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Most ratings of this film give it a one star or bomb rating, however, "The Black Sleep" is not as bad as some would have you believe. Mind you it's not a great film, but in fact is an adequate programmer that compares favorably with any thing turned out by Universal or Monogram in the 40s.

Basically, it's a mad scientist film with Basil Rathbone emoting as usual, in the lead role. But then old Basil was always way over the top. Herbert Rudley is the nominal hero - the good scientist who is rescued from the gallows by Rathbone.

In the supporting cast are many seasoned veterans. Akim Tamiroff is good as the procurer of Rathbone's "subjects". Playing various mutants are Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine (in yet another over the top performance) and poor old Bela Lugosi.

Lugosi nearing the end of his life looks sick, tired and underweight. Chaney is totally wasted. Had the producers beefed up his part, "The Black Sleep could have been a much better picture. They could have combined his role with that of the Rudley character, for example.

Given all of its limitations, "The Black Sleep" is good way to pass an hour and twenty minutes if you don't expect too much going in.

The Oregon Trail was the last of four serials that Johnny Mack Brown made for Universal in the 30's before moving exclusively to features. This 15 chapter saga details the trials and tribulations of a wagon trail headed west to the promised land in Oregon.

There are large scale Indian attacks, the cavalry riding to the rescue and the usual hair-raising escapes to entertain the avid serial lover. As in most Universal serials, liberal use is made of stock footage from the silent era.

Once again, Brown is cast as the dressed all in black hero who leads the wagon train. Fuzzy Knight provides support as Brown's sidekick.

Where the casting breaks down is in the portrayals of the chief villains. James Blaine is barely adequate as "Morgan", the chief baddie, but it is Jack C. Smith as "Bull Bragg" who clearly was not up to the role. Of the villains, Charles Stevens as "Breed" stands out. Either Forrest Taylor, Tom London or Charles King, who play small roles as henchmen, could have elevated this picture by playing the "Morgan" and "Bragg" roles.

If the producers could only have seen a few years into the future, they would have seen that they had the future "King of the Bad Guys", Roy Barcroft (cast curiously as General Custer) in their cast. Ah but hindsight is always 20/20.

Rustlers of Red Dog was the first of four serials that Johnny Mack Brown made for Universal in the 30s. It's loaded with non-stop action and boasts a cast of thousands. There are large scale Indian attacks and raids by the large gang of rustlers of the title a-plenty. There is liberal usage of the Universal library of stock footage (obviously from the 20s)very much in evidence as well.

There are the usual assortment of cliff hangers at the end of each chapter (falls off the cliff, overturned wagons, the hero and/or heroine in life threatening situations etc.).

There is a stellar cast of serial and "B" Western veterans in the cast. An all in black Brown plays the hero and Raymond Hatton and Walter Miller play his two sidekicks. One of the best "B" Western villains, Harry Woods (billed here as H.L. Woods) plays the chief bad guy and Joyce Compton is the helpless heroine "Mary".

A sharp-eyed fan of "B" Westerns will spot veterans Edmund Cobb, Bud Osborne and Wally Wales (Hal Taliaferro) as members of Woods' gang and Iron Eyes Cody, Chief Thundercloud and Jim Thorpe as injuns.

Although lacking the polish of the later Republic serials and over-using stock footage, I nonetheless found this serial very entertaining.