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The Nearly Good B-Pictures of the 1930s

by Akira_Chimera • Created 10 years ago • Modified 2 years ago
Can there even be a thing like 'nearly good B-pictures'? At first I wasn't so sure either. But after years of watching B-movies, more often than not I stumbled across a B-picture which I wouldn't exactly consider to be a good (or even brillant) one. On the other hand it didn't reach the absolute bottoms of z-grade moviedom that connoisseurs of this kind of pictures are used to either. It was simply a movie which, in terms of B-pictures, was competently done, had all those ingredients we love so much in this kind of movies, yes, possibly it was even done bad for all the right reasons. But nevertheless, it didn't click with me, didn't offer that special something which makes B-pictures so enjoyable. What you can expect on this list are B-pictures which are not bad per se, they are more like near misses which can still offer plenty for the B-movie fan. Especially if you are a fan of a certain subgenre, actor or whatever. So have fun browsing through the nearly, but not quite, good B-pictures of the 1930s.

If you're up to it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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  • George Arliss, Alice Joyce, and H.B. Warner in The Green Goddess (1930)

    1. The Green Goddess

    19301h 13mPassed
    5.3 (461)
    An airplane carrying three Brits--Major Crespin, his wife Lucille, and Dr. Trahern--crash lands in the kingdom of Rukh. The Rajah holds them prisoner because the British are about to execute his three half-brothers in neighboring India. His subjects believe that their Green Goddess has given them the lives of the three Brits as payment for the lives of the Rajah's brothers. They will execute them when the brothers are executed. Trahern and the Crespins must figure a way to use the Rajah's radio to call India for help.
    DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsGeorge ArlissRalph ForbesH.B. Warner
  • The Sea God (1930)

    2. The Sea God

    19301h 15mApproved
    6.2 (110)
    When 1 of 2 rivals diving for pearls in the Solomon Islands emerges with his goggles on, natives think he is a sea god. A romance with an endangered heroine and the threat of cannibalism also figure in this exotic adventure.
    DirectorGeorge AbbottStarsRichard ArlenFay WrayEugene Pallette
  • Betty Compson in Midnight Mystery (1930)

    3. Midnight Mystery

    19301h 9m
    6.3 (155)
    When an island castle off the coast of Maine becomes the scene of a murder, a mystery writer tries to nab the criminal.
    DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsBetty CompsonLowell ShermanRaymond Hatton
  • Ernie Adams, Dorothy Dwan, Ken Maynard, Frank Rice, Harry Todd, and Tarzan in The Fighting Legion (1930)

    4. The Fighting Legion

    19301h 14mPassed
    5.8 (50)
    After being shot, a dying Marshal Dawson gives Dave Hayes his badge and asks him to finish his job. Dave becomes Marshal but when Bowie, the man that shot Dawson appears, he exposes Dave as an imposter. Dave is then in trouble when Edwards incites the mob to lynch him.
    DirectorHarry Joe BrownStarsKen MaynardTarzanDorothy Dwan
  • Victor McLaglen in A Devil with Women (1930)

    5. A Devil with Women

    19301h 4mApproved
    7.0 (100)
    Soldier of fortune Maxton is stranded in a Central American country. He and Tom, the nephew of the country's richest man, try to end Morloff's banditry but just barely escape a firing squad. They become rivals for Rosita.
    DirectorIrving CummingsStarsVictor McLaglenMona MarisHumphrey Bogart
  • Rex Lease and Nita Martan in Borrowed Wives (1930)

    6. Borrowed Wives

    19301h 2m
    5.3 (195)
    Peter has to be married by midnight or else his inheritance goes to his uncle... Who happens to live in a "haunted house".
    DirectorFrank R. StrayerStarsRex LeaseVera ReynoldsPaul Hurst
  • Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon in Alias French Gertie (1930)

    7. Alias French Gertie

    19301h 6mPassed
    5.8 (210)
    A crook (Daniels) becomes a maid to steal jewelry.
    DirectorGeorge ArchainbaudStarsBebe DanielsBen LyonRobert Emmett O'Connor
  • Charles King, Wallace MacDonald, Ken Maynard, William L. Thorne, and Tarzan in Fighting Thru; or, California in 1878 (1930)

    8. Fighting Thru; or, California in 1878

    19301h 1mPassed
    5.7 (55)
    Dan and Tennessee are successful gold miners. Ace Brady learns of their success and sends Fox to rob them. During the robbery Fox shoots Tennessee and Ace arrives to arrest Dan for the murder. Dan escapes but is now a wanted man.
    DirectorWilliam NighStarsKen MaynardJeanette LoffWallace MacDonald
  • Bob Custer and Natalie Kingston in Under Texas Skies (1930)

    9. Under Texas Skies

    193052mPassed
    5.6 (90)
    Three cowboys try to stop a crook from defrauding an orphan girl out of her money.
    DirectorJ.P. McGowanStarsBob CusterNatalie KingstonBill Cody
  • Hank Bell, Al Ferguson, Alfred Hewston, Louise Lorraine, Lafe McKee, and Bob Steele in Near the Rainbow's End (1930)

    10. Near the Rainbow's End

    193058mPassed
    6.0 (68)
    It's cattleman Bledsoe against sheep man Wilson and his crooked partner Rankins. When Wilson balks at Rankins' plans, Rankins kills him and blames Tom Bledsoe. But unknown to Rankins there was a witness.
    DirectorJ.P. McGowanStarsBob SteeleLafe McKeeAl Ferguson
  • El Brendel, Edmund Lowe, and Lois Moran in The Spider (1931)

    11. The Spider

    193159mPassed
    6.0 (179)
    At the end of his magic show at the Tivoli theater, Chatrand the Great announces over a radio broadcast that he is trying to establish the identity of an amnesia victim, his assistant "Alexander." Found unconscious with a head wound two years earlier in the streets of Washington, Alexander, now a mind reader in the act, cannot remember anything about his previous life. Beverly Lane, whose brother Paul disappeared two years earlier, listens intently to her radio, but her uncle, financier John Carrington, calls the announcement a cheap publicity stunt. When Beverly insists on going to the theater, Carrington accompanies her. Before his performance, Chatrand, upon seeing Beverly through the stage curtains, recognizes her from a picture in the locket Alexander carries. He has always wanted to meet the woman in the picture. During the act, Chatrand blindfolds Alexander and has him describe objects belonging to members of the audience and answer their questions. When Chatrand asks Alexander to describe Beverly's locket, which is identical to Alexander's, Carrington protests and struggles with Chatrand. Sonya, Chatrand's assistant, pulls a light switch. In the dark, a hand wearing a spider ring fires a gun, and Carrington falls. The police soon arrive and keep the audience from leaving, as a man from the audience, Dr. Blackstone, attends to Carrington. After Inspector Riley finds a gun beside Alexander, who is unconscious, Chatrand removes Alexander's mask. Beverly then embraces him and identifies him as her lost brother. Chatrand brings Alexander out of his trance, and upon seeing Beverly, Alexander exclaims, "He tried to kill me; I had to do it!" Treating this as a confession, Riley has Alexander and Beverly taken to the theater manager's office, while he keeps Chatrand under observation. Chatrand, however, escapes into a casket and then through a trap door. Alexander tells Beverly that two years earlier Carrington attempted to steal all their money, and that when Carrington tried to kill him, he fell, precipitating his amnesia. Chatrand then finds out that Carrington had been receiving telephone calls from someone who lost a great deal of money to him. When Riley learns that Carrington has died, he arrests Alexander for first-degree murder. Chatrand, however, convinces Riley to let him conduct a seance before the audience is allowed to leave to try to make the murderer betray himself. During the seance, as Chatrand's image appears before the audience, and Carrington, speaking through Chatrand, threatens to name his murderer, a shot breaks the mirror which is conveying the image. Chatrand next has Alexander, in the guise of a mind reader, attempt to "find" the mind of the murderer. After he reveals a number of dark secrets in the minds of some audience members, Alexander says that the murderer wears a spider ring, and he names the row in which the murderer is sitting. As he is about to reveal the murderer's seat number, a shot rings out. Dr. Blackstone, who hysterically says that Carrington deserved death for ruining a savings bank and turning his family and thousands of others into paupers, is apprehended. Chatrand, who suffered a wound to his arm, is attended to by Beverly, who has grown fond of him.
    DirectorsKenneth MacKennaWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsEdmund LoweLois MoranEl Brendel
  • William Boyd, Warner Oland, and Dorothy Sebastian in The Big Gamble (1931)

    12. The Big Gamble

    19311h 5mPassed
    5.8 (223)
    Unable to repay a substantial gambling debt to mob boss North, Alan Beckwith concocts a last-ditch scheme. Allowing North to take out a $100,000 insurance policy on his life, Alan agrees to commit suicide after the mandantory one-year moratorium has elapsed. To make things legal, North forces Alan to marry Beverly (Whose brother is also indebted to North) as the beneficiary-of-record. He also assigns "hitman wannabe" Squint to both keep an eye on Alan and "do the deed" when the time comes. But as the year progresses, Alan falls in love with Beverly, befriends Squint and decides he doesn't want to die. But how can he convince North to allow a 100 grand to slip through his fingers?
    DirectorFred NibloStarsWilliam BoydJames GleasonWarner Oland
  • Rango (1931)

    13. Rango

    19311h 6m
    6.0 (41)
    The frame story is narrated by a white father to his son. He explains that man's closest relative in nature is the orangutan, which translates literally as "man of the forest." He then tells the story of Ali and his son Bin, natives of Sumatra, who hunt in a jungle village. Ali wants to shoot a tiger, but the orangutans Tua and his baby Rango get in the way, and Rango is almost grabbed by the tiger. While Ali prepares a tiger trap, the orangutans enter Ali's hut and feast on the stored goods. Dozens of orangutans join them, ransacking the hut. When Ali and Bin return to discover the havoc, Ali captures Rango and puts him on a chain. Later, Ali saves Tua from a black panther. In the night, a tiger enters the camp, and Rango warns Bin in time for him to shoot and scare the tiger away. At dawn, Tua comes for Rango and eats in the hut, while Bin tends the water buffaloes. After the tiger kills a deer, the orangutans scream warnings to each other and flee. Two male tigers approach and chase Bin, Rango and Tua. The tiger kills Rango, but the water buffalo fights the tiger and kills him.
    DirectorErnest B. SchoedsackStarsJaro FürthClaude KingRango
  • Charles Bickford and Rose Hobart in East of Borneo (1931)

    14. East of Borneo

    19311h 17mPassed
    5.5 (277)
    Woman treks through jungle to find her missing husband.
    DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsRose HobartCharles BickfordGeorges Renavent
  • Robert Ellis, Clara Blandick, Tyrell Davis, Robert Elliott, Leslie Fenton, Hale Hamilton, William Humphrey, Brandon Hurst, Aileen Pringle, Kenneth Thomson, and Alice White in Murder at Midnight (1931)

    15. Murder at Midnight

    19311h 9mPassed
    5.4 (506)
    A murder during a game of charades at a society party leads the police to begin the hunt through the guest list for a motive and culprit.
    DirectorFrank R. StrayerStarsAileen PringleAlice WhiteHale Hamilton
  • Lina Basquette, Mathilde Comont, and Hoot Gibson in The Hard Hombre (1931)

    16. The Hard Hombre

    19311h 5mApproved
    5.5 (137)
    When Peaceful Patton goes to work at the Martini ranch he is mistaken for the notorious outlaw the Hard Hombre. This enables him to force the ranchers to divide up the water rights. But he is in trouble when his mother arrives and exposes the hoax.
    DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHoot GibsonLina BasquetteMathilde Comont
  • Tim McCoy in The Fighting Marshal (1931)

    17. The Fighting Marshal

    193158mPassed
    5.5 (87)
    A man wrongly accused of murder escapes from prison to clear his name, but is mistaken for a town's new lawman.
    DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsTim McCoyDorothy GulliverMary Carr
  • Hoot Gibson in Clearing the Range (1931)

    18. Clearing the Range

    19311h 1mPassed
    5.2 (167)
    Kildare kills Curt Fremont's brother Jim. When Curt arrives he poses as a coward in public but sneaks out unseen to become the daring El Capitan as he looks for the killer.
    DirectorOtto BrowerStarsHoot GibsonSally EilersHooper Atchley
  • Ken Maynard and Tarzan in The Two Gun Man (1931)

    19. The Two Gun Man

    193158mPassed
    5.9 (100)
    Hired guns threaten ranchers.
    DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanLucille Powers
  • Josephine Hill and Tom Tyler in West of Cheyenne (1931)

    20. West of Cheyenne

    193156mPassed
    6.2 (36)
    An old rancher is accused of a murder that was actually committed by a killer called The Laramie Kid. The rancher's son sets out to track the real killer down.
    DirectorHarry S. WebbStarsTom TylerJosephine HillHarry Woods
  • Tom Tyler in Rider of the Plains (1931)

    21. Rider of the Plains

    193157mApproved
    6.7 (39)
    Blackie Saunders and his young partner Sandy arrive in Indian Springs where Blackie meets his old friend Jim whom he once rode with on the wrong side of the law. Jim is now the Parson but Blackie still carries the reputation of a killer. When the townspeople decide Blackie is not a fit guardian for the boy, Jim convinces Blackie to leave the boy with him. But just after Blackie leaves town, the express office is robbed and it is assumed Blackie did it.
    DirectorJohn P. McCarthyStarsTom TylerLilian BondAl Bridge
  • Hoot Gibson and Alberta Vaughn in Wild Horse (1931)

    22. Wild Horse

    19311h 17mApproved
    5.3 (133)
    Ben Hall offers $1000 for the wild Devil Horse which Jim Wright and Skeeter capture. While Jim is away, Gil Davis kills Skeeter and takes the horse. The Sheriff then arrests Jim for Skeeter's murder. But unknown to them, an outlaw witnessed the killing.
    DirectorsSidney AlgierRichard ThorpeStarsHoot GibsonAlberta VaughnSkeeter Bill Robbins
  • Tom Tyler in Galloping Thru (1931)

    23. Galloping Thru

    193158mPassed
    6.8 (31)
    The local express agent, the father of Tom McGuire, is killed during a robbery. In the chase that follows Tom is wounded and taken by his friend, Sandy Thompson, to the home of Janice Warren to recover. Janice and Tom soon fall in love, and that brings complications as Sandy is also in love with Janice, and Tom believes that her brother Cliff, is one of the gang members that robbed the express office. Cliff challenges Tom to a shoot-out in the street. Tom accepts, not knowing that his guns have been emptied by the jealous Sandy. The latter, in a change of heart, steps into the duel and shoots Cliff just before he is shot down from ambush by saloon owner Willis, the secret leader of the gang. Willis is captured by Tom and Tom takes Sandy to the doctor. Cliff confesses before dying to his role in the robbery, and Tom and Janice are reconciled.
    DirectorLloyd NoslerStarsTom TylerBetty MackAl Bridge
  • Hooper Atchley, Lina Basquette, Ken Maynard, and Michael Visaroff in The Arizona Terror (1931)

    24. The Arizona Terror

    19311h 5mPassed
    6.7 (51)
    Captain Porter's scheme is to buy livestock and then have his men show up later to kill the buyer and retrieve the money. When his men kill the next victim, he frames the Arizonian for the murder. The Arizonian escapes the law and joins up with the outlaw Vasquez. Knowing Porter's scheme, he plans to trap him by using Vasquez as the next buyer.
    DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanLina Basquette
  • Ken Maynard in Branded Men (1931)

    25. Branded Men

    19311h 3mPassed
    6.1 (110)
    When Rod, Ramrod, and Half-A-Rod ride into Steep Gulch, they immediately become Sheriffs. The previous Sheriffs have been killed by Mace and his gang who don't wait long before they make an attempt on the new trio.
    DirectorPhil RosenStarsKen MaynardTarzanJune Clyde

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