The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Charge of the Light Brigade / Gentleman Jim / The Adventures of Don Juan / The Dawn Patrol / Dive Bomber)

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The best-known of Errol Flynn's movies are already out there on DVD, so surely there can't be much left over to keep the second volume of the Errol Flynn Signature Collection from being an anticlimax. Except it's not. The new boxed set includes a splendid historical adventure, two aviation movies impressive in different ways, and a late swashbuckler that operates as a droll gloss on the star's persona. Plus (wait for it...) it also contains the best movie Errol Flynn ever made, and very likely his best performance as well.

Let's take that last one first. Raoul Walsh's Gentleman Jim (1942) is a great, boisterous gift box of a movie, a high-spirited biopic of late-19th-century prizefighter James J. Corbett. The setting is San Francisco in the Gay '90s, with Flynn/Corbett starting out as a brash, egotistical bank teller fast with his mouth and light on his feet. Given a chance to crash high society, he becomes a pugilist for the amusement of the nabobs, then sets out on a boxing career that will bring him glove-to-glove with the Great John L. ... Sullivan, that is, and portrayed with Walshian gusto by Ward Bond. Gentleman Jim is fragrant with period atmosphere, exhilarating in its feeling for space and back-slapping human contact, and so big-hearted and exuberant that it finally invites the audience right into the film. Alexis Smith--as a socialite who ribs Corbett mercilessly--and Flynn conduct a strikingly egalitarian mating duel. The supporting cast includes Jack Carson, Alan Hale, and the epically grumpy William Frawley, and the whirlwind montages are by future director Don Siegel. This is great fun--and a masterpiece to boot.

The adventure movie is The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Flynn's second star vehicle in Hollywood. A step up in scale and gloss from Captain Blood, this Michael Curtiz picture is historical poppycock but thrilling spectacle, with exotic doings in India and Asia Minor building to the horrendous siege of Chukoti, then a lateral move to the Crimea for the big Tennyson finish every perennial schoolboy in the audience has been waiting for. The Flynn of this swashbuckler-one-step-removed isn't the buoyant and boyish fellow we expect; he even comes in second to fellow Bengal Lancer (and dull brother) Patric Knowles for the heart of Olivia De Havilland. But he wears nobility well, and there's genuine tenderness in his performance. The camerawork and editing of the Charge will lift your heart rate, and the large supporting cast includes Donald Crisp, Nigel Bruce, Spring Byington, C. Henry Gordon, and Flynn pal David Niven.

Niven and Flynn are together again in The Dawn Patrol (1938), a memorable WWI tale of British airmen flying perilous missions in flimsy planes, and the flight commanders who have to send them out to do it. Basil Rathbone (in a rare departure from villainy in a Flynn movie) plays the tortured commandant whom hotshot Flynn will be obliged to succeed. Although this is the Dawn Patrol most people know, it's actually the remake of a 1930 Howard Hawks classic. The original has a starker feel (inseparable from its early-talkie creakiness), as if its airbase were at the edge of the known world. The more up-to-date Flynn version, directed by Edmund Goulding, is smoother entertainment, with a stronger supporting cast--but all the flying footage is from Hawks's movie.

The other aviation drama is Dive Bomber (1941), a big hit just before America's entry into WWII. Flynn plays it more sober than usual (no pun intended) as a Navy flight surgeon helping to lick the challenge of high-altitude sickness. There's no good reason for the movie to last 132 minutes, and both the macho griping of aviator Fred MacMurray and the garish treatment of the peripheral females (including Alexis Smith in her first featured role) get tiresome. But these are worth enduring for the breathtaking flight scenes in vivid Technicolor--which looks every bit as great as it must have in 1941. Director Michael Curtiz, in what would be his last film with Flynn, even sets up the ground scenes to include low-altitude flyovers.

The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), made near the end of Flynn's Warner years, is a footnote to the star's swashbuckling legacy and a not-very-inside joke on his reputation as real-life Don Juan; the picture is at least as interested in eliciting chuckles as serving up thrills. Director Vincent Sherman lacked the brio of Curtiz and the gusto of Walsh, but he ably steers the actor past self-parody to a reasonably graceful performance. Again, the real excitement is the ultra-radiant Technicolor--a perhaps inadvertent result of veteran film noir cameraman Woody Bredell lighting the movie as though he were still working that black-and-white territory. Viveca Lindfors supplies urbane love interest as the Queen of Spain, and Robert Douglas stands in for Basil Rathbone as villain-in-chief.

Consistent with previous Warner practice, all but one of the features in Volume 2 come packaged with a "Warner Night at the Movies" set of shorts: cartoons, comedy shorts, trailers for contemporaneous WB movies, and sometimes newsreels. The disc of Gentleman Jim also includes an audio-only bonus, a radio reenactment featuring Flynn and costars Alexis Smith and Ward Bond. Probably because of its two-hour-plus running time, Dive Bomber is accompanied only by its trailer and a brief documentary, in which historian Rudy Behlmer shares a choice anecdote about Mike Curtiz attempting to direct airplanes. Unfortunately, of Flynn and his various directors, only Vincent Sherman was still available to do a commentary track (on Adventures of Don Juan, which also includes Behlmer commentary); Sherman passed away in 2006 at the age of 99. --Richard T. Jameson

Studio description

Includes The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Gentleman Jim (1942), The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), The Dawn Patrol (1938), and Dive Bomber (1941).

Customer Reviews:

Almost as good as Volume 1.......2007-09-03

When I picked up the second volume of the Errol Flynn Signature Collection, I wasn't sure what I was going to get. After all, the first volume had most of his really big movies (including Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk) and his definitive movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood, was not in either set. Nevertheless, this second set does have some good movies, even if they are not quite the caliber of Volume 1.

The first movie (chronologically speaking) is The Charge of the Light Brigade, a depiction of the Crimean War with Flynn as a British lancer who will eventually lead the famous charge. This is a Warner Brothers classic, with many familiar names from other Flynn movies, including Olivia de Havilland (his most frequent leading lady, this time playing a woman in love with Flynn's brother), Donald Crisp, musical scorer Max Steiner and director Michael Curtiz. This also has David Niven and Nigel Bruce (later famous as Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes movies).

Niven is also in The Dawn Patrol which has he and Flynn as pilots during World War I, an era when aerial combat was (pardon the pun) just getting off the ground. Both are cocky aces who survive while their less seasoned fellow pilots perish. Basil Rathbone plays their commander, forced to send his green recruits to almost certain death. For a late 1930's movie, this does a good job showing the plane-to-plane battles.

The weakest in the set is another air-related movie, Dive Bomber. Flynn plays a doctor researching ways that pilots can overcome loss of consciousness when dive bombing. Fred MacMurray plays the test pilot who distrusts Flynn. With little real adventure, this movie doesn't really exploit Flynn's talents, even with Curtiz directing again.

Gentleman Jim is a fictional biography of boxer Jim Corbett, who came to prominence just as boxing began to be a legitimate sport. Flynn plays the title character with his standard easy going charm. Of course, the movie has to culminate in a big title match, but the path to that match is a lot of fun.

Last in the bunch and the best is Adventures of Don Juan, which successfully recreates the swashbuckling Flynn and owes more than a little to Adventures of Robin Hood. In this film, Flynn plays the legendary wooer of woman who is called upon to save Queen and country (Spain) against a coup. This has it all: Flynn, a nasty villain played by Robert Douglas, a beautiful queen played by Viveca Lindfors, a wonderful sidekick with Alan Hale, the music of Steiner again and the direction of Vincent Sherman, all put together with plenty of wit and swordplay.

All of the movies come with the Warner Night at the Movies special feature except Dive Bomber (another reason this one is the weakest in the set). This special feature allows the viewer to see a movie preview, newsreel, short subject and cartoon from the year of the movie's release. There are other extras as well, including commentary on Adventures of Don Juan. In short, between the movies and the extras, this is a five-star set and once again showcases why Flynn was one of the biggest stars of the 1930s and 1940s.

Dawn Patrol.......2007-09-01

A very historically accurate depiction of the events of a fighter pilot in World War II

Great Set !! Looking Forward To Vol. 3.......2007-08-19

A great set and a must have for Flynn fans. Highlights for me are "The Dawn Patrol & Gentleman Jim." I am looking forward to Vol. 3.

Here are my picks for Vol.3:

Another Dawn

Desperate Journey

Edge Of Darkness

Northren Pursuit

Uncertain Glory

another must have.......2007-07-16

The Charge of the Light Brigade never fails to bring a tear to my good eye. The other films are certainly no slouchers. Lord Byron's "Don Juan" comes alive on the screen with great content to surprise the casual viewer. Gentleman Jim, Dawn Patrol, and Dive Bomber are greats as well. If you are starting a collection of old classics, this would be a fine start. Enjoy!

The entire collection.......2007-07-12

Erroll Flynn is the premier actor of this period, with all due respect to Bogart. His shear screen presence, especially in Light Brigade and Don Juan reinforce his position as one of the best of all time. Well worth the money for anyone's collection.

Average customer rating:

Flynn at his Best
Classic tale of romance, friendship, love, and sacrifice.
classic great movie
BEST HISTORICAL CAVALRY CHARGE EVER!
An action movie like no other

The Charge of the Light Brigade
Starring: Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Patric Knowles , Henry Stephenson , and Nigel Bruce
Director: Michael Curtiz , Lloyd French , and B. Reeves Eason
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000M2E30E
Release Date: 2007-03-27

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Why is The Charge of the Light Brigade so rarely even mentioned among Errol Flynn's swashbucklers? It's a terrific movie, something like the peak of spectacular Hollywood action filmmaking and the bravura style of Michael Curtiz. The setting--till the Crimean War climax--is the Indian frontier (impersonated, as so often, by rocky Lone Pine, California), where the 27th Bengal Lancers run afoul of an Oxford-educated slime named Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon). Flynn and Olivia de Havilland bring real tenderness to two-thirds of a romantic triangle (the other corner is the hero's brother, Patric Knowles). There's the fearsome siege of Chukoti, an unspeakable atrocity, and finally the foolhardy, inspired Charge at Balaklava. The camerawork and editing of that grand sequence never cease to astonish. History (and political correctness) is better served by the 1968 Tony Richardson movie, but for unabashed epic sweep and matchless thrills, this is the one you want. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Flynn at his Best.......2007-08-24

A film I've waited a long time for on Dvd.I've always enjoyed Errol Flynn in his swashbuckling adventure films and this is typical of one of the best of them.As a child I had to learn the famous poem of "The Charge of The Light Brigade" at school and although film makers don't always follow history exactly this is still a good one to watch and have in your collection.A good story line and the charge at the end will get your pulse racing. Enjoy.

Classic tale of romance, friendship, love, and sacrifice........2007-08-22

I think "Charge of the Light Brigade," with Errol Flynn is among one of finest films, with one of the finest actors of all time. It does have every element. The story is strong and moving, with much heroism and true friendships in it. David Niven and Patrick Knowles are excellent in it as well as good and forever loyal friends to Major Vickers. The film has a lot of meaning and truth in it, excellent story and acting by all. Olivia de Havilland is a great actress too and very beautiful. She and Flynn are the perfect screen couple. No one can match Errol Flynn for swashbuckling , such grace, and really moving and meaningful acting. The romance between Olivia and Major Vickers, is very tender and heartfelt to watch throughout the film. You always wonder how the character she portrayed could have left such a noble and decent man like him for his brother.
I'd very highly recommend it. They dont make films like this anymore and that's ashame. It's a rare gem of a film.

classic great movie.......2007-07-30

A true gem of a movie, acting, casting, scenery, storyline. An excellent Errol Fynn movie.

BEST HISTORICAL CAVALRY CHARGE EVER!.......2007-06-21

I first saw this movie in 1977 when I was 7, and now I am 37, and I still think this is one of the best movies ever!!! This was made over 5 years BEFORE PEARL Harbor. For 1936, and this FAMOUS Charge, with Errol Flynn, and this MUSICAL SCORE is the greatest! This movie is timeless, and should be shown to your children, and then their children!! They DO NOT make movies like this anymore!

An action movie like no other.......2007-06-12

I am an avid Errol Flynn fan where his action movies are concerned.
The Charge of the Light Brigade is timeless and should be seen by the younger generation who were never exposed to this movie. I am from the baby boom days.

Average customer rating:

pretty good film

Black Brigade
Starring: Billy Dee Williams; Richard Pryor; Robert Hooks; Susan Oliver; Roosevelt Grier; Moses Gunn
Director: George Mccowan
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures/PMC
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002HR8ZG
Release Date: 2002-07-15

Product Description

From back cover, "A redneck officer is put in charge of a squad of black troops charged with taking an important bridge from the Nazis.

Customer Reviews:

pretty good film.......2007-03-23

this was the start of films with Billy Dee Williams&Richard Pryor together. this film is set in World War 2.a All Black Unit under a White Captain played by Stephen Boyd. Robert Hooks,Rosie Grier&Moses Gunn are also in this film. it's a interesting film as the Unit has only a couple of days to get into order.

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Black Brigade review
Interesting Movie, Decent Story, Great Cast!
excellent movie...horrible transfer
I thought the movie was ok, for the time it was made.

Black Brigade
Starring: Stephen Boyd , Robert Hooks , Susan Oliver , Roosevelt Grier , and Moses Gunn
Director: George McCowan
Manufacturer: Westlake Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000Z6N7O
Release Date: 2003-11-01

Customer Reviews:

Black Brigade review.......2007-08-16

I am a Stephen Boyd fan. Boyd did such a wonderful job acting the role of Masala in Benhur that I have tried to see all of his movies.

The strange thing about Black Brigade is that I purchased the movie because of Stephen Boyd, but I found the members of the Black Brigade team were equally inspiring.

This is a war movie. There were 12 black men acting under the charge of this white Officer. By the end of the movie, both the Officer and I were impressed by the characters the black men played. They were all 5 star actors. It was a good story played by a team of excellent actors.

Interesting Movie, Decent Story, Great Cast!.......2004-10-29

(...)That alone is scary-- I knew it might stink, but with the cast list, I thought it might actually be OK, and it is. It's a HORRID DVD transfer though, but for 1 dollar I can't complain too much!

It's what I thought it was, a TV movie (originally aired on ABC) from 1969 written by TV mogul Aaron Spelling and Produced by the great Danny Thomas Productions, who produced such classic TV shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, The Andy Griffith Show, etc,.
This film stars Stephen Boyd, a great character actor/leading man known for his roles in such movies as 'Ben Hur' and 'Fantatstic Voyage'.

It features young newcomers such as Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams & football star Rosie Grier in great supporting roles as members of an all-black WW II US Army company ('B' Company) in France who are doing the 'grunt' work of the Army. Digging latrines, digging graves, dealing with garbage, etc. Basically getting No Respect. Blacks were considered second class citizens during WW II.

The story shows how Racist Redneck Major Carter (Boyd) is asked to go on a dangerous mission to blow up a Dam held by the Nazis and the only company of men to help accomplish the task are 'B' Company, (the all black company).

They appear lazy and shiftless to Major Carter, who doesn't believe they can help him blow up the dam. Little does he know, they are more than up for the job. Carter asks their lieutenant in charge for 'volunteers', and he picks 6 men, including Pryor, Williams & Grier.

It's fairly standard TV movie fare, and it's kind of neat to see Pryor and Williams in early roles, as well as great black character actors Moses Gunn & Glynn Thurman (Cooley High)--as well as Susan Oliver, a great blonde character actress who appeared in lots of TV drama in the 60's on shows like 'Star Trek', 'Mannix', 'The Wild Wild West',etc.

It's a nice forgotten addition to black cinema, and shows that black men in WWII could be just as heroic as their white brothers. It's an interesting look at race relations in the late 60's context too, what with the Black Panther movement and all.

It's kind of funny how all the black actors have big afros and a few have mustaches/goatees--not typical of WWII U.S.Army standards, but more like1969 fashion. Pryor sports a natty red beret throughout the whole story, too.

I guess I recommend it as a piece of nostalgia. Again, The DVD transfer is Horrid, but viewable.

excellent movie...horrible transfer.......2004-07-11

I was curious about this movie primarily to see the comedic and cinematic development of a young Richard Pryor(pre the Toy and Superman 3 debacles)...the movie in my opinion DOES stand the test of time considering that it was made 34 years ago. There were some cool cameos(a young Paul Mooney in the background)and of course an ensemble cast of some heavy weight & familiar African american actors..i.e..Billy Dee Williams(starring in Brian's Song the following year), Moses Gunn, Rosie Grier, Glynn Turman and Robert Hooks(a superb actor and father of noted actor/director Kevin Hooks). Surprisingly, the movie holds up..an example of this is the reference to the Moses Gunn character being a physics teacher from Howard University who joined the war effort thus surprising the racist Stephen Boyd character for being a learned Black man. My main gripe is the transfer...yes..this was a Aaron Spelling made for tv movie but if the movie was remastered it would have been a hell of a lot more enjoyable to watch...but again...it WAS worth a gander to see some familiar actors during their prime.....it's worth a look.

I thought the movie was ok, for the time it was made........1999-06-26

due to the fact that it is an older movie, it has a good plot, story line and very good acting. it doesn't have the best of sound or the quility of a digial picture. which in point was part of the reason I didn't get into this movie as well as others. but it's worth 3 stars.

Average customer rating:

Battle Hell Vietnam
Starring: Documentary - Military History
Manufacturer: Bennett Marine Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Sky Soldiers: The fighting 173rd Airborne Brigade featuring Huey Gunships and their "Cowboys" against the V.C. The Black Horse Regiment: Operation Thunderhorse and Elephant's Ear took these hell-for-leather fighting men from sweating jungles to the Tet Offensive and bitter street fighting in Bien Hua and Saigon. The Air Mobile Division: The battling 1st proved the effectiveness of the helicopter in bloody battle. Know Your Enemy: Men of the 173rd discovered this captured enemy newsreel depicting ambush assault tactics of the 9th Vietcong Main Force Division. A chilling picture of the enemy in battle.

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE with Errol Flynn (A Carga da Brigada Ligeira) (Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Average customer rating:

Good if great quality is not important

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE with Errol Flynn (A Carga da Brigada Ligeira) (Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)(Adventure)

Manufacturer: Classicline
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000GKB22Y

Product Description

Brand new, factory sealed, fully licensed DVD manufactured in Brazil. NTSC format. Playable on any North American DVD player. Full screen black and white image. Original English dialog with optional subtitles in Portuguese. Portuguese subtitles do not appear unless turned on and they can be easily turned off. The following review appears in Amazon for the VHS edition: "Reviewer: Robert S. Clay Jr. From the standpoint of history, artistic license abounds in this classic adventure movie. In fairness, the filmmaker posts a disclaimer of the historical veracity of the film right at the beginning. Errol Flynn is at his flamboyant best as dashing English officer, Geofrrey Vickers. He vies with his brother (Patrick Knowles) for the love of Olivia DeHavilland. C. Henry Gordon is evilly conniving as Surat Khan, leader of the fictional Suristan faction. When England cuts off his money, Surat Khan wages war against the British interlopers. After Surat Khan massacres non-combatants at the garrison of Chokoti (sp.?), India is too hot to hold him. In typical Hollywood fashion, the action shifts to the Crimea at Sebastopol where the British face the Russians at Balaklava Heights. Vickers, still burning with anger over the massacre of innocents, discovers this and he forges orders for the Light Brigade to attack. Under the direction of Michael Curtiz, the slam-bang action sequences of this movie provide memorable thrills. As the lancers charge into the face of roaring cannon, to the right of them, to the left of them, in front of them, quotes from Tennyson's poem appear on screen. The shot of the fallen lancer still holding aloft the billowing Union Jack in his lifeless hand is great imagery. "When can their glory fade?" Filmed in glorious B&W, this classic action/adventure film is a good example of the quality product of the Warner Brothers film sutdio at its Depression Era height. Enjoy the old fashioned fun."

Customer Reviews:

Good if great quality is not important.......2006-08-15

This review is for the Brazilian edition only. Overall, this movie transfer is OK if you are not a stickler for very high quality transfers and need to have this DVD now. It does not seem that Warner Brothers is going to release any more Errol Flynn titles anytime soon. It is in English and you can turn the Portuguese subtitle off. It is not a high quality transfer and it skips a lot throughout.

All that being said, this is one of Errol Flynn's early and best action movies during the early part of his career. It is a fictionalized account of the famous charge of the British lancers and in my opinion a lot more interesting than the later version with Gielgould which although more accurate historically, the action is terrible. Flynn is at his best and the movie direction is excellent.

I give the movie 5 stars, the video transfer 2 to 3 stars. If you can wait for Warner Brothers to release it, I suggest that you wait. If not, it is not too bad. The seller I bought it from was excellent.

Old School Soul: 4 Movie Pack - Deadly Impact/Black Brigade/Black Cobra 2/White Fire

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Old School Soul: 4 Movie Pack - Deadly Impact/Black Brigade/Black Cobra 2/White Fire
Starring: Old School Soul
Manufacturer: Westlake
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G1R34O
Release Date: 2006-06-13

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Black Brigade / The Three Muscatels
Starring: Richard Pryor; Billy Dee Williams
Director: Multi
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

ASIN: B0006B04CC
Release Date: 2002-02-02

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Black Brigade/Get Christine Love
Starring: Black Brigade , and Get Christie Love
Manufacturer: Unicorn Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00019GHI4
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Boothill Brigade (1937) / Lawless Land (1937)

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"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Boothill Brigade (1937)"

Boothill Brigade (1937) / Lawless Land (1937)
Starring: Boothill Brigade , and Lawless Land
Manufacturer: Alpha Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000HEVZGW
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Product Description

Two action-filled Westerns starring Johnny Mack Brown.

Customer Reviews:

"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Boothill Brigade (1937)".......2006-09-14

VCI Entertainment present "Johnny Mack Brown Double Feature Vol. 8" (Crooked Trail (1936)/Boot Hill Brigade (1937) (Dolby digitally remastered)...relive those thrilling days from the early '30s and '40s when Johnny Mack Brown took us down the dusty trails with some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee Screen...just remember double the thrills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss any of the Johnny Mack Brown features loaded with action that will leave you wanting more of his B-Western adventures.

First up of this double feature VCI Entertainment and Supremel Pictures present "CROOKED TRAIL" (1936) (58 mins/B&W) ... Under Roy S. Luby (Director), A.W. Hackel - Producer), George Plympton (Screenwriter) ... the cast include Johnny Mack Brown (Jim Blake), Lucile Browne (Helen Carter), John Merton (Harve Tarlton), Charles King (Lanning), Ted Adams (Estaban Salano), John Van Pelt (Tex), Ed Cassidy (Grimby), Horace Murphy (Carter), Dick Curtis (Kirk/a Miner ), earl Dwire (Miner), Artie Ortego (Card Player), Hal Price (miner) . . . . . long running Johnny Mack Brown series turned out in the early '40s...the story line has two of the cast Johnny Mack Brown and John Merton finding a goldmine and becoming partners...Merton's background is a shakey one of the outlaws life...Brown wants to give Merton every break he can and change his evil ways...Lucile Browne has a plan to open Johnny Macks eyes, will he see Merton for what he is...can it be that Lucile will run off with Merton, thus stopping a bullet meant for our hero Brown...there's an exciting fistfight between Johnny Mack and Charles King that is well worth the price of a ticket...will the final showdown live up to all we expect from the Johnny Mack Brown Supreme films series...the screenplay by George Plympton is over the top and gives the B-Western fans all the excitement and drama we long for ... a particular favorite of mine . . . . . special 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.........meanwhile back to another great Johnny Mack B-Western provided by Supreme Pictures during their heyday of the early '30s.

The second feature is from Republic Pictures "BOOT HILL BRIGADE" (1937) (56 min/B&W) ... Under Sam Newfield (Director), A.W. Hackel (Producer), Harry F. Olmstead (Short Story Author), George Plympton (Screenwriter), Bert Longenecker (Cinematographer), Roy S. Luby (Editor) ... the cast include Johnny Mack Brown (Lon Cardigan), Claire Rochelle (Bobbie Reynolds), Dick Curtis (Bull Berke), Horace Murphy (Calico Haynes), Frank LaRue (Jeff Reynolds), Edward Cassidy (John Porter), Bobby Nelson (Tug Murdock), Frank Ball (Murdock), Steve Clark (Holbrook), Frank Ellis (Brown) . . . . . the story line is excellent with outstanding productions values as Johnny Mack Brown and Dick Curtis are once again on the opposite side of the fence...is there a plot to hire gunfighters and make widows out of the ranchers wives...the real culprit is Ed Cassidy who is behind all of the scullduggery, in a land grabbing scheme...can the homesteaders rely on Johnny Mack to bring all the polecats to justice...watch the final few minutes in a big knockdown drag out fight between our hero and one of the best fistfights...well it's not over yet until Johnny Mack Brown gives the heavy his walking papers. ... the scenery in this oater is outstanding and cinematographer Bert Longenecker is the reason . . . . . special footnote, tall in the saddle actor Dick Curtis was Columbia Pictures main villain in just about every Charles Starrett and Johnny Mack Brown B-Westerns, Curtis also appeared in a few "Three Stooges" comedy films, down the road built "Pioneertown" in partnership with cowboy star Russell Hayden for B-Western locations . . . . . another footnote, actor Edward Cassidy appeared in more than some 218 films, mainly serials and B-Westerns as a judge, sheriff and sometimes on the wrong side of the law . . . . . another great B-Western for Johnny Mack Brown under the Republic Pictures banner, proves to be one of his most exciting performances.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Johnny Mack Brown
Birth Date: 9/01/1904 - Dothan, Alabama
Died: 11/14/1974 - Woodland Hills, California (cardiac condition)
2. Charles King
Birth Date: 2/21/1895 - Hillsboro, Texas
Died: 5/07/1957 - Hollywood, California (cirrhosis of liver)
3. John Merton (aka: John Myrtland La Varre)
Birth Date: 2/18/1901 - Washington
Died: 9/19/1959 - Los Angeles, California (heart attack)
4. Claire Rochelle
Birth Date: 8/22/1908 - Nevada, Missouri
Died: 5/23/1981 - La Jolla, California
5. Ed Cassidy
Birth Date: 3/21/1893 - Illinois, USA
Died: 1/19/1968 - Woodland Hills, California
6. Dick Curtis (aka- Richard Dye)
Birth Date: 5/11/1902 - Newport, Kentucky
Died: 1/03/1952 - Hollywood, California (pneumonia)
7. S. Roy Luby (Director)
Date of birth: 8 August 1904 - New York, New York
Date of death: 19 August 1976 - Los Angeles, California
8. Sam Newfield (aka: Samuel Neufeld) (Director)
Date of birth: 6 December 1899 - New York, New York
Date of death: 10 November 1964 - Los Angeles, California

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:
Vol. 1 Bad Man from Red Butte/Rawhide Ramgers (VCI#8348
Vol. 2 Raiders of San Joaquin/Law of the Range (VCI #7226)
Vol. 3 Pony Post/Ragtime Cowboy Joe (VCI #7238)
Vol. 4 Branded A Coward/Rogue of the Range (VCI #7244)
Vol. 5 Guns in the Dark/Partner of the Trail (VCI #7260)
Vol. 6 Bar Z Bad Men/Between Men (VCI #7282)
Vol. 7 Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie/Lone Star Trail (VCI#7308)
Vol. 8 Crooked Trail/Boot Hill Brigade (VCI#7309)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above 8 volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet...you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment.

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 "Johnny Mack Brown Double Feature Vol. 8" (Crooked Trail (1936)/Boot Hill Brigade (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: 115 on DVD ~ VCI Home Video #7309 ~ (9/12/2006)

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