Masterful Movie

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Tom Keene (Tom Mallory/Arizona), Sugar Dawn (Sugar Lee), Slim Andrews (Slim), Betty Miles (Laura Lee), Tom Seidel (Westy Mack/Waco Deane), Stanley Price (Jack Benson), Gene Alsace (Bronco), Tom London (sheriff), James Sheridan (aka Sherry Tansey) (Jeff Haines), Fred Hoose (saloon keeper), "Rusty" the horse.Director: ROBERT F. HILL. Original screenplay: Robert Emmett Tansey. Photography: Jack R. Young. Film editor: Fred Bain. Music composed and directed by Frank Sanucci. Production manager: Fred Hoose. Assistant director: C.A. Beute. Sound recording: Cliff Ruberg. Producer: Robert Emmett Tansey.Copyright 25 June 1941 by Monogram Pictures Corp. U.S. release: 25 July 1941. No New York opening. No Australian theatrical release. 58 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A rancher vows revenge on a rustler who killed his father.COMMENT: An unusual western in the Monogram series in that it has a commendably strong plot, although admittedly its full possibilities are not realized here and the dialogue, as usual, is not inspired.The film commences well with some fine silhouette photography (by Jack Young), and an encounter between Waco Deane/Westy Mack and Benson on the steps of a saloon in Bowie, the former's home town.This scene is filmed by director Robert F. Hill from an unusually large and striking variety of camera angles. Then follows an equally effective tracking shot of Tom Mallory, at the end of which he and Deane are dramatically introduced to each other.Alas, Hill's directorial imagination lies pretty fallow after this preliminary burst. Some shots are even repeated twice by editor Fred Bain, who also makes liberal use of some obviously ancient stock footage.But just as we're writing off the movie as totally routine, what should happen as, right near the climax, one of the bad guys makes an aside to the audience!!!!!!! Which makes this film somewhat unique. It is very effective too.Tom Seidel gives a sterling performance as the troubled anti-hero, and one notes the brief appearance of production manager Fred Hoose as the saloon keeper. Unfortunately, our old enemies Sugar Dawn and Slim Andrews are also present, though, thank God, they are not given as much prominence as usual. Frank Sanucci's music score is as pedestrian as ever, but the sound recording by Cliff Ruberg is well above his usual low standard.