[.ca] The Oklahoma Cyclone

"Bob Steele Series ... The Oklahoma Cyclone (1930) ... Poverty Row":
Poverty Row Pictures presents "THE OKLAHOMA CYCLONE" (8 August 1930) (66 mins/B & W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Bob Steele was an American actor --- He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in 1907 in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family --- Bob's career began to take off for good in 1927, when he was hired by production company Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) to star in a series of Westerns. Bob--who was rechristened Bob Steele at FBO--soon made a name for himself, and in the late 1920s, 1930s and 1940s starred in B-Westerns for almost every minor film studio, including Monogram, Supreme, Tiffany, Syndicate, Republic (including several films of the Three Mesquiteers series) and Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) (including the initial films of their "Billy the Kid" series) In the late 1940s and early 1950s, that "new medium" television had many hours to fill and few dollars to fill them --- They re-discovered the B-Western, still a popular mainstay of Saturday afternoon matinees and many cowboy stars thrilled a new audience --- Taking advantage of this rebirth in popularity, publishers brought to the marketplace comic books featuring these western heroes of "Bob Steele" Westerns --- These bimonthly issues were copyrighted in February and April of 1950 by Fawcet Publications --- His career which included nearly 200 feature films, serials and TV appearances --- Steele in his twilight years at the age 59 when he got the part of the cantankerous "Trooper Duffy", in the western comedy series "F Troop" (1965), who at the drop of a hat would give his rendition of fighting "shoulder to shoulder with Davy Crockett at the Alamo" --- Steele retired from the screen in 1973 --- Bob's long career, spanning more than 50 years came to an end in 1988 when he passed away. Under the production staff of: J.P. McCarthy - Director / Screen Story Trem Carr - Producer Ford I. Beebe - Screenwriter The story line and plot, our story opens with Bob Steele singing for the senorita, does the ranch foreman Charles King share her musical taste --- Steele has one friend among the ranch hands Al St. John, who once again proves he's up to his old tricks in the early westerns...the heroine Rita Rey has eyes for Steele, but King has eyes for Rita and there is where our story goes into action --- this the second of eight B-Westerns for producer Trem Carr and we're in for some hard riding and gunsmoke...is there plans to rob a bank, kidnap the sheriff and keep Steele in the thick of the plot on the Tiffany Studio lot - - - - - B-Western footnote, actor Al St. John, silent film comic who appeared in dozens of Mack Sennett's early Keystone comedies and would eventually create and star in his own vehicles for other studios. With the advent of sound, he became a character actor in westerns and later the bewhiskered sidekick, also known as Fuzzy Q. Jones in some popular series Fred Scott (Spectrum Pictures/1937-38), Bob Steele/Billy the Kid (PRC Pictures/1940-41), Don "Red" Barry (Republic Pictures/1940-42), Lone Rider wth George Houston (PRC Pictures/1941-42), Lone Rider with Robert Livingston (PRC Pictures/1942-43), Buster Crabbe/Billy the Kid (PRC Pictures/1941-43), Buster Crabbe/Billy Carson (PRC Pictures/1943-46), Lash LaRue (PRC Pictures/1947-52)... St. John retired from film making in the early '50s, passed away in 1963 from a heart attack while working with the Tommy Scott Wild West show - - - - - second footnote, actor Charles King was among the top five "Best of the Badmen" (according to a new book by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland)...King was a big man, but as agile as a cat during his fight scenes with Johnny Mack Brown, Buster Crabbe, Tex Ritter, The Rough Riders and Bob Steele --- Charles King appeared in 400 films and 350 were in sound including many cliffhangers --- he was the heavy we loved to hate --- meanwhile another great B-Western for Bob Steele under the Tiffany Pictures banner, proves to be one of his most exciting performances. the cast includes: Bob Steele ... Jimmy Henderson aka Jim Smith Rita Rey ... Carmelita Carlos Al St. John ... Slim Charles King ... McKim, aka Black Diablo Slim Whitaker ... Henchman Rawhide Cliff Lyons ... Henchman N.E. Hendrix ... Henchman Shorty (as Shorty Hendricks) Hector Sarno ... Don Pablo Carlos Fred Burns ... Sheriff Henderson, Jimmy's father Emilio Fernández ... Pancho Gomez S.S. Simon ... Dominguez SPECIAL FEATURES: BIO: 1. Bob Steele (aka: Robert Adrian Bradbury) (Actor) Date of Birth: 23 January 1907 - Portland, Oregon Date of Death: 21 December 1988 - Burbank, California If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features --- Ask Amazon.Com to carry the volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet --- you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment BOB STEELE WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES: 1. Vol. 1 - Tombstone Terror/Lightnin' Crandall (VCI #7212) (DVD) 2. Vol. 2 - The Brand of Hate/Trusted Outlaw (VCI #7252) (DVD) 3. Vol. 3 - The Arizona Gunfighter/Last of the Warrens (VCI #7261) (DVD) 4. Vol. 4 - Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin'/The Feud Maker (VCI #7275) (DVD) 5. Vol. 5 - Border Phantom/A Demon For Trouble (VCI #7311) (DVD) 6. Vol. 6 - The Kid Ranger/Nevada Buckaroo (VCI #7336) (DVD) 7. Vol. 7 - The Red Rope/Paroled To Die (VCI #7338) (DVD) 8. Vol. 8 - Smokey Smith/Sundown Saunders (VCI #7340) (DVD) 9. Vol. 9 - Doomed At Sundown/The Law Rides (VCI #7344) (DVD) 10.Vol 10 - No Man's Range/Rider of the Law (VCI #7347) (DVD) CLASSIC WESTERNS - BOB STEELE FOUR FEATURE: 11. Border Phantom, A Demon For Trouble, Trusted Outlaw, Brand of Hate (VCI #5521) (DVD) Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys! Total Time: 66 min on VHS/DVD ~ Poverty Row Pictures ~ (10/14/2007)