The best Charles Starrett’s western movies

Charles Starrett

Charles Starrett

28/03/1903- 22/03/1986
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Charles Starrett’s movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don’t know about Charles Starrett.
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Cowboy Canteen

Cowboy Canteen
6.5/10
Song and comedy revue, featuring Western talents, along with a theatrical troupe taking their vacation on the Lazy B Ranch run by Steve Bradley. Steve is about to enter the army and he and Tex Coulter compete for the love of Connie Grey.

Desert Vigilante

Desert Vigilante
6.8/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 08/04/1949
  • Character: Steve Wood - The Durango Kid
Silver is being smuggled across the border and the secret passage goes through Betty Long's basement. When Steve arrives he gets tangled up with the rustlers who are now going to have the Durango Kid to contend with.

Cyclone Fury

Cyclone Fury
6.3/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 14/08/1951
  • Character: The Durango Kid / Steve Reynolds
A late entry in Columbia's seemingly endless Durango Kid Western series, Cyclone Fury was augmented with a hefty dose of stock footage from an earlier Durango effort, Galloping Thunder (1946), footage that included sidekick Smiley Burnette warbling "Hear the Wind (Singing a Cowboy Song)" accompanied by Merle Travis and his Bronco Busters.

Lawless Empire

Lawless Empire
6.3/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 15/11/1945
  • Character: Steve Ranson / The Durango Kid
In the lawless town of Dusty Gulch, the Durango Kid comes to the aid of Reverend Harding in his fight against Blaze Howard and his henchman. When Durango foils all bad guy's plans, Blaze's boss Doc Weston realizes Cannonball it tipping off Durango. Weston then lets Cannonball overhear false information that will send Durango into a fatal trap.

Junction City

Junction City
7.4/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 12/07/1952
  • Character: Steve Rollins / Durango Kid
Durango, aka Steve Rollins (Charles Starrett) rides into town with saddle pal Smiley Burnette. The boys go to the rescue of pretty Kathleen Case, who is being victimized by greedy relatives.

Sagebrush Heroes

Sagebrush Heroes
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 01/02/1945
  • Character: Steve Randall
This Columbia western starring Charles Starrett finds Steve Randall (Charles Starrett) forming a radio show with Jimmy Wakely (Jimmy Wakely) and his Saddle Pals, and are in town for a rodeo. Reporter Connie Pearson (Constance Worth) persuades them to visit Marty Jones (Elvin Fields), a fatherless boy, who has been sent to a boy's home after stealing Steve's wallet, ran by Tom Goodwin (Forrest Taylor.) Marty tells Steve that the home is a phony and is a front for cattle rustlers. Steve passes the information on to Connie, who doesn't believe him, so he and Jimmy wire the ranch for sound. They are caught and Goodwin turns them over to Sheriff Barnes (Edmund Cobb), and then plans to skip the country

Texas Panhandle

Texas Panhandle
5.8/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 20/12/1945
  • Character: Steve Buckner / The Durango Kid
Steve Holden, a secret service agent, is suspended when his boss becomes suspicious of his activities as The Durango Kid. Can Steve prove his innocence?

Texas Dynamo

Texas Dynamo
6.2/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 01/06/1950
  • Character: Steve Drake / Durango Kid
Charles Starrett plays The Durango Kid in the 1950 Columbia western Texas Dynamo. As a novelty, Starrett not only plays Durango and his "alter ego" Steve Drake, but also takes on a third identity, that of a hired gun in the employ of the film's bad guys. As one critic noted, this may be the only western in which the hero is obliged to chase himself. Jock O'Mahoney -- later known as Jock Mahoney -- plays a secondary role, and also doubles for Starrett during the riskier stunt sequences.

Prairie Roundup

Prairie Roundup
7.4/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 15/01/1951
  • Character: Steve Carson / The Durango Kid
In Prairie Roundup, Fred F. Sears' direction brings a welcome jolt of vitality to Columbia's aging "Durango Kid" western series. Once again, Charles Starrett stars as Steve Carson, a lawman who is forced to assume the identity of masked do-gooder Durango. Framed for murder, Carson escapes to locate the real killer. It turns out that he was set up by cattle baron Buck Prescott (Frank Fenton), who eliminates competition by stealing livestock from other ranchers.

Frontier Outpost

Frontier Outpost
7/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 29/12/1950
  • Character: Steve Lawton / Durango Kid
Federal agent Steve Lawton works undercover with his assistant, Smiley Burnette, to track down an outlaw gang that is raiding government gold shipments bound for Fort Navajo.

Lawless Plainsmen

Lawless Plainsmen
4.3/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 17/03/1942
  • Character: Steve Rideen
In this western, a ranch foreman and the bosses son go to a saloon to slake their thirst and find themselves in the midst of a battle started by the feisty saloon owner's wicked ex-husband who loots the safe in the ensuing scuffle.

Sundown Valley

Sundown Valley
6.1/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 23/03/1944
  • Character: Steve Denton
In this wartime western, an evil Nazi and his partner endeavor to sabotage a western gunsight plant.

Bonanza Town

Bonanza Town
5.8/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 26/07/1951
  • Character: Steve Ramsay / The Durango Kid
A man's pursuit of some wanted criminals is hindered by the interference of a crooked judge.

Laramie Mountains

Laramie Mountains
6.1/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 19/04/1952
  • Character: Steve Holden / The Durango Kid
Markham and his men have found gold on the Indian reservation and are trying to get rid of them by starting an Indian war. Dressed as Indians they are attacking the soldiers. Steve Holden is the Indian agent sent to prevent a war. After finding proof that white men posing as Indians were responsible, he is able to locate the gang's hideout but quickly becomes a prisoner slated to be killed. - Written by Maurice VanAuken

Laramie

Laramie
6.4/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 19/05/1949
  • Character: Steve Holden / Durango Kid
A major Indian uprising is expected and Wyoming military posts are alerted. Colonel Dennison (Fred Sears) is meeting with Chief Eagle (Shooting Star) and his son Running Wolf (Jay Silverheels) when Chief Eagle is mysteriously shot. Steve Holden (Charles Starrett), an agent for the government peace commission, with the aid of a wandering shoemaker, Smiley (Smiley Burnette), discover the troubles and the Chief's murder have been instigated by Cronin (Bob Wilke), the regimental scout, for personal gain for he and his gang of outlaws.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
7.3/10
A Western-genre narrative, loosely woven from old clips from B-Western features.

Challenge of the Range

Challenge of the Range
6.8/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 02/04/1949
  • Character: Steve Roper / The Durango Kid
Charles Starrett once more dons the mask of mysterious do-gooder "The Durango Kid" in Columbia's Challenge of the Range. Wandering cowboy Steve Roper (Starrett) is hired by the Farmers Association to stem the activities of a group of gunmen who are driving ranchers off their land. The most likely suspect turns out to be innocent: the real culprits are within the Association itself. With the help of the chief suspect's son, Roper brings the crooks to justice.

Smoky Canyon

Smoky Canyon
5.9/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 31/01/1952
  • Character: Steve "The Durango Kid" Brent
Mahoney is a sheep man who's framed for the murder of a rancher. It's all part of a scheme by a dishonest cattleman who hopes to extenuate a range war for his own profit. The Durango Kid helps clear Mahoney's name.

Whirlwind Raiders

Whirlwind Raiders
6.8/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 12/05/1948
  • Character: Steve Lanning / The Durango Kid
It's 1873 and the disbanded Texas Rangers have been replaced by the corrupt Texas State Police. Steve Lanning arrives posing as a wanted outlaw to get in with them in his attempt to have them replaced. His inside work helps the Durango Kid break up the State Police raids but he is in trouble when his secret identity as Durango becomes known to them.

The Durango Kid

The Durango Kid
6.2/10
  • Genre: Western
  • Release: 15/08/1940
  • Character: Bill Lowry
The Durango Kid is a sort of Robin Hood of the West who helps the lovely Walters (who replaced Starrett's usual love-interest, Iris Meredith), the daughter of a homesteader, defeat the evil MacDonald who has been terrorizing the decent citizens with his gang of rustlers.

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