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5.0 out of 5 stars
"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Red Rope (1937)", March 12, 2006
VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present "Red Rope" (1937) (Dolby
digitally remastered)...relive those thrilling days from the early '30s and '40s
when Bob Steele took us down the dusty trails and the plains to exciting
adventures....some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee
Screen...just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye
with excitement...don't miss any of the Bob Steele features loaded with action that will leave
you wanting more of his B-Western adventures
Under director S. Roy Luby, producer A.W. Hackel, original story by Johnston McCulley, screen adaptation by George H. Plympton...the cast include Bob Steele (Tom Shaw), Lois January (Betty Duncan), Forrest Taylor (Parson Pete), Charles King (Red Mike), Karl Hackett (Grant Brade), Bobby Nelson (Jimmy Duncan),
Ed Cassidy (Logan), Lew Meehan (Rattler Haynes), Frank Ball (John Duncan), Jack Rockwell (Dotkins), Horace Murphy (Horne). . . . . . . .our story is outstanding and the cast is right on...our hero Bob Steele is as always in fine form, but he gives the best performance of his B-Western career against all odds of a dramatic story by Johnston McCully ("Mark of Zorro")...a stable of the meanest badmen during the '30s with Karl Hackett, Charles King, Ed Cassidy and Lew Meehan leading the way...can Steele keep his wits and when he arrives at Horner's Corner give all of Meehan's men a warning that he's on the prod...the heroine Lois January is in love with Steele and she has plenty of spunk..actor Forrest Taylor has plenty of nerve as Parson Pete taking sides with Steele and Frank Ball...what does the red stained rope have to do with anything, can Steele take care of himself in fsticuffs, you bet he can...Steele has plans of his own changing the message from Hackett to Meehan getting them to fight among themselves...great fight between Charle King and Steele, with each man giving his all but our hero is too much for him...hard riding and plenty of gunplay keeps all of Bob Steele fans begging for more. . . . . . . .first B-Western footnote, actor Charles King was among the top five "Best of the Badmen" (according to a new book by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland)...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.. . . . . . .second B-Western footnote, actor Karl Hackett was among the top villains "Best of the Badmen" (according to a new book by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland)...Hackett with over 150 films to his credit mainly B-Westerns in just a 12 year stay in Hollywood, one of the busiest of the badmen from 1935-1947, worked mostly for PRC and other independents and seldom for Republic, Universal, Columbia RKO and Paramount....... meanwhile another great B-Western for Bob Steele under the Republic Pictures banner, proves to be one of his most exciting performances.
Special footnote, actor Bob Steele was the son of director Robert N. Bradbury and the age of 14 he and his twin brother Bill Bradbury made a series of comedy shorts "Adventures of Bob and Bill" (1920), directed by their father...along came his first starring western "The Mojave Kid" (1927), released by Film Booking Office of America (FBO) and directed by his father, he changed his name to Bob Steele...making low budget B-Westerns for independent studios such as Republic, Supreme, Monogram and PRC which included nearly 200 feature films, serials and TV appearances...was in his twilight years at the age 59 when he got the part of the cantankerous "Trooper Duffy", in the western comedy series "F Troop" (1965), who at the drop of a hat would give his rendition of fighting "shoulder to shoulder with Davy Crockett at the Alamo"...Steele retired from the screen in 1973...his long career, spanning more than 50 years came to an end in 1988 when he passed away.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Bob Steele (Robert Adrian Bradbury)
Birth Date: 1/23/1907 - Pendleton, Oregon
Died: 12/21/1988 - Burbank, CA.
2. Karl Hackett
Birth Date: 9/05/1893 - Carthage, Missouri
Died: 10/24/1948 - Los Angeles, California
3. Charles King
Birth Date: 2/21/1895 - Hillsboro, Texas
Died: 5/07/1957 - Hollywood, California (cirrhosis of liver)
If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features with Bob Steele:
BOB STEELE WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
1. Vol. 1 - Tombstone Terror/Lightnin' Crandall (VCI #7212) (DVD)
2. Vol. 2 - The Brand of Hate/Trusted Outlaw (VCI #7252) (DVD)
3. Vol. 3 - The Arizona Gunfighter/Last of the Warrens (VCI #7261) (DVD)
4. Vol. 4 - Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin'/The Feud Maker (VCI #7275) (DVD)
Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above Bob Steele titles
if they are not available as of yet...you can order
and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment.
Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Red Rope" (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 '20s, '30s & '40s and
B-Westerns...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/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment #1528 ~ (6/25/2002)
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