Author Archive: Retro

The third in the series of six PRC westerns starring Bob Steele as Billy the Kid (Bob Steele, finds Billy and his pals, Jeff Blanchard (Carleton Young) and Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John) ambushed in a cabin and, as they are making their getaway, Jeff is wounded. They go to Little Bend Valley where Jim Blanchard, Jeff’s uncle, has a ranch. On their way, there see Ed Baker (Charles King0 and Buck Mason (Rex Lease) stop the wagon driven by Ann Roberts (Louise Currie). Billy stops the two henchmen from throwing the supplies from the wagon. Ann tells Billy that she and her father, Tom Roberts (Forrest Taylor), have bought a ranch but that someone is trying to run them out of the valley. They ride with Ann and Jeff is surprised to see that the Roberts’ are living on what was formerly his uncle’s ranch. The Roberts had only been there a short time, [...]

Trains are being robbed by a gang led by an outlaw on a beautiful white horse. The marshal sent to investigate finds out the horse beings to the girl he’s in love with.

Marshal Hoppy has been called in to investigate payroll robberies and
arrives posing as Marvelo the mind reader. When Lucky arrives Hoppy has him
pose as the expected Marshal. Hoppy works his way into the gang led by Ma
Burton and sets a trap for them. But once again Lucky slips up revealing
the masquerade and Hoppy finds himself a prisoner in a burning building. Written by Maurice VanAuken

Our hero, Ken (played by Ken Maynard), takes in a misguided Mort Clark
(played by Paul Fix) who’s heart is in the right place but his judgement is
a little off. Mort turns out to be the brother of Helen Clark (played by
the beautiful Helen Mack), whom Ken had met (and became infatuated with)
while on a trip back East. Mort can’t face his sister because of his
shameful past and allows Ken to help him turn his life around. Mort gets
his head on straight only to get duped into playing a fixed card game – and
losing not only his dignity but all of Ken’s money. In an attempt to right
a wrong, Mort gets himself deeper into trouble. As if things can’t get
worse, Helen shows up the same time that Mort is brought into town in
handcuffs for armed robbery. [...]

Shirley Martin finds that Weylan has diverted the water from the valley and
her cattle are dying. First she and her foreman Bob Lawson go to court.
This fails when Weylan’s men keep the ranchers from testifying. But Shirley
has a second plan to return water to the valley. Written by Maurice VanAuken

John Abbott returns to the desert land he owns, and after being wounded by
hired gunman Chick Chance, he is befriended by rancher Andrew Naab and his
son, Marvin. Naab’s daughter, Marian, falls in love with John but is about
to marry Snap Thornton to keep a promise made by her father. She runs away
on her wedding day but is captured and held hostage by outlaw Henry
Holderness. John, the Naabs and fellow ranchers rush to her rescue. Written by Les Adams

When miner Ben Pendleton strikes it rich, Ace Gibson has him killed but his
men are unable to locate his mine. When California learns his cousin Ben
has been murdered he gets Hoppy and Lucky to help investigate. Hoppy finds
the clue left by Ben and finally solves the riddle and locates the mine.
But just as they find the gold, Gibson’s men arrive and make them
prisoners. Written by Maurice VanAuken

Stone kills Thorton but only gets one half of the map to Thorton’s gold
mine. Tom arrives, and trying to help Thorton’s daughter Beth, sets out
after Stone and the half of the map. Posing as the man Stone is awaiting to
register the mine, he tries to join up with the gang. But when the man he
was posing as shows up, Tom is made a prisoner. Written by Maurice VanAuken

When Brent Halston returns he finds his father in an insane asylum and
Wilton about to foreclose on their ranch and bring sheep onto the cattle
range. When Wilton kills a rancher, Brent is blamed and jailed. Escaping
jail he gets Ware to confess that he payed to have Halston committed. He
then gets unexpected help from Ethel Gordon when Wilton tries to foreclose. Written by Maurice VanAuken