Good serial, sad memories
Added 11/27/2007
It is hard to watch this movie today without the haunting image of the real life Donald Barry. There were good reasons for this serial's success and Barry was set to become a Republic Saturday regular with no reason for fans to compare him with Bill Elliot. William Lava, one of Republic's resident geniuses, penned one of the very best western musical themes ever heard and a generation would have associated it with Don Barry, short or tall. How sad. What a pity to see people so ruled and destroyed by their own personality. So I refer the reader to the several good reviews of the Red Ryder movies on this web site.
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Little Don Plays Big Red
Added 1/13/2006
This is yet another adaptation of a popular comic strip. Yours truly regularly read Red Ryder comic books as a teen, and this is worthy translation. Don Barry is very good in the title role, although he really doesn't fit the comic book look of Red Ryder--Red is a tall gangly guy, and Barry is very short. It's comical (pun intended) to see him do a little hop when he mounts his horse in order to be able to jump up that high! Directors Witney and English couldn't stand working with Barry and his oversize ego (they called him "the midget"); apparently he constantly wanted to change things and write his own lines. Despite this, the relationship works very well indeed on the screen. Probably they gave him that huge hat to make him look taller.
Tommy Cook plays Red's buddy Little Beaver, and he does well with the silly "Indian lingo" lines they gave him. Noah Beery ("Overland Mail", "Zorro Rides Again") is an all-time favorite Western bad-guy, and William Farnum helps out. Hal Taliaferro, seen in lots of serials, is Red's pal Cherokee, and Maude Pierce Allen is terrific as Red's aunt, the Duchess. The indefatigible Davy Sharpe does the stunt work for Barry.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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"Red Ryder B-Western Series ... Wild Bill Elliott as Red Ryder ... VCI Home Video"
Added 9/12/2004
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Gordon Elliott (6/15/1903 - 11/26/1965) from Pattonsburg, Mo, later known at William "Wild Bill" Elliott (the Peaceable Man) was the best Red Ryder on the big screen ~ he got the name of "Wild Bill" after starring in a Columbia serial "The Great Adventurers of Wild Bill Hickok" back in 1938, went on to make a multitude of westerns during the '40s and '50s ~ it was then Republic Studios was looking for a star to be featured in Fred Harman's Red Ryder comic strip series coming alive and on the big screen ~ it's no small wonder that William Elliott's name was at the top of the list ~ working with the top directors of the day Howard P. Bretherton, Spencer Gordon Bennett, Joseph Kane, Wallace A. Grissell, Leslie Selander and R.G. Springsteen all under Republic Pictures banner.
First up is "The San Antonio Kid" (1944-B&W-59 mins), featuring William Elliott as Red Ryder, Bobby Blake as Little Beaver, Alice Fleming as the Duchess (Reds Aunt), Duncan Renaldo (later to become The Cisco Kid, Robin Hood of the Old West) as Johnny Bennett (the San Antonio Kid), Glenn Strange as Ace Hanlon, LeRoy Mason as Walter Garfield, Linda Stirling (of Republic Serial fame) as Ann Taylor and Jack Kirk as Ben Taylor...with a cattle car full of Republics ace stuntmen Yakima Canutt (king of the stunt department), Henry Wills and Tom Steele (Ryder's stunt double) ~ plenty of action to go around ~ oil is discovered and it looks like some slick villainy is afoot to drive the Taylor's and neighboring ranchers off their land ~ time for Red and his horse Thunder to go into action.
Second on this double bill is "Cheyenne Wildcat" (1944-B&W-54 mins), again Elliott, Blake and Fleming star in a bank fraud involving some very savory characters, such as Tom London, Roy Barcroft (King of the Badmen) was so good at being Bad! ~ on the same bill is Peggy Stewart as the daughter of an honest deceased banker who was shot on the stage for mysterious reasons ~ it's up to Red Ryder and Little Beaver to see beyond such treachery ~ director Leslie Selander takes several turns in this delightful story, all of which involve the stuntwork of Republic's best in the business.
RED RYDER SERIES:
1. Marshal of Reno (1944)
2. The San Antonio Kid (1944)
3. Vigilantes of Dodge City (1944)
4. Sheriff of Las Vegas (1944)
5. Great Stagecoach Robbery (1945)
6. The Lone Texas Ranger (1945)
7. Marshal of Laredo (1945)
8. Sheriff of Redwood Valley (1946)
9. Sun Valley Cyclone (1946)
10.Stagecoach to Denver (1946)
11.Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947)
12.Homesteaders of Paradise Valley (1947)
13.Rustlers of Devil's Canyon (1947)
14.Marshal of Cripple Creek (1947)
15.Ride, Ryder, Ride! (1949)
16.Roll, Thunder, Roll! (1949)
17.The Fighting Redhead (1949)
18.Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949)
If you enjoyed this volume the next twelve volumes will have you roped and hogtide ~ the Red Ryder Double Feature Series is a must have for all of us who grew up riding the trails with Fred Harman's newspaper comic strip character which was popular during 1936 to 1964 --- during that time I discovered Dell Comics and the stories and artwork of Harman's hero Red Ryder --- now on DVD we can relive those early days when Red Ryder, Little Beaver and the Duchess made the west a safe place live --- B-Westerns reigned for all the little cowboys and girls who made a trip to the local theater to watch their favorite hero Red Ryder ---Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 113 mins ~ VCI/Entertainment 8330 ~ (06/25/2002)
8 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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1940's Red Ryder and Little Beaver Volume 1, come to DVD!
Added 11/8/2002
Many now only relate to "Red Ryder's Genuine Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle" made famous in the 1983 Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story". This story was about a 10 year old boys obsession with getting Red Ryder's air rifle for Christmas.Well now, we can all see this famous no-nonsense cowboy and his little sidekick Indian boy, Little Beaver in action. This was a perfect pair & their complete honorable taming of the west. Red Ryder & Little Beaver adventures dominated the comic strips in the 1930's - 1950's. Late in the 30's REd Ryder came to the screen in a 12 action packed episode serial. Pretty good stuff and a sample coming attraction of this early Red Ryder serial is included on this double feature DVD. The 1940's Red Ryder introduced the most popular Red Ryder with Wild Bill Elliot and Robert Blake an Little Beaver. This duo went on to make over a dozen Red Ryder movies in the 40's.
This Double Feature remastered DVD Full Screen Black/White includes 2 of thier movies. An Antonio Kid (1944 / 52 minutes) - greedy outlaws pursuit of the coveted "Black Gold" by terrorizing ranchers. Cheyenne Wildcat (1947 / 50 minutes) - Red becomes the object of desire of 2 ladies while he & Lil' Beaver pursue outlaws. This is wholesome fun family entertainment. Red & Lil' Beaver compliment each other and there is genuine onscreen friendship chemistry between them. This is fun stuff. Nice addition to the old western DVD library. Also included is a movie billboard & comic strip montage extra. Also, now we see why Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story" obsessed over Red Ryder!!! Enjoy.
30 out of 31 people found this helpful.
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Red Ryder-Memories
Added 8/13/2002
These two western "B" movies from the 40's are typical of the westerns of the war years. The second movie, "Cheyene Wildcat" is the best of the Elliott "Ryder" movies. A big plus is Robert Blake (Baretta) playing Little Beaver! Another big plus, is Roy Barcroft as the mean villian. As with all the old movies coming out in DVD, the quality is very good.
If you are over 60 you'll enjoy the memory-if you are under 60 you get to see a time when good triumphed over evil!
10 out of 11 people found this helpful.
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Good serial, sad memories
Added 11/27/2007
It is hard to watch this movie today without the haunting image of the real life Donald Barry. There were good reasons for this serial's success and Barry was set to become a Republic Saturday regular with no reason for fans to compare him with Bill Elliot. William Lava, one of Republic's resident geniuses, penned one of the very best western musical themes ever heard and a generation would have associated it with Don Barry, short or tall. How sad. What a pity to see people so ruled and destroyed by their own personality. So I refer the reader to the several good reviews of the Red Ryder movies on this web site.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Little Don Plays Big Red
Added 1/13/2006
This is yet another adaptation of a popular comic strip. Yours truly regularly read Red Ryder comic books as a teen, and this is worthy translation. Don Barry is very good in the title role, although he really doesn't fit the comic book look of Red Ryder--Red is a tall gangly guy, and Barry is very short. It's comical (pun intended) to see him do a little hop when he mounts his horse in order to be able to jump up that high! Directors Witney and English couldn't stand working with Barry and his oversize ego (they called him "the midget"); apparently he constantly wanted to change things and write his own lines. Despite this, the relationship works very well indeed on the screen. Probably they gave him that huge hat to make him look taller.
Tommy Cook plays Red's buddy Little Beaver, and he does well with the silly "Indian lingo" lines they gave him. Noah Beery ("Overland Mail", "Zorro Rides Again") is an all-time favorite Western bad-guy, and William Farnum helps out. Hal Taliaferro, seen in lots of serials, is Red's pal Cherokee, and Maude Pierce Allen is terrific as Red's aunt, the Duchess. The indefatigible Davy Sharpe does the stunt work for Barry.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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"Red Ryder B-Western Series ... Wild Bill Elliott as Red Ryder ... VCI Home Video"
Added 9/12/2004
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Gordon Elliott (6/15/1903 - 11/26/1965) from Pattonsburg, Mo, later known at William "Wild Bill" Elliott (the Peaceable Man) was the best Red Ryder on the big screen ~ he got the name of "Wild Bill" after starring in a Columbia serial "The Great Adventurers of Wild Bill Hickok" back in 1938, went on to make a multitude of westerns during the '40s and '50s ~ it was then Republic Studios was looking for a star to be featured in Fred Harman's Red Ryder comic strip series coming alive and on the big screen ~ it's no small wonder that William Elliott's name was at the top of the list ~ working with the top directors of the day Howard P. Bretherton, Spencer Gordon Bennett, Joseph Kane, Wallace A. Grissell, Leslie Selander and R.G. Springsteen all under Republic Pictures banner.
First up is "The San Antonio Kid" (1944-B&W-59 mins), featuring William Elliott as Red Ryder, Bobby Blake as Little Beaver, Alice Fleming as the Duchess (Reds Aunt), Duncan Renaldo (later to become The Cisco Kid, Robin Hood of the Old West) as Johnny Bennett (the San Antonio Kid), Glenn Strange as Ace Hanlon, LeRoy Mason as Walter Garfield, Linda Stirling (of Republic Serial fame) as Ann Taylor and Jack Kirk as Ben Taylor...with a cattle car full of Republics ace stuntmen Yakima Canutt (king of the stunt department), Henry Wills and Tom Steele (Ryder's stunt double) ~ plenty of action to go around ~ oil is discovered and it looks like some slick villainy is afoot to drive the Taylor's and neighboring ranchers off their land ~ time for Red and his horse Thunder to go into action.
Second on this double bill is "Cheyenne Wildcat" (1944-B&W-54 mins), again Elliott, Blake and Fleming star in a bank fraud involving some very savory characters, such as Tom London, Roy Barcroft (King of the Badmen) was so good at being Bad! ~ on the same bill is Peggy Stewart as the daughter of an honest deceased banker who was shot on the stage for mysterious reasons ~ it's up to Red Ryder and Little Beaver to see beyond such treachery ~ director Leslie Selander takes several turns in this delightful story, all of which involve the stuntwork of Republic's best in the business.
RED RYDER SERIES:
1. Marshal of Reno (1944)
2. The San Antonio Kid (1944)
3. Vigilantes of Dodge City (1944)
4. Sheriff of Las Vegas (1944)
5. Great Stagecoach Robbery (1945)
6. The Lone Texas Ranger (1945)
7. Marshal of Laredo (1945)
8. Sheriff of Redwood Valley (1946)
9. Sun Valley Cyclone (1946)
10.Stagecoach to Denver (1946)
11.Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947)
12.Homesteaders of Paradise Valley (1947)
13.Rustlers of Devil's Canyon (1947)
14.Marshal of Cripple Creek (1947)
15.Ride, Ryder, Ride! (1949)
16.Roll, Thunder, Roll! (1949)
17.The Fighting Redhead (1949)
18.Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949)
If you enjoyed this volume the next twelve volumes will have you roped and hogtide ~ the Red Ryder Double Feature Series is a must have for all of us who grew up riding the trails with Fred Harman's newspaper comic strip character which was popular during 1936 to 1964 --- during that time I discovered Dell Comics and the stories and artwork of Harman's hero Red Ryder --- now on DVD we can relive those early days when Red Ryder, Little Beaver and the Duchess made the west a safe place live --- B-Westerns reigned for all the little cowboys and girls who made a trip to the local theater to watch their favorite hero Red Ryder ---Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 113 mins ~ VCI/Entertainment 8330 ~ (06/25/2002)
8 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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