Western Wednesdays: Frontier Pony Express (1939)

     Frontier Pony Express was released on April 12th, 1939. Distributed by Republic Pictures it is produced and directed by Joseph Kane and written by Norman S. Hall. It stars Roy Rogers as a Pony Express Rider who must thwart a Confederate plot to bring California out of the Union. 

     Like many films made around this time, Frontier Pony Express takes a somewhat neutral stance on the Union/Confederate conflict. Though the main villain, Edward Keane's Senator Calhoun Lassiter, is working for the Confederacy, it is later revealed that he has his own agenda and wants to make California an independent republic with himself in control. Don Dillaway plays his ally Brett Langhorne, a loyal Confederate agent who is unaware of Lassiter's treachery but nonetheless uncomfortable with his morally ambiguous methods. Lynne Roberts, who appeared with Roy in many of his early pictures (billed as Mary Hart), plays Brett's sister Ann who is torn between her loyalty to her brother the the Confederacy and her feelings for Roy. Roy himself is similarly conflicted as he has fallen for Ann but doesn't trust her brother. In the end, Brett redeems himself when he is killed standing up to Lassiter, who tries to persuade the young patriot to go along with his schemes.

 

     As usual, Joseph Kane keeps the film moving. There's plenty of action throughout including a really well done shootout when Luke Johnson and his gang (secretly working for Lassiter) rob the Express Office dressed as Confederate raiders. It also features a cracker-jack climax where the bad guys try to intercept an important gold shipment which Roy is carrying. Trigger saves the day by arriving in the nick-of-time to relieve Roger's tiring mount and even takes center stage when Roy dismounts to draw the gang away and Trigger is chased to the edge of a cliff and jumps down into the river below!

     Roy and Lynne Roberts have good chemistry, even if their relationship in this film is a little more stormy then usual. On the other hand, Roy's lack of discretion in telling her about the important dispatches he is going to carry (a source of division after Johnson's gang tries to steal them) comes across as a bit contrived. Meanwhile Raymond Hatton doubles as Roy's partner and his comic relief in a somewhat tiresome subplot where he tries to escape the wrath of Ethel Wales's Mrs. Murphy, who he cheated out of an expensive broach. Don Dillaway does a decent job in a somewhat stiff role as the loyal-to-a-fault Brett Langhorne. The always intimidating Noble Johnson is perfectly cast as the unscrupulous outlaw leader Luke Johnson, who Lassiter enlists in his schemes despite Langhorne's protests. In many ways he overshadows Edward Keane's main villain.

     Though uneven at times, Frontier Pony Express has more then enough outstanding qualities for me to recommend it.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Heart of the West (1936)

     Released on July 24th, 1936,  Heart of the West is the 6th Hopalong Cassidy film. Produced by Harry Sherman and directed by Howard Bretherton from a script by Doris Schroeder, it is an adaptation of Mesquite Jenkins, Tumbleweed by Clarence E. Mulford. In this film, Hoppy and Johnny Nelson (played, as usual, by William Boyd and James Ellison) are hired by a rancher named John Trumbull (Sidney Blackmer), only to find that he is harassing local rancher Jim Jordan (Charles Martin), who wants to keep Trumbull from trespassing on his land. 

     Of course, once they find this out, Hoppy and Johnny turn down Trumbull's job offer and go to work for Jordan instead. Johnny, predictably, falls for Jim's sister Sally Jordan (Lynn Gabriel) on whom Trumbull has designs of his own. Meanwhile, Jordan's foreman Windy Halliday (Gabby Hayes) is resentful of the newcomers, feeling that he can handle things himself. Things are brought to a head when Trumbull's cohort Barton (Fred Kohler) arrives with a herd of cattle he intends to drive through Jordan's range. 

     Heart of the West is fairly light on action until the climax, involving a shootout and a stampede which Hoppy and the boys turn around using some dynamite. Other then that we get Hoppy wrestling a runaway bull (mostly off-screen) and a rather limp fight between Johnny and some of Trumbull's goons. The pacing is a little erratic as well, with the conflict between Jordan and Trumbull progressing in fits and starts. The film is almost half over before Hoppy finally decides to throw in with Jordan.

      The regular cast members are all in fine form, though Boyd doesn't have much to do and Ellison is reduced to being the butt of the joke more-often-then-not in this installment. Interestingly, Gabby once again plays a character named Windy but this time it's Windy Jenkins instead of Windy Halliday. Sidney Blackmer, best known for playing Theodore Roosevelt both on stage and in Hollywood movies, is a little lacking as the heavy this time around (he would do a much better job in the later entry Law of the Pampas (1939)). Charles Martin is just fine as Jim Jordan, who in many ways is the film's real protagonist. Lynn Gabriel isn't much more then a pretty face but she has good enough chemistry with Ellison to carry their few scenes together. 

     In the end, Heart of the West is a middling Hopalong Cassidy movie. It delivers the goods, but with less finesse then normal, and it lacks any really stand-out scenes or characters to distinguish it from a myriad of other B-westerns. 

 

Score: 7/10

Western Wednesdays: Rocky Rhodes (1934) (Belated)

Apologies that this was late. I've been sick the last few days...

     Rocky Rhodes was released by Universal Pictures on September 24th, 1934.  Directed by Alfred Raboch and written by Edward Churchill from a story by W. C. Tuttle it stars Buck Jones as Rocky Rhodes, a cowboy who is called home by his father when trouble starts brewing at the home ranch in Cactus City, Arizona.

     Rocky Rhodes gets off to a shaky start with a rather uninspiring opening where Rocky and his terribly unfunny comic-relief sidekick (Stanley Fields' Harp Haverty) trade barbs with one another in the office of the Chicago stock yards where they work. After receiving a letter from his father requesting that he return home he and Harp are taken by surprise when a fire flares up which destroys the stockyards. There is then a tedious (and rather pointless) scene where the two men take a train to Cactus City and Rocky gets into a fight with a snarky cowhand. 

     Once we reach Cactus City the film picks up considerably. Rocky discovers that his father has been murdered, an act for which his trusted foreman, Paul Fix's Joe Hilton, stands accused. Fix is busted out of prison with the help of the real murderers, who shoot him in the back after his escape. Dan Murtch, head of the Cactus City Investment, is the man behind all the trouble. He plans to force the local ranchers, including John Street (Alfred P. James) and his daughter Nan (Sheila Terry), to sell their spreads to him but Rocky interferes. To get him out of the way, Murtch has Rocky framed for robbing the bank, causing Rhodes to go on the run. He must clear his name and prove who the real criminals are before Murtch can carry out his plans.

     Ted D. McCord's cinematography is quite good. There's a lot of nighttime photography which is particularly dynamic. Though Alfred Raboch's direction is inconsistent, at times it really shines. The climax is really thrilling with Rocky calling out Murtch in the saloon and then chasing him to the Street's ranch where an injured Nan is trying to crawl away before the explosives, planted by Murtch's men, go off. Hilton's death scene is genuinely poignant, as he reminisces about the god ol' days with Rocky and Harp. Paul Fix sells it really well. The scene where Rocky tells his mother (Lydia Knott) about his father's murder is also emotional, perhaps uncomfortably so, as Buck picks her up and carries her around the house!

     It's definitely a flawed film, marred in particular by occasionally jarring cuts and Stanley Fields insufferable comic relief. In the end, though at times crude Rocky Rhodes delivers the goods and is a solid start to Jones tenure at Universal.

 Score: 7/10

Western Wednesdays: Days of Jesse James (1939)

     Days of Jesse James was released on December 20th, 1939. Starring Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes and Don 'Red' Barry it is directed by Joseph Kane and was distributed by Republic Pictures. In this film, Roy plays a peace officer hired by the Bankers Association to track down the James brothers after they, allegedly, rob a bank. 

     It turns out that the robbery was actually committed by the owner of the bank, who wants to take the money for himself while pinning the robbery on James' gang. Helping Roy is Gabby Whittaker (Hayes), the owner of a rich gold mine who lost his fortune in the robbery and whose daughter (Pauline Moore's Mary Whittaker) has seen Jesse face-to-face. Of course, Mary and Roy fall for each-other by the end of the picture and the bankers plans are foiled after Roy and Gabby infiltrate James' gang, and discover that they were not responsible for the robbery. 

     Given that it was released the same year, it is likely that this film was made to cash in on the success of Henry King's Jesse James. Like that film it has, as you might expect, even less regard for historical fact and paints the titular outlaw (here played by Donald Barry) in a sympathetic light. Jesse has been forced into his life of crime by corrupt bankers and railroad men, and he cares deeply for his family. Barry, better known as Don 'Red' Barry, came to Republic in 1939 after spending most of the 30's playing bit parts. The same year that he played Jesse he played the villain in Saga of Death Valley, also with Rogers, and in the Three Mesquiteers' film Wyoming Outlaw. The following year he signed on with the studio as a contract player and got his big break playing the titular character of Republic's Adventures of Red Ryder serial.

     Barry does a good job playing James, imbuing the character with a sense of honor ands humanity but also a dangerous, violent streak. The scene where he goes to visit his family is quite touching and later, when he stands up for Mary to against an overbearing lawman (who is unaware that James is the man he is hunting), he is able to show his honorable side. It's no wonder the actor went on to be a western star in his own  right. The rest of the cast acquit themselves nicely as well. The always solid Harry Worth puts in a good turn as Jesse's brother Frank. Glen Strange is his usual menacing self as Cole Younger. Roy has good chemistry with Pauline Moore and, as always, with Gabby Hayes. Arthur Loft brings plenty of sleaze to the role of the corrupt banker. Fred Burns is solid as the local sheriff who aids Roy in his investigation while Harry Woods acts a a foil for Rogers as railroad detective Captain Worthington.

     The subplot involving Worthington, who wants to keep the reward for capturing Jesse to himself, adds yet another plot thread to the already complicated story but, somehow, the script, by Earle Snell and Jack Natteford, manages to balance all these disparate threads into a fairly cohesive 63 minutes. Director Joseph Kane keeps the economically paced story moving at a good clip and the action is especially well handled. There were three songs featured in the movie but the version I saw (which was edited for TV) only retained one, "Echo Mountain," which Roy sings to Mary's organ accompaniment upon meeting her and reprises at the end of the film. It's a decent enough little tune. 

     Overall, Days of Jesse James features the same consistent level of quality that would mark Roy Rogers westerns as long as Kane was in the producer's chair. Just don't go in looking for a historically accurate movie about the life of the outlaw. 

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Fort Osage (1952)

     Fort Osage was released on January 1st, 1952. Produced by Monogram Pictures it is directed by genre veteran Lesley Selander and stars Rod Cameron. In this film Cameron plays wagonmaster Tom Clay, who is hired by the unscrupulous Arthur Pickett to lead a wagon train of homesteaders from Missouri to California. 

     On his way in to town to meet Pickett, Tom comes across a massacred wagon train and, believing that the Osage are on the warpath, tries to dissuade Pickett from sending the homesteaders through. Unbeknownst to Clay, Pickett has been withholding government supplies from the Osage and is responsible for their current discontent. George Keane (Douglas Kennedy), the leader of Pickett's hired thugs, is convinced that the wagon was attacked by a small party of rogue Osages and insists on bringing the wagons through but Clay refuses. To complicate matters, Clay falls for Pickett's daughter Ann (Jane Nigh) who is unaware of her father's treachery and tries to convince Tom to take the job as wagon-master.

     Eventually, he agrees to go and meet with the Osage chief and get to the bottom of the conflict. He finds out that a group of the Osages were massacred by Keane and his men while going to pick up their supplies. From here things begin to escalate, as Keane goes to town to bring Pickett and his band to justice while Keane and his men raid the Osage camp to discourage them from taking further action. In the end, Clay must take down Keane and his gang and prove to the Osage that it is they, and not the townsfolk, who are responsible for the violence. 

      For a series western, Fort Osage is fairly complex in its treatment of the relationship between the settlers and the Osage. It is fairly par-for-the-course to have the Indians play be innocent victims of unscrupulous white villains but we rarely get to see their point of view and the tragic violence we see here would generally be avoided in your average B-western. Pickett's last minute change of heart is also a little more nuanced then one would usually expect for a villain in this type of picture, though Kennedy's character remains thoroughly irredeemable. It is also worthy of note that Cameron's character is friendly with the Osage and speaks highly of them throughout the film.

     Rod Cameron makes for a strong protagonist. His imposing figure (he was 6' 5"!) and rugged visage give him a real onscreen presence. Tom Clay is a pragmatic, world-weary man and Cameron sells it really well. He has surprisingly good romantic chemistry with Jane Nigh, who is able to hold her own in there scenes together and imbues her character with a sense of integrity and spirit. The film is well cast in general. Morris Ankrum does a good job playing Arthur Pickett, who at first seems trustworthy but ultimately turns out to be crooked. He really sells the character change of heart and grows increasingly uncomfortable with Keane's violent methods as the film goes on. Douglas Kennedy is also great as the despicable Keane, and brings a real sense of perfidiousness to the role of George Kean while Francis McDonald brings a lot of of humanity to the beleaguered Osage Chief. The film also features solid performances from John Ridgely as Henry Travers, I. Stanford Jolley, Dorothy Adams and Anne Kimbell as a homesteader family the Winfields, and Myron Healey, a familiar face for any fan of the genre, as one of Keane's henchmen.

     The film's direction is deftly handled by Lesley Selander who does an especially good job with the action, which is plentiful in this film. He is greatly aided here by Marlin Skiles score, which has a warmth and affectiveness unusual for a film of this sort. The Cinecolor photography by Harry Neumann is quite well done, even if it lacks the vibrancy of the more expensive Technicolor. Like Trucolor it provided an inexpensive 2-color alternative to Technicolor, but tended to have a more teal look as compared to the muddy appearance of Trucolor.

     Overall, Fort Osage is a really solid little gem from the last days of the series western.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Three on the Trail (1936)

     Three on the Trail was released on April 24th, 1936. It is the 5th film in Harry Sherman's Hopalong Cassidy series and is directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Doris Schroeder and Vernon Smith. In this installment Hoppy and Johnny Nelson (played by William Boyd and James Ellison respectively) come to the aid of the new schoolmarm Mary Stevens (Muriel Evans), rescuing her from the clutches of saloon owner Pecos Kane (Onslow Stevens) who tries to coerce her into working for him. It turns out that Kane is up to all sorts of mischief, from robbing the local stage to rustling cattle, and it's up to Cassidy, Nelson, Windy and the rest of the Bar-20 gang to bring him to justice. 

     Johnny, of course, falls for Mary and becomes jealous when he sees her dancing with Hoppy. This is a bit tedious but, thankfully, the film doesn't focus on it too much. On a similar note the main problem with the film is that it is generally lacking in focus. Johnny's romance with Mary is not really connected in any way with Kane's schemes except for the fact that they happened to witness his men holding up the stage. As with many villains in the series, Pecos is unable to effectively combat Cassidy. The only reason he is successful at all is because he has paid up the corrupt Sheriff Sam Corwin (John St. Polis) and the gullible rancher J. P. Ridley (Claude King) who, for some unexplained reason, has the authority to issue arrest warrants!

     All of the cast acquit themselves well. Onslow Stevens is a thoroughly despicable villain even if his goals are a bit vague. Muriel Evans is a fine ingenue and has decent chemistry with Boyd and Ellison. John St. Polis is a good choice to play the crooked sheriff as is Claude King for the well-intentioned but naive European rancher. Gabby Hayes is featured once again, here for the first time playing the woman-hating Windy Halliday (he played another character named Windy in the Bar 20 Rides Again, the third film in the series). His constant complaining about "dern persnickety woman" would become something of a trademark for the actor after this. William Duncan and Clara Kimball Young do a good job as Buck and Muriel Peters, the the latter has some fun moments with Windy.

     The film moves at a decent clip and features a really top-notch climax, where the Bar 20 gang faces off with Pecos men in an awesome gunfight around his saloon but it's not enough to save the film from its flimsy plot.

 Score: 6/10

Western Wednesdays: Texas Cyclone (1932)

 

     Texas Cyclone was released on February 24th, 1932. Directed by D. Ross Lederman and written by Randall Faye from a story by William Colt MacDonald it stars Tim McCoy as "Texas" Grant, a cowboy who is mistaken by the townsfolk of Stampede for a rancher named Jim Rawlings, who was murdered two years prior. 

     Texas Cyclone features much of the same cast and crew from Two-Fisted Law, another of McCoy's pictures for Columbia released the same year and which I reviewed several weeks ago. Both were directed by D. Ross Lederman and had stories by William Colt MacDonald and both featured John Wayne, Walter Brennan and Wheeler Oakman in the cast. This was very common for series westerns, which were generally produced by a single person (Irving Briskin in this case) and often used the same contract players time and time again (Wayne also appears in Range Feud, one of Buck Jones films for Columbia). 

     This film features a much better plot then Two-Fisted Law, even if it is a well worn one for the genre involving mistaken identity and, later, amnesia. The denouement is a bit rushed, but other then that the film is paced very well. Like that film, and like most early Columbia sound pictures, it relies heavily on speeding up the frame rate for the action scenes. The climax, however, is really suspenseful and more then makes up for the film's otherwise less-then-stellar action. Lederman's steady, unobtrusive direction, holds everything together really well. 

     The supporting cast is better utilized this time around. Wayne is more involved in the plot, and even gets a short action scene of his own. Walter Brennan's role here is a more familiar one for him, playing the crotchety old sheriff, Lew Collins. Shirley Grey, who plays Rawlings' wife, is a more interesting love interest then Alice Day was and plays off McCoy really well. Vernon Dent is featured in a small but memorable role as Hefty, a bartender who was friendly with Rawlings. Wheeler Oakman makes for a solid villain once again as does Wallace MacDonald as his henchmen. McCoy himself is in fine form, particularly during the climax when his character is clearly under duress. 

     Featuring a strong cast, a well plotted story and a first-rate climax, Texas Cyclone is a solid Tim McCoy western.

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Two-Fisted Law (1932)

     Two-Fisted Law was released by Columbia Pictures on June 8th, 1932. Produced by Irving Briskin and directed by D. Ross Lederman it is based on a story by William Colt MacDonald (best known for writing the Three Mesquiteers series of novels). It is one of many westerns that Tim McCoy starred in for Universal between 1931 and 1935.

      In this film McCoy plays Tim Clark, a rancher who is cheated out of his rancher by Wheeler Oakman's Bob Russell. Returning home after two years he finds that Russell is now trying to take take the ranch belonging to his girl (Alice Day's Betty Owen) as well. When Tim gets in the way of Russell's plans he is framed for robbing the express office and murdering the clerk. Tim must work fast to clear his name and buy back his ranch from Russell. 

     Two-Fisted Law has a rather flimsy plot. Once he comes back from his prospecting, Clark is in supreme command of the situation, having obtained ample money with which to buy back his ranch and being skilled enough with his gun that Russell's henchmen are afraid of him. Because of this, the filmmakers have to keep coming up with obstacles to get in his way and then contriving an easy solution. In one scene Tim goes to the express office to look for clues that might exonerate him and conveniently finds a piece of paper with a bloody boot print that no one else noticed. He is suspected, in part, because of the large sum of money he gives to Russell to pay off Betty's debt. He obtained this money from the silver mine he discovered during his absence but doesn't bother to inform the sheriff of this until the end of the film. 

      This all makes for some erratic pacing. The general structure of the film is to have the villains come up with some ploy to either kill Tim or have him arrested, only for him to easily overcome them time and time again. It should be noted the the version I watched was edited for TV and about 7 minutes were cut from the film (this seems to be the only version currently available). It is possible that these pacing issues were less egregious the full length version. Alas, I may never know.

     The film does boast a pretty impressive cast. How many other westerns can claim to unite an established star like McCoy with young, not yet famous actors like John Wayne and Walter Brennan, both of whom are in fine form here. The film also features the always reliable Wheeler Oakman as the heavy and Tully Marshall, a veteran of the silent era, as the beleaguered sheriff who is forced to go against Clark in spite of his better judgement. Both do a fine job. Alice Day is a bit of a weak link as the love interest, delivering her lines rather woodenly at times. McCoy, of course, is great in the lead, even if he can't shoot straight to save his life. He has such a natural virility and quiet, confident presence and he commands your attention whenever he's onscreen.  

 

 

     D. Ross Lederman's direction is pretty strong. He and cinematographer Benjamin H. Kline (who helmed many of the Rin Tin Tin serials for Mascot pictures) utilize an unusual amount of camera movement for a film from this period. There are plenty of chase scenes and shootouts spread throughout the picture and there fairly well done, though the former do suffer from the use of sped up frame rates, an all too common tactic for action pictures in this period. 

     All in all Two-Fisted Law is a bit of a mediocre western, though it has its merits. I'd recommend for fans of McCoy or those who want to see a young John Wayne and Walter Brennan on screen together.

Score: 6/10

Western Wednesdays: The Last of the Mohicans (1936)

     The Last of the Mohicans was released on September 4th, 1936. Directed by George B. Seitz it is an adaptation of the novel by James Fenimore Cooper and was adapted for the screen by writers Philip Dunne and John L. Balderston. In it, Alice and Cora Munro (Binnie Barnes and Heather Angel respectively), the daughters of Colonel George Munro (Hugh Buckler), commander of British Fort William Henry, set out to join their father in the midst of the French and Indian War. Escorting them are Major Duncan Hayward (Henry Wilcoxon) and a group of Huron braves lead by the treacherous Magua (Bruce Cabot). When Magua betrays them they are rescued by a pair of Mohican Indians, Robert Barrat's Chingachgook and his son Uncas (Phillip Reed), along with the white companion Hawkeye (Randolph Scott).

     While the plot of The Last of the Mohicans mostly follows that of the novel the characters are quite different and many significant details are changed. Alice and Cora's personalities have been switched around, with the former being more assertive and protective then she was in the book. In addition, a romantic relationship between Alice and Hawkeye is added which, in my view, takes away from Hawkeye's character. It also means that Duncan is made out to be kind of a pompous ass. In the book he is naive at times (which makes sense given the unfamiliar situation he finds himself in) but is generally quick to learn, and he and Hawkeye share a relationship of mutual respect, whereas here they are constantly at each others throats.

     Many of these changes were carried over into the Micheal Mann remake, which I reviewed some years back. This makes sense given that Mann has cited this film as being the main basis for his, as he didn't like Cooper's novel, seeing it as a glorification of white seizure of Indian lands. There, of course, Duncan and Hawkeye's affections are transferred to Cora (who retains her characterization from the novel) while Alice is now the one who is killed. Unlike the remake, this film stay closer to the source material's original ending, and includes the shooting match between Hawkeye and Duncan (who tries to claim the hunter's identity in order to save his life). 

     The film is well cast, particularly Randolph Scott as Hawkeye, even if I wish he was less of a romantic lead. Bruce Cabot is also good as the villainous Magua, though I definitely prefer Wes Studi in the role. Henry Wilcoxon does the best he can in his thankless role as Duncan Hayward. Binnie Barnes is excellent as Alice as is Heather Angel as her more subdued sister. Phillip Reed and Robert Barrat are somewhat underutilized as Uncas and Chingachgook while Frank McGlynn Sr. is a great choice to play the pious Gamut, whose role is significantly reduced here. George Seitz's direction is unremarkable but competent, and he handles the big battle really well. Cinematographer Robert H. Planck captures the action well but ultimately leavers the film feeling a little confined and lacking in scale.

     In the end this is a completely respectable adaption of The Last of the Mohicans, if ultimately a little lightweight. 

Score: 8/10

Western Wednesdays: Daniel Boone (1936)

 

     Daniel Boone was released on October 16th, 1936. Directed by David Howard and written by Daniel Jarrett and Edgecumb Pincho, it stars George O'Brien as the titular legendary frontiersman and is a loose retelling of the founding of Boonesborough.

 

     The film follows the actual history very loosely, instead  following the basic formula of wagon train pictures like The Covered Wagon and The Big Trail. All three films of these films feature a love triangle, with the fair maiden being wooed away from a smooth talking con-man by the rugged, no-nonsense lead. Like The Big Trail, Daniel Boone also features a second rivalry, between the lead and an uncouth renegade, which ends with a brutal bit of frontier justice. Director David Howard does the best he can with the derivative script, keeping the film moving at a good pace and he does a particularly good job with the action scenes.  The cinematography by Frank Good is also top notch. 

 

     This was the first picture O'Brien did after moving from Fox to RKO. He's good as Boone, bringing a real dynamism and heroic character to the role. A young John Carradine takes on the role of the heavy, Simon Girty, a white renegade who stirs the Indians up to attack the settlers. Carradine brings his usual menace to the role and Girty has to be one of the nastiest villian the actor ever played. Heather Angel (Cora from The Last of the Mohicans) plays the love interest, Virginia Randolph, and has good chemistry with O'Brien (Boone's wife Rebecca is conspicuously absent). Ralph Forbes' Stephen Marlowe provides Boone with a romantic rival and a remarkably despicable one at that while George Regas' Black Eagle functions as his trusty sidekick. I have to wonder if Regas' character was an inspiration for Ed Ames Mingo in the Fess Parker series. Finally Dickie Jones and Huntley Gordon play Virginia's brother and father respectively, and both are killed, tragically, in the last act. 

 

     Daniel Boone is unusually dark for a B-western. Aside from the aforementioned deaths (one of a 9 year old boy no less!) the films ending is really rather somber. Having held off the attacks of the Indians, stirred up by Girty, the people of Boonesborough are forced to leave their hard-won new home when the corrupt government officials force them out on a technicality, ceding the land to the unscrupulous Marlowe. Nonetheless, the film ends with Boone and Randolph cheerfully leading the settlers toward a new settlement, forging a new frontier with unfettered optimism.

 

Score: 7/10

Westember II: Day 30 - Bill Elliott in The Forty-Niners (1954)

 

     This final installment of Westember II looks at the career of William "Wild Bill" Elliott, focusing on his last western, The Forty-Niners (1954).

     This ended up being even more work during the first series but I learned a lot while making it. There were a lot of stars I didn't have time to cover including: Don "Red" Barry, Tim Holt, Jack Hoxie (and his brother Al), Fred Thomson, Rod Cameron, Harry Carey, Bob Custer, Lash LaRue, and Duncan Renaldo. I also somehow missed talking about any westerns with Al St. John! 

     Thanks for watching everyone, and please consider supporting my work on Patreon.

Westember II: Day 29 - Roy Rogers in Trail of Robin Hood (1950)

 

     This episode looks at Robin Hood from 1950 on of Roy Roger's Trucolor efforts which also features a cadre of other western stars. 

     The next (and final) episode will look explore one of the very last B-westerns ever released, and the career of it's star.

Westember II: Day 28 - William Boyd in False Paradise (1948)

 

     This episode looks at the 1948 film False Paradise, which was the penultimate picture in the Hopalong Cassidy series. 

      Tomorrow's episode will look at one of Roy Roger's Trucolor pictures, which also features a cadre of other western stars.

Westember II: Day 27 - Roy Rogers in My Pal Trigger (1946)

 

     This episode looks at My Pal Trigger, which Roy Roger's himself has cited as a personal favorite!

     Tomorrow we will look at one of the last Hopalong Cassidy movies.

Westember II: Day 26 - Charles Starrett in The Return of the Durango Kid (1945)

 

     Today we look at the career of Charles Starrett, focusing on the 1945 film, The Return of the Durango Kid.

     The next episode will look at one of Roy Roger's best pictures.

Westember II: Day 25 - Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson in Death Valley Rangers (1944) (w/Bob Steele)

 

     This episode looks at one of Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson's last westerns. One of the six Trail Blazers films they starred in together, Death Valley Rangers was the first to feature Bob Steele, making the Trail Blazers into a trio. 

    The next episode will look at the career of Charles "Durango" Starrett.

Westember II: Day 24 - Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter in The Lone Star Trail (1943)

     Today's episode focuses on the career if Johnny Mack Brown, looking at his 1943 film, The Lone Star Trail, which co-starred Tex Ritter. The film also features Jennifer Holt, Jimmy Wakely and Fuzzy Knight. 

     Tomorrow we will take a look at the last hurrah of Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson.

Westember II: Day 22 - Buck Jones and Tim McCoy in Arizona Bound (1941)

     Today we look at Arizona Bound (1941), the first of the eight Rough Riders movies to star Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Raymond Hatton. Last year I reviewed Dawn on the Great Divide which was meant to be a continuation of the series after Tim McCoy left, though it wasn't advertised as one.

     Tomorrow we will look at one of the last Three Mesquiteers movies.

Westember II: Day 21 - William Boyd in The Showdown (1940)

     Today's episode goes over another Hopalong Cassidy movie. 

     Tomorrow we will look at one of the last films of Buck Jones (which also features fellow western star Tim McCoy!)

Westember II: Day 20 - Overland Stage Raiders (1938)

 

     Today we look at Overland Stage Raiders, one of the Mesquiteers films to feature John Wayne as Stony Brooke.

     Tomorrow we will return to the Hopalong Cassidy series.