Western Legends 50 Movie Pack

Legends of the wide open spaces
WESTERN LEGENDS 50 MOVIE PACK is an outstanding box set from MILL CREEK of vintage titles that for the most part haven't been previously released by this manufacturer. The exceptions are four early John Wayne films and one from Roy Rogers. There are however four Rogers movies here not on any other MILL CREEK DVD package. There's a "new" Gene Autry movie, too!

"The Legend of the Lone Ranger" is a 1952 theatrical feature that was created by editing together the first three episodes of the Lone Ranger TV series. "Buckskin Frontier" has a cast of several established and future Hollywood heavyweights (see below). Olympic superstar Jim Thorpe plays a henchman in "Frontier Scout." Drew Barrymore's dad (John Jr.) stars in "High Lonesome." Jim Backus (Mr. Magoo/Thurston Howell III) does his western turn in "The Naked Hills." Rita Hayworth makes an early screen appearance in "Trouble in Texas," as Rita Cansino.

Also included are several Tom Tyler films, and works by Hoot...

Outstanding Set of Seldom Seen B-Western Films and Stars
This DVD box set is a real treat for fans of the B-Western. Mill Creek Entertainment's 50 Movie Pack features many Western stars of the 30s and 40s whose work we don't see much of these days, for example: Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Tom Tyler and Kermit Maynard, as well as sagebrush trios like The Range Busters (Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune) and the Rough Riders (Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Raymond Hatton). Not to worry, folks - John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry get their due as well. Most of the films included are not to be found in other packages of Public Domain films and there are no spaghetti westerns in this set, either.

As fans of these public domain sets already know, the print quality of these films ranges from very good to merely passable - but don't let that stop ya, buckaroo - these films are a real treat no matter what the condition, especially when you consider the price.

Films included in this set are:...

Great movies, but marginal quality
I just finished viewing every one of the fifty.As far as the selection of movies, I'd rate the package as 4 stars, maybe even 5 if there were a few more Hoot Gibson, Gene Autry, or Johnny Mack Brown. Surprisingly, no Lash Larue. Yes, I'm old enough to remember all of the great ones.

The downside. Picture and sound quality left a lot to be desired. None of the films were cleaned up; it appears that they were simply transferred, as is, from film to DVD. In fact I noticed a few short gaps in some of the movies. I've got a couple other collections dating to the same era that have been beautifully cleaned up; they appear to have been filmed today.

On balance, the collection is definitely worth while. A great memory of the late 30's through 40's.

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