The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939)

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream

From 1970-1977, six low budget films shown at midnight transformed the way we make and watch films.

Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara

Once known for his intellectual prowess, a retired professor (Anupam Kher) begins experiencing memory gaps and periods of forgetfulness. But while he tries to laugh it off, it soon becomes clear that the symptoms are a sign of a more serious illness, prompting his grown daughter (Urmila Matondkar) to move in as his caretaker. Meanwhile, as his mind regresses, he recalls a traumatic childhood memory involving the death of Mahatma Gandhi.

Murder at the Gallop

Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again investigate by herself.

Main Line to Terror

Akiyama is an intern, disgusted with the noise pollution caused by the bullet trains and the heart attacks that noise has been causing in older hospital patients, plots to disrupt and, in ten days, destroy a unit of the operation. He warns the Japan National Railway, that, if nothing is done to reduce the noise, he will derail a bullet train. Takigawa is the police detective sent to stop him.

Decalogue X

Jerzy and Artur’s father dies, leaving behind a valuable stamp collection, which, they discover, is coveted by dealers of varying degrees of shadiness. The more involved the brothers get in their father’s world, the more dire and comical their situation becomes.

The Desperado Trail

Rollins' gang wants to grab land by inciting the settlers in a war against the Indians but Winnetou and Old Shatterhand try to keep the peace, until Rollins frames Winnetou up for the murder of Jicarilla Chief's son.

Main Ladega

A young boy escapes his troubled home, finding solace I in boxing at an army hostel, where he channels his pain into strength to protect his family.

Home

The ostensibly calm and courteous Gerald Ballantyne lives in and embodies modern suburbia. But he is haunted by the memory of a recent car crash and hounded by his estranged wife and her demands for divorce. Slowly, a festering insanity takes over and unwilling to face the outside world he embarks on a lunatic experiment. Confining himself to his middle-class home, he eschews contact with others and survives entirely off 'food' which he can find in his house. Based on JG Ballard's The Enormous Space.

Carne cruda

In "Raw meat" we meet Quico and Andrew, two salesmen. A weekend in the countryside leads them to fall into the trap of a sect of cannibals led by Maruja, an old hippie specialist in the preparation of human kebabs .... Kill or be killed? That is the question... When life gets tough, there's nothing better than raw meat.

Good Night, Nurse!

Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.

I Before Thee

Jeffery hasn't been the same since the loss of his wife who died during childbirth. Now crisis returns to his life, as his only child is diagnosed with leukemia, sending him into a tailspin. He turns away from his faith, feeling that life is no longer worth living. As God brings reminders of His goodness into Jeffery's life, will that be enough to guide him back to what matters most?

Human Behavioural Case Studies. Series One.

Adam Elliot's earliest film, Human Behavioral Case Studies, is a drawn animation rather than claymation like his other films. It's about unusual human behaviors or obsessions. At only a minute long, it's just long enough to be memorably, darkly amusing.

Gangnam Daughter-in-law

Ah-yeong, who wants to free herself from poverty and live in Gangnam, coincidentally meets the rich Man-soo, who introduces her to his son, Tae-min. Not long after they start dating, the contract on the house Ah-yeong lives in is terminated and she moves in with Tae-min and Man-soo, just a few months before they get married. However, Ah-yeong starts feeling more attracted to Man-soo, who truly cares for her, instead of Tae-min, who’s incompetent and abusive.

Kokowääh 2

Who said a patchwork family is without problems? Two years after the turbulence of Kokowääh, everyday life turns to everyday chaos…

Congorama

Michel is a Belgian inventor. He cares for his father, a paralysed writer, is married to a Congolese woman and is the father of an interracial child whom he reassures as to his parentage. He discovers at the age of 41 that he was adopted, actually having been born in Sainte-Cécile, Quebec. In the summer of 2000, he travels to Quebec, supposedly to sell some of his inventions. While on a near-impossible quest to find his birth family in the town where he was born, he crosses paths with Louis Legros, son of another inventor, in a meeting which will change their lives.

Ten Years Taiwan

What will our lives be like 10 years from now? Five up and coming Taiwanese directors each offer their own take in answering this question. In 2028, Taiwan is suffering from nuclear waste (“The Can of Anido”), migrant workers (“942”), industrial collapse (“Way Home”), low birth rates and diversity in families (“A Making-Of”), and insomnia (“The Sleep”).

Unknown 1917

Russian life in 1917 was not limited to civil confrontations, shootouts, demonstrations and rallies. Many people lived, or at least tried to live peacefully and constructively. The great Fyodor Shalyapin sang and staged opera performances in Moscow and Petrograd; director Vsevolod Meyerhold played the Lermontov Masquerade on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, and Anna Akhmatova and Sergey Eisenstein applauded him. The future writer Konstantin Paustovsky eagerly absorbed impressions about the life of summer and autumn Moscow. And in the Moscow region estate Lopasnya-Zachatievskoe a happy accident led to the discovery of the longest manuscript by A.S. Pushkin, who was considered lost. The film is built on cinema and photo chronicles of a century ago.

Murder Ahoy

During an annual board of trustees meeting, one of the trustees dies. Miss Marple thinks he’s been poisoned after finding a chemical on him. She sets off to investigate at the ship where he had just come from. The fourth and final film from the Miss Marple series starring Margaret Rutherford as the quirky amateur detective.

Box

The execution was scheduled and the last meal consumed. The coolness of the poisons entering the blood system slowed the heart rate and sent him on the way to Judgement. He had paid for his crime with years on Death Row waiting for this moment and now he would pay for them again as the judgment continued..

Sons of Lilith

Vengeance lies upon the snowy mountains of Eresfjord when the unhinged Ask E. Laedden returns to his cabin 15 years after the spine-chilling night that scarred him for life.

The Scarlet Horseman

Government agents work to interfere with schemes to trick the Comanches into war with the Texans.

Jesse James Rides Again

Jesse James wants to start a new life in a new location, but quickly finds himself wrapped-up in protecting townsfolk from the machinations of evil oilmen.

Winners of the West

Beyond Hell's Gate Pass is territory controlled by a man who calls himself King Carter; he uses a variety of schemes to prevent the railroad from being built, for fear it will finish his control of (what he considers) his land.

The Indians Are Coming

Jack Manning (Tim McCoy) arrives in a midwestern town from Gold Creek in Califonia. He brings a message from Goerge Woods (Francis Ford) to his brother Tom Woods (Francis Ford), in a dual role, and niece Mary (Allene Ray, informing them he has struck gold and asking them to join him in California via a wagon train. Jack and Mary fall in love to the great displeasure of Rance Carter (Wilbur McGaugh) who has a yen for Mary himself. Jack and Mary not only have to be wary of Carter's crooked ways and machinations, but also of Indian uprisings, caused by Carter.

Custer's Last Stand

Kit Cardigan seeks the killer of his father...among other plot threads leading up to the famous historical incident.

King of the Texas Rangers

Tom King Jr. seeks to discover who murdered his father, a Texas Ranger; the trail leads to a network of Axis spies.

Adventures of Red Ryder

Calvin Drake employs a group of low-lifes to drive away land owners along the path of a new railroad; Red Ryder opposes this strategy.

King of the Mounties

King of the Candian riding police is up against Japs and Nazis who are about to invade Canada. They just want to clear the way with a new futuristic plane called "The Falcon" first, but that's not gonna happen if Kig has his way.

Son of Geronimo

The self-styled son of Indian chief Geronimo gets himself involved with a gang of nasty whites in this typical low-budget 15 chapter serial, which benefitted from a great deal of footage from the the stock piles at Columbia Pictures. Jim Scott and wagon train boss Tulsa are on to the nefarious schemes of Rance Rankin and Ace Devlin, getting words of warning through to Portico, the Son of Geronimo. With Portico's help, the white renegades are finally destroyed in the serial's concluding chapter, "Peace Treaty." Moore, the future star of the television series The Lone Ranger, was here billed "Clay Moore."

Zorro's Fighting Legion

The mysterious Don Del Oro ("Lord of Gold"), an idol of the Yaqui Indians, plans to take over the gold and become Emperor. Francisco was put in charge of a legion to combat the Yaqui tribe and protect the land, but when attacked Zorro came to his rescue. Francisco's partner recognized Zorro as the hidalgo Don Diego Vega, then ask him to take over the fighting legion as his alter-ego Zorro.

Don Daredevil Rides Again

Stock-footage from Republic Pictures' earlier Zorro serials was served up once again in this 12 chapter cliffhanger, this time without the financially strapped studio having to credit Zorro creator Johnston McCulley or pay any royalties. Zorro simply became "Don Daredevil" (Ken Curtis), a foppish Easterner by day turned masked avenger by night. Like his not too distant relative, Don wore his disguise in order to battle nasty Roy Barcroft who, under a forged Spanish land grant, attempts to take over the surrounding ranch land.

Cody of the Pony Express

Buffalo Bill Cody battles a gang of outlaws secretly headed by an unscrupulous lawyer.

Heroes of the Wild

The only key to a young woman's fortune lies in a marking on the leg of a horse called The Ghost of the Gauchos. But the woman's guardian, her uncle, plots to steal her wealth.

Overland Mail

Two investigators for a stagecoach company are assigned to find out why the company's stages keep being ambushed. They discover that the culprits are white men disguised as Indians, and they set out to discover who is behind the plot.

Perils of the Royal Mounted

Sergeant MacLane of the Mounties investigates the disruptive activities of a bunch of troublemakers.

The Lone Ranger

In 1865, Captain Mark Smith of the Confederate Army leads a band of deserters to conquer Texas and rule it as a dictator. In one of his first actions, he captures and assumes the identity of Texas' new Finance Commissioner, Colonel Marcus Jeffries, after having the real man murdered. When a contingent of Texas Rangers enters the territory, Snead, one of Smith's men, leads them into an ambush by Smith's "troopers". The Rangers are apparently wiped out, although one injured survivor is left. The survivor, nursed back to health by Tonto, swears to avenge the massacre and defeat "Colonel Jeffries" and his men.

The Phantom Rider

The Phantom Rider helps Mary Grayson thwart a plot to steal her land.

The Legend Of The Lone Ranger

A group of Texas Rangers chasing the Butch Cavendish gang is massacred in an ambush. One of the Rangers survives and becomes a vigilante, a masked Lone Ranger who, aided by his native friend Tonto, promises to bring all outlaws to justice.

The Valley of Vanishing Men

Prospector Henry Tolliver disappears and his son "Wild Bill" Tolliver comes looking for him.

The Phantom Rider

A new town doctor arrives at the same time as local Indians needprotection from troublemaking looters.

King of the Royal Mounted

The Canadians have discovered a valuable substance called Compound X, which can cure infantile paralysis. When a country at war with Canada learns that Compound X also contains magnetic properties that could aid them in their warfare against the British, they send agents to infiltrate Canada and steal a large quantity of the substance. It's up to Sgt. King (Allan Lane) and his Mounties to track down the agents and put an end to their scheme.

Trailed by Three

The story of a girl who for months was in perpetual peril; on land, on sea, everywhere, Orient, Occident, and the Antipodes.

The Lone Ranger

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

Ruth of the Rockies

A young woman finds a trunk full of stolen diamonds, takes them and heads westward, pursued by the thief.

Perils of the Wilderness

In the 56th (and next-to-last serial) made by Columbia Pictures, Montana Deputy Dan Lawson, posing as an outlaw called Laramie, goes to the Canadian northwest on the trail of Bart Randall who is wanted for murder and bank robbery in the states. In Canada, Randall is a little more upscale and uses a hydra-plane and a fake totem to over-awe the Indians. Laramie is aided in his search by RCMP Sergeant Gray and by Donna Blane, who is suspected at first of giving information to Randall, but who is actually a Canadian secret agent investigating Randall's gun-trading with the Indians.

Daredevils of the West

A gang of land-grabbers tries to prevent safe passage of the Foster Stage Company through frontier territory.

Wild West Days

Retired lawman Kentucky Wade and his three buddies, Mike Morales, "Dude" Hanford and "Trigger" Benton come to Brimstone and help their friends Larry Munro and his sister, Lucy , in their fight to retain control of Larry's rich ore mine. "Doc" Hardy , as an old friend of Wade's, joins them in their efforts to keep Matt Keeler , the scheming owner of "The Brimstone News", from his efforts to wrest control of Munro's property and mine. Keller employs a legion of henchmen, and sidelines at running runs guns to Red Hatchet and his tribe so they can also get in on the fray against the Munro's and Kentucky and friends.

Lightning Bryce

Two prospectors, one the father of Sky "Lightning" Bryce and the other the father of Kate Arnold, find a large gold deposit belonging to an Indian tribe. They head for home but each sends a note to their respective off-springs advising them of their good fortune. One of the fathers conceives a plan of taking a dagger and wrapping a piece of string around the blade, after which he prints on the string with a lead pencil, the exact location of their find. If something happens to them, the string goes to the son and the knife to the daughter. That night an Indian approaches their camp and blows some mysterious wolf powder which causes a man to see wolves in place of human beings. Lightning's father see his partner as a wolf and stabs him to death; later he is brought into town in a dying condition but before dying, hands the knife and the string over to the sheriff with instructions to deliver to Lightning and Kate.

The Red Glove

On the American frontier in the last decades of the 19th century, Billie is a female cowboy who fights a series of bad men in this film serial.

The Roaring West

A 15-episode serial involving the land rush, gold mines, stolen maps, etc.

The Oregon Trail

Jeff Scott is sent to investigate problems with wagon trains attempting to make the journey to Oregon. Sam Morgan has sent his henchmen, under lead-henchman Bull Bragg, to stop the wagon trains in order to maintain control of the fur trade in the area.

The Vanishing Legion

A mysterious master criminal known as The Voice plots with his gang to sabotage the Milesburg Oil Company, but the rightful heir has a secret army of her own to protect her rights.

The Lone Ranger

The territorial governor asks the Lone Ranger to investigate mysterious raids on settlers by Indians who ride with saddles. Wealthy rancher Reese Kilgore wants to mine silver on Spirit Mountain which is sacred to the Indians.

The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold

Three Indians were brutally murdered by a gang of hooded outlaws. Each one possessed a silver medallion, which were sections cut off from a large silver plaque which served as a treasure map to a secret location where a large amount of gold is reputedly stashed. Two more medallions are unaccounted for, and the The Lone Ranger and his friend Tonto must use all their resources to intercept the gang, prevent further carnage and save the owners of the medallions.

Son of Zorro

A man returning home after having fought in the Civil War discovers that corrupt politicians have taken over the county and are terrorizing and shaking down the citizens. He dons the costume of his ancestor, the famous Zorro, and sets out to bring them to justice.

Riding with Buffalo Bill

Columbia Pictures elevated a run-of-the-mill B-western supporting player, Marshall Reed, to the title role in this equally run-of-the-mill western serial released in 15 chapters. Like most serials in the '50s, Riding with Buffalo Bill consisted of quite a bit of budget-stretching stock footage telling a highly fictionalized account of Buffalo Bill Cody aiding a group of ranchers in their defeat of a local crime lord. The serial's assistant director, Leonard Katzman, later produced the long-running television series Gunsmoke and Dallas.

Gordon of Ghost City

A cowboy is hired to track down a gang of rustlers, but gets involved with a beautiful girl trying to run her grandfather's gold mine and other outlaws who are trying to stop her.

The Painted Stallion

American federal agent Clark Stuart is on assignment in Santa Fe to draw up a trade agreement with the newly installed Mexican governor. Meanwhile, Walter Jamison leads a wagon train from Missouri, hoping to take advantage of the new agreement. Among Jamison's passenger are famed frontiersman Jim Bowie and a very youthful Kit Carson. The destinies of all these personalities intersect when villainous ex-governor DuPrey schemes to undermine the treaty and take over the New Mexico territory for his own vile purposes. Somewhere along the way, Davy Crockett joins the "good guys" in their efforts to thwart the despicable DuPrey.

The Vanishing Rider

William Desmond plays Jim Davis, a secret service agent by day and masked avenger by night. Ethlyne Clair provided feminine appeal, while Bud Osborne, as the notorious Butch Bradley, and a young Boris Karloff took care of the villainy.

Zorro's Black Whip

Pretty Girl Barbara Mededith takes over her murdered brother's crusading newspaper. She also assumes the dead sibling's identity as "The Black Whip," righting the wrongs of Crescent City very much in the manner of her famous ancestor, Zorro.

White Eagle

Serials usually spawned feature film versions, but with this film, it was the other way around. A 1932 Buck Jones Western, White Eagle was made into a serial nine years later, again starring Jones in the title role, a (supposedly) Native American Pony Express Rider defending his people against a gang of evil Whites.

The Red Rider

"Red" Davison(Buck Jones), the sheriff of Sun Dog, sacrifices his job and his good name to save his best friend, "Silent" Slade from the hangman's noose, following a framed-up court decision which sentences Slade to hang for the murder of "Scotty McKee (J.P. McGowan). Davidson allows Slade to escape from jail and follows him to aid him in proving his innocence.

Raiders of Ghost City

During the latter stages of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel (Lionel Atwill), raid all gold shipments destined for Washington from Oro Grande, California. Can they be brought to justice?

The Mystery Rider

Silent cowboy Western serial.

The James Brothers of Missouri

This 12-part serial concerns the efforts of the infamous James brothers (of which Jesse was a prominent member) to become normal everyday citizens. Of course, there's no room in the Wild West for reformed outlaws, and the duo inevitably find themselves caught up in showdowns and robberies.

Fighting With Kit Carson

In this Western, comprised of 12 chapters from a serial, Kit leads a group carrying a large gold shipment across the wild West. When the Mystery Riders attack and steal the gold, Kit is the only survivor. He later joins forces with the cavalry to retrieve it.

The Last Frontier

A frontier newspaper editor Kirby battles outlaw Tiger Morris who is causing indian uprisings to drive away settlers so that he will can claim a gold deposit as his own. With the help of General Custer, right wins out. Presented in serial form in 12 episodes.

Battling with Buffalo Bill

A western adventure serial in 12 episodes. Buffalo Bill battles gambler Jim Rodney who is trying to scare off the townspeople so he can gain possession of a gold strike discovered in the area. A nearby Indian tribe is provoked to attack the town and the cavalry is called in.

The Phantom of the West

A young man's father is murdered and the man convicted of the crime escapes prison, leaving a note intimating that seven local men know the real killer's true identity. The murdered man's son sets out to locate the seven men and find his father's slayer in this ten episode serial.

The Lightning Warrior

A Rin-Tin-Tin serial presented in 12 episodes. The mysterious Wolf Man is terrorizing settlers in a western town. With the help of Rinty, young Jimmy Carter unmasks the Wolf Man and foils his evil plot.

The Oregon Trail

18 episode adventure serial. 1. Westward Ho!, 2. White Treachery, 3. Across the Continent, 4. Message of Death, 5. Wagon of Doom, 6. Secret Foes, 7. A Man of God, 8. Seeds of Civilization, 9. Justice, 10. The New Era, 11. A Game of Nations, 12. To Save an Empire, 13, Trail of Death, 14. On to Washington, 15. Santa Fe, 16. Fate of a Nation, 17. For High Stakes, 18. Victory

Deadwood Dick

Columbia's 11th serial and the first western serial that James W. Horne solo-directed.

Hi-Yo Silver

Edited version of the 1938 Republic serial "The Lone Ranger."

The Renegade

Town banker John Martin calls on Billy and Fuzzy for help in capturing the men that robbed his bank.

Mystery Mountain

Ken Williams is determined to discover the identity of the mysterious Rattler, who preys upon railroads and transportation companies like that owned by Jane Corwin. The Rattler is especially difficult to catch because of his skill at disguising himself as other people.

The Phantom Empire

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show.

The Miracle Rider

In 1930s Texas, following the murder of his father, Tom Morgan joins the Texas Rangers to avenge his father's death and to follow in his path as a proponent of Indian rights. His task as a Ranger is to stop the evil Zaroff and his gang, who are smuggling the elements for a powerful explosive from a mine on Indian land.

The Royal Mounted Rides Again

In time-honored fashion, a couple of supporting players -- George Dolenz and Bill Kennedy -- found themselves elevated to starring roles in this minor Universal serial. They played Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers investigating the murder of a miner. The story, of course, was less important than speed and action, which directors Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins delivered in typical slap-dash Universal style. Starlet Daun Kennedy did not make much of an impression as the imperiled leading lady, and former star Robert Armstrong (of King Kong fame) was wasted in a subordinate role. Rondo Hatton, a non-actor whose grotesque appearance (caused by acromegaly, the so-called "Elephant Man" disease) was tastelessly exploited by Universal in the '40s, appeared as one of the outlaws.

The Vigilantes Are Coming

A masked hero called "The Eagle" leads California ranchers in a struggle against Russian Cossacks who are plotting to take over California and turn it into a Russian colony.

Desperadoes of the West

A group of ranchers, led by Colonel Arnold and Ward Gordon, are drilling an oil well but getting fierce opposition from an unknown gang of outlaws. Eastern promoter J.B."Dude" Dawson, is behind the gang as he is out to prevent the co-op members from striking oil before their lease expires, so he can secure the property for his company. When Ward, with the help of Arnold and his daughter Sally, arranges for a new driller to be brought in, the replacement man is killed and one of Dawson's men takes his place.

Man with the Steel Whip

Saloon owner Barnet wants the Indian reservation land on which he knows there is gold, and organizes a gang, aided by some renegade Indians, to raid and terrorize close-by settlers,hoping to arouse them to drive off the Indians. Rancher Jerry Randall, accompanied by school teacher Nancy Cooper, sets out to defeat the plot. In order to win the loyalty of the innocent tribe members, Randall masquerades as a legendary friend of the Indians, El Latigo.

Tex Granger: Midnight Rider of the Plains

Tex Granger heads toward Three Buttes when he comes across a young boy guarding a gold shipment which he has just rescued from a stagecoach that had been held up by Blaze Talbot and Reno

Roar of the Iron Horse

Columbia Pictures elevated stunt man Jock O'Mahoney to stardom in this 15 chapter western serial about the building of the transcontinental railroad. O'Mahoney played a railroad agent who uncovers the master criminal behind a series of sabotage attempts on the construction site.

Overland with Kit Carson

When Pegleg and his Black Raiders threaten the westward expansion of the United States, the government sends Kit Carson and David Brent to straighten things out.

Riders of the Plains

B-Western regulars Jack Perrin and Marilyn Mills starred in this obscure, low-budget Western serial released in 15 chapters.

Gunfighters of the Northwest

Constable Ward is assigned to track down a mysterious villain known only as The Leader. Trying to locate a secret gold mine, The Leader pits the Indians against the Mounties, whom he blames for creating trouble.

In the Days of Buffalo Bill

Western film serial featuring Buffalo Bill

Blazing the Overland Trail

Roberts and Moore played an army scout and a pony express rider who come to the aid of settlers terrorized by a greedy rancher-turned-outlaw.