5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Wild West Days (1937)", November 17, 2005
This review is from: Wild West Days [VHS] (VHS Tape)
VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present based on a novel by Saint Johnson..."Wild West Days" (1937) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 13 Chapter cliffhanger from an action packed Universal serial era featuring an outstanding cast with Ford Beebe and Cliff Smith at the helm....story line asks the question "what goes on with a group called "The Secret Seven" and why are they trying to take away the ranch that Larry Munro (Frank McGlynn Jr) and his sister Lucy (Lynn Gilbert) owns...can Monro's friends Kentucky Wade (Johnny Mack Brown), Dude Hanford (George Shelley), Mike Morales (Frank Yaconelli) and Trigger Benton (Bob Kortman) stop this group and the Indians they are giving rifles to for their support...in this his third Universal Serial, Johnny Mack Brown is better than ever with exciting cliffhanger episodes....will Keeler (Russell Simpson) stop at nothing to jail Larry Munro, stir up the Indians with Chief Red Hatchet (Chief Thunder Cloud) and keep "The Secret Seven" informed the whereabouts of the hidden goldmine on Munro's ranch...can the Universal writers come up with a big finish for this 13 chapter play.....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Rustler's Roundup"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.
Under director's Ford Beebe and Cliff Smith, associate producer Henry MacRae and Ben Koenig, original story & screenplay by Wyndham Gittens, Norman S. Hall and Ray Trampe, musical score by David Raskin, Charles Previn, Franz Waxman, songs by Kay Kellogg (songs "Get Along Little Pony" and "Song of the Sage")...the cast includes Johnny Mack Brown (Kentucky Wade), George Shelley (Dude Hanford), Lynn Gilbert (Lucy Munro), Frank Yaconelli (Mike Morales), Chief Thunder Cloud ( Chief Red Hatchet), Bob Kortman (Trigger Benton), Walter Miller (Doc Hardy), Russell Simpson (Matt Keeler), Charles Stevens (Buckskin Frank/henchman), Frank McGlynn Jr (Larry Munro), Al Bridge (Steve Claggett/henchman), Lafe McKee (Wagon Train Leader), Bud Osborne (Walt/henchman), Iron Eyes Cody (Indian in Mohawk Headdress), William Desmond (Townsman on Gold Rush), Art Mix (Gambler), Monte Montague (Bartender at Silver Dollar Saloon), Francis McDonald (Assayer Purvis/member of the Secret 7), Jack Clifford (Corey/member of the Secret 7), William Royle (Braden/member of the Secret 7), Bruce Mitchell (Rancher Tobe Driscoll/member of the Secret....meanwhile back to our Universal Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and 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.
BIOS:
1. Johnny Mack Brown
Birth Date: 9/01/1904 - Dothan, Alabama
Died: 11/14/1974 - Woodland Hills, California, USA. (cardiac condition)
CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Death Rides the Range
2. The Redskin's Revenge
3. The Brink of Doom
4. The Indians Are Coming
5. The Leap for Life
6. Death Stalks the Plains
7. Six Gun Low
8. The Gold Stampede
9. Walls of Fire
10.The Circle of Doom
11.The Thundering Herd
12.Rustlers and Redkins
13.The Rustler's Roundup
If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Wild West Days" (1937), 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 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: 265 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1749 ~ (11/01/2000)
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots and lots of rip-roaring western action, July 29, 2002
This review is from: Wild West Days [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Let's see, you have a batch of gun fights. You have some wild horse stampedes. There are two or three indian attacks on wagon trains. Don't forget the sneering villian. And there's Johnny Mack Brown in several hard riding scenes.
This is a 13 chapter cliff hanger, and you'd do well to take 13 days to watch it, a chapter a day. Hey, it was originally made to see one chapter a week! The chapter endings are less than spectacular, in fact rather repetitious. There's at least one case of cheating...I know I saw our hero react from one horse in a stampede running over him, but the next chapter didn't show that.
Well, this isn't one of the best western serials. For that, you want THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER or ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION. But it is full of action and the type of scenes you watch westerns for, even if there is lots of repetition. Three stars, but dyed-in-the-wool B western fans might give it more.
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