Norman Willis

Acting

Norman Willis

Born — Died

1903-05-27 — 1988-01-27

Place of birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

66 titles

Known for

The Lone Ranger poster
6.7

The Lone Ranger is an American western television series that ran from 1949 to 1957, starring Clayton Moore with Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator. Fred Foy served as both narrator and announcer of the radio series from 1948 to its finish and became announcer of the television version when story narration was dropped there. This was by far the highest-rated television program on the ABC network in the early 1950s and its first true "hit".

The Lone Ranger

1949

Alfred Hitchcock Presents poster
7.8

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955

The Deputy poster
6.5

The Deputy is an American western series that aired on NBC from September 1959, to July 1961. The series stars Henry Fonda as Chief Marshal Simon Fry of the Arizona Territory and Allen Case as Deputy Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried to avoid using a gun.

The Deputy

1959

The Grapes of Wrath poster
7.8

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.

The Grapes of Wrath

1940

The Roaring Twenties poster
7.5

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

The Roaring Twenties

1939

Marked Woman poster
6.6

In the underworld of Manhattan, a woman dares to stand up to one of the city's most powerful gangsters.

Marked Woman

1937

Film credits

1950s · 6 titles

Drum Beat poster
6.1

President Grant orders Indian fighter MacKay to negotiate with the Modocs of northern California and southern Oregon. On the way he must escort Nancy Meek to the home of her aunt and uncle. After Modoc renegade Captain Jack engages in ambush and other atrocities, MacKay must fight him one-on-one with guns, knives and fists.

Drum Beat

1954

A Hatful of Rain poster
6.8

A Korean War veteran's morphine addiction wreaks havoc upon his family.

A Hatful of Rain

1957

Tennessee's Partner poster
6.5

A tough, womanizing high-stakes gambler known only as Tennessee has an uneasy relationship with Duchess, madam of a thinly-disguised bordello, and no other friends at all. But he's saved from murder by a lonesome cowpoke ('My friends call me Cowpoke'), in town to meet his fiancée Goldie on the steamboat. When she arrives, there's a mysterious undercurrent between Goldie and Tennessee, whose newfound friendship with Cowpoke is destined to be severely tried...

Tennessee's Partner

1955

Pals and Gals poster
5.8

The stooges go out west for Shemp's health. The boys soon run afoul of a local villain who is forcing pretty Nell to marry him. The bad guy has Nell's sisters locked up, and its up to the stooges to rescue them and save the day.

Pals and Gals

1954

Voodoo Woman poster
4.7

Deep in the jungles a mad scientist is using the natives' voodoo for his experiments to create an indestructible being to serve his will. When a party of gold seekers stumbles upon his village, the scientist realizes that Marilyn the expedition's evil leader is the perfect subject for his work.

Voodoo Woman

1957

Thunder Over Arizona poster
6.3

Ervin Plummer-played by the estimable George Macready, who like his good friend Vincent Price was a man of culture and erudition who specialised in bad guy roles-is a grasping avaricious businessman with a hunger for gold.

Thunder Over Arizona

1956

1940s · 30 titles

The Grapes of Wrath poster
7.8

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.

The Grapes of Wrath

1940

They Drive by Night poster
6.9

Joe and Paul Fabrini are Wildcat, or independent, truck drivers who have their own small one-truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.

They Drive by Night

1940

Johnny Apollo poster
6.8

Wall Street broker Robert Cain, Sr., is jailed for embezzling. His college graduate son Bob then turns to crime to raise money for his father's release. As assistant to mobster Mickey Dwyer, then falls for Dwyer's girl Lucky. He winds up in the same prison as his father.

Johnny Apollo

1940

Phantom Lady poster
6.9

A devoted secretary embarks on a dangerous mission to try to find the elusive woman who may prove her boss didn't murder his wife.

Phantom Lady

1944

San Antonio poster
6.1

Rancher Clay Hardin arrives in San Antonio to search for and capture Roy Stuart, notorious leader of a gang of cattle rustlers. The vicious outlaw is indeed in the Texan town, intent on winning the affections of a beautiful chanteuse named Jeanne Starr. When the lovely lady meets and falls in love with the charismatic Hardin, the stakes for both men become higher.

San Antonio

1945

Belle Starr poster
5.9

After her family's mansion is burned down by Yankee soldiers for hiding the rebel leader Captain Sam Starr Belle Shirley vows to take revenge. Breaking Starr out of prison, she joins his small guerrilla group for a series of raids on banks and railroads, carpetbaggers and enemy troops. Belle's bravado during the attacks earns her a reputation among the locals as well as the love of Starr himself. The pair get married, but their relationship starts to break down when Sam Starr lets a couple of psychotic rebels into the gang, leaving Belle to wonder if he really cares about the Southern cause.

Belle Starr

1941

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves poster
6.2

Orphaned as a young child and adopted by a band of notorious thieves, now-grown Ali Baba sets out to avenge his father’s murder, reclaim the royal throne, and rescue his beloved Amara from the iron fist of his treacherous enemy.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

1944

A Night to Remember poster
6.7

A woman rents a gloomy basement apartment in Greenwich Village thinking it will provide the perfect atmosphere for her mystery writer husband to create his next book. They soon find themselves in the middle of a real-life mystery when a corpse turns up in their apartment.

A Night to Remember

1942

Black Gold poster
7.0

A Native American man trains a horse for the Kentucky Derby.

Black Gold

1947

Virginia City poster
6.3

Union officer Kerry Bradford escapes from a Confederate prison and races to intercept $5 million in gold destined for Confederate coffers. A Confederate sympathizer and a Mexican bandit, each with their own stake in the loot, stand in his way.

Virginia City

1940

Cheyenne poster
7.0

Slick gambler James Wylie is apprehended by the law and given the option to forgo a prison sentence if he poses as a bandit. His mission is to uncover the identity of the Poet, a notorious outlaw who has been holding up bank-owned stagecoaches and leaving verses at the crime scenes to taunt the authorities. James finds time to woo the Poet's lovely wife, Ann, who initially cold-shoulders him. But, as a romance develops, they partner up to find the robber.

Cheyenne

1947

Silver River poster
6.1

Unjustly booted out of the cavalry, Mike McComb strikes out for Nevada, and deciding never to be used again, ruthlessly works his way up to becoming one of the most powerful silver magnates in the west. His empire begins to fall apart as the other mining combines rise against him and his stubbornness loses him the support of his wife and old friends.

Silver River

1948

The House Across the Bay poster
5.6

Nightclub owner Steve Larwitt sees his empire of investments collapse as he faces tax evasion charges and attacks by rivals. Believing Steve will be safer in prison for one year, his wife, Brenda, testifies against him on advice from his lawyer, Slant Kolma, who is in love with her. After Steve receives 10 years in Alcatraz, Brenda moves to be near him and avoids advances of airplane builder Tim Nolan, who knows nothing about her past.

The House Across the Bay

1940

Johnny Come Lately poster
7.0

Cagney is a human dynamo as a drifter who helps save ailing Grace George from losing her newspaper. The pace is fast, and audiences of all ages will be pleased. The supporting cast, have all the small-town characterizations down pat -- with Margaret Hamilton a standout. Cagney himself, had genuine affection for this film, and listed it among his top five movie-making experiences at a retrospective the year before he died. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, in 2013.

Johnny Come Lately

1943

Dillinger poster
5.9

The life of American public enemy number one who was shot by the police in 1934.

Dillinger

1945

I Escaped from the Gestapo poster
6.0

A forger is forced to work for a Nazi spy ring. His conscience gets the better of him, though, and he secretly conspires with the FBI to turn over the gang.

I Escaped from the Gestapo

1943

King of the Cowboys poster
6.0

Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette and the Sons of the Pioneers go undercover to help Texas Governor Russell Hicks stop World War II Axis sympathizers from blowing up U.S. warehouses.

King of the Cowboys

1943

Legion of the Lawless poster
6.2

Residents of a small frontier town take up arms when vigilantes try to block a railroad right-of-way.

Legion of the Lawless

1940

Out West poster
7.2

The stooges go out west for Shemp's health and get mixed up with some bad guys. The villains have locked up the Arizona Kid and their leader plans to marry his girl, Nell. The boys help the Arizona Kid escape and he rides to fetch the Cavalry. Somehow, the stooges manage to defeat the bad guys before the Cavalry arrives.

Out West

1947

Down Rio Grande Way poster
10.0

Slightly more elaborate than most Charles Starrett westerns, Down Rio Grande Way is set in the mid-19th century, when the Republic of Texas was poised to join the Union. Starrett plays Texas Ranger Steve Martin, who is dispatched to a "renegade" Texas country that refuses to become part of the good old USA. He discovers that the crux of the problem is a local tax collector who, with the help of a crooked newspaper editor, is systematically robbing the citizens of their hard-earned cash, all the while fomenting anti-American sentiments.

Down Rio Grande Way

1942

In Old New Mexico poster
7.0

Gallant Cisco "kidnaps" murder suspect Ellen from the authorities, then sets about to prove her innocence, all with the cooperation of a sympathetic sheriff.

In Old New Mexico

1945

Bad Man from Red Butte poster
5.8

A cowboy arrives in a town, and is immediately mistaken for his twin brother who is wanted for murder.

Bad Man from Red Butte

1940

Twilight on the Trail poster
5.0

Hoppy, California and Johnny come to the ranch of a friend and his daughter, disguised as dude detectives from the east, to investigate the disappearances, without a trace, of several herds of cattle.

Twilight on the Trail

1941

The Iron Claw poster
7.0

The heirs of Anton Benson are searching Bensonhurst for hidden gold; they are joined by a reporter, a gangster...and a masked fiend known as The Iron Claw.

The Iron Claw

1941

Law of the Badlands poster
10.0

A cavalry officer is framed for the murder of a fellow officer and cashiered out of the army. After he gets out of prison he vows to find the renegade who framed him and bring him to justice.

Law of the Badlands

1945

King of the Royal Mounted poster
7.5

The Canadians have discovered a valuable substance called Compound X, which can cure infantile paralysis. When a country at war with Canada learns that Compound X also contains magnetic properties that could aid them in their warfare against the British, they send agents to infiltrate Canada and steal a large quantity of the substance. It's up to Sgt. King (Allan Lane) and his Mounties to track down the agents and put an end to their scheme.

King of the Royal Mounted

1940

Outlaws of the Panhandle poster
7.5

Outlaws of the Pandhandle was the last of Charles Starrett's "formula" westerns for Columbia: hereafter, Starrett would be seen only in the guise of frontier medico Steven Monroe or masked do-gooder The Durango Kid. For the moment, however, the star is cast as Jim Endicott, bound and determined to put an end to the underhanded activities of gin-mill operator Faro Jack Vaughn (Norman Willis). The villain's strategy is to get the local cowpunchers tanked up on rotgut that they'll prove to be easy pickings for a gang of rustlers-and will be unable to complete work on a railroad spur which will bypass the outlaws' hideaway.

Outlaws of the Panhandle

1941

Apology for Murder poster
4.9

Head over heels in love with a stern and cold older businessman's young wife, a reporter is seduced into conspiring to murder him so she can inherit his estate, while pinning the murder on another businessman.

Apology for Murder

1945

Gauchos of El Dorado poster
7.0

It's "The Three Mesquiteers" again. Gaucho escapes from Braden's gang only to be shot by them. The Mesquiteers drive away the outlaws and take his money on to his mother. But Isabella thinks Tucson is her long lost son and they don't have the heart to tell her he is dead.

Gauchos of El Dorado

1941

Little Miss Broadway poster
8.0

Upon leaving finishing school, Judy Gibson goes to meet her presumed wealthy and socially prominent relatives. However they are penniless Broadway characters and take possession of a Long Island mansion owned by an incarcerated thief so Judy doesn't find out the truth. Judy arrives with her fiancé and his father, who tries to sell worthless stock to Judy's family. They give him $200,000, part of the stashed loot they found belonging to the home-owner thief.

Little Miss Broadway

1947

1930s · 23 titles

The Roaring Twenties poster
7.5

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

The Roaring Twenties

1939

Marked Woman poster
6.6

In the underworld of Manhattan, a woman dares to stand up to one of the city's most powerful gangsters.

Marked Woman

1937

Bullets or Ballots poster
6.6

After Police Captain Dan McLaren becomes police commissioner, former detective Johnny Blake publicly punches him, convincing rackets boss Al Kruger that Blake is sincere in his effort to join the mob. "Bugs" Fenner, meanwhile, is certain that Blake is a police agent.

Bullets or Ballots

1936

The Dawn Patrol poster
6.8

In 1915 France, Major Brand commands the 39th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. The young airmen go up in bullet-riddled "crates" and the casualty rate is appalling, but Brand can't make the "brass hats" at headquarters see reason. Insubordinate air ace Captain Courtney is another thorn in Brand's side...but finds the smile wiped from his face when he rises to command the squadron himself. Everyone keeps a stiff upper lip.

The Dawn Patrol

1938

Tim Tyler's Luck poster
7.0

A 12-episode serial in which Tim Tyler goes to Africa in search of his father in gorilla country. He meets up with Laura, who is after Spider Webb who has framed her brother. Webb causes the death of Tim's father, but is eventually tracked down.

Tim Tyler's Luck

1937

A Girl with Ideas poster
9.0

A rich banker's zany daughter gains control of a large newspaper.

A Girl with Ideas

1937

Tell No Tales poster
5.4

A newspaper editor turns a kidnapping into the banner headlines and exclusive story that could save his publication.

Tell No Tales

1939

The Forgotten Woman poster
7.0

A beautiful woman is forced to help gangsters in a robbery, and is arrested as an accessory.

The Forgotten Woman

1939

F-Man poster
7.0

Johnny Dime has aspirations of becoming a "G-Man," but gums up the work of actual agent Rogan, in his pursuit of Public Enemy No. 1. Dime's ambitious goal is to improve his "F" rating to a "G". His sweetheart Evelyn hopes to not get shot in the process.

F-Man

1936

Convict's Code poster
5.3

On parole after three years in prison, a football player encounters the man who framed him.

Convict's Code

1939

Boy Slaves poster
6.8

Social drama of Depression-era homeless children who turn to crime and are sentenced by a judge to a rehabilitation "labor camp".

Boy Slaves

1939

Secret Valley poster
5.3

Rancher entertains girl in Nevada to get a divorce. Then her gangster husband shows up.

Secret Valley

1937

Racket Busters poster
5.6

A trucker with a pregnant wife fights a New York mobster's protection racket.

Racket Busters

1938

International Settlement poster
6.0

In Shanghai amidst Sino-Japanese warfare an adventurer (Sanders) collecting money from gun suppliers falls in loves with a French singer (Del Rio).

International Settlement

1938

Florida Special poster
7.0

A Florida-bound train is filled with romance and intrigue when one of the passengers disappears while carrying $11-million in unset jewels.

Florida Special

1936

Alibi for Murder poster
6.5

A radio commentator named Perry Travis fancies himself a brilliant amateur detective. The cops wish he’d stick to his microphone and let them do the detecting. This proves impossible when a famed scientist is murdered in Perry’s studio, right in the middle of the interview. All evidence points to Perry, and he sets out to clear his name before the Shadow-like villain roaming the hallways of the radio station gets away with murder.

Alibi for Murder

1936

Broadway Serenade poster
6.6

A married singer, pianist/composer team are struggling to hit it big in New York. Finally, they audition before a Broadway producer, but the producer only wants the singer, leaving the husband without a job and feeling a failure.

Broadway Serenade

1939

Homicide Bureau poster
6.7

After being criticized by the Citizens' League for his inability to cope with a crime wave, Police Captain Haines orders his men in the Homicide Bureau to clean up all their cases, but without violating the constitutional rights of any suspect. Detective Jim Logan is ordered to meet the incoming new-head of the Police Department lab and internal affairs, J.G. Bliss, and takes an instant dislike to her over her attitude toward criminal's rights.

Homicide Bureau

1939

Outlaws of the Prairie poster
4.0

Charles Starrett plays two-fisted frontiersman Dart Collins in this slick Columbia "B" western. Collins wants to find out who's behind a series of gold-shipment robberies. So does heroine Judy Garfield (Iris Meredith), whose stage transport business faces foreclosure if the holdups continue. It comes as no surprise that the crimes are being orchestrated by the very people who want to force Judy out of business.

Outlaws of the Prairie

1937

That Certain Woman poster
5.6

A gangster's widow fights for love despite society's disapproval.

That Certain Woman

1937

Prison Nurse poster
5.6

A state prison is threatened by approaching floods, an epidemic of typhoid fever breaks out among the inmates, the prison's only doctor falls sick, there are only three nurses to administer vaccines and take care of stricken patients--and a group of prisoners is planning to use the chaos as a cover for a mass escape.

Prison Nurse

1938

Midnight Taxi poster
6.2

A federal agent goes to work for a taxi company believing it to be a front for a gang of counterfeiters.

Midnight Taxi

1937

Here Comes Carter poster
5.5

A radio commentator avenges an old wrong by blowing the whistle on Hollywood scandals

Here Comes Carter

1936

Series credits