Let's be realistic.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

**spoilers*** The only thing that makes this movie worthwhile is the fine flirtation scenes between Hoppy and Evelyn Brent, a long-time distinguished actress, who plays the leader of the bad guys here. She runs the local saloon-gambling hall, a ranch full of rustlers and a mine she stole from a witless old prospector. Her really terrific scene is at the end after she saves Hoppy's life and asks for a final kiss. At about that time there is some fine cinema photography when Hoppy, at night, shoots Morris Ankrum through a darkened window into a lighted room.The story is quite thin and senseless. One bad guy takes a shot, for no good reason, at Gabby Hays just because he is riding near Brent's mine. The bad guy ends up in jail and is killed there by the worried gang (afraid he'd talk). Then Brent's lieutenant throws a guy out of the saloon and pulls a gun on him, an offense against the local ordinance. So he is incarcerated, the townsfolk inexplicably threaten to lynch him for that (!), so to save his neck he confesses everything to Cassidy.

*Hopalong Cassidy Returns* is the seventh in the HC series, released in late 1936, and with William Janney (Buddy Cassidy) standing in for James Ellison (Johnny Nelson) as Hoppy's mischievous sidekick, in this case his own brother. William Boyd as Hoppy is back, this time as a new town Marshal bent on cleaning out corrupt saloon owner Lili Marsh. A number of the familiar early Cassidy 'heavies' are here; Joe Rickson, Ernie Adams, Morris Ankrum (appearing as Steven Morris), and Al St John. George 'Gabby' Hayes is back in yet another incarnation of the fuzzy headed 'Windy'. Practically all these early Hoppy films were tongue-in-cheek, and this one is no exception. Fast-paced action leading up to an exciting climax, with great fun having been had by all. Recommended!!

Apple-eating killers, great costumes for the female villain (a different, dazzling costume for almost every scene) and the impressive California Sierras make this Hopalong Cassidy adventure one of the best of the 60. It was so good in fact that Harry Sherman and his crew recycled the plot elements in another fairly good Hopalong titled, Wide Open Town. Although Hopalong Cassidy Returns is by far the better of the two, not only by virtue of being first, but also because more money was spent on the production and each had a different director: Nate Watt for HCR and Lesley Selander for WOT.The dark-haired Miss Brent in satin and sequins plays well against the shimmering, silvery haired William Boyd. Their final scene is worth waiting for, if not for the emotional content then for the technical aspects of lighting and photography.You won't see another like it in the series.

Who ever heard of a town called Big Table? Anyway, it was over run with the criminal element who would knock off stupid gold miners who didn't have brains enough not to come to town and shoot off their mouths about the big strike they just made at their secret gold mine. When Hoppy comes to town as the new marshall things change, you can bet. Good action western with lots of gunplay; and Hoppy even found himself a girlfriend.