The Nearly Good B-Pictures of the 1930s
Can there even be a thing like 'nearly good B-pictures'? At first I wasn't so sure either. But after years of watching B-movies, more often than not I stumbled across a B-picture which I wouldn't exactly consider to be a good (or even brillant) one. On the other hand it didn't reach the absolute bottoms of z-grade moviedom that connoisseurs of this kind of pictures are used to either. It was simply a movie which, in terms of B-pictures, was competently done, had all those ingredients we love so much in this kind of movies, yes, possibly it was even done bad for all the right reasons. But nevertheless, it didn't click with me, didn't offer that special something which makes B-pictures so enjoyable. What you can expect on this list are B-pictures which are not bad per se, they are more like near misses which can still offer plenty for the B-movie fan. Especially if you are a fan of a certain subgenre, actor or whatever. So have fun browsing through the nearly, but not quite, good B-pictures of the 1930s.
If you're up to it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
If you're up to it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsGeorge ArlissRalph ForbesH.B. WarnerAn airplane carrying three Brits--Major Crespin, his wife Lucille, and Dr. Trahern--crash lands in the kingdom of Rukh. The Rajah holds them prisoner because the British are about to execute his three half-brothers in neighboring India. His subjects believe that their Green Goddess has given them the lives of the three Brits as payment for the lives of the Rajah's brothers. They will execute them when the brothers are executed. Trahern and the Crespins must figure a way to use the Rajah's radio to call India for help.
- DirectorGeorge AbbottStarsRichard ArlenFay WrayEugene PalletteWhen 1 of 2 rivals diving for pearls in the Solomon Islands emerges with his goggles on, natives think he is a sea god. A romance with an endangered heroine and the threat of cannibalism also figure in this exotic adventure.
- DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsBetty CompsonLowell ShermanRaymond HattonWhen an island castle off the coast of Maine becomes the scene of a murder, a mystery writer tries to nab the criminal.
- DirectorHarry Joe BrownStarsKen MaynardTarzanDorothy DwanAfter being shot, a dying Marshal Dawson gives Dave Hayes his badge and asks him to finish his job. Dave becomes Marshal but when Bowie, the man that shot Dawson appears, he exposes Dave as an imposter. Dave is then in trouble when Edwards incites the mob to lynch him.
- DirectorIrving CummingsStarsVictor McLaglenMona MarisHumphrey BogartSoldier of fortune Maxton is stranded in a Central American country. He and Tom, the nephew of the country's richest man, try to end Morloff's banditry but just barely escape a firing squad. They become rivals for Rosita.
- DirectorFrank R. StrayerStarsRex LeaseVera ReynoldsPaul HurstPeter has to be married by midnight or else his inheritance goes to his uncle... Who happens to live in a "haunted house".
- DirectorGeorge ArchainbaudStarsBebe DanielsBen LyonRobert Emmett O'ConnorA crook (Daniels) becomes a maid to steal jewelry.
- DirectorWilliam NighStarsKen MaynardJeanette LoffWallace MacDonaldDan and Tennessee are successful gold miners. Ace Brady learns of their success and sends Fox to rob them. During the robbery Fox shoots Tennessee and Ace arrives to arrest Dan for the murder. Dan escapes but is now a wanted man.
- DirectorJ.P. McGowanStarsBob CusterNatalie KingstonBill CodyThree cowboys try to stop a crook from defrauding an orphan girl out of her money.
- DirectorJ.P. McGowanStarsBob SteeleLafe McKeeAl FergusonIt's cattleman Bledsoe against sheep man Wilson and his crooked partner Rankins. When Wilson balks at Rankins' plans, Rankins kills him and blames Tom Bledsoe. But unknown to Rankins there was a witness.
- DirectorKenneth MacKennaWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsEdmund LoweLois MoranEl BrendelAt the end of his magic show at the Tivoli theater, Chatrand the Great announces over a radio broadcast that he is trying to establish the identity of an amnesia victim, his assistant "Alexander." Found unconscious with a head wound two years earlier in the streets of Washington, Alexander, now a mind reader in the act, cannot remember anything about his previous life. Beverly Lane, whose brother Paul disappeared two years earlier, listens intently to her radio, but her uncle, financier John Carrington, calls the announcement a cheap publicity stunt. When Beverly insists on going to the theater, Carrington accompanies her. Before his performance, Chatrand, upon seeing Beverly through the stage curtains, recognizes her from a picture in the locket Alexander carries. He has always wanted to meet the woman in the picture. During the act, Chatrand blindfolds Alexander and has him describe objects belonging to members of the audience and answer their questions. When Chatrand asks Alexander to describe Beverly's locket, which is identical to Alexander's, Carrington protests and struggles with Chatrand. Sonya, Chatrand's assistant, pulls a light switch. In the dark, a hand wearing a spider ring fires a gun, and Carrington falls. The police soon arrive and keep the audience from leaving, as a man from the audience, Dr. Blackstone, attends to Carrington. After Inspector Riley finds a gun beside Alexander, who is unconscious, Chatrand removes Alexander's mask. Beverly then embraces him and identifies him as her lost brother. Chatrand brings Alexander out of his trance, and upon seeing Beverly, Alexander exclaims, "He tried to kill me; I had to do it!" Treating this as a confession, Riley has Alexander and Beverly taken to the theater manager's office, while he keeps Chatrand under observation. Chatrand, however, escapes into a casket and then through a trap door. Alexander tells Beverly that two years earlier Carrington attempted to steal all their money, and that when Carrington tried to kill him, he fell, precipitating his amnesia. Chatrand then finds out that Carrington had been receiving telephone calls from someone who lost a great deal of money to him. When Riley learns that Carrington has died, he arrests Alexander for first-degree murder. Chatrand, however, convinces Riley to let him conduct a seance before the audience is allowed to leave to try to make the murderer betray himself. During the seance, as Chatrand's image appears before the audience, and Carrington, speaking through Chatrand, threatens to name his murderer, a shot breaks the mirror which is conveying the image. Chatrand next has Alexander, in the guise of a mind reader, attempt to "find" the mind of the murderer. After he reveals a number of dark secrets in the minds of some audience members, Alexander says that the murderer wears a spider ring, and he names the row in which the murderer is sitting. As he is about to reveal the murderer's seat number, a shot rings out. Dr. Blackstone, who hysterically says that Carrington deserved death for ruining a savings bank and turning his family and thousands of others into paupers, is apprehended. Chatrand, who suffered a wound to his arm, is attended to by Beverly, who has grown fond of him.
- DirectorFred NibloStarsWilliam BoydJames GleasonWarner OlandUnable to repay a substantial gambling debt to mob boss North, Alan Beckwith concocts a last-ditch scheme. Allowing North to take out a $100,000 insurance policy on his life, Alan agrees to commit suicide after the mandantory one-year moratorium has elapsed. To make things legal, North forces Alan to marry Beverly (Whose brother is also indebted to North) as the beneficiary-of-record. He also assigns "hitman wannabe" Squint to both keep an eye on Alan and "do the deed" when the time comes. But as the year progresses, Alan falls in love with Beverly, befriends Squint and decides he doesn't want to die. But how can he convince North to allow a 100 grand to slip through his fingers?
- DirectorErnest B. SchoedsackStarsJaro FürthClaude KingRangoThe frame story is narrated by a white father to his son. He explains that man's closest relative in nature is the orangutan, which translates literally as "man of the forest." He then tells the story of Ali and his son Bin, natives of Sumatra, who hunt in a jungle village. Ali wants to shoot a tiger, but the orangutans Tua and his baby Rango get in the way, and Rango is almost grabbed by the tiger. While Ali prepares a tiger trap, the orangutans enter Ali's hut and feast on the stored goods. Dozens of orangutans join them, ransacking the hut. When Ali and Bin return to discover the havoc, Ali captures Rango and puts him on a chain. Later, Ali saves Tua from a black panther. In the night, a tiger enters the camp, and Rango warns Bin in time for him to shoot and scare the tiger away. At dawn, Tua comes for Rango and eats in the hut, while Bin tends the water buffaloes. After the tiger kills a deer, the orangutans scream warnings to each other and flee. Two male tigers approach and chase Bin, Rango and Tua. The tiger kills Rango, but the water buffalo fights the tiger and kills him.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsRose HobartCharles BickfordGeorges RenaventWoman treks through jungle to find her missing husband.
- DirectorFrank R. StrayerStarsAileen PringleAlice WhiteHale HamiltonA murder during a game of charades at a society party leads the police to begin the hunt through the guest list for a motive and culprit.
- DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHoot GibsonLina BasquetteMathilde ComontWhen Peaceful Patton goes to work at the Martini ranch he is mistaken for the notorious outlaw the Hard Hombre. This enables him to force the ranchers to divide up the water rights. But he is in trouble when his mother arrives and exposes the hoax.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTim McCoyDorothy GulliverMary CarrA man wrongly accused of murder escapes from prison to clear his name, but is mistaken for a town's new lawman.
- DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHoot GibsonSally EilersHooper AtchleyKildare kills Curt Fremont's brother Jim. When Curt arrives he poses as a coward in public but sneaks out unseen to become the daring El Capitan as he looks for the killer.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanLucille PowersHired guns threaten ranchers.
- DirectorHarry S. WebbStarsTom TylerJosephine HillHarry WoodsAn old rancher is accused of a murder that was actually committed by a killer called The Laramie Kid. The rancher's son sets out to track the real killer down.
- DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsTom TylerLilian BondAl BridgeBlackie Saunders and his young partner Sandy arrive in Indian Springs where Blackie meets his old friend Jim whom he once rode with on the wrong side of the law. Jim is now the Parson but Blackie still carries the reputation of a killer. When the townspeople decide Blackie is not a fit guardian for the boy, Jim convinces Blackie to leave the boy with him. But just after Blackie leaves town, the express office is robbed and it is assumed Blackie did it.
- DirectorSidney AlgierRichard ThorpeStarsHoot GibsonAlberta VaughnSkeeter Bill RobbinsBen Hall offers $1000 for the wild Devil Horse which Jim Wright and Skeeter capture. While Jim is away, Gil Davis kills Skeeter and takes the horse. The Sheriff then arrests Jim for Skeeter's murder. But unknown to them, an outlaw witnessed the killing.
- DirectorLloyd NoslerStarsTom TylerBetty MackAl BridgeThe local express agent, the father of Tom McGuire, is killed during a robbery. In the chase that follows Tom is wounded and taken by his friend, Sandy Thompson, to the home of Janice Warren to recover. Janice and Tom soon fall in love, and that brings complications as Sandy is also in love with Janice, and Tom believes that her brother Cliff, is one of the gang members that robbed the express office. Cliff challenges Tom to a shoot-out in the street. Tom accepts, not knowing that his guns have been emptied by the jealous Sandy. The latter, in a change of heart, steps into the duel and shoots Cliff just before he is shot down from ambush by saloon owner Willis, the secret leader of the gang. Willis is captured by Tom and Tom takes Sandy to the doctor. Cliff confesses before dying to his role in the robbery, and Tom and Janice are reconciled.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanLina BasquetteCaptain Porter's scheme is to buy livestock and then have his men show up later to kill the buyer and retrieve the money. When his men kill the next victim, he frames the Arizonian for the murder. The Arizonian escapes the law and joins up with the outlaw Vasquez. Knowing Porter's scheme, he plans to trap him by using Vasquez as the next buyer.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanJune ClydeWhen Rod, Ramrod, and Half-A-Rod ride into Steep Gulch, they immediately become Sheriffs. The previous Sheriffs have been killed by Mace and his gang who don't wait long before they make an attempt on the new trio.
- DirectorLouis KingStarsBuck JonesLupita TovarJim MasonWhen Shag Smith kills Jim's brother Bob, Jim and Thunder quit the rangers so they can cross the border and join Smith's gang. Jim's plan is to get the gang to cross back over the border where the rangers will be waiting.
- DirectorHamilton MacFaddenStarsGeorge O'BrienMarguerite ChurchillNoah BeeryLassiter's sister was killed and her young daughter taken and raised by outlaws. Years later Lassiter arrives at the Withersteen ranch looking for his now-grown niece. He immediately gets caught up in the ranch's struggle against rustlers. Trailing a rustled herd of horses leads him to the rustler's hideout and the missing woman.
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsTim McCoyDoris HillCarroll NyeTim's young brother Terry goes to play poker with honest George Beck. Saloon owner Coldeye says he is Beck and then shoots Terry. Just before he dies, Terry tells Tim that it was Beck that shot him. Tim, a card sharp, gets a job dealing for Beck and plans to ruin him financially and then kill him not knowing he has the wrong man.
- DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsTom TylerBetty MackAl BridgeA government agent is sent to a tough frontier town to arrest & bring back one of the most ruthless criminals in the region.
- DirectorRobert F. HillStarsTom KeeneMarion ShillingNick StuartDorothy, and her big city lawyer boyfriend, return to the Lazy 'B' ranch to read her late father's will. For Dorothy to inherit everything, she must stay on the ranch for 5 years. If she does not, everything goes to Buck, who is the manager. She does not like Buck, so she makes a deal with the wrong people for cattle and then the outlaws go to the ranch to get the $10,000 from her. But Buck is on the job.
- DirectorFred AllenStarsTom KeeneBarbara KentMitchell HarrisRandolph Carter is after Macey's freight franchise. He has his gang raid all of Macey's wagon trains so supplies will not reach town. In his latest raid Macey is killed. His son Steve attempts to take over but finds himself in trouble when he pays off his men with money Rough and Ready accidentally found in Carter's safe.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanVirginia Brown FaireA ranger joins the outlaw gang whose boss he believes is a murderer.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsBuck JonesJohn WayneSusan FlemingClint Turner is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Judy's father, a rival rancher who was an enemy of his own father.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsBuck JonesCarmelita GeraghtyHarry WoodsTaylor has his men burning out the ranchers. When they kill Clayton, his daughter Helen and her men turn outlaw. The Rangers send Logan, and posing as a cowhand he joins her gang. But Nevada eventually remembers him as a Ranger and they set out to hang him.
- DirectorGeorge Arthur DurlamStarsTom TylerBarbara WeeksBobby NelsonIt's good guy Carson and the Poncho Riders against bad guy Slavin and his gang. When Cameron tries to quit the gang, Cheyenne Charlie is sent to kill him. But Cameron, alerted by danny's dog, kills Charlie instead. Sentenced to be hung, the Poncho riders are out to save him.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanMarceline DayJust after Pocatello's brother is killed, a wounded Pocatello arrives being chased by the Sheriff. Larkin switches the identity of the two brothers and then expects Pocatello to assume his brother's role in the outlaw gang.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardFrances DadeFrank MayoHaving escaped from prison, a cowboy looks for the man that framed him.
- DirectorJohn Francis DillonStarsJack HoltConstance CummingsBoris KarloffAn undercover Federal officer serving time in prison fakes his escape in order to infiltrate a heroin smuggling ring.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsBela LugosiDavid MannersAdrienne AmesMurder during film shoot sparks search for a killer.
- DirectorGeorg Wilhelm PabstStarsBrigitte HelmHeinz KlingenbergTela TchaïTwo French Foreign Legionnaires are lost amid the shifting sands of the Sahara Desert when they stumble across the entrance to an underground world. Searching this new found subterranean passage, our heroes are surprised to find the lost city of Atlantis. Ruling over this fantastic underworld realm, an evil queen sets her sights upon these strangers to her kingdom.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsGwili AndreGregory RatoffFrank MorganA burglar is recruited to aid the police in finding his kidnapped girlfriend, a lovely but impoverished flower girl. Meanwhile, a deranged Russian emigre has been claiming that his ward is actually Princess Anastasia, last survivor of the Tsar's family--but she seems to behave strangely in the presence of flowers.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsWilliam 'Stage' BoydClaudia DellHuntley GordonGuests at a luxury hotel are horrified when they witness a man literally "disappear into thin air." The vanished man's relatives hire a detective, who goes to the hotel to investigate the disappearance.
- DirectorIrving CummingsStarsAdolphe MenjouMayo MethotRichard 'Skeets' GallagherNew York Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt must save a wealthy socialite from a rendezvous with death on New Year's Eve.
- DirectorArmand SchaeferStarsJack MulhallPhyllis BarringtonCrauford KentDuring a séance at an elderly millionaire's house, the millionaire is murdered. The detectives investigating the crime discover that everyone who was at the séance had a motive for killing the man.
- DirectorFrank R. StrayerStarsGene MorganDoris HillGlenn TryonAfter a plane makes an emergency landing, passengers take refuge in a deserted house, but one of them is a killer.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsJosephine DunnJack MulhallEddie BolandMad scientist works on a death ray in his mountain hideaway.
- DirectorPhil WhitmanHampton Del RuthStarsRegis ToomeyJune ClydeLucille La VerneA police lieutenant and a female reporter investigate a series of murders comitted by a hooded killer in an old dark house.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsConway TearleNatalie MoorheadMarceline DayA beautiful blonde makes a career of seducing, then blackmailing, wealthy married men. She is found murdered after demanding a $5000 payoff from her latest victim, and the detective investigating the case finds out that she was involved in a lot more than just blackmail.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJoan BlondellGeorge BrentRuth HallA hospital nurse is recruited by the police to watch a household where a suspicious death has occurred.
- DirectorNick GrindeStarsCharles BickfordHelen ChandlerMayo MethotA NYC police-detective rescues a down-and-out showgirl from a bad situation, gets her a job in the 'Follies", and falls in love with her. Then, as he is about to lead her to the altar, he has to arrest her for a murder she did not commit. He sets out to find the real killer and clear her name.
- DirectorE. Mason HopperStarsGilbert RolandNoah BeeryBarbara KentAn assistant district attorney tries to stop his girlfriend's father from being swindled out of his money by a crooked lawyer in a racetrack scam.
- DirectorEmory JohnsonStarsWilliam Collier Jr.Sally BlaneJ. Farrell MacDonaldA railway is threatened by mysterious wrecks, which turn out to be caused by criminals using a unique deception.
- DirectorFrank LloydStarsElissa LandiPaul LukasWarner OlandA notorious, beautiful Englishwoman is kicked out of British West Africa to German West Africa just before the start of World War I. She marries a German colonial official to avoid internment, but when Erich's father discovers her past, he deports her. Before she leaves, an English spy approaches her for help to escape with a vital military map, and she must decide her allegiance.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsRichard DixGwili AndreEdward Everett HortonA boatload of Westerners is trapped in Manchuria as bandits led by Russian renegade Voronsky ravage the area. Seeking refuge in a fortified inn, the group is led by the boat's Captain Carson, who becomes involved with a woman who "belongs" to Voronsky. Carson must contend with the bandits outside and the conflicting personalities of those trapped inside the inn, as well as dealing with spies among the inn's personnel.
- DirectorMack V. WrightHugh HarmanRudolf IsingStarsJohn WayneDukeSheila TerryJohn and Janet get a weird letter telling them to go to a ghost town which has an abandoned mine. There they contend with bad guys looking for hidden gold. They are aided by a mysterious Phantom.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsHoot GibsonHelen FosterWheeler OakmanBecause of his bad temper, Jimmy Duncan is sent by his uncle George to work at Tom Kirk's ranch for a one-month probation period. Under George's stipulations, if Jimmy is involved in one fight during that time, he will be disowned. Jimmy works as assistant to Kirk's daughter Laura, and the combination of this work and Jimmy's refusal to fight causes the ranchhands to tease him. Laura's boyfriend Nobro is a teller at her father's bank and uses his position to run a scam on the bank as head of a gang of outlaws. He tries to get rid of Jimmy by having the outlaws pick fights with him, but Jimmy remains steadfast. When Mr. Gonzales withdraws $3,000 cash from the Kirk bank, Nobro signals one of his men to steal the money. Later Jimmy and ranchhand Stubby find Mr. Gonzales unconscious and another man dead. Jimmy discovers the robbers' hideout, but they elude him and leave Stubby hanging from a cliff. After Jimmy rescues Stubby, he tells him about his probation and they become friends. Nobro, who is really interested in acquiring the Kirk fortune, plans to rob the bank the night of a dance if Laura does not accept his marriage proposal, and gives his men keys to the bank's entrance. Stubby and Jimmy arrive late for the party, and noticing lights on in the bank, go in to investigate. They discover the thieves in the vault and fight with them. Meanwhile, Laura accepts Nobro's proposal and while she tells her father, Nobro signals the bank to stop the robbery. When he fails to receive a response, he goes to the bank and Jimmy captures him. Nobro yells for help and the entire party rushes over. Nobro tells Kirk he caught Jimmy in the middle of a robbery, but when Kirk opens the vault he finds Nobro's thieves inside. They identify Nobro as their chief and all are arrested. Jimmy proposes to Laura and she accepts.
- DirectorCharles A. PostLloyd NoslerStarsTom TylerRobert SeiterMargaret MorrisThe cattlemen send a note to Judge Jim Parker warning him to quit giving credit to the homesteaders, whom they assert, are ruining the range. Parker declares that his store will continue to give credit to the homesteaders and, incensed at his defiance, the cattlemen kill him. As he is dying, he tells his daughter Alice and Matt Sanders, honest blacksmith, to carry on the fight to protect the homesteaders. Matt declares that he will, with the assistance of his brother, Phillip, who is expected back from law school after an absence of many years. Phillip returns and is elected Judge by mostly the homesteaders vote. He is pleased with his new position, and also pleased with the friendship of Senator Graham who holds out the bait of election to the Governor's chair if he will betray the homesteaders. He persuades Alice to mortgage her water rights to Senator Graham in order to have the money to extend further credit to the homesteaders. Despite several machinations by Graham and the cattlemen, mostly blocked by Matt, the homesteaders make a bumper crop and pay Alice back. Taking the money to the bank so she will have it in time to meet Graham's note, a galloping rider takes it from her. Snowflake, who works for Matt, tells him of a conversation he overheard between Phillip and Graham when he was delivering a newly-shod horse to the Senator that reveals the Senator and Phillip connived to have the money stolen, so the mortgage can be foreclosed, and drive out the homesteaders. Matt refuses to believe the story, but finds proof in Phillip's desk. Matt and Phillip fight, with Matt winning and then going to rally the homesteaders to prevent the cattlemen from taking over.
- DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsTom TylerBetty MackAl BridgeO'Hara has been hired to lead a wagon train west. Instead he has led it off the trail to where it can be attacked by his Indian friends. But Tennessee Mathews is familiar with O'Hara's tactics and sends for the soldiers.
- DirectorBenjamin StoloffStarsTom MixClaudia DellZasu PittsBrant frames Destry and has men testify against him. Found guilty he vows to return. Back from prison he goes after the man that framed him. When the Sheriff is shot before he can talk, Destry chases down the killer and learning Brant is the man, heads out to get him.
- DirectorAlbert S. RogellStarsTom MixLois WilsonFred KohlerBill Joyce(Willard Roberston) has struck gold in the desert, and Tom Rigby(Tom Mix)rides into Red Dog to convince his deserting cowhands not to go wildly prospecting for gold.Joyce is celebrating in the saloon as Tom discovers his little girl Betty(Edith Fellows), completly forgotten, waiting outside for her father. Tom send Joyce out to his daughter, while "Doc" Larribe(Forrest Stanley), Red Dog's shady medico,and Lew Grant(Fred Kohler) contemplate ways to take Joyce's fortune away from him. Joyce is later shot in the back, and Tom sends for Larribe.Joyce gives Larribe the location map of his mine and begs him to summon his sister Helen(Lois Wilson) from back east and turn it over to her for Betty.Larribe agrees and winks knowingly to Grant as Joyce dies. Tom steps up and takes the map from Larribe, tears it into three pieces and gives one to each of the men and keeps the third for himself. Tom tends to Betty until her aunt arrives, but when he innocently takes her into the saloon to buy her a bottle of soda water, Helen is enraged and takes the third portion of the map from Tom. But Tom demands that Larribe and Grant go to the desert with him and locate the mine first for Helen and Betty.Helen, still mad at Tom and not knowing he is interested only in securing the mine for she and Betty, insists on going along.They make two-thirds of the map journey and Tom, knowing the mine location from his piece of the map, burns it to keep it out of the hands of Laribee and Grant. A fight ensues during which the horses drawing the buckboard---loaded with all of the water and supplies---run away, leaving Tom, Helen,Larribee and Grant stranded in the desert.The situation is now dry, gritty and dire.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsRandolph ScottSally BlaneJ. Farrell MacDonaldNabb controls the pass and lets all the ranchers through except Holderness and his stolen cattle. When Nabb refuses to sell, Holderness works an his son Snap who has run up gambling debts. There is more trouble when Snap becomes jealous of Judy's attraction to the surveyor Jack. When Holderness has Snap killed, everyone heads to town for the showdown.
- DirectorEdward LaemmleStarsTom MixLucille PowersWillard RobertsonThe Rangers have planted wanted posters of their man Tom Logan around hoping he can join the outlaw gang they are after. Robbing the stage ahead of the gang gets him in and he learns Keefe is the boss. When it's time for the big bank robbery Keefe puts Tom in charge but secretly tells a henchman to kill him during the holdup.
- DirectorKurt NeumannStarsTom MixMickey RooneyJames KirkwoodThe king of a European country, who is a child, meets the cowboy star of a traveling circus.
- DirectorHamilton MacFaddenStarsTom MixTony the HorseMargaret LindsayLearning that Molly O'Rourke owns the entire town of Stillwell but the back taxes have not been paid, Ben Jones takes over. When Molly arrives and learns of the tax situation, Tom rides off to pay them. But Jones is on to Tom and sends his entire gang after him.
- DirectorArthur RossonStarsTom MixJudith BarrieRaymond HattonGriffen and his two men have been caught after robbing a bank but the money has not been recovered. So the Chief sends his friend Tom to prison to become their friend and hopes he can learn where the loot is hidden.
- DirectorLambert HillyerStarsTim McCoyMarceline DayWilliam V. MongSheriff Tim has killed Crip's outlaw brother in the line of duty and now Crip is out to get Tim. He makes Tim's brother Bud a prisoner to lure Tim into a trap. When Tim is warned by Bud, Tim is saved but Bud is killed. Tim arrests Crip but Crip escapes and he and his gang now make a final stand against Tim and his men.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTim McCoyAlice DayWheeler OakmanAfter Rob Russell steals Tim Clark's ranch, Clark starts prospecting for silver.
- DirectorArthur RossonStarsTom MixWilliam FarnumRuth HallA ranch manager falls in love with a banker's daughter. After he and the girl's parents have a quarrel, he and the girl flee across the border into Mexico.
- DirectorFred AllenStarsTom KeeneMerna KennedyKate CampbellJerry Long and Jane Worth are heirs to an abandoned mining town. Judge Drake knows there is gold there and wants them to sell. He plans to scare Jane and has hired Jerry, not knowing his true identity, to impersonate the other heir. Jane is quickly scared and is ready to leave, but Jerry doesn't want to and sets out to find the truth.
- DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHarry CareyNoah BeeryFrankie DarroBob Norton, seeking his brother's killer, tangles with outlaws, wild horses, and a "wild" boy.
- DirectorFred AllenStarsTom KeeneHelen FosterMarie QuillanHaving proved he can ride a bucking bronco with the best of them, young drifter Montana is hired on at Dan Hearn's rodeo ranch. Montana is in for a rougher ride than he figured on when both Dan's daughter Sunny and his top female rodeo rider Rita take a shine to him. The pressure really is turned on when ace saddle buster Rance, jealous over Rita's attention to Montana, goads Montana into riding Wild Fury, a man-killing stallion nobody has ever successfully ridden before.
- DirectorRobert F. HillStarsTom KeeneJulie HaydonRoscoe AtesA Texas Ranger avenges his brother's death and evidence points to a woman behind the crime.
- DirectorCasey RobinsonStarsTom KeeneRoscoe AtesBetty FurnessTom Bagby has gone to prison to learn of his father's killer. Returning, he looks for Curly Bogard who he thinks did it. Keeping his identity a secret, he gets a job on Curly's ranch. Just as he gets evidence out of Curly's safe, his cellmate Blackie arrives to expose him.
- DirectorFred AllenStarsTom KeeneRochelle HudsonMarie WellsNoted gunman Black Jack and his friends arrive and take jobs on the Allen ranch. Allen's hands have quit and his cattle are being rustled. When one of Black Jack's friends is killed by the rustlers, he finds the killer and when they fight his Marshal's badge drops out and Ruby, the leader of the rustlers, picks it up. With his identity now known she sets a trap for him.
- DirectorForrest SheldonStarsKen MaynardIvy MertonNat PendletonHeading west, Ken and Bouncer end up at the Brooks ranch where Ken is to ride Tarzan in the big race. But both the Sheriff and Edmonds are after him and he must hide both himself and the horse until race time.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanJoyzelle JoynerA cowboy and sidekick infiltrate a rustler gang to avenge the murder of their pal.
- DirectorForrest SheldonStarsKen MaynardTarzanRuth HallKen not only has to fight with his brother Wally over the girls, he has to try and stop the conflict between the cattlemen and the sheep men. It gets worse when Butch kills Judy's father.
- DirectorAlan JamesStarsKen MaynardTarzanMerna KennedyFrazier and his gang are rustling horses. When the wild horse Tarzan frees Frazier's horses. Frazier gets the Sheriff to declare Tarzan an outlaw and have him shot. But Tarzan is Ken's favorite and he now tries to protect him.
- DirectorForrest SheldonStarsKen MaynardTarzanRuth HallHowell breaks up a train robbery only to find that it's a fake. However the money is missing and he is blamed. He escapes and sets out to find the real thieves. He must also avoid being caught visiting the Collins ranch to see Doris.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTim McCoyShirley GreyWheeler OakmanPecos Grant rides into a strange town only to find that everyone recognizes him, not as Pecos Grant, but as a presumed-dead man named Rawlins. Even Rawlins' wife thinks her husband has come back. Pecos sets out to solve the mystery.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTim McCoyShirley GreyMontagu LoveNewcomer Torrent wins $500 from Olcott and $500 and a wild horse, by riding the horse, from Engle. Then loses the $1000 to Engle in a poker game. Torrent goes to work for Olcott. Torrent fights with Stark and Stark quits and goes to work for Engle. Rustlers are stealing horses. Carson suspects Olcott and Olcott suspects Carson. Sheriff prevents war between them. Torrent stops wild horse stampede. Starks spills beans on Engle. Torrent kills Engle and wins Patsy Olcott.
- DirectorLambert HillyerStarsBuck JonesBarbara WeeksGeorge CooperKarger is behind all the cattle rustling. After Tom Devlin catches his man Burke in the act, Burke hides evidence against Karger in his jail cell. Later when Tom is jailed he accidentally finds the evidence, but the Karger encited mob has jailed the Sheriff and is already on the loose.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonStarsKen MaynardTarzanRuth HiattJim and Buddy decide to follow their pal Tater-bug who left them for another job. No sooner do they arrive than Tater-bug gets shot in the back. Jim suspects Joe Weller but has no proof.
- DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHoot GibsonDoris HillHooper AtchleyTo bring in the bad guys, a rodeo champ poses as an inept cowhand.
- DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsTim McCoyNora LaneWheeler OakmanWhen Tim Barrett rides into Carabinas, his reputation as a lawman precedes him. Rescuing Polly Loomis from the unwanted attentions of a saloon ruffian, he learns her mother married ranch foreman Nick Grindel shortly before her death, and left everything to him in her will. Nick has proposed marriage to his stepdaughter, and she fears violence if her hot-blooded brother Dick finds out. When a body is found at the Bow Knot, Tim barely rescues Dick from a necktie party and is deputized to investigate when Dick confesses to a crime he didn't commit.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanSheila BromleyBill Dane and Banty quit Kell's outlaw gang. When Dane prevents Kell and his men from getting a bullion shipment, he is made Sheriff. Learning Dane is Sheriff, Kell and gang return, force Dane to give them the bullion, and make Dane a prisoner. Escaping, Dane trails the gang and engages them in a gunfight while his horse Tarzan goes for help.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsHoot GibsonMarion ShillingRobert EllisTex Mason and Peggy Turner each inherit one half of the Triple X Ranch. Thomas wants the ranch and he has Triple X hand Joe let his men rustle their cattle. Tex not only has to fight the rustlers, he must also contend with Easterner Peggy's idea of what a ranch should be.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsRandolph ScottSally BlaneFred KohlerChane Weymer (Randolph Scott), an Arizona rancher goes after a gang that is trapping and catching wild horses by the use of barbed-wire enclosures. He suspects Ward (Fred Kohler), of being the gang leader but is unable to find the needed proof. Ward also has an eye on the lovely Sandy Melbarne (Sally Blane).
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsHoot GibsonSheila BromleyJack RutherfordA con man posing as a lawyer tries to sell copies of a phony law book. Things get serious when he has to defend a young man falsely accused of robbery.
- DirectorJ.P. McGowanStarsTom TylerCaryl LincolnRobert WalkerThe cattle on the Langton Ranch are mysteriously dying and cowhands are disappearing or being shot. Two Langton riders bring a wounded rider they found wounded and hung up in a barbed-wire fence to Sally Langton and report that her father is missing. A lone rider, Jess Ryder, tops a rise and sees a band of men working on some calves in a secluded corral, and he frowns as he sees what Bat Murchinson is doing. Spying Jess, Bat orders his men away and he tries to ambush Jess but is taken captive himself. He takes him to Lynchburg, where Mort Snyder, of the Snyder Land & Cattle Company, is pacing up and down in his office, pondering a cryptic message he has received: "Man from New Mexico heading your way. Dangerous. Watch out." A henchman arrives and tells him that a stranger is bringing Bat to town as a prisoner, and Mort has his men take the sign from over the sheriff's office and put it over his own sign, as the sheriff is out searching for Mr. Langton. Jim Fletcher, Langton's foreman, is watching from across the street and helps Jess elude the trap. Fletcher asks Jess to accompany him to the Langton ranch. When two of Snyder's henchmen accompany Sally's brother, Bob to the ranch in their efforts to purchase the place, Jess and Fletcher make them prisoners and lock them in the cellar, with ranch cook Ching guarding them. That night, Jess takes Hutch, a henchman sent to free the prisoners, and leaves him tied to a tree. Jess then sneaks in and frees the prisoners, telling them that Snyder has sent him and they are to go to the place where Mr. Langton is being held. The next morning, everyone at the ranch thinks Jess has turned traitor. Arriving at the hideout, Jess ties up his two guides, and enters the cabin just in time to keep Mr. Langton from signing a relinquishment to his ranch. Back at the ranch, Fletcher finds the tied-up Hutch, and he and Bob force him to lead a sheriff's posse to the hideout.Jess finds a hypodermic needle which Bat and the other Snyder henchies have been using to inject Langton's cattle with rattlesnake venom, but Snyder arrives and Jess is taken captive. But the posse arrives. Jess tells Sally that he is from New Mexico and has been on the trail of Snyder who has used the same scheme there.
- DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsBob SteeleArletta DuncanKit GuardSteele gets into a fight with a ranch foreman, knocking the foreman out. The foreman was supposed to represent the ranch in a prize fight with a middleweight champion. Now Steele finds himself in the fight of his life.
- DirectorAlan JamesStarsKen MaynardCecilia ParkerSheldon LewisMaynard hears the cry of the weird masked "phantom" of Tombstone Canyon. The plot thickens when Maynard discovers a man with a key to his past has been murdered by the phantom.
- DirectorAlbert RayStarsGinger RogersLyle TalbotHarvey ClarkPat Morgan and Ted Kord are rival newspaper reporters always trying to outscoop each other. They join together to solve a series of murders being committed in an apartment building.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsLionel AtwillSheila TerryTheodore NewtonA man known to be a mute is suspected of committing a murder, as he was noticed at the scene. However, witnesses saw and heard him talking as he was leaving the scene of the crime. The police must determine if he is the actual killer or if he is being framed.
- DirectorGeorge A. CooperStarsHenry KendallElizabeth AllanFelix AylmerA group of people in an old dark house are terrorized by a mysterious hooded figure dressed in black who proceeds to kill them off one by one.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsCharles RugglesLionel AtwillGail PatrickA monomaniacal zoologist is pathologically jealous of his beautiful but unfaithful wife Evelyn and will not stop short of murder to keep her.
- DirectorKurt NeumannStarsLionel AtwillGloria StuartPaul LukasTwenty years after 3 murders occur in a castle's "blue room", three men who each want to marry a beautiful girl decide to spend a night in the room to prove their bravery to her.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsShirley GreyCharles StarrettJ. Farrell MacDonaldA popular young student finds herself accused of a series of murders that have occurred on the college campus. Her boyfriend, a reporter for the local newspaper, knows she didn't do it, and sets out to prove her innocence and catch the real killer.
- DirectorH. Bruce HumberstoneMax MarcinStarsBuster CrabbeFrances DeeSidney TolerA white youth who is raised in the jungle by the animals is captured by a safari and brought back to civilization as an attraction in a circus.
- DirectorHarry O. HoytAlbert H. KelleyStarsAnita PageCharles StarrettKenneth ThomsonA young woman believes that an actor committed the murder for which her brother has been imprisoned, and she gets her fiancé--a newspaper reporter--to accompany her in following the suspected killer aboard a ship headed for South America. While they're at sea, disaster strikes and the ship is sunk. The three of them, plus the actor's friend, are washed up on a deserted island. Complications ensue.