5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Pony Post (1940)", January 16, 2006
This review is from: Pony Post [VHS] (VHS Tape)
VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Pony Post" (1940) (digitally remastered), long running Johnny Mack Brown series turned out in the early '40s...in all the colorful history of America, the Pony Express stands out as a saga of daring exploits and heroic deeds...through two thousand miles of trackless wilderness, ravaged by the elements and beset by savage Indian tribes, the Pony Express races with the mail from the Missouri to the Coast...this, is a modest tribute to those who blazed the trail across the early West, "The Pony Expess".....the story line has our hero Johnny Mack Brown arriving at the Pony Express station to fill a vacancy left by Stanley Blystone who has a drinking problem...is Blystone behind all of the Indian attacks, is he out to bring down the Pony Express...how many henchmen does it take to bring down the express, as Jack Rockwell and Ray Teal (the Richards Brothers) head the list of the heavies in this oater...Fuzzy Knight once again joins Brown with songs and comedy featuring songs "Ride, Ride, Ride", "My Saddle Serenade", "Back in Oklahoma" and "I Don't Like No Cows" with musicians Jimmy Wakely and his Rough Riders singing their way into this hayseed...regular for Universal oaters are Nell O'Day (who can ride and shoot better than any man) and another leading lady Dorothy Short add their feminine charms and spunky characterizations...now comes our gambler Charles King (not the villain in this film) who is thrown in for good measure playing pranks on Fuzzy....watch Nell save Johnny Mack as Jack Rockwell tries to ambush our hero.....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss any of Johnny Mack Brown's Double Features loaded with action that will leave you wanting more of his B-Western adventures .
Under director Ray Taylor, associate producer Will Cowan, original story and screenplay by Sherman Lowe, musical director H. J. Salter, songs include ...the cast include Johnny Mack Brown (Cal Sheridan), Fuzzy Knight (Shorty), Nell O'Day (Norman Reeves), Dorothy Short (Alice Goodwin), Tom Chatterton (Major Goodwin), Stanley Blystone (Griff Atkins), Jack Rockwell (Mack Richards), Ray Teal (Claud Richards), Charles King (Hamilton/the Gambler), Kermit Maynard (Whitmore, Pony Express Rider), Lane Chandler (Ed Fairweather, Pony Express Rider), Edmund Cobb (George Barber), Lloyd Ingraham (Doctor Nesbet), Jimmy Wakely and his Rough Rider, Iron Eyes Code (Indian) . . . . . .special footnote, Fuzzy Knight was the sidekick with his comical ways in many B-Westerns in the '30s & '40s with Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter, finally landing a co-starring role with Buster Crabbe on the small tube in the TV series "Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion" (1955) as Private Fuzzy Knight. . . . . . . . .the second special footnote, actor Charles King was among the top five "Best of the Badmen"...King was a big man, but as agile as a cat during his fight scenes with Johnny Mack Brown, Buster Crabbe, Tex Ritter, The Rough Riders and Bob Steele...King appeared in 400 films and 350 were in sound including many cliffhangers...he was the heavy we loved to hate.......check out this and more in a new book "Best of the Badmen" by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland, available from Amazon and Empire Publishing. . . pick up your copy today........meanwhile this is an exciting Johnny Mack Brown western provided by Universal Pictures during their heyday of the early '40s.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Johnny Mack Brown
Birth Date: 9/01/1904 - Dothan, Alabama
Died: 11/14/1974 - Woodland Hills, California (cardiac condition)
2. Nell O'Day
Birth Date: 9/22/1909 - Prairie Hill, Texas
Died: Los Angeles, California
3.. Fuzzy Knight (aka John Forest Knight)
Birth Date: 5/09/1901 - Fairmont, WV
Died: 2/23/1976 - Hollywood, CA.
4. Charles King
Birth Date: 2/21/1895 - Hillsboro, Texas
Died: 5/07/1957 - Hollywood, California (cirrhosis of liver)
5. Ray Taylor (director)
Birth Date: 12/01/1888 - Perham, Minnesota
Died: 2/15/1952 - Hollywood, CA
If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features by Johnny Mack Brown:
JOHNNY MACK BROWN WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
1. Raiders of San Joaquin/Law of the Range (VCI #7226)
2. Pony Post/Ragtime Cowboy Joe (VCI #7238)
3. Brand A Coward/Rogue of the Range (VCI #7244)
4. Guns in the Dark/Partner of the Trail (VCI $7260)
5. Bar Z Bad Men/Between Men (VCI #7282)
Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above five titles as they are not available on Amazon as of yet...you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment...if you enjoyed "Pony Post" (1940), why not pick up other copies of Johnny Mack Brown Double Features.
Bobby J. Copeland's book on "Johnny Mack Brown: Up Close & Personal" is chuck full of answers to all the questions his fans had from early on...when you went to see him on the big screen, you got exactly what the marquee said...plenty of thrills, adventure and loaded with action...Johnny Mack was a natural for the western, his riding abilities and fight scenes were of the the same caliber as Buck Jones and Bob Steele...Johnny Mack sets the saddle better than Duke Wayne...seems Johnny got better with the more films he made and the scripts were always top notch...he was one of the best-liked people in films, what you saw on the screen is what he really was, a great human being...pickup your copy from Amazon or Empire Publishing both have this in stock.
Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Pony Post" (1940), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD and VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em
Total Time: 59 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment #7238 ~ (12/03/2002)
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