Though this is the last of the label's five-volume collection, they weren't scraping the bottom of the barrel either in terms of the quality of the films, nor in terms of their audio/video. (Volumes One and Four are probably the worst overall.) The Roy Rogers and Gene Autry films, with a few exceptions, are best avoided. The Rogers' are mostly cut TV versions missing up to half and hour of footage, while the Autry pictures are better seen in restored, "official" releases distributed by Image Entertainment. This volume avoids the horribly transferred panned-and-scanned Euro-Westerns of the 1960s and '70s, though a few obscure stray indies from the early-1960s have snuck in.

What's best about this set are the B-Westerns featuring stars like James Newill, Tex Ritter, Richard Dix, Hoot Gibson, Allan "Rocky" Lane...and Phil Silvers. Yes, even Sergeant Bilko makes an appearance, in a fascinating TV special/Western spoof worth $9.95 all by itself (see below).

As before, this reviewer wasn't able to sit through more than a handful titles all the way through, but sampled the rest to gauge the quality of their transfers and print sources. The DVDs aren't labeled any particular way, but are generally grouped by star, era or sub-genre. Here's the breakdown, noting the original releasing company and cast, along with a word or two about the transfer of each film:

　 Disc 1: Roy Rogers

In Old Cheyenne (Republic, 1941) with Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Joan Woodbury, J. Farrell MacDonald, Sally Payne. Reporter Roy travels to Cheyenne to get the low-down on outlaw Arapaho Brown (Hayes), in fact an innocent man whose crimes are being committed by others. Historical Rogers Western was only 58 minutes long in its original release, so this edited 53 1/2 television version isn't too offensive. Picture quality is okay, possibly lifted from the Roan Group release. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

The Arizona Kid (Republic, 1939) with Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Sally March, Stuart Hamblen, Dorothy Sebastian, Robert Middlemass. Quite good Civil War Western casts Roy and Gabby as Confederate scouts battling outlaw guerillas (led by Hamblen) pretending to be loyal Rebs. Another cut TV version, down from its original 61-minute running time to 53 1/2 minutes, with the image a hairline below that of In Old Cheyenne. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

Ridin' Down the Canyon (Republic, 1942) with Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, Buzzy Henry, Linda Hayes, Olin Howland, James Seay, Roy Barcroft. Henry and Hayes, capturing and selling wild horses to the U.S. government at the outset of World War II, are the victims of rustlers led by Addison Richards. Can radio star Roy Rogers (Roy Rogers) and the Sons of the Pioneers stop them? Last of the Rogers-Hayes films. Short film was just 55 minutes in its original release, so this 53 1/2 TV version fares better than most of Roy's Westerns. Picture quality isn't bad. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

Idaho (Republic, 1943) with Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, Virginia Grey, Harry Shannon, Ona Munson, Onslow Stevens. After Gene Autry enlisted at the height of the war, Republic promoted Roy Rogers to "King of the Cowboys" status, even giving him Gene's old sidekick, Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette). (Gabby Hayes moved on to the Wild Bill Elliott series, also at Republic.) Roy's in love with the daughter of a respected judge, but he's being framed for criminal acts that are actually the work of a crooked saloon owner. Good cast, especially vastly underrated B-picture leading lady Virgina Grey, boost this otherwise routine Rogers picture up a notch. Just shy of 69 minutes, this seems to be the complete, unedited version, rare for these PD Roy Rogers titles. Picture quality also above average. Video Rating: (***)

Disc 2: Billy the Kid vs. the '60s Independents

Sheriff of Sage Valley (PRC, 1942) with Buster Crabbe, Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, Dave O'Brien, Maxine Leslie, Charles King, Kermit Maynard. Misunderstood outlaw Billy the Kid (Crabbe) is appointed sheriff of Sage Valley, but look-alike outlaw Kansas Ed Bonney (also Crabbe) threatens Billy's new job. Sixth "Billy the Kid" movie is already the second to feature Crabbe in a dual role! Not bad entry, but this already short (57 minutes) film is cut to about 52 minutes. Picture quality isn't bad for a PD PRC release. Video Rating: (**)

Western Cyclone (PRC, 1943) with Buster Crabbe, Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, Marjorie Manner, Karl Hackett, Milton Kibbee, Glenn Strange, Kermit Maynard. Billy the Kid rides again. Framed for murder (by future Frankenstein's Monster Strange) because of his friendship with Governor Hackett, it's up to Fuzzy to clear Billy's good name. At 60 minutes, this entry appears complete, though the print sourced is on the dark side. Video Rating: (**)

Shoot Out at Big Sag (Parallel Film Distributors, 1962) with Walter Brennan, Luana Patten, Chris Robinson, Constance Ford, Leif Erickson, Les Tremayne, Virginia Gregg. Walter Brennan, Jr. produced this little-seen indie production, which resembles (but apparently wasn't) an unsold TV pilot. Made during a period of relative inactivity by former Real McCoys star Brennan, possibly owing to his outspoken reactionary (and notoriously racist) views which didn't endear him to the Hollywood community. Character veterans Ford, Erickson, Tremayne and Gregg help make it tolerable. Full frame transfer of this 63-minute, 1.85:1 theatrical release looks okay. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

California (AIP, 1963) with Jock Mahoney, Faith Domergue, Michael Pate, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., Nestor Paiva, Felix Locher. Crummy low-budgeter - missing its opening titles - with reams of barely-connected stock footage in this tale of Mexican revolutionaries in Mexican-controlled California circa 1841. Picture quality of the new footage is sorta okay, full-frame of what was a 1.85:1 release. Video Rating: (**)

Discs 3: Poverty Row Stars

Hit the Saddle (Republic, 1937) with Robert Livingston, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, Max Terhune, Rita Hayworth, Yakima Canutt. The fifth "Three Mesquiteers" movie, this one featuring a young Rita Hayworth, still billed under her real name, Rita Cansino. After their sheriff friend is killed by murderous horse Volcano, it's up to the boys to solve the mystery. Okay series entry with an acceptable transfer, though its 53 1/2-minute running time may be shorn of three or four minutes. Video Rating: (**)

Sagebrush Trail (Lone Star / Monogram, 1933) with John Wayne, Nancy Shubert, Lane Chandler, Yakima Canutt, Henry Hall, Wally Wales. Good stunt work by Canutt and familiar Bronson Cavern locations raise this ultra-cheap John Wayne Lone Star Western, his second, a bit higher than the ones that would follow. Print quality is borderline at best, however, and a big videotape wrinkle at the bottom of the frame is highly distracting. Video Rating: (* 1/2)

Yukon Flight (Criterion Pictures Corp. / Monogram, 1940) with James Newill, Louise Stanley, Warren Hull, William Pawley, Dave O'Brien, George Humbert. The fourth of six "Renfrew of the Royal Mounted" (say that fast three times!) yarns with Newill as Laurie York Eskine's Canadian Mountie hero, Sergeant Renfrew. This reviewer had never even heard of this series or its star, but it makes for an agreeable little B, and the print sourced is pretty good. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

The Pinto Bandit (PRC, 1944) with Dave 'Tex' O'Brien, James Newill, Guy Wilkerson, Mady Lawrence, James Ingram. When mail delivery is disrupted by a mask-wearing bandit, Texas Rangers O'Brien, Newill, and Wilkerson set out to expose him. Horribly scratched-up print has seen better days. Video Rating: (* 1/2)

Disc 4: Miscellany

The Gay Amigo (United Artists, 1949) with Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, Armida, Joe Sawyer, Kenneth MacDonald, Clayton Moore, Fred Crane. One of the last Cisco Kid movies before Renaldo and Carrillo (as Pancho) moved their character to television (see below), in the long-running 1950-56 series. Here, the Cisco Kid and Pancho must clear their names when they're mistaken for notorious outlaws. Familiar Three Stooges bad guy (and later frequent Perry Mason judge) MacDonald and a pre-Lone Ranger Moore liven up the proceedings. Image is a bit soft but acceptable. Video Rating: (**)　

Jesse James' Women (United Artists, 1954) with Don 'Red' Barry, Peggie Castle, Jack Buetel, Lita Baron, Michael Carr. Barry directs himself in this absurd, independently-made Western, with Jesse James quite the ladies man, so much so that it interferes with his work as the west's leading outlaw. Full-frame release of this 1.85:1 theatrical production looks very good; it appears that an IB Technicolor print was sourced. Video Rating: (***)

Lightning Strikes West (Colony Pictures, 1940) with Ken Maynard, Claire Rochelle, Bob Terry, Michael Vallon, Charles King, Dick Dickinson. Lightning Morgan (Maynard) is dispatched to recapture escaped convict Butch Taggart (Vallon) and find his hidden gold. Low-budget obscurity looks pretty good for what it is, with little print wear and a decent image overall. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

Young Buffalo Bill (Republic, 1940) with Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Pauline Moore, Hugh Sothern, Chief Thundercloud, Julian Rivero. Roy and Gabby are back for another historical Western, with the former playing the title character, here an army surveyor in New Mexico fighting bad guys after a secret gold mine. Rogers played Young Bill Hickok that same year. Unfortunately, this is another cut TV version, missing about five minutes from its original 59-minute running time, but the print is otherwise well above average, almost pristine in fact. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

Disc 5: More B-Western Stars

　 Git Along, Little Dogies (Republic, 1937) with Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Maple City Four, Judith Allen, Weldon Heyburn, William Farnum, Willie Fung, Carleton Young, The Cabin Kids. It's oilmen vs. ranchers in this early Autry picture, with a higher-than-normal quotient of racial stereotypes, including Fung's "Sing Low." Despite some good comedy and action scenes, this is a cut TV version running just 53 minutes (from its original 67) and the print used isn't great, so interested viewers are better off waiting for the official Autry Collection release from Image. Video Rating: (**)　

The Kansan (United Artists, 1943) with Richard Dix, Jane Wyatt, Albert Dekker, Eugene Pallette, Victor Jory, Robert Armstrong, Beryl Wallace, Clem Bevans, Willie Best. Quite good Western with Dix appointed town marshal after stopping a bank robbery, but who soon runs into trouble with the very banker whose funds he saved. Well-produced high-end B from producer Harry "Pop" Sherman with a great cast of familiar names, though the print is washed out and awful splicy around the reel changes. Video Rating: (**)

Hi-Yo Silver (Republic, 1940) with Lynne Roberts, Stanley Andrews, George Cleveland, Chief Thundercloud, William Farnum, Wally Wales, Bruce Bennett [Herman Brix], George Montgomery. 69-minute condensation of the 264-minute, 15-chapter The Lone Ranger, a 1938 serial and the first film about that famous masked man. Like most feature versions of serials, this one has a lot of fast-paced but incomprehensible action. The unusual premise offers five leading men - any one of whom could be The Lone Ranger. Unfortunately, the otherwise decent print has another one of those ugly horizontal bars visible at the top of the frame, an easily correctible mastering error. Video Rating: (**)

Sing, Cowboy, Sing (Grand National Pictures, 1937) with Tex Ritter, Louise Stanley, Al St. John, Charles King, Karl Hackett, 'Snub' Pollard, Hank Worden. Tex (Ritter) and Duke (St. John) come to the rescue when a young woman's (Stanley) freight line is threatened by a ruthless, murderous gang. Fun low-budget Western with especially enjoyable songs. Love that Grand National company logo. Print is pretty good, if a tad warped around the edges. Video Rating: (**)

Disc 6: Odds & Ends

The Phil Silvers Special: The Slowest Gun in the West (Tra-Nan Productions/CBS., 1960) with Phil Silvers, Jack Benny, Bruce Cabot, Ted de Corsia, Jack Elam, Jean Willes, Parley Baer, Robert J. Wilke, John Dierkes, Lee Van Cleef, Kathie Browne, Marion Ross, Jack Albertson, Edward Brophy, George Chandler, Byron Foulger. A real find, this hilarious parody of TV Westerns is a one-hour TV special written and produced by Silvers's Sgt. Bilko creator, Nat Hiken. It's superior to most feature film parodies, partly because the Western world Silvers (as "The Silver Dollar Kid") and Benny inhabit is played straight and populated by an incredible cast of genre veterans; only the unnecessary laugh-track drags it down. The transfer, from 16mm, is beat up and the framing is screwy (the film gate is visible at the top of the frame, and that horizontal bar is back) but otherwise a must-see. Video Rating: (**)

Dawn on the Great Divide (Monogram, 1942) with Buck Jones, Mona Barrie, Raymond Hatton, Robert Lowery, Rex Bell, Christine McIntyre, Betty Blythe, Tristram Coffin, Roy Barcroft. Bad guys disguised as Indians threaten Buck's wagon train carrying railroad supplies. Buck Jones' last film, released about three weeks after his death in the tragic Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire. Print is pretty bad, too dark and too soft. Video Rating: (* 1/2)

The Cisco Kid: "Chain Lightning" (Ziv Television Programs, 1950) with Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, Edmund Cobb, Don C. Harvey, Noel Neill, Lee Phelps, David Sharpe. This is nothing more than the seventh episode from the first season of The Cisco Kid TV show, notable for its pre-Adventures of Superman appearance by Noel Neill. Shot in 16mm, the image is on the soft side, not bad. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

Colorado Sundown (Republic, 1952) with Rex Allen, Mary Ellen Kay, Slim Pickens, June Vincent, Fred Graham, Louise Beavers. After Gene Autry left Republic, Roy Rogers moved to television, and with John Wayne soon to depart for good after battling the studio for years over his dream film about the Alamo, Republic was on its way out. Rex Allen ("The Arizona Cowboy") was appointed Republic's latest star, for a series of generally unimpressive, old-fashioned '50s Bs. Print has poor sound, bad contrast, and the ol' horizontal bar at the top of the frame. Video Rating: (*)

Disc 7: Still More B-Western Stars

Cowboy and the Senorita (Republic, 1944) with Roy Rogers, Mary Lee, Dale Evans, John Hubbard, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Fuzzy Knight, Dorothy Christy, Lucien Littlefield, Wally Wales, Spanky McFarland, Kirk Alyn. Three years before they were married, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were teamed for the first time in this, their first picture together. Clichéd story has teenager Mary Lee being cheated out of her supposedly worthless mine until Roy steps in to investigate. This criminally short, 51-minute TV version cuts a good 27 minutes from the original release's running time and should be avoided. Video Rating: (**)

Man of the Frontier (original title: Red River Valley) (Republic, 1936) with Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Frances Grant, Boothe Howard, Jack Kennedy, George Chesebro, Charles King, Eugene Jackson. Like Cowboy and the Senorita, this is a cut TV version of an earlier Republic Pictures release. In this case, the edits aren't as extreme (55 minutes, down from the original's 59), but Autry fans are far better off waiting for the official Autry Entertainment release of the restored cut. Besides this print has such bad contrast you can't even read some of the titles. Horizontal bar is back again. Video Rating: (**)

Marshal of Cedar Rock (Republic, 1953) with Allan 'Rocky' Lane, Eddy Waller, Phyllis Coates, Roy Barcroft, Robert Shayne, William Henry, John Hamilton, Kenneth MacDonald. Before he became the uncredited voice of Mr. Ed, Allan Lane was a busy Republic B-Western star, memorably as Red Ryder in the late-1940s, later as "Rocky" Lane in a series of mostly undistinguished second features. This one's notable for featuring three - count 'em, three! - of the stars from The Adventures of Superman: Coates, Hamilton, and Shayne. Transfer is on the soft side, but pretty good all things considered. Video Rating: (** 1/2)

West of Pinto Basin (Monogram, 1940) with Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max 'Alibi' Terhune, Gwen Gaze, Tristram Coffin, Jack Perrin, Elmer. The third of 24 "Range Busters" movies produced by Poverty Row studio Monogram isn't bad, with the trio (Corrigan, King, and Terhune in this incarnation) battling the usual crooked saloon owner trying cheat settlers out of their land. If you're not a B-Western fan, the sight of a cowboy riding to the rescue with a ventriloquist's dummy named Elmer on his lap may leave you nonplussed. 16mm TV print is beat to all hell with poor contrast. Video Rating: (* 1/2)

Disc 8: More Rarities

The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen (Grand National Pictures, 1937) with Tex Ritter, Iris Meredith, Horace Murphy, Charles King, Earl Dwire, Forrest Taylor, Hank Worden. Tex Ritter's back in another singing cowboy Western, this one with Tex and his horse White Flash infiltrating a gang of hooded outlaws. Worn 16mm print is all scratched up, but the big offender is that damn horizontal bar again. Sheesh! Video Rating: (* 1/2).

Phantom Thunderbolt (Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, 1933) with Ken Maynard, Frances Lee, Frank Rice, William Gould, Wilfred Lucas, Stanley Blystone, Kermit Maynard. When outlaws try to prevent a railroad from going through a Western town, the Thunderbolt Kid (Maynard) comes to the rescue. "And I'm a warnin' ya, he's most dangerous when he's smilin'. That's a sure sign he's riled." Antique Western uses a print with extreme black and whites with little gray scale, with the cast tending to look like a troupe of mimes. Video Rating: (* 1/2).

Robin Hood of the Pecos (Republic, 1941) with Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Marjorie Reynolds, Cy Kendall, Leigh Whipper, Sally Payne, Eddie Acuff. The last of the series' Roy Rogers Westerns is, alas, another cut TV version, this one missing about six minutes of its original 59-minute running time. Roy and Gabby battle carpetbagger militia men - and that horizontal bar - in this post-Civil War Texas story. Tinny sound. Video Rating: (* 1/2)

Wild Horse Allied Pictures Corp., 1931) with Hoot Gibson, Alberta Vaughn, Stepin Fetchit, Neal Hart, Edmund Cobb, George Bunny A valuable wild horse is stolen and Hoot is arrested for the murder of pal Skeeter Bill Burke (Skeeter Bill Robins). Early talkie Western features unfortunate racial stereotype Fetchit. Except for that horizontal bar (sigh) the print looks pretty good for such an obscurity. Video Rating: (**).

Video & Audio

See above for comments on individual titles. All eight discs are region-free, single-sided and dual-layered, but the bit-rate is notably poor and, needless to say, these aren't progressive transfers so line-doublers and the like are a big plus. Everything is mono, and acceptable except where noted. Likewise, there are no alternate audio or subtitle options on anything, and no Extra Features. Viewers will also want to be warned of Platinum's water mark, which appears intermittently during all the films, roughly for 30 seconds every ten minutes or so. As with about one-quarter of all of the titles in all five volumes, there are video mastering imperfections which will drive some viewers crazy. On this set a horizontal video frame bar at the top of the cuts into picture information on many of the releases (see above for specific cases).

Parting Thoughts

If you're looking for something to show off your new big screen plasma TV, this ain't it. These sets also aren't for you if you can't tolerate a lot of transfer issues: edited films, scratched-up 16mm prints, old video masters with age-related wrinkles, warped prints, etc. For this reviewer, only about 25% of the roughly 160 features contained in these five volumes are a) interesting enough as movies to want to watch; and b) presented in transfers at least minimally tolerable to sit through - but that still leaves 40 movies worth seeing, and so the extremely low price outweighs the unwatchable junk not worth your time. (Barely) Recommended.

Film historian Stuart Galbraith IV's most recent essays appear in Criterion's new three-disc Seven Samurai DVD and BCI Eclipse's The Quiet Duel. His audio commentary for Invasion of Astro Monster is now available.