Articles


Hal Roach Streamliners, Vol. 2: The Westerns in June

Saddle up for some fun this summer as ClassicFlix will be releasing all three Hal Roach western Streamliners for the first time on home video this June 16th.

The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 2 (The Westerns) features three films: Dudes Are Pretty People (1942), Calaboose (1943) and Prairie Chickens (1943) and stars Noah Beery, Jr. and Jimmy Rogers as two wandering cowhands who work hard—but have some fun along on the way.

Featured players include Roach regulars Marjorie Woodworth, Joe Sawyer and Frank Faylen, as well as Jack Norton, Marc Lawrence, Raymond Hatton, Mary Brian, Iris Adrian, Grady Sutton and Rosemary La Planche.

About the Silver Series line:

Knowing so many unseen and longed-for classics sit in studio vaults and other archives collecting dust, ClassicFlix established the Silver Series line to shine the light of day on such lesser-known titles by making them available in affordable DVD editions.

The Hollywood producer who presided over the “Lot of Fun” created the concept of the “streamliner” in the 1940s—motion pictures that met the feature film and movie short halfway to economize on production costs and accommodate the playbills of theaters. A total of 22 streamliners were produced by the Hal Roach Studios between 1941 and 1948.

Roach cast Noah Beery, Jr. in the role of happy-go-lucky cowpoke Pidge Crosby and teamed him up with Jimmy Rogers as his dim-but-loyal sidekick. Rogers was the son of the legendary Will Rogers (an audience favorite from the previous decade) and the duo entertained moviegoers with a trio of breezy western comedies: Dudes Are Pretty People (1942), Calaboose (1943) and Prairie Chickens (1943).

This special three movie collection is a must-have for any fan of Hal Roach with each film culled from the original Hal Roach Studio masters. Featured players include Marjorie Woodworth, Joe Sawyer, Jack Norton, Marc Lawrence, Frank Faylen, Raymond Hatton, Mary Brian, Iris Adrian, Grady Sutton and Rosemary La Planche.

Dudes Are Pretty People (1942, 46 min.)
After losing their horses in a poker game, Pidge falls hard for “dude girl” Marcia, forcing Jimmy to go to extreme measures to rescue his lovestruck pal from a certain broken heart.

This amusing first entry of the series features Marjorie Woodworth (as Marcia), Paul Hurst, Marjorie Gateson, Russell Gleason (James Gleason’s son), Grady Sutton, Sarah Edwards, Oscar O’Shea and Frank Moran.

Calaboose (1943, 45 min.)
After swearing off women, Pidge is smitten with a gal who has a heart bent toward reforming criminals. To gain her affection, he gets himself thrown in the “calaboose” (jail)—much to the dismay of Jimmy.

Former Paramount star Mary Brian is featured along with Marc Lawrence (in his usual tough-guy role), Paul Hurst, Iris Adrian, William B. Davidson with brief appearances by Jean Porter, Jimmy Conlin and Nora Cecil.

Prairie Chickens (1943, 47 min.)
When Pidge is mistaken as the absentee owner of a large ranch, the ranch’s crooked foreman plans a spooky night to scare off Jimmy and his chum so he can make off with 4,000 head of cattle.

Featured are Roach regulars Joe Sawyer and Marjorie Woodworth (this time as Lucy) as well as the perpetually stewed Jack Norton. Familiar faces abound with Frank Faylen, Raymond Hatton, Rosemary La Planche, Dudley Dickerson, Edward Gargan, Si Jenks, Mike Mazurki, Noel Neill, Glenn Strange and Ray Teal all being part of the fun.