5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Rawhide Rangers (1941)", January 17, 2006
This review is from: Rawhide Rangers [VHS] (VHS Tape)
VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Rawhide Rangers" (1941) (digitally remastered), long running Johnny Mack Brown series turned out in the early '40s...our story opens with Harry Cording and his henchman spreading terror in the territory....the leader is the upstanding citizen Ed Cassidy, who wants to form his own law over the Rangers...this is where our hero Johnny Mack Brown comes in, after his brother Riley Hill is killed in a stage holdup...Johnny Mack quits the Rangers and becomes an outlaw, trying to get in good with Cording Gange and find out who's the big boss...Nell O'Day proves once and for all she's the best horsewomen on the Universal lot, with Kathryn Adams as the love interest for Johnny Mack Brown...Fuzzy Knight and Chester Gan go back and forth about pies, doughnuts and cookies, great poker game that ends up with a big belly laugh...Fuzzy and the Texas Rangers musicians bring on the songs and give this oater some musical etchings...just wait until the final scene with all the suspense of a trap that is being set and Johnny Mack is the bait....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 Ed Earl Repp, musical director H. J. Salter, songs include "It's A Ranger's Life" and "Then We Go Ridin'" (music and lyrics by Gomer Cool), "Huckleberry Pie" and "A Cowboy Is Happy" (written by Milton Rosen and Everett Carter) ...the cast include Johnny Mack Brown (Brand Calhoun), Fuzzy Knight ( Porky), Nell O'Day (Patti McDowell), Kathryn Adams (Jo Ann Rawlings), Riley Hill (Steve Calhoun), Harry Cording (Blackie), Al Bridge (Rawlings), Frank Shannon (Ranger Captain McDowell), Ed Cassidy (Alec Martin), Bob Kortman (Dirk/henchman), Chester Gan (Sing Lo/the cook), Jim Farley (Banker ) . . . . . .first 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. . . . . . . . .second footnote is actor Harry Cording who appeared in over 260 films from 1925-1955, made several serials "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940), "Overland Mail" (1942), "Great Alaskan Mystery" (1944) and seven of the twelve Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes mysteries many times as a brawler, cop, seamen or pub keeper, this time he's one of the badmen giving Johnny Mack a rough time of it.........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........the final special footnote actor Johnny Mack Brown had a long film association with producer A.W. Hackel in a series of B-Westerns for Universal Pictures, many directed by Ray Taylor...A. William Hackel also produced a series of Bob Steele B-Westerns........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. Ed Cassidy
Birth Date: 3/21/1893 - Illinois, USA
Died: 1/19/1968 - Woodland Hills, California
5. Harry Cording
Birth Date: 4/26/1891 - England, UK
Died: 9/01/1954 - Sun Valley, CA
6. 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)
6. Bad Man from Red Butte/Rawhide Rangers (VCI #8348)
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 "Rawhide Rangers" (1941), 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 "Rawhide Rangers" (1941), 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: 56 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment #8348 ~ (12/03/2002)
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