Vanishing Men is a 1932 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Harry L. Fraser Harry L. Fraser (31 March 1889 – 8 April 1974) was an American film director and screenplay writer. Biography Born in 1889 in San Francisco, Fraser directed over 80 films between 1925 and 1951, including the 1934 John Wayne film '' Randy Rid ...

and starring

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 s ...

Adele Lacy Adele Lacy (born Adeline Charlotte Fergestad, September 8, 1910 – July 3, 1953) was an American film actress whose films all appeared during the Great Depression. Her name was sometimes spelled Adele Lacey. Early life Born as in Minnesota ...

, and

Raymond Keane Raymond Keane, born Raymond Kortz, (1906–1973) was an American actor during the silent film era. He was tall and striking. He was the son of jeweler Harry Kortz. He died in Los Angeles. Selected filmography * '' The Midnight Sun'' (1926) * '' ...

. The film depicts the story of Russ Whitely (Keane), a young man who has become involved with cattle rustling, his complicated relationship with Sheriff Doug Barrett (Tyler), and his eventual redemption. Critical reception to the film was mixed, and it is now believed to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Plot

Russ Whitely has become involved in Heck Claiborne's cattle rustling. Facing arrest by Sheriff Doug Barrett, Claiborne's associate Luke Grimes shoots and kills O'Hara, the sheriff's deputy. Barrett asks Diane Melville to help influence Whitely to abandon his criminal connections, and hires gunslinger Bat Morrison as his new deputy. Morrison kills Grimes when he resists arrest. Claiborne informs Whitely of a plan to ambush and kill Barrett, but Whitely warns the sheriff. Unable to arrest the man who saved his life, Barrett resigns, and the new sheriff, Baker, tells Morrison to stop the rustlers. Morrison arrests Whitely, but Claiborne's gang meets them at the jail. Morrison shoots Whitely, and is killed in turn by Barrett. Baker arrests Claiborne and his gang, except the injured Whitely, who is allowed to return to his ranch and begin a new life.

Cast

as Sheriff Doug Barrett *

as Diane Melville *

as Russ Whitely * William L. Thorne as Bat Morrison * John Elliott as Heck Claiborne *Robert Seiter as O'Hara * Charles King as Butch Grimes *

James A. Marcus James A. Marcus (January 21, 1867 – October 15, 1937) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in New York City. On October 15, 1937, Marcus died in Hollywood, California from a heart at ...

as Baker *

Dick Dickinson Dick Dickinson (September 16, 1895 – July 27, 1956) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1920 and 1954. Selected filmography * ''The Phantom of the West'' (1931) * '' The Galloping Ghost'' (1931) * ''The ...

as Luke Grimes ''Hollywood Filmograph'' remarked on Raymond Keane's return to film acting after an absence of over a year. Vanishing Men one sheet

Production

In 1931, the newly formed

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

announced the titles of its first 28 films, to be produced and released over the following year, including eight

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

starring

. ''Vanishing Men'' was released in the United States on April 15, 1932, and in the UK on June 3. In 1937, the film was re-released by

Astor Pictures Astor Pictures was a motion picture distribution company in the United States from 1930 to 1963. It was founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 – 29 April 1956). Astor specialized in film re-releases. It later released independently m ...

Reception and legacy

Critical reception of the film was mixed. Writing for the ''

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Herald ...

'', Rita McGoldrick did not regard the film positively, and considered it most suited for an adult audience. The Los Angeles branch of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

wrote that the film offered "stilted" dialogue and "average entertainment value", but that its moral theme made it suitable for children as young as eight years old. Despite this initially mixed reception, ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

s 1939 examination of the industry listed ''Vanishing Men'' as one of the Monogram films that "excited the admiration of followers" of the Western genre. As with many of Monogram's films, ''Vanishing Men'' is believed to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0023651 American black-and-white films English-language Western (genre) films 1932 Western (genre) films 1932 films Lost American Western (genre) films Monogram Pictures films 1932 lost films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films