Search - Classic Westerns: Johnny Mack Brown Four Feature on DVD

A fine release by VCI Entertainment

B. Cathey | Wendell, NC United States | 07/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"VCI Entertainment has pretty much carved out a niche for itself by finding superior prints of classic Westerns (especially classic "B" oaters) and releasing them on DVD. The present release is no exception. VCI has an ongoing Johnny Mack Brown series on DVD-R, and this new release places four of those films on regular DVD, and at a very reasonable price! The four films offer a great summary of the fine acting ability of Brown, from the 1930s through the mid-1940s, with generally better than average production values. The prints are generally quite good, with only a few minor glitches. For fans of the B Western or those interested in cinematic history---or for those looking for good 'ole adventure, the price it right and the entertainment very good. Thanks VCI!"

"Classic Western Collection ... Johnny Mack Brown ... VCI Ho

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 08/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"VCI Entertainment present "CLASSIC WESTERNS COLLECTION: JOHNNY MACK BROWN" (231 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in Glorious Black and White --- Johnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor --- Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, Brown was a star of the high school football team, earning a football scholarship to the University of Alabama --- Playing the halfback position on his university's Crimson Tide football team, Brown helped his team to become the 1926 NCAA Division I-A national football champions --- In that year's Rose Bowl Game, he earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two of his team's three touchdowns in an upset win over the heavily favored Washington Huskies.

His good looks and powerful physique saw him portrayed on Wheaties cereal boxes and in 1927, brought an offer for motion picture screen tests that resulted in a long and successful career in Hollywood --- He appeared in minor roles until 1930 when he was cast as the star in a western movie entitled "Billy the Kid" and directed by King Vidor, the film also features Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett.

Brown went on to make several top-flight movies under the name John Mack Brown, including The Secret Six (1931) with Wallace Beery, as well as the legendary Lost Generation celebration of alcohol, "The Last Flight" (1931), and was being groomed by MGM as a leading man until being replaced on a film in 1931, with all his scenes reshot with Clark Gable in his place --- Rechristened Johnny Mack Brown, "Fighting Kit Carson" (1933) he returned to making exclusively westerns and eventually became one of the screen's top B-movie cowboy stars, making 127 western films during his career, including "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (1942) with Abbott and Costello --- Brown also starred in four serials for Universal Studios (Rustlers of Red Dog (1935), Wild West Days (1937), Flaming Frontiers (1938) and The Oregon Trail (1939) and was a hero to millions of young children at movie theaters and on their television screens --- Altogether, Brown appeared in over 160 movies between 1927 and 1966, as well as a smattering of television shows, in a career spanning almost forty years --- In recognition of his contribution to the motion picture industry, Brown was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd --- In 1969, Brown was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
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The first of four Johnny Mack Brown westerns - "THE CROOKED TRAIL" (Released: 25 July 1936) (60 mins/B&W) --- story line and plot, Jim Blake (Johnny Mack Brown) happens upon Harve Tarlton (John Merton) who is left dying in the desert --- Blake saves Tarltons life, and makes him a partner in a gold mining claim, but soon Tarlton's back to his fugitive ways --- in John Merton's role in this oater, only time I've ever seen him smile, as though he was having a good time.

Second feature - "BOOT HILL BRIGADE" (Released: 2 August 1937) (56 mins/B&W), Johnny saves the people from the dirty rotten land grabbers --- Johnny Mack is a moral preaching cowboy who uses his wits and fists rather than six-guns to battle a land-grabbing villain who is exploiting homesteaders --- not as much in the action department, but an underlying conflict that has been throughout the growing of the West --- the problems with the ranchers and the homesteaders.

In this third feature - "BURY ME NOT ON THE LONE PRAIRIE" (Released: 21 March 1941) (61 mins/B&W), Johnny Mack is a mining engineer whose brother is murdered by claim jumpers --- don't miss the showdown as Johnny Mack saves the heroine and gives the culprits what they deserve, hot lead!

And the final oater - "LONE STAR TRAIL" (Released: 6 August 1943) (58 mins/B&W), Ride the Lone Star Trail, as the West's greatest Star Duo Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter roars along a lead swept trail of vengeance --- At this point in their careers, the pairing was intended to allow the western greats to pool their on screen strengths --- Ritter sang the tunes and Brown handled the action and fistfights in a first rate manner --- Overall, it was a great pairing.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Johnny Mack Brown
Date of Birth: 1 September 1904 - Dothan, Alabama
Date of Death: 14 November 1974 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

2..Fuzzy Knight (aka John Forest Knight)
Birth Date: 09 May 1901 - Fairmont, WV
Died: 23 February 1976 - Hollywood, CA.

3. Tex Ritter (aka: Woodward Maurice Ritter)
Date of Birth: 12 January 1905 - Murvaul, Texas
Date of Death: 2 January 1974, Nashville, Tennessee

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features by Johnny Mack Brown:

JOHNNY MACK BROWN WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
1. Raiders of San Joaquin/Law of the Range (VCI #7226)
2. Pony Post/Ragtime Cowboy Joe (VCI #7238)
3. Brand A Coward/Rogue of the Range (VCI #7244)
4. Guns in the Dark/Partner of the Trail (VCI #7260)
5. Bar Z Bad Men/Between Men (VCI #7282)
6. Bad Man from Red Butte/Rawhide Rangers (VCI #8348)
7. Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie & Lone Star Trail (VCI #7308)
8. Crooked Trail & Boot Hill Brigade (VCI #7309)
9. Arizona Cyclone & Man From Montana (VCI #7325)
10.A Lawman Is Born & The Gambling Terror (VCI #7327)
11.Chip Of The Flying U & Oklahoma Frontier (VCI #7329)
12.Silver Bullet & Law and Order (VCI #7331)
13.Raiders of the Border & Texas Kid (VCI #7333)
14.Under Cover Man & Stagecoach Buckaroo (VCI #7335)

JOHNNY MACK BROWN FOUR FEATURE:
CLASSIC WESTERNS: Crooked Trail; Boot Hill Brigade;
Bury Me Not On the Lone Prairie; Lone Star Trail (VCI #5520)

JOHNNY MACK BROWN - UNIVERSAL CLIFFHANGER/SERIALS:
1. FIGHTING WITH KIT CARSON (VCI #8419)
2. FLAMING FRONTIERS (VCI #8442)
3. OREGON TRAIL, THE (VCI #8439)
4. RUSTLERS OF RED DOG (VCI #8397)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above five titles as they are not available on Amazon as of yet...you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment...if you enjoyed this collection, why not pick up other copies of Johnny Mack Brown Double Features.

Bobby J. Copeland's book published by Empire Publising on "Johnny Mack Brown: Up Close & Personal" is chuck full of answers to all the questions his fans had from early on --- when you went to see him on the big screen, you got exactly what the marquee said...plenty of thrills, adventure and loaded with action --- Johnny Mack was a natural for the western, his riding abilities and fight scenes were of the the same caliber as Buck Jones and Bob Steele --- Johnny Mack sets the saddle better than Duke Wayne --- seems Johnny got better with the more films he made and the scripts were always top notch --- he was one of the best-liked people in films, what you saw on the screen is what he really was, a great human being.

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 Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 231 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video. ~ (5/29/2007)"

Classic Westerns: Johnny Mack Brown Four Feature

R. Jaynes | 11/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a classic western collection that every devoted western fan will like. Especially if you like Johnny Mack Brown. They don't make films like this any more, and that makes this collection special!"

Old fashioned western

Km Dullabh | new zealand | 10/18/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"i love the old fashion westerns mainly for the entertainment value. this purchase lived up uo to that. pleased to see tex ritter and robert mitchum in the last movie. i believe i got it for a 'song'. recommend it to other die hard old western fans. ken
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