Evelyn Finley

Evelyn Finley

Born: March 11, 1916
Died: April 7, 1989
in Douglas, Arizona, USA
Evelyn Ruth Finley was known as the most accomplished stunt rider in the western genre. Famous director William A. Wellman was one of many who regarded her as the best in the business. She worked with horses from early childhood and grew up a tomboy on her father's ranch. Her dad had promised 'to put her into pictures', but how she eventually arrived in Hollywood is unclear. Winning a beauty contest as 'Miss Albuquerque' might have helped. The year was 1936 and her first picture was as stunt double to Jean Parker. By 1940, Evelyn was under contract at Monogram where her skills in the saddle quickly promoted her to leading lady opposite the likes of Tex Ritter, Tom Keene, Johnny Mack Brown and Buster Crabbe. As blonde Eve Anderson, she got to star in one of the last serials made at Columbia, Perils of the Wilderness (1956). However, Evelyn preferred the stunt work to acting, often doubling on horseback for glamorous stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Loretta Young.

She remained involved in her area of expertise, either actively or as technical adviser, well into the 1980's. When not working in the film industry, she toured as an equestrian performer at different circuses. Evelyn was inducted into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.

Movies for Evelyn Finley...

The Guns of Fort Petticoat
Title: The Guns of Fort Petticoat
Character: Blonde in Combat Practice (uncredited)
Released: April 1, 1957
Type: Movie
Opposing his commanding officer's decision to attack a group of innocent Indians and wipe them out, Lt. Frank Hewitt leaves his post and heads home to Texas. He knows that the attack will send all of the tribes on the warpath and he wants to forewarn everyone. He gets a chilly reception back home however. With most of the men away having enlisted in the Confederate army Frank, a Union officer, is seen by the local women as a traitor. He convinces them of the danger that lies ahead and trains them to repel the attack that will eventually come.
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Perils of the Wilderness
Title: Perils of the Wilderness
Character: Donna Blaine (as Eve Anderson)
Released: January 6, 1956
Type: Movie
In the 56th (and next-to-last serial) made by Columbia Pictures, Montana Deputy Dan Lawson, posing as an outlaw called Laramie, goes to the Canadian northwest on the trail of Bart Randall who is wanted for murder and bank robbery in the states. In Canada, Randall is a little more upscale and uses a hydra-plane and a fake totem to over-awe the Indians. Laramie is aided in his search by RCMP Sergeant Gray and by Donna Blane, who is suspected at first of giving information to Randall, but who is actually a Canadian secret agent investigating Randall's gun-trading with the Indians.
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Westward the Women
Title: Westward the Women
Character: Pioneer Woman (uncredited)
Released: December 16, 1951
Type: Movie
There's a deficit of good, honest women in the West, and Roy Whitman wants to change that. His solution is to bring a caravan of over 100 mail-order brides from Chicago to California. It will be a long, difficult and dangerous journey for the women. So Whitman hires hardened, cynical Buck Wyatt to be their guide across the inhospitable frontier. But as disaster strikes on the trail, Buck just might discover that these women are stronger than he thinks.
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Gunning for Justice
Title: Gunning for Justice
Character: Winnie Stewart
Released: November 6, 1948
Type: Movie
Three fellows band together to help a woman find her uncle's cache of gold in this western. All they have to help them is a tattered map that her uncle, a prisoner of war, created in camp. Unfortunately two badguys have the map and try to turn the three goodguys against the niece. They do not succeed and justice prevails.
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The Sheriff of Medicine Bow
Title: The Sheriff of Medicine Bow
Character: Nan Prentiss
Released: October 2, 1948
Type: Movie
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Prairie Rustlers
Title: Prairie Rustlers
Character: Helen Foster
Released: November 7, 1945
Type: Movie
Billy Carson is accused of the crimes committed by his dead-ringer, outlaw cousin Jim Slade, and barely escapes a lynching. With the aid of his pal Fuzzy Jones, Billy catches up with his cousin and clears his own name.
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Ghost Guns
Title: Ghost Guns
Character: Ann Jordan
Released: November 17, 1944
Type: Movie
Supernatural events on the range prompt an investigation by cowboy Brown in this western.
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Take It Big
Title: Take It Big
Character: Violet Thompson (uncredited)
Released: June 9, 1944
Type: Movie
Jack Haley plays Jack North, the nether end of a vaudeville horse act who inherits a western ranch. When he heads to the Great Outdoors to take possession, Jack winds up at the wrong place: a swanky dude ranch. He immediately begins running things, at it's quite a while before his error is discovered. By the time he shows up at his own ranch, he's up to his ears in unpaid debts-which naturally requires a fund-raising musical show as a bail-out. Harriet Hilliard handles the romantic portion of the proceedings, occasionally dueting with her real-life husband, bandleader Ozzie Nelson.
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Valley Of Vengeance
Title: Valley Of Vengeance
Character: Helen Miller
Released: May 5, 1944
Type: Movie
Billy Carson arrives in King City looking for two men and kills them both. Caught by the Marshal he tells his story.
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Sundown Riders
Title: Sundown Riders
Character: Donna Frazier
Released: January 1, 1944
Type: Movie
This film was produced and released in 1944 by Film Enterprises for the 16mm school-and-institutional market, and was picked up and released in 1948 by Astor for theatrical 35mm showings. Both versions finds the citizens of Rockford upset over a series of murders and robberies. The Sundowners, Andy Clyde (Andy Clyde), Jay Kirby (Jay Kirby) and Russ Wade (Russell Wade), ride into Rockford and innocently takes jobs with Tug Wilson (Jack Ingram) and his tough crew of line riders, who are in cahoots with Yeager (Hal Price) in a big land swindle scheme.
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Black Market Rustlers
Title: Black Market Rustlers
Character: Linda Prescott
Released: August 27, 1943
Type: Movie
In this WW II film meant to discourage the purchase of black market beef, the Range Busters are called on to fight cattle rustlers. This time they're up against a gang that strikes fast by hauling the beef away in trucks.
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Cowboy Commandos
Title: Cowboy Commandos
Character: Joan Cameron
Released: June 4, 1943
Type: Movie
The Range Busters investigate sabotage at a mining community and uncover a gang of Nazi spies.
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Trail Riders
Title: Trail Riders
Character: Mary Rand
Released: December 4, 1942
Type: Movie
In the 18th entry of Monogram's 24 "Range Buster" films, the bank of Gila Springs is robbed by Ace Alton and his gang, and Sheriff Frank Hammond, son of Marshal Jim Hammond, is killed. The Marshal sends for the Range Busters, Dusty King, Davy Sharpe and Alibi Terhune, to come and restore order to the town. Ed Cole, head of the local vigilantes, and secretly the head of the outlaws, promptly orders the trio out of town. They visit an old friend, Rancher Mike Rand and his daughter Mary. Mary's brother Jeff has unwittingly become a gang member, and carries out Cole's orders by taking a shot at Davy, but the latter makes him a prisoner during a subsequent fight in the town café. Jeff confesses to Cole's involvement, and the Range Busters, with the help of town banker Harrison, set a trap for Cole and his outlaw vigilantes.
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Dynamite Canyon
Title: Dynamite Canyon
Character: Midge Reed
Released: August 7, 1941
Type: Movie
In this western, the bad guy kills a rancher and a Texas ranger so that the location of a copper mine will remain a secret. Another ranger goes undercover to catch the outlaw. The killer hires him. His assignment is to create trouble for the late rancher's daughter who has taken over the land. He cons her into to giving him the deed for the ranch. He takes it to the outlaw, but first he stops to warn the other rangers.
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Arizona Frontier
Title: Arizona Frontier
Character: Honey Lane
Released: August 19, 1940
Type: Movie
A government agent uncovers the truth behind a series of raids on a freight company.