Writing

Horace McCoy

Born — Died

1897-04-14 — 1955-12-15

Place of birth

Pegram, Tennessee, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

34 titles

Horace Stanley McCoy (1897–1955) was an American novelist whose gritty, hardboiled novels documented the hardships Americans faced during the Depression and post-war periods. McCoy grew up in Tennessee and Texas; after serving in the air force during World War I, he worked as a journalist, film actor, and screenplay writer, and is author of five novels including They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1935) and the noir classic Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1948). Though underappreciated in his own time, McCoy is now recognized as a peer of Dashiell Hammett and James Cain. He died in Beverly Hills, California, in 1955.

Known for

Gentleman Jim poster
7.2

As bare-knuckled boxing enters the modern era, brash extrovert Jim Corbett uses new rules and dazzlingly innovative footwork to rise to the top of the boxing world.

Gentleman Jim

1942

Montana Belle poster
6.3

Oklahoma outlaw Belle Starr meets the Dalton gang when rescued from lynching by Bob Dalton, who falls for her. So do gang member Mac and wealthy saloon owner Tom Bradfield, who's enlisted in a bankers' scheme to trap the Daltons. Discord among the gang and Bradfield's ambivalence complicates things, as Belle demonstrates her prowess with shootin' irons and horses, and as a surprisingly racy saloon entertainer.

Montana Belle

1952

Texas poster
6.7

Two Virginians are heading for a new life in Texas when they witness a stagecoach being held up. They decide to rob the robbers and make off with the loot. To escape a posse, they split up and don't see each other again for a long time. When they do meet up again, they find themselves on different sides of the law. This leads to the increasing estrangement of the two men, who once thought of themselves as brothers.

Texas

1941

Valley of the Sun poster
6.3

An Arizona frontiersman steals an Indian agent's girlfriend, followed by trouble.

Valley of the Sun

1942

Rage at Dawn poster
6.2

In this film's version of the story, four of the Reno Brothers are corrupt robbers and killers while a fifth, Clint is a respected Indiana farmer. A sister, Laura, who has inherited the family home, serves the outlaw brothers as a housekeeper and cook. One brother is killed when they go after a bank, the men of the town appear to have been waiting for them…

Rage at Dawn

1955

The Texas Rangers Ride Again poster
5.6

With thousands of cattle being rustled from White Sage ranch the 1930's Texas Rangers are called in. They manage to get one of their agents into the gang by making them think he is the Pecos Kid on the lam.

The Texas Rangers Ride Again

1940

Behind the camera

Gentleman Jim poster
7.2

As bare-knuckled boxing enters the modern era, brash extrovert Jim Corbett uses new rules and dazzlingly innovative footwork to rise to the top of the boxing world.

Gentleman Jim

1942

Montana Belle poster
6.3

Oklahoma outlaw Belle Starr meets the Dalton gang when rescued from lynching by Bob Dalton, who falls for her. So do gang member Mac and wealthy saloon owner Tom Bradfield, who's enlisted in a bankers' scheme to trap the Daltons. Discord among the gang and Bradfield's ambivalence complicates things, as Belle demonstrates her prowess with shootin' irons and horses, and as a surprisingly racy saloon entertainer.

Montana Belle

1952

Texas poster
6.7

Two Virginians are heading for a new life in Texas when they witness a stagecoach being held up. They decide to rob the robbers and make off with the loot. To escape a posse, they split up and don't see each other again for a long time. When they do meet up again, they find themselves on different sides of the law. This leads to the increasing estrangement of the two men, who once thought of themselves as brothers.

Texas

1941

Valley of the Sun poster
6.3

An Arizona frontiersman steals an Indian agent's girlfriend, followed by trouble.

Valley of the Sun

1942

Rage at Dawn poster
6.2

In this film's version of the story, four of the Reno Brothers are corrupt robbers and killers while a fifth, Clint is a respected Indiana farmer. A sister, Laura, who has inherited the family home, serves the outlaw brothers as a housekeeper and cook. One brother is killed when they go after a bank, the men of the town appear to have been waiting for them…

Rage at Dawn

1955

The Texas Rangers Ride Again poster
5.6

With thousands of cattle being rustled from White Sage ranch the 1930's Texas Rangers are called in. They manage to get one of their agents into the gang by making them think he is the Pecos Kid on the lam.

The Texas Rangers Ride Again

1940

The Fireball poster
6.0

Johnny Casar runs away from the orphanage to start a successful career as a roller skater and after setbacks learns to curb his ruthlessness and ambition.

The Fireball

1950

The Lusty Men poster
6.7

Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.

The Lusty Men

1952

Daughters of Destiny poster
4.6

Three stories, very different in space and time. Lysistrata, a dancer from ancient times, Jeanne d'Arc, medieval warrior and Elisabeth, American war widow who comes on pilgrimage in Italy.

Daughters of Destiny

1954

The Road to Denver poster
7.0

The Mayhew brothers flee from one Texas town to another as older brother Bill repeatedly attempts to keep younger brother Sam out of jail. Bill finally gives up on his younger brother and heads for Colorado. He gets a job and all is well until his brother shows up and takes a job that puts them on opposite sides of the law.

The Road to Denver

1955

Texas Lady poster
5.7

Claudette Colbert plays Prudence Webb, who arrives in the wide-open town of Fort Ralston, Texas, to assume control of her late father's newspaper. Her first major print crusade is aimed at gambler Chris Mooney, whom Prudence holds responsible for her dad's suicide. She then takes aim at a couple of crooked cattle barons, who'd like nothing better than to put Prudence out of the way for keeps.

Texas Lady

1955

El Alaméin poster
8.0

A small group of men and a tank stave off a German attack in a Bedouin desert during World War II.

El Alaméin

1953

Queen of the Mob poster
6.2

Ma Webster and her boys rob a bank on Christmas Eve; G-men stop them with Tommy guns.

Queen of the Mob

1940

Dangerous to Know poster
6.6

Racketeer Steve Recka, art patron and political power-maker, rules his town and Madame Lan Ying, his beautiful friend and hostess (read:mistress), with an iron hand. He meets Margaret Van Kase, a socialite not impressed by his power nor his wealth, having no money herself, and Steve makes frantic efforts to win her and turns away from the loyal Lin Yang.

Dangerous to Know

1938

Undercover Doctor poster
6.7

Dr. Bartley Morgan covers up his profitable illegalities with the respectable veneer of a posh, highly profitable private practice, he runs with his nurse Margaret Hopkins. The FBI agent Robert Anders has to catch on to Morgan's illicit activities.

Undercover Doctor

1939

Women Without Names poster
4.7

Joyce and Fred MacNeil's honeymoon comes to an abrupt and unsatisfying halt when Fred is accused of murder. Railroaded into prison through the efforts of politically ambitious assistant DA Marlin, Fred awaits his doom on Death Row, while Joyce works overtime on the outside to clear her husband's name

Women Without Names

1940

Hunted Men poster
5.7

Notorious racketeer Joe Albany kills James Flowers when he discovers he is embezzling from the club they own. Joe escapes through a window and hails a taxi, but when he gets nervous at the sound of sirens, he jumps out. Hardware salesman Peter Harris accidentally hits Joe with his car, and unharmed, Joe seizes this opportunity to hide in Peter's car. Peter is so drunk that Joe is able to con him into believing that he is Charles Edwards, a fellow hardware man who was with him at a convention, and in the guise of friendship, accompanies Peter to his suburban home. The next morning, Joe gets antsy and wants to leave, but Peter's family, his wife Mary, young son Robert and daughter Jane all entreat him to stay.

Hunted Men

1938

Dangerous Mission poster
6.0

A policeman tries to protect a young woman against a hit man, when she flees New York after witnessing a mob killing.

Dangerous Mission

1954

Bad for Each Other poster
6.2

A doctor returned from the Korean War must choose between joining a glamorous practice and helping the poor.

Bad for Each Other

1953

Wild Geese Calling poster
6.5

In the 1890s lumberjack John leaves Seattle for Alaska to look for gold. After he marries dancehall girl Sally, he finds she used to be in love with his best friend Blackie.

Wild Geese Calling

1941

Parole! poster
7.0

Soon after the prison release of a lawyer (Henry Hunter), his dedication to improving his life puts him at odds with other parolees who have returned to a criminal lifestyle.

Parole!

1936

Appointment in Berlin poster
7.1

The "war of nerves" which gripped the European continent in 1938, is the background for this war thriller starring George Sanders.

Appointment in Berlin

1943

There's Something About a Soldier poster
5.4

Five officer candidates fight to prove their mettle during training.

There's Something About a Soldier

1943

Island of Lost Men poster
5.6

A Chinese general's daughter tracks her father to a slave-labor tyrant's jungle empire.

Island of Lost Men

1939

Parole Fixer poster
5.0

This expose of the U.S. parole system, as seen through the eyes of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, takes dead aim on lawyers who manipulate the justice system in order to get undeserving convicts parole from prisons. The point is made when FBI agents are assigned to track down "Big Boy" Bradmore, who after getting an undeserved parole, via the efforts of a shyster lawyer, promptly murders an FBI agent.

Parole Fixer

1940

Postal Inspector poster
7.0

Postal inspectors track down money stolen from a railroad car.

Postal Inspector

1936

Speed Wings poster
9.0

A kidnapping, three airplane crashes and several fist-fights adds speed to the plot in which the plans of a new, faster airplane motor invented by brothers Tim and Jerry are stolen and suspicion falls on their office secretary Mary Stuart. But she can pilot an airplane with the best of them and she risks her life to save Tim. And when she gets kidnapped, Jerry regains his lost nerve in rescuing her.

Speed Wings

1934

Soldiers of the Storm poster
7.0

Soldiers of the Storm is a 1933 American Pre-Code crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman.

Soldiers of the Storm

1933

Fury of the Jungle poster
7.0

Joan Leesom is stranded in a remote South American jungle village. She is pursued by the rapacious Taggart Taggart, however, has been involved with the beautiful native girl Chita. Chita now feels nothing but hatred for Joan, creating a deadly triangle that leads to an explosive ending.

Fury of the Jungle

1933

Fatal Lady poster
10.0

On her debut as an opera star, Marion Stuart is interrogated and possibly implicated in the death of a male acquaintance. Released, although thoroughly shaken-up, Marion attempts to perform but loses her voice onstage. Humiliated, but driven to sing, she travels to South America under the assumed name of Maria Delasano, and works in an opera company under the tutelage of Feodor Glinka, who wants her to shun men and save herself for her art. Mary resists the persistent attentions of wealthy young Phil Roberts, who follows the company in hopes of marrying her. ...

Fatal Lady

1936

Persons in Hiding poster
3.8

During a stick-up, a woman is excited by the criminal and joins him on his crime spree.

Persons in Hiding

1939

Television Spy poster
7.5

A scientist invents a television device called the Iconoscope. Foreign agents hear about it and try to steal it.

Television Spy

1939

Bronco Buster poster
6.0

A veteran rodeo rider takes on a young apprentice in order to 'teach him the ropes', and winds up competing against him.

Bronco Buster

1952

The Fabulous Texan poster
6.5

A couple of Confederate soldiers, returning home from the Civil War, find Texas transformed into an armed camp with a quasi-dictator gathering up land and power as fast as he can. The two former Rebels take on this despot each in his own way.

The Fabulous Texan

1947