Search - Whistlin' Dan on DVD

"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Whis

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 09/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"VCI Entertainment present "Ken Maynard Double Feature Vol. 5" (Whistlin' Dan (1932)/Western Courage (1935) (Dolby digitally remastered)...relive those thrilling days from the early '30s and '40s when Ken Maynard took us down the dusty trails with some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee Screen...just remember double the thrills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss any of the Ken Maynard features loaded with action that will leave you wanting more of his B-Western adventures.

First up of this double feature VCI Entertainment, Sono-Art / World Wide Pictures and released by Sono-Art / Tiffany.present "WHISTLIN DAN" (1932) (60 mins/B&W) ... Under Phil Rosen (Director), Philip Goldstone (Producer), Stuart Anthony (Screenwriter), Ira Morgan (Cinematographer), Rose E. Loewinger (Editor) --- the cast includes Ken Maynard ('Whistlin' Dan Savage posing as Ed Black), Tarzan (Tarzan, Dan's horse), Joyzelle Joyner (Carmelita (as Joyzelle), Georges Renavent (Captain Serge Karloff), Harlan Knight ('July', posing as Pecos (as Harlan E. Knight), Don Terry (Bob Reid), Jack Rockwell (Sheriff Cal Webster) . . . . . what is the phrase "I'm a Karloff man!" bring to our plot ... Ken Maynard once again our hero is about to find out who killed his pal Don Terry, the only way he can uncover the truth is to join Karloff (Georges Renavent) ... plenty of action, with Ken and his trusty steed Tarzan the wonder horse saving the day several times in this exciting oater . . . . . meanwhile back to another great Ken Maynard B-Western provided by Tiffany Pictures during their heyday of the '30s

The second film is from Columbia Pictures "WESTERN COURAGE" (1935) (61 min/B&W) ... Under Spencer Gordon Bennet (Director), Larry Darmour (Producer), Nate Gatzert (Screenwriter), Charles Francis Royal (Short Story Author), Herbert Kirkpatrick (Cinematographer), Dwight Caldwell (Editor) --- Ken Maynard (Ken Baxter), Tarzan (Ken's Horse), Geneva Mitchell (Gloria Hanley), Charles French (Mr. Hanley ), Betty Blythe (Mrs. Hanley), Cornelius Keefe (Eric), Ward Bond (LaCrosse), Renee Whitney (Betty Johns), Wally West (Slim, the cowhand), E.H. Calvert (Col. Austin) . . . . . our story involves Charles French, Betty Blythe and Geneva Mitchell the family arriving at a dude ranch with Ken Maynard the foreman setting spoiled Geneva straight about ranch life ... Cornelius Keefe is a fortune hunter who abducts Mitchell for an elopement ... now enters one of my favorite actors Ward Bond the outlaw who takes Maynard by surprise and leaves him tied up in a burning shack ... will Maynard survive for another oater or will he parish, don't leave the theatre you're about to see the final scene and closing credits . . . . . easy to see why Maynard was so popular with all the stunts he performed.

Special footnote, actor Ken Maynard was an American motion picture stuntman and actor ... Born Kenneth Olin Maynard in Vevay, Indiana he was an accomplished horseman ... As a young man, he performed in rodeos and was a trick rider with Buffalo Bill 's Wild West Show and a circus rider with Ringling Brothers ... During World War I, he served in the United States Army ... He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work ... Maynard became one of the first singing cowboys with Columbia Records and was also one of the first to make a star out of his white stallion named "Tarzan" ... With his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and pair of six-shooters, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s, Maynard appeared in more than 90 films ... However, his alcoholism severely impacted his life and his career ended in 1944 ... He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors --- The significant amount of money he had earned vanished and he lived a desolate life in a rundown mobile home --- More than 25 years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to two small parts in films in 1970 and 1972 ... Ken Maynard died penniless in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California ... Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the motion picture industry.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
Ken Maynard (aka: Kenneth Olin Maynard)
Date of birth: 21 July 1895 - Vevay, Indiana
Date of death: 23 March 1973 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California,
2. Spencer Gordon Bennet (Director)
Date of birth: 5 January 1893 - Brooklyn, New York, New York
Date of death: 8 October 1987 - Santa Monica, California,
3. Phil Rosen (Director)
Date of birth: 8 May 1888 - Marienburg, East Prussia, Germany [now Malbork, Poland]
Date of death: 22 October 1951 - Hollywood, California,

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features by Ken Maynard:

KEN MAYNARD WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
Vol. 1 ... PHANTOM THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTNING STRIKES WEST (VCI #7240)
Vol. 2 ... DYNAMITE RANCH & DEATH RIDES THE RANGE (VCI #7295)
Vol. 3 ... DRUM TAPS & TWO GUN MAN (VCI #7300)
Vol. 4 ... FARGO EXPRESS & HARMONY TRAIL (VCI #7284)
Vol. 5 ... WHISTLIN' DAN & WESTERN COURAGE (VCI #7307)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above 5 volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet...you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Ken Maynard Double Feature Vol. 5" (Whistlin' Dan (1932)/Western Courage (1948), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD and VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 104 on DVD ~ VCI Home Video #7307 ~ (9/12/2006)"