They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable

MGM

December 19, 1945

War Drama

DVD

D

Predictably expendable John Wayne war movie.  Robert Montgomery co-stars and co-directed with John Ford.

His Private Secretary

His Private Secretary
Studio Unknown

June 10, 1933

Comedy
DVD
C-

Wayne is cast against type as a spoiled playboy, with a lot of period details.  Phil Whitman directed.

Desert Command

Desert Command

Mascot Pictures

1946

Adventure

DVD
D+

Re-editing of the 1933 serial The Three Musketeers, which updates Dumas to the French Foreign Legion.  Colbert Clark and Armand Schaefer co-directed.

The Hurricane Express

The Hurricane Express

Mascot Pictures

August 1, 1932

Drama

DVD
D+

Melodramatic serial, with Wayne as a pilot.  J. P. McGowan and Armand Schaefer co-directed.

The Shadow of the Eagle

The Shadow of the Eagle

Mascot Pictures

February 1, 1932

Drama

DVD
C

A serial with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality, featuring a circus AND sky-writing AND a Great War grudge AND a romance and then I tuned out after a quarter hour.  Ford Beebe and B. Reeves Eason co-directed.

Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman

Republic Pictures

February 15, 1947

Western
DVD
D+

The badman is more interesting than the angel, and he's barely conscious in the first quarter hour.  James Edward Grant wrote and directed.

West of the Divide

West of the Divide

Monogram Pictures

February 15, 1934

Western

DVD
D+

Again with the clumsy exposition.  Bradbury again wrote and directed.

Randy Rides Alone

Randy Rides Alone

Monogram Pictures

June 5, 1934

Western

DVD
C-

This plays almost like a silent, with minimal dialogue.  Harry L. Fraser directed.

Winds of the Wasteland

Winds of the Wasteland

Republic Pictures

July 6, 1936

Western, Comedy
DVD
C

This has more humor than the Monogram pictures, with Wayne and his friend getting swindled into running a stagecoach line to a ghost town.  Mack V. Wright directed.

Texas Terror

Texas Terror

Monogram Pictures

February 1, 1935

Western
DVD
D+

Writer-director Bradbury is presumably the one to blame for the hilariously clumsy exposition.

Sagebrush Trail

Sagebrush Trail

Monogram Pictures

December 15, 1933

Western
DVD
C-

This time, Wayne is a fugitive wrongly accused of murder, taking the alias "Smith."  Armand Schaefer directed.

Riders of Destiny

Riders of Destiny

Monogram Pictures

October 10, 1933

Western

DVD
C-

The platinum blonde gets more to do than most of the women in these movies.  Bradbury wrote and directed again.

Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley

Monogram Pictures

March 15, 1935

Western

DVD
C-

Gabby Hayes has an automobile.  Bradbury directed but didn't write.

Paradise Canyon

Paradise Canyon

Monogram Pictures

July 20, 1935

Western
DVD
C

I sort of like this one, but mostly because it seems to be set in the twentieth-century, with a medicine show troupe in a motorized van.  Carl Pierson directed.

'Neath the Arizona Skies

'Neath the Arizona Skies

Monogram Pictures

December 5, 1934

Western

DVD
C-

This time the Duke is looking after a feisty, "half-breed" little heiress.  Harry L. Fraser directed.

Born to the West AKA Hell Town

Born to the West AKA Hell Town

Paramount

December 10, 1937

Western
DVD
D+

The stampede was the highlight of the first quarter hour.  This is based on a Zane Grey novel and directed by Charles Barton.

The Trail Beyond

The Trail Beyond

Monogram Pictures

October 22, 1934

Western
DVD
D+

Two college chums meet on the train West.  Again, Bradbury directed but didn't write.

Star Packer

Star Packer

Monogram Pictures

July 30, 1934

Western
DVD
D+

To be honest, I kept thinking of the original title of the Rolling Stones song "Star Star."  Bradbury again wrote and directed.

The Man from Utah

The Man from Utah

Monogram Pictures

May 15, 1934

Western
DVD
D+

My favorite part was the scene on the river.  This time Bradbury directed but didn't write.

The Lucky Texan

The Lucky Texan

Monogram Pictures

January 22, 1934

Western

DVD
C-

The corrupt assayer made this more interesting than others of its ilk.  Bradbury again wrote and directed.