Paradise Express (1937)

A small railroad run by grouchy Jed Carson (Harry Davenport) is facing bankruptcy due to the underhand tactics of a trucking company. Receiver Larry Doyle (Grant Withers) has been bought in not knowing it is the work of the crooked trucking boss (Donald Kirke) and part of his plan to get rid of the railroad and gain a freight monopoly.

Doyle, after a slightly fractious start with Jed and his granddaughter Kay (Dorothy Appleby), gets to work trying to save the railroad company despite the odds against him...

A neat little morality play of the type common at the time (when big business when hitting the real guy for real in 1930s America). The clerk Trotter (Arthur Hoyt) provides some comic relief.

Boot Hill Bandits (1942)

The Range Busters were a trio of cowboys who made no fewer than twenty four movies in the early 1940s.

Marshal Corrigan (Ray Corrigan) turns up in Sundance and sets up a shooting date with the Mesquite Kid (I. Stanford Jolly) whom he promptly despatches but really he is in town to investigate the mysterious Bolton (John Merton) whom he thinks is up to no good but isn't the real leader of the gang. When Bolton's men blow up a mine payroll wagon Corrigan is thought to be killed. However he is still alive and with the help of his fellow Range Busters (John King and Max Terhune) investigate the gang and uncover the real mastermind.

It is a rather straight forward but enjoyable Western, simple cowboy adventures with a ventriloquist dummy (yes that's right Max Terhune's dummy Elmer).

Danger Lights (1930)

An early talkie and one of the earliest films filmed in widescreen though that version no longer survives. It is a story of romance and railroads, lots of railroads.

Dan Thorn (Louis Wolheim) is a tough - to an almost ridiculous stereotypical degree - railroad boss. During the clear-up of an accident he recruits (or rather press gangs) hobo Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) into working for him.

Despite his resistance Larry stays on with the company but a complication occurs when he falls in love with Mary (Jean Arthur) who is Dan's fiancee. Naturally Dan isn't too happy about the competition...

Although the story and plot isn't too much to get excited about being a fairly basic love triangle with a bit of railroad peril though isn't bad, the acting and dialogue delivery is sometimes a bit off as is usual for an early talkie but not always. Where this film really flies is the railway footage, quite simply it's brilliant (no bland stock footage here) and some of it very rare.

Alice in Wonderland (1915)

Another version of Lewis Carroll's famous story, we've reviewed the 1903 version before.

This one stars Viola Savoy as Alice and is a very charming (if sometimes a little creepy) little film that captures the fantasy of the story well. Some of the character costumes and effects are very well done indeed especially the Mock Turtle.

However the film is a bit disjointed though mostly because of lost footage. Being 1915 the film makers were still a bit hesitant to do that many close-ups.

I Can't Escape (1934)

Steve Nichols (Onslow Stevens) has just got out of prison for an investment scam and ends up in a brawl in a nightclub while defending Mae (Lila Lee) an ageing good time girl. Steve shacks up with Mae but struggles to get a good job because of his record.

Eventually he lucks on a job with some investment brokers but they want to use him as the fall guy in the scam, exactly what got him into this trouble in the first place. Though their scam is rather flimsy and for an ex-con Steve is a bit naive...

Although a bit slow and clumsy it isn't a bad film, Onslow and Lila play good roles with plenty of chemistry. The main problem is the film makes little sense. Tom Martin (Russell Gleason) turns up looking for Steve to get revenge for the death of his father due to Steve's crimes. However he doesn't know what Steve looks like so Steve is able to pretend to be someone else but keeps Tom in his house to keep him under control. Tom somehow doesn't find it suspicious near strangers seem obsessed with keeping him under their roof.