The Film Detective

Ads for this Roy Rodgers classicroared HEAD FOR THE MUSICAL HILLS...ROY IS GUNNIN' FOR THRILLS! And thrills are what you'll get when you watch this fun, action packed B-Western from Republic Pictures. If watching Roy punch a guy out in a meat locker isn't enough for you, hang in there for some great comedy relief from Andy Devine and Chester Conklin, two of Hollywood's all-time greats. This old-fashioned shoot-'em-up was directed by William Witney, who would go on to direct many of...

When Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) returns to the neighborhood of his youth, he finds that his old friend Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) has married local District Attorney Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas, making his screen debut). All seems fine on the surface, but Walter, Martha, and Sam share a horrible secret. Soon Sam finds himself drawn into Martha's web of fear and suspicion, and the results are classic film noir! Directed by Lewis Milestone ("All Quiet on the Western Front") the film also features...

Disaster strikes when Roy Rogers' beloved horse Trigger is stolen and held for ransom money. Will Roy find $100,000 to get his faithful companion back, or will he find a way to trap the gang holding the horse hostage? Along with Roy and Trigger, you'll find Andy Devine as Cookie Bullfincher, and young Michael Chapin as Ted Carver, a gallant boy who helps reunite Roy with the smartest horse in show business!

You know the story: A radioactive rock at the bottom of the ocean causes a sea creature to mutate into a horrible, amphibious monster. This seemed to happen a lot in the 1950s. Director Dan Milner (who also gave us From Hell It Came, a film about an evil tree stump) hits all the right notes here, helped by a cast that includes Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, and Michael Whalen. Also, pay attention to the score by Ronald Stein, who graduated from the Yale School of Music to become the Tchaikovsky of...

Famed cult director Edgar G. Ulmer (Detour, The Man From Planet X) tried something different with this interesting comedy about con men who dress as clerics to pull off a job. With a cast that includes Dick Haymes, Nina Foch, and former child star Freddie Bartholomew in his final role, this tale is about some bad men who learn that pretending to be religious can have a profound effect on a person.

Buster Crabbe and Julie London headline this exciting jungle drama. Crabbe plays a treasure hunter searching for a downed airplane in the wilds of Africa. To his shock, he finds the young daughter of a deceased passenger, now fully grown and protected by a gorilla! Jungle intrigue doesn't get any better! With a cast that includes Barton MacLane as the greedy jungle guide, and famed stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Samson the gorilla, this thrilling adventure from prolific director Sam Newfield...

Lillian Gish stars as a naive country girl tricked into marrying a wealthy womanizer in this classic from the silent era. Richard Barthelmess also stars in this stirring melodrama. Director D.W. Griffith's groundbreaking epic style is enhanced, as always, by his longtime cinematographer G.W. Bitzer. The climactic scene that takes place on an ice flow is one of the most memorable moments in movie history.

The War Department Presents Appointment in Tokyo, a documentary about the U.S. ocean battles of World War 2. With all enemy film taken from captured official Japanese newsreels, this 56 minute documentary primarily follows General Douglas MacArthur and his men from the Philippines in early 1942, through the signing of the instrument of surrender on the USS Missouri on September 1, 1945. This stirring documentary includes footage of the Battle of Leyte, the Battle of Manila, and the rescue of...

Young Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres) comes to the aid of Gregory Lane, a down on his luck brain surgeon who has grown depressed over losing too many patients. But not only is Lane a rival for the attentions of Kildare's favorite nurse, but one of his recent patients appears to have gone insane. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet (Without Love, On Borrowed Time), the film also stars Laraine Day, Shepperd Strudwick, and the incomparable Lionel Barrymore as Kildare's mentor, Dr. Gillespie.

The film that made Charles Laughton a star tells the story of King Henry VIII and his stormy personal life. Loughton received an Academy Award for his portrayal of the controversial king, while director Alexander Korda saw his film nominated for Best Picture. With a cast that includes Robert Donat, Merle Oberon, and Elsa Lanchester, this dramatic period piece will leave you glad that you never married into royalty!

Such narrators as Lloyd Nolan and Burgess Meredith add their voices to this documentary about the attack by Allied forces on various Japanese strong-holds in the South Pacific in 1943 during the Second World War. The piece was produced by Frank Capra, and includes narration by Douglas MacArthur himself!

Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes have as much action and adventure than they can handle in this wild, wild western from the glory days of Republic Pictures. Director Joseph Kane (Flame of Barbary Coast; Dakota) whips up a feisty cast that includes Jack La Rue, Lynne Roberts, and the king of the singin' cowboys, Roy Rogers! In Old Caliente may inspire you to do some singin' and fightin' yourself!