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John 'Dusty' King

John 'Dusty' King

Actor · Died November 11, 1987, aged 78 · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Band singer and light leading man who graduated to leads in a series of B-Westerns. John King was born Miller McLeod Everson to Ernest and Ruth Brumfield Everson on 11 July 1909 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended the University of Cincinnati. Following his schooling, he held many jobs for short periods of time, stoking at a grain elevator, selling furniture, lumberjacking, inspecting meat, and bookkeeping. At 23, he was hired as an announcer by WCKY radio in nearby Covington, Kentucky. Within a year he was hosting a musical variety show and singing on WKRC in Cincinnati. He was then hired as a vocalist with Ben Bernie's band and went to Hollywood with the band to make an appearance in Stolen Harmony (1935). He stayed in the film capital and began to get small parts in pictures, occasionally singing. After appearing in a supporting role in one serial, King was signed by Universal for several roles and landed the lead in another serial, Ace Drummond (1936). He continued to appear in a variety of roles for Universal for the next four years. He then signed for one of the trio of leads in a Monogram Western, The Range Busters (1940), playing a character named Dusty. He continued playing Dusty for another 18 films in the series, billing himself now as John 'Dusty' King. He sang occasionally in the series, but was never a great threat to the leading singing cowboys of the period. The series ended in 1943 and King retired from the screen three years later. He opened a waffle restaurant in La Jolla, California, near San Diego, where he died in 1987, at 78, more than forty years after his last film.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
July 11, 1909
Died
November 11, 1987 (aged 78)
From
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 5% in 30 days

What are John 'Dusty' King's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
61%
Bonds
22%
Society
7%
Power
7%
Survival
4%
Justice10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 7 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 7
Ally
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
7
Tense
8
Absurd
5
Joyful
2
Warm
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John 'Dusty' King's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John 'Dusty' King's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

47 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Squadron of Doom(1949)

    as Ace Drummond

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Renegade Girl(1946)

    as Corporal Brown

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Haunted Ranch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Dusty King posing as Hank Travers

  • Two Fisted Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as 'Dusty' King

  • Trail Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dusty King

  • Texas to Bataan(1942)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Arizona Stage Coach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dusty King

  • Texas Trouble Shooters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dusty King

  • Boot Hill Bandits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as 'Dusty' King

  • Rock River Renegades(1942)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Law of the Jungle(1942)

    as Larry Mason

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Thunder River Feud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dusty King

  • Underground Rustlers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Dusty King

  • Tonto Basin Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as 'Dusty' King

  • Saddle Mountain Roundup(1941)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Fugitive Valley(1941)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Wrangler's Roost(1941)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Tumbledown Ranch In Arizona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as John King (prologue) & 'Dusty' King (flashback)

  • The Kid's Last Ride(1941)

    as Dusty King

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Trail of the Silver Spurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Dusty King

  • West of Pinto Basin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Dusty King

  • Trailing Double Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as John 'Dusty' King

  • The Range Busters(1940)

    as 'Dusty' King

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Blame It on Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Jeff Wadsworth

  • Half a Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Larry Cameron

  • Midnight Limited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Val Lennon

  • The Gentleman from Arizona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Pokey Sanders (as John King)

  • Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation(1939)

    as Howard Stevens

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Hardys Ride High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Phil Westcott

  • Inside Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Paul Randall

  • The Three Musketeers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Aramis

  • Charlie Chan in Honolulu(1938)

    as Randolph

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Sharpshooters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Prince Alexis (as John King)

  • Breaking the Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Henry Johnson

  • State Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Sgt. Dan Prescott

  • The Crime of Doctor Hallet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Dr. Phillip Saunders

  • Merry Go Round of 1938 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Tony Townsend (as John King)

  • The Road Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Ernst

  • Three Smart Girls(1936)

    as Bill Evans

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Ace Drummond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Ace Drummond

  • Postal Inspector(1936)

    as Ralph (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Crash Donovan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Johnny Allen

  • Sutter's Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Alvarado Jr.

  • Dangerous Waters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Singing Sailor

  • The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Bruce Browning (as John King)

  • 3 Kids and a Queen(1935)

    as Reporter

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Stolen Harmony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Fagin in Skit (uncredited)

Career shape

Star power in the 14th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 47 titles from 1935 to 1949.

Highest rated

Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938)

Midcredits 73rd

Most popular right now

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting47 of 47: 47 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score36th

By decade

1930s21 · acting1940s26 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do John 'Dusty' King's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

7thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 15 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

3 Kids and a Queen (1935)

76th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938)

Midcredits 73rd · 71% liked

Reviewers score the acting 52/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does John 'Dusty' King work with?

People who share at least 2 of John 'Dusty' King's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; S. Roy Luby shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers