weird cult that practices its black magic in the impenetrable jungles of Central America! Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, Mantan Moreland, and Henry Victor star in this comedy chiller from Monogram, directed by Jean Yarbrough ( House of Horrors, The Brute Man). It's all about a trio of plane crash survivors who take refuge in a mansion, where a sinister doctor is conducting zombie experiments. If you can sit through...

Feud of the Trail places the dashing Tom Tylerr, a B-Western star (and the original Captain Marvel) in dual roles; as a man seeking justice against a band of outlaws, and the band's vicious gang leader. Capably directed by helmer Robert F. Hill (Flash Gordon, Tarzan the Fearless), and shot at the iconic Lazy A Ranch outside of Los Angeles, the film follows Tom Wade, an honorable man with a face that's nearly identical to nefarious gang leader Jack Granger. Using this to his advantage, Wade...

A John Wayne classic! One of the last pictures legendary American Western star John Wayne made for Lone Star/Monogram Pictures, The Desert Trail is a rare glimpse into The Duke's unexpected penchant for slapstick comedy. As dim-witted rodeo star John Scott, Wayne flexes his comedic muscles, as his character and his gambler friend Kansas Charlie (Eddy Chandler, The Roaring Twenties) flee their town after being wrongfully accused of armed robbery. Hilarity ensues as they assume new identities...

Buster Crabbe swings into action in one of his earliest roles. Tarzan the Fearless was originally a 12 chapter serial from Sol Lesser Productions, a company known for its westerns and jungle titles. Director Robert F. Hill would go on to direct Crabbe in Flash Gordon (1936), but Crabbe's career really kicked off with this jungle adventure. The former Olympic swimming champion had previously auditioned and failed to get the role of Tarzan, but after appearing in a Tarzan knockoff called King of...

Buster Keaton is still trying to get the girl in this classy comedy from 1927. This time he's playing a bookish fellow who takes up sports in order to impress his sweetheart (Anne Cornwall). Baseball buffs will notice legendary Detroit Tiger outfielder Sam Crawford as a coach in one of the film's funniest scenes. Keaton, a real life baseball fanatic, causes as much mayhem on the ballfield as you can imagine! According to film lore, Buster actually directed this feature, which was filmed...

WHIRLING ROPES AND SNARLING GUNS IN THE GALLOPING GRIP OF A GLAMOROUS DRAMA! John Wayne stars as John Weston, a man hired to investigate shady doings at a local rodeo. It seems all the riders who are on the verge of winning end up dead. Along with Wayne, this tale of action on the range also stars the usual Lone Star Picture stock company, including Gabby Hayes and Yakima Canutt!