Johnny Mack Brown

Acting

Johnny Mack Brown

Born 1904-09-01 · Dothan, Alabama, USA

An All-American halfback while attending the University of Alabama, Johnny Mack Brown chose the silver screen over the green grass of the football field when he graduated. Signed to a contract with MGM in 1926, Brown debuted in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927) with William Haines in a film about - baseball. This was followed by The Bugle Call (1927), which starred the fading Jackie Coogan. In 1928 he appeared in the last Norma Shearer silent film, A Lady of Chance (1928). After that, he worked with Greta Garbo, Marion Davies and Mary Pickford. His muscular good looks only carried him so far in films, however, and by 1930 he had yet to find his place. At MGM Clark Gable was taking the roles that Brown was up for, so he went into a western for director King Vidor, Billy the Kid (1930). While Vidor did not want him for the part to begin with, the picture was successful; however, Brown's career at MGM soon ended. By 1933 he was still making westerns, but they were for low-rung studios like Mascot. More westerns at even lower-rung Supreme Pictures followed, as well as serials like Wild West Days (1937) at Universal. In 1943 Brown took his boots over to Monogram Pictures, where he made over 60 westerns. He started off as "Nevada Jack McKenzie" in the Rough Riders series, but the name soon changed to Johnny. As with most of the early cowboy stars, he was a hero to millions of young children and consistently among the top ten money-makers in westerns from 1942-50. The bubble burst, though, just as it did for Allan Lane, in 1953, as the days of the "B" western came to an end.

Acting credits

Fighting With Kit Carson poster
6.5

In this Western, comprised of 12 chapters from a serial, Kit leads a group carrying a large gold shipment across the wild West. When the Mystery Riders attack and steal the gold, Kit is the only survivor. He later joins forces with the cavalry to retrieve it.

Fighting With Kit Carson

1933

West of Wyoming poster
6.5

The Johnny Mack Brown West of Wyoming concerns the efforts by cattle baron Simon (Stanley Andrews) to prevent the opening up of the rang to homesteaders. Government agent Brown comes calling when Simon begins resorting to cold-blooded murder. The leading lady is Gail Davis, a few years shy of her Annie Oakley TV stardom. Surprisingly, West of Wyoming contains none of the comedy relief that had characterized earlier Johnny Mack Brown oaters.

West of Wyoming

1950

Wells Fargo poster
5.5

In the 1840s, Ramsey MacKay, the driver for the struggling Wells Fargo mail and freight company, will secure an important contract if he delivers fresh oysters to Buffalo from New York City. When he rescues Justine Pryor and her mother, who are stranded in a broken wagon on his route, he doesn't let them slow him down and gives the ladies an exhilirating ride into Buffalo. He arrives in time to obtain the contract and is then sent by company president Henry Wells to St. Louis to establish a branch office.

Wells Fargo

1937

Dead Man's Trail poster
7.0

Johnny Mack Brown was nearing the end of his starring career when he appeared in the Monogram oater Dead Man's Trail. Brown and his youthful sidekick Jimmy Ellison come to the aid of imperiled Barbara Allen. At this point, Johnny was too long in tooth and thick around the middle to qualify as a romantic lead, hence the presence of Ellison.

Dead Man's Trail

1952

Hell Town poster
NR

A cattleman hires his cousin, Dare Rudd, to head a cattle drive. However, he doesn’t bargain for Dare taking an interest in his girlfriend or losing his money to card sharks

Hell Town

1937

Son of a Sailor poster
6.0

A lovesick fool bumbles into espionage and finds a stolen plane.

Son of a Sailor

1933

It's Showtime poster
7.5

A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.

It's Showtime

1976

Code of the Saddle poster
7.0

Smokin' guns, swingin' fists, and a lovable side-kick can be found in this western.

Code of the Saddle

1947

Between Men poster
6.3

When his young son is shot, John Wellington kills the culprit and flees. But his son Johnny recovers and is raised by Sir George. Some twenty years later Johnny sets out to find Sir George's missing granddaughter.

Between Men

1935

Coquette poster
5.9

A Southern belle's flirtation with a working man leads to tragedy.

Coquette

1929

Legends of the West poster
NR

Host Jack Palance explores how Hollywood has depicted Western legends like George Armstrong Custer, Billy the Kid, Crazy Horse and the O.K. Corral

Legends of the West

1992

No artwork available
9.0

The owner of a pearl bed falls in love with a bitter young girl who had been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous ex-boyfriend.

Malay Nights

1932

The Bounty Killer poster
6.0

Willie Duggans, a tenderfoot from the east, arrives in the wild west and soon experiences its violence. Willie discovers the easy money in bounty killing and must choose between that violent lifestyle and the love of a beautiful saloon singer.

The Bounty Killer

1965

Colorado Ambush poster
7.5

As was customary in his late Monogram westerns, Johnny Mack Brown plays an undercover agent in Colorado Ambush. Brown is sent to Colorado to stem the activities of a particularly vicious outlaw gang

Colorado Ambush

1951

Desert Phantom poster
8.0

Billy Donovan arrives looking for his sister's killer. When he hires on at the Halloran ranch where the mysterious Phantom has killed all the hands, it's not long before the Phantom shoots him.

Desert Phantom

1936

Forever Yours poster
7.0

A young woman who has been stricken with infantile paralysis gives up hope and is trying to "will herself" to die. A doctor who has been conducting experiments with patients with paralyzed nerves is convinced he can cure her.

Forever Yours

1945

Branded a Coward poster
6.0

Safely from behind some shrubbery, Johnny Hume, a boy of 6 or 7, witnesses the slaughter of his mother, father and brother by the guns of a gang led by "the Cat". Twenty years later finds Johnny grown to manhood, an expert bronc rider and target shooter - but paralyzed with fearful memories in an actual gunfight. This is brought home to him when some outlaws stick up the local saloon and Johnny ends up cowering behind the bar.

Branded a Coward

1935

Ride 'Em Cowboy poster
6.0

Two peanut vendors at a rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that neither of them knows anything about cowboys, horses, or anything else.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

1941

Lawless Land poster
5.4

Jeff arrives in town to see the Sheriff only to find him just killed. The culprit is Clay Wheeler. When Jeff becomes friendly with Letty, Clay sends his man Ortega to kill him. Jeff foils the attempt and gets him to confess that Clay was the killer. With only old-timers Lafe and Bill to help, Jeff heads after Clay and his gang.

Lawless Land

1937

Drifting Along poster
10.0

Monogram added several songs and a barn dance to this otherwise standard Johnny Mack Brown hay burner, in which the veteran cowboy star comes to the aid of a beleaguered female rancher. Just "drifting along," Steve Garner obtains the job of foreman on a spread belonging to pretty Pat McBride. Unbeknownst to Pat, local banker Jack Dailey not only holds the mortgage on the ranch but is also the man responsible for the death of Pat's father.

Drifting Along

1946

Born to the West poster
4.9

Dare Rudd takes a shine to his cattleman cousin Tom's girlfriend who asks Tom to hire Dare to head the big cattle drive. Dare loses the money for the drive to cardsharps, but Tom wins it back, but Dare must save Tom's life.

Born to the West

1937

Triggerman poster
8.0

Johnny Mack (Johnny Mack Brown ) is hired by Lois Benton (Virginia Carroll) as a hand on her ranch, formerly run by Daley, who is in jail on a payroll theft charge. Despite the warning for foreman Rusty Steele (Raymond Hatton), Johnny sees real estate agent Kirby (Bill Kennedy), who wants to buy the Benton ranch. When Johnny refuses to align with Kirby, he is forced to knock out henchman Moran (Marshall Reed) in a fist fight. Rusty finds on henchman Harris (Forrest Matthews), when he is caught spying on the ranch, half a map revealing the location of the missing payroll.

Triggerman

1948

Flashing Guns poster
7.0

After a brief mid-1940s burst of originality, Monogram's Johnny Mack Brown western series settled back into the commonplace with such entries as Flashing Guns. In this outing, Brown tries to save his pal Shelby (Raymond Hatton) from being thrown off his ranch by crooked banker Ainsworth (James E. Logan). To do this, our hero must prove that the banker is in cahoots with the local gambling boss (Douglas Evans).

Flashing Guns

1947

Rustlers of Red Dog poster
8.5

A movie serial in 12 chapters: After gold is discovered in the town of Nugget, the titular band of thieves and cutthroats inundates the frontier settlement. A group of three compatriots -- upstanding ex-sheriff Jack Woods, his harmonica-playing friend Laramie and tricky, smooth-talking gambler Deacon -- combine their respective skills in a fateful struggle to deceive and disarm the gang.

Rustlers of Red Dog

1935