Customer Reviews

Billy the Kid 20 Movie Pack

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fifteen titles in MILL CREEK's BILLY THE KID 20 MOVIE PACK have never been previously issued by this manufacturer.

The "Billy the Kid" movie series recasts an outlaw gunslinger as a hero. The real "Kid" wasn't as noble or noted.
Henry McCarty (alias "William Bonney") was gunned down at age 21 and would've faded into obscurity if his killer, Patrick Garrett hadn't published a fictionalized biography, "THE AUTHENTIC LIFE OF BILLY, THE KID." Over time, the Kid's legend grew. At last count, 21 men died at his hands. This number is wildly inflated.

As for the cinematic Billy, Buster Crabbe played him in 13 programmers in 1941-43. Many of that number are here, as are Crabbe as Billy 'Sunset' Carson. Al St. John, who's "Fuzzy" in this series, was the nephew of Fatty Arbuckle. In the silent era, St. John had a penchant for leaping into the air with legs pointed in opposite directions. Sam Newfield directed all.

Bob Steele was Billy before Mr. Crabbe (Steele later played Pvt. Duffy on TV's F TROOP). Others who portrayed the Kid include Johnny Mack Brown, Robert Taylor, Audie Murphy, Scott Brady, Paul Newman, Michael J. Pollard, Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer and Donnie Wahlberg.


Also from MILL CREEK:
WESTERN LEGENDS 50 MOVIE PACK features vintage programmers starring John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tom Tyler, Hoot Gibson, Tex Ritter, Buck Jones and others.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
(*previously issued by MCE)

(6.6) Billy the Kid in Texas (1940) - Bob Steele/Terry Walker/Al St. John/Carleton Young/Slim Whitaker
(6.2) *Billy the Kid Trapped (1942) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/'Bud' McTaggart/Anne Jeffreys/Glen Strange
(?.?) Billy the Kid Wanted (1941) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Dave O'Brien/Glenn Strange/Slim Whitaker
(5.4) *Billy the Kid's Gun Justice (1940) - Bob Steele/Al St. John/Louise Curie/Carleton Young/Rex Lease
(5.4) *Billy the Kid's Range War (1941) - Bob Steele/Al St. John/Joan Barclay/Carleton Young/Rex Lease
(?.?) Blazing Frontier (1943) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Marjorie Manners/Milton Kibbee/I. Stanford Jolley/Kermit Maynard (uncredited: Slim Whitaker)
(7.3) Cattle Stampede (1943) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Frances Gladwin (uncredited: Hal Price/Glenn Strange)
(6.7) *Devil Riders (1943) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Patti McCarty/Charles King/Kermit Maynard
Frontier Outlaws
(5.1) Fugitive of the Plains (1943) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Maxine Leslie/Jack Ingram/Kermit Maynard/Hal Price
(5.5) Gangster's Den (1945) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Sydney Logan/Kermit Maynard/I. Stanford Jolley
(6.3) *His Brother's Ghost (1945) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Karl Hackett/Charles King/Roy Brent
(6.5) The Kid Rides Again (1943) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Iris Meredith/Glenn Strange/I. Stanford Jolley/Slim Whitaker (uncredited: 'Snub' Pollard)
(6.3) The Mysterious Rider ("Panhandle Trail") (1942) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Caroline Burke/Slim Whitaker/Kermit Maynard
(6.2) Oath of Vengeance (1944) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Mady Lawrence/Jack Ingram/Kermit Maynard/Hal Price
(7.0) Rustlers' Hideout (1945) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Patti McCarty/Charles King/Hal Price/Lane Chandler
(6.4) Shadows of Death (1945) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Dona Dix/Charles King/karl Hackett/Eddie Hall
(6.0) Sheriff of Sage Valley (1942) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Dave O'Brien/Maxine Leslie/Kermit Maynard/Hal Price
(5.2) Western Cyclone (1942) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Marjorie Manners/Glenn Strange/Hal Price/Kermit Maynard
(6.0) Wild Horse Phantom (1944) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John/Janet Warren/Kermit Maynard/Hal Price (uncredited: Slim Whitaker)

Could have used less Bob Steele, but, then again, I'm Buster & Fuzzy's #1 fan!

I give this five stars for being a good collection of Buster Crabbe and Al St. John oaters. Twenty B&W films at a low, low price. They're not Academy Award winners, but they're easy to watch fun for someone who wants to give his stressed out brain a rest. The following list is the actual playing order from disc 1 to disc 4 (five films on each disc):

1. Billy the Kid Trapped (1942) - 58 min.
2. His Brother's Ghost (1945) - 52 min.
3. Billy the Kid's Range War (1941) - 56 min.
4. Billy the Kid's Gun Justice (1940) - 62 min.
5. Shadows of Death (1945) - 59 min.
6. Devil Riders (1943) - 57 min.
7. Frontier Outlaws (1944) - 57 min.
8. Gangsters' Den (1945) - 59 min.
9. Panhandle Trail (1942) - 40 min.
10. Blazing Frontier (1943) - 56 min.
11. Oath of Vengeance (1944) - 55 min.
12. Wild Horse Phantom (1944) - 55 min.
13. Billy the Kid in Fugitive of the Plains (1943) - 50 min.
14. Western Cyclone (1943) - 60 min.
15. Sheriff of Sage Valley (1942) - 53 min.
16. Billy the Kid Wanted (1941) - 60 min.
17. Billy the Kid in Texas (1940) - 53 min.
18. The Kid Rides Again (1943) - 54 min.
19. Cattle Stampede (1943) - 57 min.
20. Rustler's Hideout (1945) - 59 min.

Hilarious to see the different takes on "Billy the Kid" character. HAY, it's just old B/W westerns put straight onto disk - don't expect modern color epics. Kinda fun for old guys like me that used to pay to see similar films when young. I keep mine in the DVD player and watch one or two if I can't find anything else worth watching on TV - that's more often than not with the raft of junk on cable these days. So, it was the material I expected, and it arrived on time and as advertised.

Couldn't believe my good fortune awhile back (3/28/2009), finally someone had collected many of Billy the Kid films in one set. Had seen a few here and there but now with this set I have quite a few of them (20 classic features).

Being born in 1943, missed many of these wonderful films since they showed in movie theaters before my time. Now I can watch them when I wish. Thanks to this Millcreek 4-disc set.

Ride, cowboy, ride.

True to most inexpensive discs, at times some small viewing problems may occur.

The case that the 4-DVD's came in was cracked and broken when it arrived. DVD's were not effected, still have not played them all yet. Can the company send me a replacement case? It is a special case that holds the DVD's that are in envelopes in the center of the case. It would be great if they could sent me the replacement case which would enable me to store it on a shelf with the rest of my DVD collection. The movies are great. The image and sound quality is good. Having all the movies in one pack cuts down on 20 different cases and saves room on the shelves.