Frank Ellis
Birthday: 1897-02-26 Place of Birth: Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA
Synopsis
Frank Ellis was born on February 26, 1897 in Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA as Frank Birney Ellis. He was an actor, known for The Desert Demon (1925), The Fighting Sheriff (1925) and Trails of Danger (1930). He died on February 23, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Acting
Prairie Badmen
Medicine show proprietor Doc Lattimer has in his possession a map showing the location of a cache of stolen gold. His son Don favors keeping the gold rather than returning it to the express company to which it rightfully belongs, and steals the map, only to find himself menaced by outlaw leader Cal and his gang.
Swing, Cowboy, Swing
An obscure entry in the musical Western cycle, Swing, Cowboy, Swing was produced by and starred country & western bandleader Cal Shrum. Shrum and his band, the Rhythm Rangers, are warned away from playing a theater in Big Bend by Cal's brother, Walt Shrum and his Colorado Hillbillies. Ignoring the warning, the Rhythm Rangers arrive at the theater only to be shot at by a masked stranger. With the help of stranded vaudeville performer Max "Alibi" Terhune and his dummy Elmer, Cal manages to catch the mystery shooter who turns out to be Frank Lawson (Frank Ellis).
The film apparently did not generate enough interest for a series, but was re-released by Astor Pictures in 1949 under the title Bad Man From Big Bend.
Overland Riders
A honest stranger arrives in Devil's Gap and helps the local sheriff expose the murderer of a rancher.
Ambush Trail
One of four western films made for PRC by bantam-weight Bob Steele, Ambush Trail stars Steele as cowpoke Curley Thompson. The villain of the piece intends to bankrupt all the local ranchers and grab up the surrounding property for himself. But with Curley involved, the bad guy and his minions don't have a chance. The screenplay, by D. W. Griffith alumnus Elmer Clifton, is a medley of western cliches, pausing every so often for a first-rate action sequence. Perennial sagebrush sidekick Sid Saylor provides negligible comedy relief.
Shadows of Death
With the railroad coming to Red Rock, trouble is expected and Billy has been sent to help his friend Fuzzy who is the town's sheriff, judge, and barber. When the man that sent Billy is murdered and the railroad location map stolen, broken match sticks point to Vic Landreau. While Billy tries to find the missing map, Landreau suspects Billy is on to him and plans to have him killed.
Gun Smoke
U. S. Marshals Nevada Jack McKenzie and Sandy Hopkins come upon an overturned stagecoach with the driver and the passenger dead. They learn that the passenger, Hinkley, an archaeologist, has discovered an old Indian site that contains gold relics, and a gang has robbed him of the relics he was carrying. Jane Condon, daughter of Hinkley's partner who was also murdered, tells Nevada that an old Indian guide, Shag, is the only one who knows where the site is. The outlaws find Shag first, and kill him after forcing the information from him. Hinkley's son, Joel, arrives and knows where the site is and leads Nevada and Sandy there ahead of the outlaws.
Enemy of the Law
Charley Gray is about to be released from the state penitentiary after serving a long term for the robbery of a government gold shipment. The gold was never recovered, so the Texas Ranger chief has Ranger Panhandle Perkins planted in the prison as Charley's cell-mate in the hopes Charley will tell him where the loot is buried. Charley has a map of the location but is afraid it may be discovered so, while Panhandle is asleep, he draws a copy of it on the sole of Panhandle's foot. Charley then destroys the map but intends to keep "Panhandle" close to him upon their release from prison. Charley makes Panhandle accompany him back to the town where the rest of the hold-up gang is holed up. They go to the saloon owned by Steve Martin, also a member of the hold-up gang, but Charley was the one who buried the loot before he was captured and Charley has no intentions of divulging the location of the gold. Written by Les Adams
Wild Horse Phantom
A lawman stages a prison break so a gang of imprisoned robbers will lead him to their hidden loot.
Oath of Vengeance
Steve Kinney and his henchman, Mort, are trying to stir up trouble between the local ranchers and farmers, behind a wave of rustling and lawlessness. Mort kills Vic, a Kirby cowhand, and lays the blame on Dan Harper, the leader of the farmers faction. Storekeeper Fuzzy Q. Jones, fearful of losing the outstanding charge-accounts he has on his books, drags his reluctant pal, Billy Carson, into the fray, and the two soon prove Kinney and his henchmen to be behind the valley's troubles.
Two Fisted Justice
Wells Fargo hires three cowboys to clean up a lawless town.
Raiders of Red Gap
One man wants to control all the land in the state to graze all his cattle. His band of outlaws are raiding ranchers and homesteaders, trying to drive them out. Rocky and Fuzzy are brought in to help stop the raiders and keep the land for the small ranchers and homesteaders.
Trail of Terror
Texas Ranger O'Brien has an outlaw twin brother. When his sibling is killed, O'Brien assumes his identity in order to infiltrate a gang of stagecoach robbers.
Bandit Ranger
Rancher Clay Travers finds and brings in the body of ranger Frank Mattison, murdered on the road to Trail City, where he had been sent to deal with an outbreak of cattle rustling. Businessman Art Kenyon, who has hired gunman Ed Martin to impersonate Mattison to further his rustling schemes, quickly changes Martin's story and has Travers framed for the ranger's murder. Managing to escape, Travers must come up with proof to clear his name and bring the true killers to justice.
Rock River Renegades
In Old Wyoming, a gang is plundering stagecoaches of shipped currency and a crusading newspaper editor is trying to get the local marshal replaced, because of his apparent failure to catch the gang, which seems to disappear into thin air after every robbery. The situation escalates when one of the stage drivers is mortally wounded; so the marshal sends for his friends, the Range Busters, to help him catch the criminals. Meanwhile, even the marshal's fiancee, the editor's daughter, turns against him in favor of an aggressive agitator for law and order - who secretly is leading the robber gang.
Land of the Open Range
A land owner's will leaves his ranch to anyone who has served at least two years in prison.
Texas Trouble Shooters
The Range Busters are together again to try and stop a swindle.
Texas Man Hunt
It's WW II and German Reuther has organized local gangs to sabotage the beef supply at the source. Marshal Lee Clark arrives to investigate and joins up with local cowboys Art Davis and Bill Boyd. Lee has a typewritten note from the gang and hopes it can be traced to it's source.
Texas to Bataan
As war looms in the Pacific, even cowboys are called on to fight the enemy. Horses are desperately needed by U.S forces stationed in the Philippines, and the Range Busters - Crash Corrigan, Alibi Terhune, and their newest partner, Davy Sharpe - are hired to accompany a herd to the islands. But first they must battle Axis spies right in Texas, as they foil a plot to steal the very horses destined for shipment.
Outlaws of Boulder Pass
Harkness controls Boulder Pass and his men are overcharging the ranches for its usage. When Tom Cameron steps in to rob the tollgate keepers and return the money to the ranchers, he gets caught.
The Bandit Trail
A cowboy turns bad for revenge, but can't stomach his new evil ways.
The Lone Rider Fights Back
Opera star-cum-cowboy hero George Houston stars in PRC's The Lone Rider Fights Back. Appropriately enough, Houston disguises himself as a musician to get the goods on a gang of terrorists. The principal villain hopes to scare the local miners off their land, so he can move in and clean up.
The Lone Rider Crosses the Rio
Tom Cameron, aka the Lone Rider, and his faithful sidekick, Fuzzy Jones, flee across the Rio Grande to avoid assassination by crooked lawman Deputy Hatfield, only to have the Mexican cops accuse Cameron of being the notorious bandit El Puma. At Hatfield's behest, they are also accused of kidnapping the local mayor's son, and now the pair must prove their innocence and find a way to stop Hatfield's lawless ways.
Billy the Kid in Santa Fe
Falsely accused of murder, Billy is able to escape thanks to his pals. Once in Santa Fe, he meets once again the man who lied during the trial.
The Trail of the Silver Spurs
The Range Busters are investigating a gold robbery from the Denver Mint in a supposedly deserted ghost town, but they soon find they're not the only town resident with a nose for gold.
The Lone Rider Rides On
Tom Cameron is searching for the outlaws who ambushed a wagon train, murdered his parents and stole the deed to their land. Though he was only a child at the time, he vividly remembers the scar on the ringleader's face -- and Tom will stop at nothing until he brings him to justice … and exacts vengeance.
Roll Wagons Roll
The Army sends Tex Masters to find out who is supplying Indians with military guns.
Texas Wildcats
Lightning Bill Carson and sidekick Magpie are after Burrows, the man that killed a friend of theirs. Burrows is after the Arden ranch and his gang are rustling their cattle. Bill is robbing Burrows while posing as the mysterious Phantom and it's not long before the two collide.
Westbound Stage
A wagon train crossing the plains comes across the remains of other wagon trains that have been attacked by looters. Soon they too are attacked.
Big Boy Rides Again
A man comes to town to claim the estate of his father, who was shot by a masked killer. He sets out to find who did it.
Lawless Riders
Edith overhears Bart's plan to rob the bank so she informs Ken. But she is also overheard and when Ken goes to investigate, Bart's Henchman Prod frames him for the robbery. Thrown in jail, Ken's pal Pedro arrives with a plan to get him out.
