DVD Review: Streets Of Ghost Town (1950).

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DVD Review: Streets Of Ghost Town (1950).

January 3, 2018 by Toby

Directed by Ray Nazarro
Written by Barry Shipman
Cinematography: Fayte Browne

Cast: Charles Starrett (Steve Woods/The Durango Kid), Smiley Burnette (Himself), Mary Ellen Kay (Doris Donner), George Chesebro (Bill Donner), Frank Fenton (Bart Selby)

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Mill Creek has done us a big favor by scooping up 10 of the 60-plus Durango Kid movies and putting them in one extremely budget-friendly two-disc set, The Durango Kid Collection. One of the 10 is Ray Nazarro’s Streets Of Ghost Town (1950).

In this outing, Steve and Smiley help the sheriff of Dusty Creek (Stanley Andrews) look for a fortune in stolen money supposedly hidden in an old ghost town — boarded up, littered wth tumbleweeds and creeking and moaning just enough to keep Smiley scared. A good chunk of the picture uses flashbacks to fill us in on how the treasure was stolen by Bart Selby (Frank Fenton, wearing a hat that seems too small for his head) and his gang, then taken by the double-crossing Bill Donner (George Chesebro). Back in the “present,” Selby and his gaggle of crooks are looking for the loot, and it’s believed Bill Donner is dead. Then Donner’s niece (Mary Ellen Kay) and nephew turn up to complicate matters.

This is no Riders Of The Whistling Skull (1937), but it handles its mystery elements pretty well. The Devil’s Cave, where the money’s hidden, is pretty cool, especially when Donner locks a couple of his cohorts in there with the treasure to die a slow death. And Smiley working a Ouija board is a pretty odd sight. The cinematography by Fayte Browne looks terrific, with lots of deep shadows to crank up the spookiness.

Ray Nazarro directed over half the Durango Kids (he did half of this set), and he keeps Streets Of Ghost Town running like a well-oiled machine. Charles Starrett is as likable as always and looks cool, and Smiley Burnette is, well, Smiley Burnette, which certainly works for me. George Chesebro is wonderful as the crazed, double-crossing crook.

What bothers me about The Durango Kid pictures is the Kid himself — he often seems nailed to the action like an obligation. But he sure looks terrific tearing through the ghost town on Raider.

The same Durango Kid titles that make up have been available from Columbia on DVD in the past, sometimes at up to 20 bucks a piece. So the economics if this set are pretty solid — and it’ll sure save you some shelf space. You can count on Columbia for terrific transfers of these older titles, and these don’t disappoint. (I love the fact that there’s some dust and dirt to remind us what film used to look like.) Recommended.

So with 10 of the series pulled together for this nifty set, when can we count on volumes two through seven?

17 Responses

on January 3, 2018 at 6:59 pm | Reply Texican

I noticed at WalMart today that they had Death Valley Days Ronald Reagan Years Vol. 2 for sale—-season 14, I think it is—1965/66 season I also think.
on January 4, 2018 at 5:59 am | Reply Richard Oravitz

If this set sells well enough I’m hoping Mill Creek might also release a set of Columbia’s Buck Jones Westerns, or maybe the Boston Blackie or Whistler sets that Columbia/Sony have also been trying to push at 20 bucks a movie. But then again, after releasing the Rough Riders films over at Warner Archives as one of their Monogram Western Collection sets, I’ve been hoping for them to do the same with the Range Busters. George Chesebro also appears in several Range Busters as does I. Stanford Jolley, Tristram Coffin, Glenn Strange and Charlie King. Seeing these guys “cleaned up” properly for a quality DVD release is always a good thing….So I’m definitely buying this set of Durangos and hoping for the best, that is, more to come.
on January 4, 2018 at 10:41 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

Good news, I was at Walmart on 1/2 when it was supposed to have been released but my lousy Walmart didn’t have it. I’ll go back and check tomorrow, maybe I’ll get lucky. Last time I traveled to another city’s Walmart to get Reagan Season 13. I’d walk a mile for Reagan.
on January 4, 2018 at 10:52 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

Hmm, just checked the Walmart internet site and they apparently never heard of the new Season 14 set, nothing at all pops up, not even to order online, nothing. I hope they’re just wrong and miracle of miracle it will be at my local walmart anyway.
on January 5, 2018 at 9:24 am | Reply Texican

The Death Valley Days Season 14 was in a display of TV show titles that had a
“Binge Watching” slipcase on them. The Loner was also on this display, now with this sort of slipcase on it.
on January 5, 2018 at 1:08 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

I’ll look for that Binge Watching cover, The Loner I bought from Walmart when it first came out, had to go to the other city’s walmart to get that one too.
on January 5, 2018 at 10:09 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

Nope, not at my local yokel Walmart, I shouldn’t have even bothered looking. Seems American westerns are hard to find at my Walmart, I live in a God-forsaken Get Out Of Jail Fee card to illegal aliens area. I could go on, but I’m sure I would “offend”, never mind that I’m offended at what’s become of my once beautiful state.
on January 5, 2018 at 10:10 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

Make that “Free” not fee, it’s that to the rest of us.
on January 6, 2018 at 3:08 am | Reply Johnny Guitar

It’s Friday Night Westerns time for me and tonight I just saw a really good Gene Autry movie, “Whirlwind”. I’ve seen about 20 Gene Autry movies over the past couple years and this is the first one I’ve really enjoyed watching. Maybe it’s because Gene was older here, made in 1951, he seemed more rugged and has grown into his role. But I think it’s also because Smiley Burnette was not treated nor did he act like a total idiot, he was actually a worthwhile sidekick who helped Gene. Yes he still had some funny scenes but he had a more respectable role here than I’ve seen him in before. Much better as this role fit him more.

Another big plus for this movie was the addition of the fair sex interest, none other than Annie Oakley herself, Gail Davis!! She had dark hair in “Whirlwind” and she didn’t have her identifiable pigtails, but she still had that great smile and personality. I’ve been watching Annie Oakley every week also for the past year or so, great show, highly enjoyable.

So I kind of feel sorry for my past negative opinions on Gene Autry, this movie I found to be interesting and not cringeworthy as some of his in the past. Gene acted the way a cowboy should act and his punches seemed more real than I’ve seen him deliver before. “Whirlwind” I would highly recommend esp. if you haven’t seen an Autry movie before or if you only want to watch 1 Autry movie.
on January 6, 2018 at 3:36 am | Reply gcwe1

I never really liked Smiley Burnette as a side kick,he was just not funny,but he has his fans and good luck to them.I much preferred someone like Andy Devine.
I won’t be buying this Charles Starrett collection ,but no doubt a lot of people will.I just received FOUR FACES WEST from Kino Lorber and highly recommend it.
- on January 10, 2018 at 6:35 am | Reply john k
  
  Smiley is an acquired taste and certainly not to mine-
  the guy is painful and that’s putting it mildly.
  I am however partial to a bit of Dub Taylor who’s antics
  I find quiet amusing…..to each his own.
  - on January 10, 2018 at 2:53 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar
    
    Smiley’s no more embarrassing to watch than any of a number of other side kicks that act like total moronic buffoons who can’t walk straight without tripping over their own feet. My favorite type side kick is one who helps out the main star, has intelligence on his own, gives the usually younger star advice and helps out when there’s a fight. Gabby Hayes is probably my all time favorite side kick, I also like Andy Clyde a lot. But the rest of them all act like inept idiots and that role itself is not a good one in a western. The so-called comedy relief of all the rest of them is never funny, just annoying and embarrassing to watch these actors have to put themselves thru.
on January 9, 2018 at 4:32 pm | Reply gcwe1

ALONG CAME JONES is getting released on BLU RAY and DVD on January 23rd.I’m not a big fan of comedy westerns ,with a few exceptions,but this is one I do like .
on January 10, 2018 at 6:30 am | Reply john k

Shock Entertainment Australia have announced a February 5
date for their Blu Ray release of WINCHESTER’73.
It looks as if it will be a “stand alone” release and will beat the
versions from Sidonis,France and Spirit Media Germany (rumored)
The DVD version of many years back is pretty poor by today’s standards
and it’s taken a long time for this all time great to appear in high definition.
I’m sure some of you.like me,hate it when later a Blu Ray version appears
with a whole raft of extras,as I’m sure WINCHESTER’73 will one day.
Mann’s classic is certainly worthy of the Criterion treatment.
Shock Blu Ray’s I understand are region B locked.
on January 10, 2018 at 2:49 pm | Reply gcwe1

Shock Entertainment put out some nice releases ,but I would not buy any TV series from them .I recently bought Season 3 of THE LOVE BOAT and although the transfers were ok they did not have the episodes listed .I was thinking about buying THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES and inquired as to whether or not the episodes were listed and was told they were not.I was told if I wanted an episode listing to download them from the internet .Very poor .The USA release of this series came in a nice little case ,but it did not last long .When you are trying to find a particular episode and there is no listing it is a nightmare.
on March 2, 2018 at 2:46 pm | Reply John

Wanted to add this here on the most recent post concerning Mill Creek. Look what’s coming May 1st…

http://www.millcreekent.com/fastest-guns-of-the-west-8-william-castle-westerns.html
on March 2, 2018 at 8:57 pm | Reply Johnny Guitar

It looks like it could be promising, John, but, what the heck, Mill Creek’s website does not even list the 8 movies that are coming. I guess they want us to guess what’s on the disc by looking at the vague pictures on the cover. We’ll just have to “wait and see” what they’re offering. Hope it’s good.