Author Archive: Retro

Victims of oppresive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers

Backed by new legislation, a ruthless timber baron attempts to takeover the California Redwood Timberlands which are owned by a peaceful Quaker colony. Written by Derek and John Twist. Dir. Felix E. Feist

A black soldier returns from fighting for the Union in the Civil War only to find out that his mother has been murdered by a gang of white thugs. He becomes a bounty hunter, determined to track down and kill the men who killed his mother.

Brando and Malden are bandits who rob a Mexican bank, for which Brando is caught and imprisoned for five years. He comes out seeking revenge, but Malden is now a respected sheriff of a small town. Dir. Marlon Brando

The famous western fiction writer Bob Morris arrives at the Henderson ranch. He quickly realizes the hanging, runaway horses, and the shootout are fakes for his benefit. But when a real robbery takes place he thinks it’s another fake.

While the original title, “Trailing the Killer” isn’t a misnomer, it was a bit misleading since the “trailer” is a dog named Caesar Caesar the Dog) and the killer is a mountain lion, aka as a cougar or puma the narrator was quick to point out. But the makers also pointed out that Caesar “is the most intelligent dog actor since Rin-Tin-Tin” which probably lured a few Rin-Tin-Tin fans with a show-me attitude. Caesar prowls around the woods of the Northwest, dispatches a rattlesnake, visits his she-wolf mate and their pups, pauses to watch the dainty habits of a raccoon personally washing every morsel of food before eating it—and that raccoon had enough food to use up several minutes of running time—and then saves sheepherder Pierre (Francis McDonald)) from getting et up by one mean mountain lion. Rin-Tin-Tin he ain’t, but then who was? Commonwealth changed the title to “Call of the Wilderness” when they [...]

Action aplenty as a Texas Ranger confronts the leader of a gang of Mexican bandits who have been raiding gold miners.

Two Montana saddletramps head for bustling Music City and open up a detective agency in this comical adventure that was originally the pilot of a television series. Not only do the two have to accustom themselves to strange big-city ways, they have to learn to become less inept at the gumshoe game as they try to expose extortionists and return a missing singer. Singers Barbara Mandrell and Roy Acuff make cameo appearances. If you remember the Smokey and the Bandit Series, this could be best summarized as a what if Smokey had been the Snow Man’s sidekick instead of the other way around. I remember as being a hilarious show. Funny in a unique late 70’s sit com on film kind of way.