Riders of the Desert (1932, directed by Robert N. Bradbury)

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

In the closing days of the frontier, a group of Rangers in New Mexico receive a telegram telling them that it is time to disband and to turn law enforcement duties over to the local sheriff. However, there’s a viscous outlaw named Hashknife (George “Gabby” Hayes) on the loose so Bob Houston (Bob Steele) and Slim (Al St. John) pretend that they never received the telegram so that they can arrest him. Hashknife kidnaps Bob’s girl (Gertie Messenger) and that makes thing personal.

Riders of the Desert is an appropriate name for this film because the majority of its 50-minute running time really was just taken up with footage of men riding their horses from one location to another. Even though the film was less than an hour long, the story sill needed some filler.

Riders of the Desert is still a pretty good western, though. It’s definitely better than the average Poverty Row western. As always, Bob Steele look authentic riding a horse and Al St. John provides good support as Fuzzy. The disbanding of the Rangers gives the first half of the film an elegiac feel that would later show up in several of the westerns made during and after the 1960s. The old west is coming to an end and there’s less need for the Rangers. The second half of the film is almost all action and George “Gabby” Hayes is a surprisingly effective villain. Of course, this movie was made before he became Gabby.

As with most Poverty Row westerns, this is not the film to watch if you’re not already a fan of the genre. But for those who like westerns, Riders of the Desert is a good one.

Nothing But Trouble (1991, directed by Dan Aykroyd)

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Publisher Chris Thorne (Chevy Chase) is eager to get to know lawyer Diane Lightson (Demi Moore) so he agrees to drive her and two Brazilian hangers-on from Manhattan to New Jersey. The Brazilians encourage Chris to take a detour, which leads to him running a stop sign, getting into a high-speed chase with chief of police Dennis Valkenheiser (John Candy), and being detained in the dilapidated village of Valkhenheiser. Dennis decides to leave town with the Brazilians, leaving Chris and Diane to face the wrath of 106 year-old Judge Alvin “J.P” Valkenheiser (Dan Aykroyd). Judge Valkenheiser has spent decades killing anyone who breaks the law in his village, though he also kills anyone who he just dislikes. The Judge assumes Chris is a banker (and he hates bankers) and is prepared to kill him unless he marries the Judge’s granddaughter, Eldona (John Candy, in drag). This town is nothing but trouble and Chris and Diane have to escape.

Nothing But Trouble was both the directorial debut and swan song for Dan Aykroyd. (Aykroyd also wrote the script, from a story that was written by his brother, Peter.) The film was an notorious box office bomb and watching, it’s easy to see why. The story is all over the place, awkwardly mixing humor and horror. Anyone who has seen the early seasons of Saturday Night Live knows that young Dan Aykroyd was one of the funniest people around but, when it comes to the movies, he’s always worked better with a collaborator than on his own. As a director, Aykroyd throws a little bit of everything into Nothing But Trouble and the movie feels overstuffed.

As an actor, though, Aykroyd is funny. Whatever laughs are to be found in Nothing But Trouble are largely the result of his performance as the Judge. Chevy Chase seems bored. Demi Moore actually gives a decent performance but she plays her role straight. John Candy is likable as Dennis but too cartoonish as Eldona. Aykroyd, however, so commits himself to playing the 106 year-old judge that he wrings laughs from even the weakest of lines. Criticize Aykroyd the director all you want, Aykroyd the actor delivers.

One final note: The rap group Digital Underground makes a cameo appearance as themselves, performing in the Judge’s courtroom after getting arrested for speeding. When I was watching Chevy Chase mugging for the camera and Dan Aykroyd walking around hunched over, I hardly expected to see a young Tupac Shakur suddenly show up but he did. Digital Underground’s cameo is one of the film’s better moments, even if they don’t perform The Humpty Dance.

Billy The Kid In Texas (1940, directed by Sam Newfield)

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Billy the Kid (Bob Steele) escapes from a Mexican prison (where he was being held on a trumped-up charge) and ends up in Corral City, Texas with his old friend, Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John). This version of Billy the Kid may be an outlaw but he’s a really nice outlaw. He holds up two men who had previously held up a express wagon but he turns over the loot after he and Fuzzy are appointed the new law in Corral City. The bad outlaws don’t want Billy the Kid or anyone else as their new sheriff so they bring in a notorious gunslinger (Carleton Young) to help them keep the town under their control but it turns out that Billy and the gunslinger have a past that no one knew about.

Bob Steele played Billy the Kid in a series of films, until Buster Crabbe took over the role in 1942. Steele was a convincing cowboy and a convincing gunman but he wasn’t a convincing kid. Of course, this version of Billy the Kid didn’t have much in common with the real Billy the Kid. The movie version of Billy the Kid got into a lot of trouble but it was usually due to a misunderstanding.

Billy the Kid In Texas is definitely a Poverty Row western. It looks cheap and it was cheap but it did feature a good fight scene between Bob Steele and Charles King and the relationship between Billy the Kid and Carleton Young’s gunslinger also added some extra dimension to the otherwise predictable story. This film is okay for western fans who aren’t sticklers for historical accuracy.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994, directed by Peter Segal)

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Mad bomber Rollo Dillon (Fred Ward) has been hired by terrorists to bomb a major American institution. Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) and Detective Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) know that there’s only one man who can handle this job and his name is Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen). Frank, however, has retired from Police Squad and promised his wife, Jane (Priscilla Presley), that he is through with police work.

At heart, Frank remains a cop. He even dreams of shoot-outs. When he tries to do police work without Jane noticing, it backfires on him. Even though Frank lies and claims that he’s just having an affair, Jane leaves him. Frank, with nothing better to do, goes into prison undercover to gain Rollo’s confidence. After Rollo and Frank escape, Frank discovers that Rollo and his girlfriend (Anna Nicole Smith) is planning on bombing the Academy Awards!

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 is the weakest of the original Police Squad films, which is to say that it’s still pretty funny, even if some of the jokes no longer feel as fresh as they did in the previous films. It opens with a brilliant send-up of the shoot-out from The Untouchables and it ends with a perfect parody of the Academy Awards. (Pia Zadora singing This Could Be The Start Of Something Big is funny because it’s exactly the sort of thing that used to happen at the Oscars.) It’s in the middle section that the film drags, though there are still things that made me laugh, like a flashback to Frank, Ed, and Nordberg in the 70s. David Zucker did not return to direct this installment and his absence is definitely felt.

Leslie Nielsen is as funny as ever and he’s well-matched with George Kennedy and Priscila Presley. (OJ Simpson’s presence is as awkward as ever.) Fred Ward plays his villainous role straight, a smart move. But then you’ve got Anna Nicole Smith, who was such a terrible actress that her presence in the film doesn’t even work as a joke. Whenever Smith shows up, the film grinds to a halt. It’s the worst type of stunt casting.

This was Leslie Nielsen final performance as Frank Drebin. Even in a lesser film, he was still a comedic treasure.

Overland Mail (1939, directed by Robert F. Hill)

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Jack Mason (Jack Randall) has the most important job on the frontier. He delivers the mail. After he’s chased by the members of the local Indian tribe, he learns that an uprising is imminent because a young brave has been murdered and the tribe blames the citizens of a nearby town. Of course, the murder was actually committed by a gang of counterfeiters led by saloon owner Pollini (Tristram Coffin). Pollini is not only a counterfeiter but he also lies to sweet Mary Martin (Jean Joyce), telling her that he’s hiring her to be a waitress when he’s actually looking for a dance hall girl. Jack has to bring Pollini to justice before a full scale war breaks out.

This is not a bad B-western. It’s short and quick but the story is slightly better than the average Monogram oater and Jack Randall and co-star Dennis Moore are both believable as cowboys and gunslingers. Fans of the genre will be happy to see Glenn Strange as the sheriff and Iron Eyes Cody as the chief of the tribe. I’ve always liked westerns where the heroes were just trying to keep the peace so that they could deliver the mail. We take mail for granted nowadays but in the 1800s, delivering mail was almost as dangerous as delivering money. If you’re not into westerns, Overland Mail won’t change your mind but, if you’re already a fan of the genre, Overland Mail makes for an entertaining 50 minutes.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Fear (1991, directed by David Zucker)

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Frank Drebin is back!

Now separated from Jane (Priscilla Presley) and working in Washington D.C., Frank (Leslie Nielsen) finds himself investigating a bombing at the offices of Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), an advocate of renewable energy who has just been put in charge of America’s energy policies by President George H.W. Bush (John Roarke, who was better-known for playing Ronald Reagan on Friday’s). With the help of Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) and Officer Nordberg (O.J. Simpson), Drebin’s investigation leads him to Quentin Haspburg (Robert Goulet), an oilman who is plotting on replacing Dr. Meinheimer with a double. It also leads him back to Jane, who is now working as an assistant to Meinheimer and being wooed by Hapsburg.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 is a worthy sequel to the first Naked Gun. It’s more plot-heavy than the first film and some of the jokes feel a little bit too familiar but it’s still a very funny film. That’s largely due to Neilsen, Kennedy, and Presley, all of whom really commit to playing their absurd characters. (Robert Goulet gives a game performance but he really can’t match Ricardo Montalban’s villainous turn in the first movie.) Nielsen was probably the only actor alive who could keep a straight face even while hitting Barbara Bush in the face while opening a door and then struggling to eat lobster at a state dinner. As was often the case with the ZAZ films (even though Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker didn’t have anything to do with the screenplay of the sequel), the funniest moments are also the most random and the stupidest. I laughed a lot harder than I should have at Leslie Neilsen struggling with a very small towel that had been thrown against his face. And don’t worry, O.J. Simpson fans. Nordberg gets injured in this movie too.

Leslie Nielsen was one of those actors who could make anything funny. Whether he was delivering his hard-boiled dialogue or doing absurd physical comedy with an absolutely straight face, it was impossible not to laugh when Leslie Nielsen was onscreen. He was a true cinematic treasure.

The Cheyenne Tornado (1935, directed by William A. O’Connor)

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

“You see, stranger, I am a sheep man.” — James Farley (Ed Porter)

On the frontier, a range war has broken out between the cattlemen and the sheepherders. When rancher Seth Darnell is murdered, the blame is put on the sheepherders. When the Cheyenne Kid (Reb Russell) rides up on the small camp of the sheepherders and hears their problems, he decides to investigate on his own by getting a job at the Darnell ranch. Soon, Cheyenne is discovering the truth and also being pursued by both Darnell’s daughter (Victoria Vinton) and the daughter (Tina Menard) of the leader of the sheepherders.

Reb Russell was a former college football star who had a minor B-western career in the 30s. Supposedly, he didn’t really much care for Hollywood and he retired from acting in 1935, the same year that The Cheyenne Tornado came out. Russell went on to find a lot of success as a rancher himself.

The Cheyenne Tornado is a typical B-western. It’s short. There’s a lot shots of men riding on horses. There’s a little gunplay and a mystery that anyone should be able to solve. The acting is bad all the way around with even star Reb Russell failing to make much of an impression. It probably did not matter to the film’s target audience in 1935. They were there for the old west action and the movie does deliver that.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988, directed by David Zucker)

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

Let’s take a moment to appreciate Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), a true American hero.

Even though Frank is just a Los Angeles cop, he still goes to the Middle East and disrupts a conference of America’s greatest enemies. He beats up Fidel Castro. He knocks out Gadafi and Yasser Arafat. He cleans Gorbachev’s head. (“I knew it!” he says as the birthmark disappears.) He takes out Idi Amin and he sends the Ayatollah Khomeini through a window. Thirty-seven years ago, this scene opened The Naked Gun and, after all that time, it is still funny because Leslie Nielsen plays it all with a straight face, delivering his silly lines without flinching. It’s also interesting that none of the leaders taken down by Frank Drebin are around anymore. Khomeini died just a few months after this film came out. Gorbachev was the last to go, in 2022, by which time he was no longer an enemy. Consider it the Frank Drebin Effect. He’s making the world safe for democracy.

When Drebin returns to Los Angeles, he’s informed by Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) that Police Squad has been put in charge of security for a visit from Queen Elizabeth (Jeanette Charles) and that Officer Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) is in the hospital and suspected of being a dirty cop. The Mayor (Nancy Marchand) doesn’t want Los Angeles to be embarrassed by a police scandal before the Queen arrives so Drebin has 24 hours to exonerate Nordberg. Drebin’s attempt to clear Nordberg’s name leads him to a shipping magnate (Ricardo Montalban) who has come up with a diabolical scheme to assassinate the Queen at a baseball game. It also leads to love between Drebin and Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley).

Though Liam Neeson did a fine job in the recent reboot, there really is only one Frank Drebin and his name is Leslie Nielsen. The original Naked Gun is nearly 40 years old and, even if some of the jokes are dated, it’s still laugh out loud funny. Most of the credit has to go to Leslie Nielsen and ability to deliver even the most bizarre bits of dialogue with natural authority, gravitas and a straight face. Whether he’s mumbling his way through the National Anthem, paying an informer for information, or hamming it up as an umpire, Nielsen is never less than hilarious. By the end of the movie, it’s impossible to look at Nielsen without laughing. Kennedy, Presely, and Montalban also generate their share of laughs. John Houseman has a great cameo as an unflappable driving instructor. (“Now, extend your middle finger.”) As for OJ Simpson, he doesn’t seem to be in on the joke like the rest of the cast but he does frequently get injured and re-injured throughout the movie and there’s definitely some pleasure to be found in that.

(When Simpson died, director David Zucker said, “His acting was a lot like his murdering: He got away with it, but no one believed him.” That sounds about right.)

Liam Neeson made for a fine Frank Drebin, Jr. I hope he has many more adventures. But the greatest Frank Drebin will always be Leslie Nielsen and the original Naked Gun will always be one of my favorite comedies. Sometimes, it’s good just to laugh.

Thank you, David Zuker.

Thank you, Jerry Zucker.

Thank you, Jim Abrahams.

And most of all, thank you, Leslie Nielsen.

The Apache Kid’s Escape (1930, directed by Robert J. Horner)

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

In the old west, the Apache Kid (Jack Perrin) has decided to go straight because his own mother refuses to accept the stolen money that he sends home. Unfortunately, other outlaws, like Buck Harris (Bud Osborne), continue to break the law while wearing the Apache Kid’s trademark checkered scarf so the Apache Kid still has a posse after him.

Using the alias Jim, the Kid gets a job working at a local ranch. Ranch hand Ted Conway (Fred Church) is looking forward to marrying Jane Wilson (Josephine Hill), the daughter of the ranch’s owner. Ted’s father, Frank (Henry Roquemore), wants Jane for himself so he reveals that Ted is actually adopted and no one knows who his real parents are. Jane’s father (Horace B. Carpenter) announces that the wedding is canceled. So, Ted decides to take on the identity of the Apache Kid and rob a stagecoach. After Ted is arrested, Jim has to return to his old ways to help Ted get out of jail.

The Apache Kid’s Escape is a 47-minute poverty row western that is remembered for being one of the first westerns to feature recorded sound. Unfortunately, the movie sounds terrible, with a steady hum in the background and all of the actors speaking slowly, loudly, and very precisely while awkwardly trying not to look straight at the camera. Everyone noticeably hesitates before speaking, as if waiting for the director to give them the signal to go. With all of the humans struggling to speak, the film’s best performance comes from Starlight the Horse, who is a natural star. Jack Perrin went on to have an active career in B-westerns so maybe he learned how to handle acting with sound.

This was the only film to feature Perrin as the Apache Kid and it’s easy to see why. The plot doesn’t even try to make sense. If Jim wants to escape being the Apache Kid, he should be happy that so many other people are willing to take over the role for him. Perrin is also stuck wearing a really big hat, which makes him look more like a Blazing Saddles extra than a cowboy star.

There were a lot of bad westerns made during the early days of the sound era. The Apache Kid’s Escape might be the worst.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Leon Isaac Kennedy Edition

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Jedadiah Leland

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

With today’s edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films, we wish a very happy birthday to the one and only Leon Isaac Kennedy! Born in 1949, Leon Isaac Kennedy was working as a successful disc jockey by the time he turned 17. (He was known as Leon the Lover.) Kennedy went on to achieve cult fame by starring as prison boxer Too Sweet in the Penitentiary films, along with appearing opposite Muhammad Ali in Body and Soul and Chuck Norris in Lone Wolf McQuade. Kennedy, who turns 77 today, has retired from acting and became an evangelist in the 90s.

4 Shots From 4 Leon Isaac Kennedy Films: