Ray Taylor

Directing

Ray Taylor

Born — Died

1888-12-01 — 1952-02-15

Place of birth

Perham, Minnesota, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Known for

Flash Gordon poster
6.4

Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.

Flash Gordon

1936

Dick Tracy poster
5.2

Dick Tracy's foe for this serial is the crime boss and Masked Mystery Villain The Spider/The Lame One and his Spider Ring. In the process of various crimes, including using his Flying wing and sound weapon to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and stealing an experimental "Speed Plane", the Spider captures Dick Tracy's brother, Gordon. The Spider's minion, Dr. Moloch, performs a brain operation on Gordon Tracy to turn him evil, making him secretly part of the Spider Ring and so turning brother against brother.

Dick Tracy

1937

The Naked Bunyip poster
5.5

A shy young man is hired by an ad agency to conduct a survey on sex in Australia. The somewhat clueless young man investigates homosexuality, transvestites, prostitution, and strip clubs along with every other variant on the "norm". While doing his interviews he meets celebrities, self proclaimed sex experts, prostitutes, female impersonators, pop stars, actors, and legislators as well as self appointed morals guardians.

The Naked Bunyip

1970

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe poster
5.8

A mysterious plague, the Purple Death, ravages the earth. Dr. Zarkov, investigating in his spaceship, finds a ship from planet Mongo seeding the atmosphere with dust. Sure enough, Ming the Merciless is up to his old tricks. So it's back to Mongo for Flash, Dale, and Zarkov.

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

1940

Flaming Frontiers poster
5.1

Tom Grant has found a rich gold vein and Bart Eaton is after it. Tom's sister Mary heads for the gold fields and Eaton and his men follow. Eaton teams up with Ace Daggett who plans to doublecross him and get the gold for himself. They frame Tom for murder and then try to get him to sign over his claim. The famous scout Tex Houston is on hand, escaping the attempts on his life, saving Mary from various perils, and trying to bring in the real killer and clear Tom.

Flaming Frontiers

1938

No artwork available
NR

Larry Day, foreman of the 3X Ranch, and his men are pursuing a gang of rustlers when Jake Landis, who is being forced into rustling by Thorne, the bandit chief, is saved by his daughter Jeanne, who gives him her horse and then confronts Larry. They soon fall in love. Meanwhile, a wandering horse leads the men to Landis, who is then arrested and locked up at the ranch. Jeanne attends a dance at the ranch, and Jeff Thorne threatens to accuse her father of the commission of all their crimes unless she agrees to marry him. Larry overhears, and the rustlers meet head on with the ranch men and are captured. Larry and Jeanne are united.

Quick Triggers

1928

Behind the camera

Flash Gordon poster
6.4

Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.

Flash Gordon

1936

Dick Tracy poster
5.2

Dick Tracy's foe for this serial is the crime boss and Masked Mystery Villain The Spider/The Lame One and his Spider Ring. In the process of various crimes, including using his Flying wing and sound weapon to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and stealing an experimental "Speed Plane", the Spider captures Dick Tracy's brother, Gordon. The Spider's minion, Dr. Moloch, performs a brain operation on Gordon Tracy to turn him evil, making him secretly part of the Spider Ring and so turning brother against brother.

Dick Tracy

1937

The Naked Bunyip poster
5.5

A shy young man is hired by an ad agency to conduct a survey on sex in Australia. The somewhat clueless young man investigates homosexuality, transvestites, prostitution, and strip clubs along with every other variant on the "norm". While doing his interviews he meets celebrities, self proclaimed sex experts, prostitutes, female impersonators, pop stars, actors, and legislators as well as self appointed morals guardians.

The Naked Bunyip

1970

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe poster
5.8

A mysterious plague, the Purple Death, ravages the earth. Dr. Zarkov, investigating in his spaceship, finds a ship from planet Mongo seeding the atmosphere with dust. Sure enough, Ming the Merciless is up to his old tricks. So it's back to Mongo for Flash, Dale, and Zarkov.

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

1940

Flaming Frontiers poster
5.1

Tom Grant has found a rich gold vein and Bart Eaton is after it. Tom's sister Mary heads for the gold fields and Eaton and his men follow. Eaton teams up with Ace Daggett who plans to doublecross him and get the gold for himself. They frame Tom for murder and then try to get him to sign over his claim. The famous scout Tex Houston is on hand, escaping the attempts on his life, saving Mary from various perils, and trying to bring in the real killer and clear Tom.

Flaming Frontiers

1938

No artwork available
NR

Larry Day, foreman of the 3X Ranch, and his men are pursuing a gang of rustlers when Jake Landis, who is being forced into rustling by Thorne, the bandit chief, is saved by his daughter Jeanne, who gives him her horse and then confronts Larry. They soon fall in love. Meanwhile, a wandering horse leads the men to Landis, who is then arrested and locked up at the ranch. Jeanne attends a dance at the ranch, and Jeff Thorne threatens to accuse her father of the commission of all their crimes unless she agrees to marry him. Larry overhears, and the rustlers meet head on with the ranch men and are captured. Larry and Jeanne are united.

Quick Triggers

1928

Silverspurs poster
10.0

Janet Allison witnesses Art Holden and his gang hold up the Station Agent. When she identifies Holden to the Sheriff, the Sheriff gives Holden an alibi. Janet and Jim Fentriss then find Holden's secret hideout. When Janet returns the next day to meet Jim, Holden makes her a prisoner and waits in ambush for Jim to arrive.

Silverspurs

1936

Secret Agent X-9 poster
6.2

American, Chinese and Australian agents join forces to stop the Nazis from obtaining the formula for synthetic fuel.

Secret Agent X-9

1945

Junior G-Men of the Air poster
6.3

A group of street kids battle a terrorist gang led by a Japanese spy.

Junior G-Men of the Air

1942

Riders of Death Valley poster
6.8

The Saturday matinee crowd got two cowboy stars for the price of one in this lavishly budgeted western serial starring former singing cowboy Dick Foran and Buck Jones. The latter contributed deadpan humor to the proceedings, making Jones perhaps the highest paid B-western comedy relief in history. The two heroes defend the Death Valley borax miners from an outlaw gang headed by Wolf Reade. An extraordinarily strong cast -- for a serial, at least -- supported the stars, headed by Charles Bickford as Reade, Leo Carillo, Lon Chaney, Jr., and silent screen star Monte Blue. Leading lady Jeanne Kelly later changed her name to Jean Brooks and starred in the atmospheric RKO thriller The Seventh Victim (1943). Universal claimed to have spent $1 million on this serial and made sure to get their money's worth by endlessly recycling the action footage in serials and B-westerns for years to come.

Riders of Death Valley

1941

Rawhide poster
7.4

Saunders with his Cattlemen's Protective Agency is running roughshod over the ranchers. Lawyer Larry Kimball is fighting him but he needs a rancher that will stand up with him against Saunders. He finds him when Lou Gehrig retires from baseball to take up ranching. Lou expects to relax on his ranch but quickly joins Larry in the fight.

Rawhide

1938

Mystery of the Riverboat poster
6.5

A movie serial in 13 chapters: Some swampland becomes valuable, and various factions squabble over ownership of it.

Mystery of the Riverboat

1944

The Green Hornet poster
6.0

A newspaper publisher and his Korean servant fight crime as vigilantes who pose as a notorious masked gangster and his aide.

The Green Hornet

1940

Danger Island poster
9.0

The daughter of a man who has discovered radium on an African island is befriended by two people whose real goal is to keep the discovery to themselves.

Danger Island

1931

The Spider's Web poster
6.5

Pulp hero "The Spider" seeks to destroy all criminals. In this serialized adventure, he battles The Octopus, who intends to replace the government of the United States.

The Spider's Web

1938

The Great Alaskan Mystery poster
6.0

The obsessive scientist Dr. Miller is working on a matter-transmitter invention called the Paratron; a conspiratorial team of spies and no-goods pursue him to Alaska, trying to steal the device.

The Great Alaskan Mystery

1944

The Lone Star Trail poster
6.0

Rancher Blaze Barker returns to Dead Falls after being framed by land-grabbers and spending two years in jail. Paroled, he can't wear a gun, but is aided by Marshal Fargo Steele. The gang is out to gain control of all of the valley land before a dam is constructed. When Blaze raises the money to pay off the taxes on his ranch, he finds it has been marked to incriminate him.

The Lone Star Trail

1943

The Vigilantes Return poster
3.8

Marshal Johnnie Taggart, posing as an outlaw named "Ace" Braddock, comes to Bannack, Montana to restore law and order. But he is recognized by Kitty, co-owner with Clay Curtwright of the infamous Bull Whip saloon. But "bad-girl" Kitty keeps her mouth shut. When Johnnie's pal Andy reports a stage holdup, Curtwright's henchman, Ben Borden, talks the sheriff and Judge Holden into suspecting Johnnie. Johnnie reveals himself to Judge Holden as a government marshal, and the judge voices his opinion that Curtwright is the leader of the road agents, but voices it in the presence of his granddaughter, Louise Holden.

The Vigilantes Return

1947

The Royal Mounted Rides Again poster
7.2

In time-honored fashion, a couple of supporting players -- George Dolenz and Bill Kennedy -- found themselves elevated to starring roles in this minor Universal serial. They played Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers investigating the murder of a miner. The story, of course, was less important than speed and action, which directors Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins delivered in typical slap-dash Universal style. Starlet Daun Kennedy did not make much of an impression as the imperiled leading lady, and former star Robert Armstrong (of King Kong fame) was wasted in a subordinate role. Rondo Hatton, a non-actor whose grotesque appearance (caused by acromegaly, the so-called "Elephant Man" disease) was tastelessly exploited by Universal in the '40s, appeared as one of the outlaws.

The Royal Mounted Rides Again

1945

The Daltons Ride Again poster
5.0

The notorious Dalton Boys have decided to go straight and move to Argentina. Just before they leave, they learn of a friend whose land is about to be seized by a greedy land company. Before they can help, the man is killed by a company assassin. The brothers do manage to rescue his widow and head for the hills. There, they decide to revert back to outlaw life. Meanwhile, a newspaper publisher's daughter falls for one of the brothers.

The Daltons Ride Again

1945

The Three Mesquiteers poster
7.0

When a group of World War 1 buddies head west to farmstead, they run into trouble.

The Three Mesquiteers

1936

Scouts to the Rescue poster
10.0

Filmed in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Sonora, California, this Universal serial is Universal's 40th sound-era serial. Eagle Scout Bruce Scott, leader of Martinsville Troop Number One, and his pack sets off in search of lost treasure and finds adventure

Scouts to the Rescue

1939

The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen poster
6.0

Tex is up against a group of hooded outlaws. When he shoots one, he uses the hood to infiltrate the gang. Almost caught by them, he escapes only to be arrested by the Sheriff who thinks he's one of the gang.

The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen

1937

The Vigilantes Are Coming poster
7.8

A masked hero called "The Eagle" leads California ranchers in a struggle against Russian Cossacks who are plotting to take over California and turn it into a Russian colony.

The Vigilantes Are Coming

1936

Lost City of the Jungle poster
6.5

A movie serial in 13 chapters, and Lionel Atwill's final film: Following the end of WWII, war-monger Sir Eric Hazarias sets the wheel in motion for WWIII. His search for Meteorium 245, the only practical defence against the atomic bomb, leads him to mythical Pendrang. Obstructing his sinister plan to rule the world are Rod Stanton, United Peace Foundation investigator, Tal Shan , Pendrang native, and Marjorie Elmore, daughter of scientist Dr. Elmore, unwilling assistant to Sir Eric.

Lost City of the Jungle

1946

Spaceship to the Unknown poster
7.3

A heavy condensation of the original serial compresses the original thirteen episodes into an efficient 97 minute feature. Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.

Spaceship to the Unknown

1966

Raiders of Ghost City poster
7.0

During the latter stages of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel (Lionel Atwill), raid all gold shipments destined for Washington from Oro Grande, California. Can they be brought to justice?

Raiders of Ghost City

1944

Boss of Bullion City poster
6.0

A lawman sets out to disrupt the operations of a crooked town boss.

Boss of Bullion City

1940

Return of the Lash poster
6.5

Six wanted outlaws are rounded up and captured by the Cheyenne Kid. Collecting the reward money, Cheyenne instructs his sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones to give the money to a group of financially strapped ranchers. Alas, Fuzzy falls off his horse, loses his memory, and forgets what became of the money.

Return of the Lash

1947

Heroes of the West poster
6.3

Efforts to build a transcontinental railroad are resisted by crooks and Indians on the warpath. A 12-chapter movie serial.

Heroes of the West

1932

Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery poster
8.0

A 12-episode serial in which Tailspin Tommy evades volcanoes, anti-aircraft shells, and time bombs as he foils a plan by corrupt profiteers to steal an island's oil reserves.

Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery

1935

Winners of the West poster
7.0

Beyond Hell's Gate Pass is territory controlled by a man who calls himself King Carter; he uses a variety of schemes to prevent the railroad from being built, for fear it will finish his control of (what he considers) his land.

Winners of the West

1940

Dead Man's Gold poster
6.0

When rancher Jim Thornton discovers gold in Gold Valley, he sends for Lash and Fuzzy to protect his treasure from a band of gunslingers.

Dead Man's Gold

1948

Don Winslow of the Coast Guard poster
10.0

Don Winslow (titular hero of the serial "Don Winslow of the Navy") is reassigned to the United States Coast Guard, to guard the coast against saboteurs and sneak attacks.

Don Winslow of the Coast Guard

1943

Adventures of the Flying Cadets poster
6.7

Four youthful cadets are implicated in a series of murders, and must attempt to clear themselves of suspicion.

Adventures of the Flying Cadets

1943

Mug Town poster
8.5

Steve Bell, Tommy, Pig, Ape, and String are run of town. Steve, while hopping a freight card and trying to avoid the brakeman, is killed. The boys meet Steve's mother, Alice Bell and Tommy is given a job in the storage garage which she owns jointly with Mack Steward. Steve's brother Don Bell is working with some gangsters by tipping them off on valuable merchandise that can be hijacked. Pig, Ape and String overhear Don's plans to use Tommy as the fall guy in the next hijacking.

Mug Town

1942

Purple Death from Outer Space poster
5.8

Edited version of the 1940 Universal serial "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe", released in a syndication package to TV in 1966.

Purple Death from Outer Space

1966

Law and Order poster
8.0

Bill Ralston arrives in town planning to settle down but quickly gets caught up in the fight between the townspeople and Poe Daggett and his gang. He takes the job of town Marshal and soon brings law and order. When Daggetts men ambush him he kills Poe's brother. Poe then kills Bill's friend Brant and this leads to the showdown.

Law and Order

1940

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack poster
5.7

A movie serial in 12 chapters: The famous comic strip character is on a mission to protect a secret tunnel passage between China and India.

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack

1943

No artwork available
NR

The Dead End Kids join the war effort in this feature-length version of the Universal serial Junior G-Men of the Air. The fiendish Black Dragon Society, led by the sinister Baron (perennial B-movie villain Lionel Atwill) plots to pave the way for an Axis invasion of the U.S.A. by destroying America's defenses. When their plans are discovered by the Dead End Kids, the gang is too suspicious of "the coppers" to ask for help. The FBI send in their Junior G-Men to stop the spies, but when one of the Dead Enders is kidnapped, the two groups must work together to smash the Black Dragons once and for all!

Dead End Kids Go To War

1942