Riders of Destiny (1933)

Riders of Destiny (1933)***

Monogram Pictures
Director: Robert N. Bradbury

   As we work our way into the 1930s, we begin to see the proliferation of the B-movie western. These films tend to become quite formulaic though there is a lot of good acting. This is where John Wayne earns his stripes as well and we will be covering a lot of his films from 1933 through to 1939 and John Ford's Stagecoach where Wayne breaks into the big leagues. John Wayne really shines here as "Singin' Sandy" Saunders, an agent sent from Washington to deal with a man named James Kincaid (Forrest Taylor). Kincaid has dammed up the river and is forcing townspeople to sell their land or go without water. Saunders enlists the help of Charlie Denton (George "Gabby" Hayes) and his daughter Fay (Cecilia Parker). Yakima Canutt makes an early appearance here as one of Denton's Henchmen. This is also Wayne's effort in the singing cowboy genre as Saunders sings a solemn tune throughout the film. Wayne's singing voice is dubbed however and this idea of faking it never sat well with him. Director Robert N. Bradbury would go on to work on several Lone Star Productions with the Duke. All in all, not a bad flick.

A Holy Terror (1931)

A Holy Terror (1931)***

Fox Films
Director: Irving Cummings

A Holy Terror is not exactly a western but I had to review it since A: it is from 1931 and B: it is one of Humphrey Bogart's early films. Has there really ever been anyone cooler than Humphrey Bogart? There are a few crazy scenes in it as well that make what would be a very obvious movie into something pretty fun to watch (like our hero doing loops in in airplane and then crashing into a bathroom; lady in shower).
  George O'Brian stars as the adventurous New Yorker, Tony Bard, whose father is shot and no one knows who did it. He finds out his father changed his name many years ago and also that he has been keeping track of some rancher out in Wyoming (James Kirkwood). Bogart plays the villainous ranch foreman Steve Nash and there are two ladies in the mix (Sally Eilers and Rita La Roy). Find out what happens, and if you don't like this one you only spent 53 minutes and you got to see Bogart play the antagonist!

Texas Cyclone (1932)

Texas Cyclone (1932)***

Columbia Pictures
Director: D. Ross Lederman

Texas Cyclone is a "mistaken identity" tale set in the fictional town of Stampede, Arizona. "Texas" Grant (Tim McCoy) moseys into town and is mistaken for Jim Rawlings who mysteriously disappeared years back. Grant is talked into helping this town and Rawlings' widow Helen (Shirley Grey) against the villainy of Utah Becker (Wheeler Oakman). He is helped by the only loyal hand left at the Rawlings' ranch, Steve Pickett (John Wayne). McCoy is not a great actor but more importantly he was the real deal; a rancher out in Wyoming. It isn't that he stinks he just overacts a little but remains charming. This one has a surprise twist at the end!

Fighting Caravans (1931)

Fighting Caravans (1931)***

Paramount Pictures
Director: Otto Brower and David Burton

   Fighting Caravans is what I can only describe as a western romantic comedy. It is actually quite fun to watch and even the comic characters do their part for the story (from another Zane Grey novel by the way). Clint Belmet (Gary Copper) is a scout for a wagon train when he gets into some trouble in Independence. To get him out, his friends, old timers Bill and Jim (Ernest Torrence and Tully Marshall), enlist the help of a young traveler Felice (Lili Damita). Once free the train sets off for California and a romance develops between Felice and Clint, but can Felice tame this rugged scout?

Ride Him, Cowboy (1932)

Ride Him, Cowboy (1932)***

Warner Bro. Pictures
Director: Fred Allen

   Ride Him, Cowboy is a film staring Duke, John Wayne's horse; oh and John Wayne is there too. John Drury (Wayne) shows up in town to see Duke being tried for violent behavior. He saves the day by showing the horse can be broken and then helps rid the town of a villain known as "The Hawk" while winning the admiration of the horses owner Ruth Grant (Ruth Hall) all the while suspicious of stern townsman Henry Sims (Frank Hagney). Classic western stuff here with the horse tricks and a lot of running around though Wayne could use a bit more polish (still very early). This film is actually a remake of a silent western called The Unknown Cavalier (1926) but good luck finding a copy of that!

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven (1992)****

Warner Bro. Pictures
Director: Clint Eastwood

   The dialogue at the beginning of Unforgiven really had me wondering why on earth this film makes the top of every list for "Greatest Westerns of All-Time." Since it was so highly rated I kept watching and I am glad I did. This really is a good film. It is however the height of a revisionist western, going so far as literally revising a western dime novel(clever reference to the Duke) in the film! There are no heroes or villains only men doing what they think is right. In a sense though this concept is at the very core of the western. In a lawless frontier, a man is what he makes of himself and how he makes it.
   A couple cowboys in Wyoming have cut up a whore and her friends have put together enough for a bounty. The young "kid schofield" (Jaimz Woolvett) wants to collect and finds retired outlaws William Munny (Clint Eastwood) and Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to assist him. The one man standing to defend the cowboys is Sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman). These three do an amazing job and Eastwood really gets it (though if anyone should...). This is True Grit taken to an even grittier and more compelling conclusion. Again the lack of heroes on white horses is palpable and I tend to think these types of westerns are a genre all to themselves but I can see why it won the Academy Award for Best Picture (an honor shared only with Cimarron (1931) and Dances With Wolves (1990) for the genre) and Best Director. A fitting "last western" for Eastwood. Now come to think of it, this is really the Clint Eastwood version of John Wayne's The Shootist.

Dodge City (1939)

Dodge City (1939)****

Warner Bro. Pictures
Director: Michael Curtiz

   I don't want to focus too hard on our early study of talkie westerns so I will try to get in a few "just for fun" films. Dodge City is a truly great western that will hold its own against anything (well maybe not the Duke but you get it). Not only that, Errol Flynn comes out of his swashbuckling tradition to really take you by surprise as to how good he is at being the western hero. Did I mention Olivia de Havilland?
   Having just seen Cimarron, Dodge City really stands out. Whereas the settling of Osage, OK in the former film takes away all excitement, the settling of Dodge City still keeps the viewer engaged. I don't want to give too much away but this is truly classic western stuff, despite the foreign leading role(new for the time in westerns)! There is a great romantic development between Wade Hatton (Errol Flynn) and Abbie Irving (Olivia de Havilland) and the antagonist Jeff Surrett is played by the future western film great Bruce Cabot. In fact, that same year Cabot was up against John Wayne for the lead in John Ford's Stagecoach. Flynn and de Havilland would continue starring together though unfortunately not in the western genre. An amazing script (Robert Buckner) and direction (Michael Curtiz also directed Casablanca!) makes this one of those particularly amazing moments in the history of film.