James Ellison

James Ellison

Born: May 4, 1910
Died: December 23, 1993
in Guthrie Center, Iowa, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

James Ellison (May 4, 1910 - December 23, 1993) was an American actor, born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center, Iowa, son of Edward James Smith and Ona Mary Ellis.

Ellison appeared in nearly seventy films between 1932 and 1962.

Ellison worked for a time in a film laboratory and while there was offered a screen test. He developed it himself and when he saw it, decided it was not satisfactory so he would not show it to the director. But he saw it anyway and Ellison got a contract.

Despite his rugged good looks and height of 6 feet 3 inches, Ellison's limited range and somewhat wooden screen presence kept him from the first (or even second) ranks of stardom. He spent much of his career in Westerns, including a stint in the mid-thirties as the sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy in Paramount's successful series. In 1938, he played a charming, romantic character opposite 26 year old Lucille Ball in the comedy, "Next Time I Marry", a film where Ball had her first top billing on screen credits. Before that, in 1936, he played his highest-profile role, as Buffalo Bill in Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman, which also starred Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.

Despite that film's success, Ellison spent most of the remainder of his career shuttling between cowboy pictures and more varied roles, primarily in B movies with titles like Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case and The Undying Monster. He had a supporting role in 1941's Charley's Aunt (which starred Jack Benny) and played the romantic lead in 1943's The Gang's All Here, a Twentieth Century Fox musical in which he seemed somewhat lost among the vivid antics of Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton (and was the only principal not to sing a note). He also co-starred with Tom Conway and Frances Dee in Val Lewton's production of I Walked with a Zombie, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Ellison landed another romantic lead role as 'Jerry Gibson' in the musical film Lady, Let's Dance (1944) which starred ice skating sensation 'Belita'.

In the early 1950s, Ellison moved from acting to real estate. Joining fellow veteran Jackie Coogan, Ellison returned to the screen only once to play Axel 'Longhorn' Gates in a picture called When the Girls Take Over (1962).

James Ellison died at age 83 in Monterey, California after suffering a broken neck as the result of a fall.

Description above from the Wikipedia article James Ellison (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies for James Ellison...

When the Girls Take Over
Title: When the Girls Take Over
Character: Alex 'Longhorn' Gates (as Jimmy Ellison)
Released: April 30, 1962
Type: Movie
A comic look...at Cuba after Castro regime take over.
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Dead Man's Trail
Title: Dead Man's Trail
Character: Dan Winslow
Released: July 19, 1952
Type: Movie
Johnny Mack Brown was nearing the end of his starring career when he appeared in the Monogram oater Dead Man's Trail. Brown and his youthful sidekick Jimmy Ellison come to the aid of imperiled Barbara Allen. At this point, Johnny was too long in tooth and thick around the middle to qualify as a romantic lead, hence the presence of Ellison.
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Man from the Black Hills
Title: Man from the Black Hills
Character: Jim Fallon
Released: March 29, 1952
Type: Movie
As other "B"-western series kept dropping like flies in 1952, Johnny Mack Brown kept grinding 'em out for Monogram. In Man From Black Hills, Johnny tries to help locate his saddle pal Jim Fallan's (James Ellison) long-lost father. Arriving in a small mining town, Johnny and Jim discover that Jim's father has established a financial empire--and that a local opportunist (Randy Brooks) has capitalized on this by claiming to be the old man's son.
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Texas City
Title: Texas City
Character: Jim Kirby (as Jimmy Ellison)
Released: January 27, 1952
Type: Movie
Johnny Mack Brown substitutes brains for brawn during most of Texas City. Cast once more as a U.S. marshal, Johnny investigates when several government gold shipments are hijacked. Someone has been tipping of the outlaws as to when and where the supposedly secret shipments will take place. The principal suspect is dishonorably discharged cavalry officer Kirby (James Ellison), but Johnny has a gut feeling that Kirby is innocent on all counts.
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Texas Lawmen
Title: Texas Lawmen
Character: Sheriff Tod Merrick
Released: December 2, 1951
Type: Movie
A Texas Ranger goes up against the Morrow outlaw gang.
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Whistling Hills
Title: Whistling Hills
Character: Sheriff Dave Holland
Released: October 6, 1951
Type: Movie
Johnny Mack Brown was recruited by Chet Norman, the owner of a stagecoach line, to end the heist perpetrated by a mysterious knight who plays strange notes with a hiss of money before robbing them.
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Oklahoma Justice
Title: Oklahoma Justice
Character: Clancy
Released: August 18, 1951
Type: Movie
Johnny Mack Brown goes up against a lady bank robber in this average Mack Brown series late-entry from Monogram. The lady, played by Barbara Allen, is of course called "Ma." In order to get the goods on "Ma" and her "brood," Mack Brown must masquerade as a lone bandit.
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Kentucky Jubilee
Title: Kentucky Jubilee
Character: Jeff Benson
Released: May 18, 1951
Type: Movie
A film director travels to Kentucky to seek out local talent for a hillbilly musical film. There, he gets kidnapped.
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The Texan Meets Calamity Jane
Title: The Texan Meets Calamity Jane
Character: Gordon Hastings
Released: November 15, 1950
Type: Movie
A western in which Calamity Jane's rightful ownership of a gambling hall is challenged. She nearly loses the business to a shady crook, but Texas lawyer Ellison puts up a legal battle to help her stay in charge. After a sensational fight, the letters proving her right are discovered.
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I Killed Geronimo
Title: I Killed Geronimo
Character: Capt. Jeff Packard
Released: August 8, 1950
Type: Movie
Going undercover as the notorious "Waco Kid," U.S. Army Captain Jeff Packard manages to infiltrate a gang of gold-shipment thieves lead by nasty Walt Anderson. But Anderson and his gang are not the only troublemakers around: Packard must also contend with Geronimo and his Apache warriors, who are demanding guns in exchange for peace.
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Fast on the Draw
Title: Fast on the Draw
Character: Shamrock Ellison
Released: June 30, 1950
Type: Movie
As a boy, Shamrock's parents were killed. He took possession of a pistol belonging to his father, a famous marshal. Now that he is grown, he takes the job of marshal and uses the same gun, but he still has to solve the mystery of what happened to his parents.
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Crooked River
Title: Crooked River
Character: Shamrock Ellison
Released: June 9, 1950
Type: Movie
Ellison is the star searching for the killer of his parents while Hayden's a not-too-bad bandit leader.
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West of the Brazos
Title: West of the Brazos
Character: Shamrock Ellison
Released: June 2, 1950
Type: Movie
An outlaw impersonates Shamrock in order to lease his land to an oil company for $75,000.
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Colorado Ranger
Title: Colorado Ranger
Character: Shamrock Kid
Released: May 12, 1950
Type: Movie
The Shamrock Kid, Lucky, and The Colonel get caught in a feud between outlaws and homesteaders.
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Marshal of Heldorado
Title: Marshal of Heldorado
Character: Shamrock Ellison
Released: April 21, 1950
Type: Movie
Shamrock and Lucky team up to drive the Tulliver Brothers out of Heldorado.
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Everybody's Dancin'
Title: Everybody's Dancin'
Character: Jimmy Ellison
Released: March 31, 1950
Type: Movie
Dance-hall owner Dick Lane is in dire need of some big-name acts or he will lose his business. Several country-western stars come to his rescue by agreeing to appear on a TV special to be broadcast from his club.
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Hostile Country
Title: Hostile Country
Character: Shamrock Ellison
Released: March 24, 1950
Type: Movie
In this remake of No Man's Range (1935), Shamrock travels to the ranch of his stepfather who he has never met and finds himself caught in the middle of a range war.
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Last of the Wild Horses
Title: Last of the Wild Horses
Character: Duke Barnum
Released: December 27, 1948
Type: Movie
A cowboy must clear himself of a murder he did not commit.
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The Ghost Goes Wild
Title: The Ghost Goes Wild
Character: Monte Crandall
Released: August 8, 1947
Type: Movie
Young artist Monte Crandell is being sued for an unauthorized caricature. To escape arrest, he disguises himself as a mystic, only to conjure up a genuine ghost during a seance. Things come to a head during his trial, where the invisible ghost takes the witness stand on Our Hero's behalf.
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Calendar Girl
Title: Calendar Girl
Character: Steve Adams
Released: January 31, 1947
Type: Movie
Around the turn of the century, two young men, Johnnie Bennett, a composer and Steve Adams, an artist, go to New York City to make their fortune. They both fall in love with the same girl, Patricia O'Neill. The artist paints a picture of her which outrages her father's sensibilities; but, as a result of the picture, she wins a chance to star in a Broadway play. She soon learns that the artist is just a trifler; and she turns to the composer, who loves her sincerely
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G.I. War Brides
Title: G.I. War Brides
Character: Steve Giles
Released: August 12, 1946
Type: Movie
Linda Powell, and English girl, stows away on a ship bound for the United States in order to join the G.I. she loves. She assumes the identity of an English war bride, Joyce Giles, who has decided she no longer loves the American soldier she married and is not going to join him in the U.S. Linda arrives to find that her soldier no longer wishes to marry her...
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Hollywood and Vine
Title: Hollywood and Vine
Character: Larry Winters
Released: April 25, 1945
Type: Movie
A young girl arrives in Hollywood determined to become a star in the movies but finds that attaining stardom is a lot more difficult than she counted on. However, she does become a star of sorts — as the owner of a dog who DOES become a movie star.
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Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Title: Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Character: Mike Burke
Released: July 7, 1944
Type: Movie
A young girl rents an apartment from a man who has recently enlisted in the Marines. The trouble is that he's given out keys to a half-dozen of his friends, and they all keep dropping in.
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Lady, Let's Dance
Title: Lady, Let's Dance
Character: Jerry Gibson
Released: April 11, 1944
Type: Movie
Singing, dancing, and ice skating are featured in this musical that focuses on ice-skating sensation Belita. The story begins as she travels to a California resort where she has been hired as a replacement for a dance team. The resort is run by a handsome fellow. As a result of the gig, the skater becomes a national star while the resort manager gets fired and becomes a drifter until he ends up in the Army. The Oscar nominated score includes the following songs: "Silver Shadows and Golden Dreams", "Dream of Dreams", "Rio", "In the Days of Beau Brummel", "Lady, Let's Dance", "Happy Hearts", "Ten Million Men and a Girl", and the rhumba standard "Esperanza".
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The Gang's All Here
Title: The Gang's All Here
Character: Andy Mason
Released: December 24, 1943
Type: Movie
A soldier falls for a chorus girl and then experiences trouble when he is posted to the Pacific.
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Best Foot Forward
Title: Best Foot Forward
Character: Cadet
Released: October 8, 1943
Type: Movie
Bud Hooper, a cadet at Winsocki Military Academy, sends an invitation to movie star Lucille Ball to come to Winsocki's big dance. Ball's publicity-hungry agent convinces her to go in order to boost her career. Complications arise when Bud's girlfriend Helen Schlesinger unexpectedly shows up, too.
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I Walked with a Zombie
Title: I Walked with a Zombie
Character: Wesley Rand
Released: April 21, 1943
Type: Movie
A nurse in the Caribbean turns to voodoo in hopes of curing her patient, a mindless woman whose husband she's fallen in love with.
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Dixie Dugan
Title: Dixie Dugan
Character: Roger Hudson
Released: March 12, 1943
Type: Movie
Roger Hudson, a wealthy businessman who has moved to Washington to work for the government as a "dollar a year man," is late for a radio broadcast about his new department, the Mobilization of Woman Power for War. He takes a cab driven by Dixie Dugan, who hopes that being a cabbie while the country's men are away fighting will help the war effort. Her incompetent driving, however, results in an accident for which Roger must take responsibility in order to reach the radio station in time. Dixie then returns home, where she lives with her father Timothy, who is constantly practicing his air raid warden duties, her mother Gladys, an aspiring Red Cross worker, and cousin Imogene, who studies incessantly to become a "quiz kid." The Dugans rent out their spare rooms to Dixie's fiancé, Matt Hogan, and to blustering Judge J. J. Lawson. Matt, who works in a munitions factory, wants Dixie to settle down and marry him, but Dixie is determined to help her country.
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Army Surgeon
Title: Army Surgeon
Character: Capt. James Mason
Released: December 4, 1942
Type: Movie
Drama about military doctors and nurses during wartime.
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The Undying Monster
Title: The Undying Monster
Character: Robert Curtis
Released: November 27, 1942
Type: Movie
A werewolf prowls around at night but only kills certain members of one family. It seems like just a coincidence, but the investigating Inspector soon finds out that this tradition has gone on for generations and tries to find a link between the werewolf and the family, leading to a frightening conclusion.
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That Other Woman
Title: That Other Woman
Character: Henry Summers
Released: November 13, 1942
Type: Movie
A secretary by the name of Emily Borden comes up with a convoluted plan to get her boss to marry her which backfires after some bad advice.
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Careful, Soft Shoulders
Title: Careful, Soft Shoulders
Character: Thomas Aldrich
Released: September 18, 1942
Type: Movie
In this espionage movie, set in Washington during WW II, the daughter of an ex-senator has become a dress model. She is approached by an American counter-espionage agent who offers her a chance to serve her country. The carefree son of a naval official receives a similar offer. He is asked to secure secret Naval plans. Unbeknownst to them, the man they work for is actually a Nazi spy. The two dupes finally figure it out, and the spy kidnaps them. Somehow they escape and break up the spy ring.
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Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
Title: Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
Character: P. Cadwallader Jones
Released: December 18, 1941
Type: Movie
Like the first entry, this one is played mostly for laughs, with Radio's Mister District Attorney. James Ellison replacing Dennis O'Keefe as feckless assistant DA P. Cadwallader Jones. The publisher of a tony fashion magazine is murdered, requiring Jones to sift through a colorful array of suspects. He is helped along by snoopy girl reporter Terry Parker.
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Ice-Capades
Title: Ice-Capades
Character: Bob Clemens
Released: August 19, 1941
Type: Movie
Bob Clemens is a cameraman for newsreels. Assigned to shoot the Swiss ice skater Karen Vadja, he arrives too late, so decides to film a woman skating on a different New York rink and pass her off as Karen. The scheme backfires when promoter Larry Herman takes a look at Bob's film and decides to make the skater a star. Unfortunately, it's actually amateur (and illegal immigrant) Marie Bergin in the newsreel footage, not the great figure skater from Switzerland. Chaos ensues as Bob tries to straighten everybody out.
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Charley's Aunt
Title: Charley's Aunt
Character: Jack Chesney
Released: August 1, 1941
Type: Movie
In 1890, two students at Oxford force their rascally friend and fellow student to pose as an aunt from Brazil--where the nuts come from.
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They Met in Argentina
Title: They Met in Argentina
Character: Tim Kelly
Released: April 25, 1941
Type: Movie
A Texas oil millionaire, after failing to secure oil lands in Argentina, seeks out a famous racehorse in Buenos Aires and orders his representative to buy the nag at any price. The representative, Tim Kelly, has a love affair with Lolita O'Shea, the beautiful daughter of the prize horse's owner.
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Play Girl
Title: Play Girl
Character: Thomas Elwood Dice
Released: January 29, 1941
Type: Movie
When a gold digger starts to get a little old to ply her trade, she teaches a younger woman all her tricks.
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Anne of Windy Poplars
Title: Anne of Windy Poplars
Character: Tony Pringle
Released: June 28, 1940
Type: Movie
Sentimental drama about an ambitious young teacher who arrives in a small town to take the job of vice-principal. Based on one of L M Montgomery's 'Anne of Green Gables' sequels.
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You Can't Fool Your Wife
Title: You Can't Fool Your Wife
Character: Andrew Hinklin
Released: May 21, 1940
Type: Movie
Longtime school sweethearts discover married life, thanks to a disagreeable live-in mother-in-law and pressing business obligations, is more rocky than idyllic.
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5th Ave Girl
Title: 5th Ave Girl
Character: Mike
Released: September 22, 1939
Type: Movie
A wealthy man hires a poor girl to play his mistress in order to get more attention from his neglectful family.
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Hotel for Women
Title: Hotel for Women
Character: Jeff Buchanan
Released: August 3, 1939
Type: Movie
Guests at a women's residence club help a jilted small-town girl turn to modelling.
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Sorority House
Title: Sorority House
Character: Bill Loomis
Released: May 5, 1939
Type: Movie
A young girl begins to wonder if she really fits into the upper-class sorority she's trying to join.
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Zenobia
Title: Zenobia
Character: Jeff Carter
Released: April 21, 1939
Type: Movie
A modest country doctor in the antebellum South has to contend with his daughter's upcoming marriage and an affectionate medicine show elephant.
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Almost a Gentleman
Title: Almost a Gentleman
Character: Dan Preston
Released: March 31, 1939
Type: Movie
Saving a dog from the pound gets a man mixed up in murder.
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Next Time I Marry
Title: Next Time I Marry
Character: Anthony J. Anthony
Released: December 9, 1938
Type: Movie
Heiress Nancy Crocker Fleming will only receive her inheritance if she marries a "plain American." Her late father was afraid a foreign gigolo would steal her heart and money. So Nancy pays Tony Anthony, working on a WPA road project, to marry, then divorce her. When Nancy inadvertently drives off with Tony's dog, Tony seemingly kidnaps her to retrieve the pooch, which leads to a cross-country race between the two to reach Reno and the divorce court since neither one wants to be the second to file papers.
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Mother Carey's Chickens
Title: Mother Carey's Chickens
Character: Ralph Thurston
Released: July 29, 1938
Type: Movie
A financially-strapped mother and her children relocate from the city to a small rural town.
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Vivacious Lady
Title: Vivacious Lady
Character: Keith Morgan
Released: May 13, 1938
Type: Movie
College town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a sizzling night-club singer.
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The Barrier
Title: The Barrier
Character: Lt. Burrell
Released: December 10, 1937
Type: Movie
Gale, a store owner, lives in an Alaskan village with his grown ward, Necia, whom he had rescued years before from her murderer father, Captain Bennett. Now Bennett, disguised as Ben Stark, has arrived in the village seeking vengeance and his daughter.
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Annapolis Salute
Title: Annapolis Salute
Character: William J. "Bill" Martin
Released: September 10, 1937
Type: Movie
The adventures of three disparate cadets at the US Naval Academy--one the son of a Navy enlisted man, the other the scion of a wealthy family, the third decent but somewhat slow-witted--and their struggles with the rigors of the academy, women, and each other.
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23 1/2 Hours Leave
Title: 23 1/2 Hours Leave
Character: Sgt. Robert Gray
Released: March 21, 1937
Type: Movie
Army training Sgt. Gray makes a bet that he can get himself invited to breakfast with his commanding officer, General Markley. But he gets into an unhappy tangle with a couple of enemy spies (and a happy tangle with the general's daughter) before the bet is finally decided.
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Borderland
Title: Borderland
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: February 26, 1937
Type: Movie
Hoppy goes undercover as an outlaw (which permits him, for once, to drink and be mean to children) to track down a bunch of outlaws operating along the border. Loco, the head bad guy, deflects suspicion from himself by pretending to be a moron.
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Trail Dust
Title: Trail Dust
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: December 11, 1936
Type: Movie
Hoppy, Johnny and Windy are fighting a malicious gang trying to stop a cattle drive from reaching a drought-stricken North.
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The Plainsman
Title: The Plainsman
Character: William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Released: November 16, 1936
Type: Movie
Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill go up against Indians and a gunrunner.
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Three on the Trail
Title: Three on the Trail
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: April 14, 1936
Type: Movie
An evil gang is involved in both cattle rustling and the robbing of stagecoaches. Hoppy must stop them without help from the sheriff who turns out be a major outlaw himself.
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Call of the Prairie
Title: Call of the Prairie
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: March 6, 1936
Type: Movie
Hoppy returns to find Johnny in trouble. Buck Peters has been shot by Porter who made it look like Johnny did it. When Johnny flees he runs into Linda. He takes a liking to her only to learn her father Shanghai is one of Porter's gang. Going after Shanghai, he gets captured by the gang and Porter now plans to kill him. But Hoppy is near by and Johnny will get unexpected help from Shanghai.
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Heart of the West
Title: Heart of the West
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: February 24, 1936
Type: Movie
Problems come in the form of one of Hopalong Cassidy's neighbors, but the matter is settled when Hoppy roots out the troublemaker.
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The Leathernecks Have Landed
Title: The Leathernecks Have Landed
Character: Mac MacDonald
Released: February 17, 1936
Type: Movie
Dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Marines after starting a barroom brawl that gets his leatherneck buddy "Tubby" Waters killed, hothead "Woody" Davis infiltrates a gang of Shanghai gunrunners to bring the culprit to justice.
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Hitch Hike Lady
Title: Hitch Hike Lady
Character: Jimmy Peyton
Released: December 28, 1935
Type: Movie
Brit Amelia Blake travels to America to join her son Alfred. Fate forces her to hitchhike to California, a perilous journey that she shares with kind young Judy Martin. When Judy and another fellow traveler discover the unfortunate truth about Alfred, they struggle to spare Amelia's feelings.
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Bar 20 Rides Again
Title: Bar 20 Rides Again
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: December 6, 1935
Type: Movie
Cattle rustler Nevada dreams of living like an emperor in the West. Hoppy and the Bar 20 boys aim to put an end to his dream.
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The Eagle's Brood
Title: The Eagle's Brood
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: October 25, 1935
Type: Movie
When the outlaw El Toro saves Hoppy's life, Hoppy agrees to find his missing grandson.
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Hop-a-long Cassidy
Title: Hop-a-long Cassidy
Character: Johnny Nelson
Released: August 23, 1935
Type: Movie
An evil ranch foreman tries to provoke a range war by playing two cattlemen against each other while helping a gang to rustle the cattle. Each cattleman blames the other for missing cattle. With the help of Bill Cassidy (Hop-along, because of an earlier bullet wound) and Johnny Nelson, the warring cattlemen join forces to do in the outlaws.
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Reckless
Title: Reckless
Character: Dale Every
Released: April 19, 1935
Type: Movie
A theatrical star, born on the wrong side of the tracks, marries a drunken blue-blood millionaire.
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The Winning Ticket
Title: The Winning Ticket
Character: Jimmy
Released: February 8, 1935
Type: Movie
A barber tries to find the winning lottery ticket he hid from his moralistic wife.
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Buried Loot
Title: Buried Loot
Character: Detective (uncredited)
Released: January 19, 1935
Type: Movie
An embezzler who expects to serve his time in prison and then pick up his buried loot is in for a surprise.
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The Famous Ferguson Case
Title: The Famous Ferguson Case
Character: Reporter Lane (uncredited)
Released: April 19, 1932
Type: Movie
A foreword warns against the peril of yellow journalism, and the story illustrates it by following events in the upstate New York town of Cornwall after prominant financier George Ferguson is killed. Two types of New York City journalists descend on Cornwall, one interested in facts, the other in getting sensational "news". Mrs. Ferguson is known to have been friendly with a local banker. The Fergusons quarrel the evening he is killed (by "burglars", his wife tells the police later), and she is arrested, spurred on by the "bad" journalists, who also manage to badger the banker's wife into the hospital. Meanwhile, young Bruce Foster runs the Cornwall Courier, and shows the big city reporters how to dig out real news while they attempt to subvert justice for their own ends.
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Play Girl
Title: Play Girl
Character: Elmer
Released: March 12, 1932
Type: Movie
A young innocent falls for a compulsive gambler.