Director: ARMAND SCHAEFER. Story and screenplay: Oliver Drake. Photography: William Nobles. Film editor: Roy S. Luby. Sound recording: Earl N. Crain. International Recording Engineers, Ltd. Associate producer: Larry Darmour. Producer: Henry S. Goldstone. (DVD available from Alpha on a double bill with Trouble Busters).
Not copyright by Majestic Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 30 November 1932. 59 minutes.
COMMENT: Would you believe that not a single one of Jack Hoxie's movies was ever showcased in New York? Not one! Yet Hoxie was one of the most popular western stars of all time. During the 1920s, he never averaged less than eight features a year, sometimes nine or ten. Sound put a halt to his career. Though possessing a reasonably good voice, Hoxie's problem was that he could neither read nor write and had difficulty remembering lines. So the idea was to hand him a script with as much equestrian action as possible.
Hoxie was a fine rider and stuntman (although it is Yakima Canutt who doubles for him in transferring from horseback to runaway carriage in Law and Lawless), but an indifferent actor and fighter. Here he is further burdened by a wearisomely vociferous sidekick in Julian Rivero.
However, it's interesting to see and hear Hoxie nonetheless. He was soon to retire from the screen altogether, devoting his showmanship to the circus.
So it's not a surprise that the other players run rings around Jack Hoxie here. But what is annoying is that the film starts so promisingly, with tried and trusted mysterious night-riders and an ever-reliable "cute meet" with the heroine, - all vigorously and energetically staged, - and then gradually peters down to a routine and predictable, almost perfunctory finale.
Not copyright by Majestic Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 30 November 1932. 59 minutes.
COMMENT: Would you believe that not a single one of Jack Hoxie's movies was ever showcased in New York? Not one! Yet Hoxie was one of the most popular western stars of all time. During the 1920s, he never averaged less than eight features a year, sometimes nine or ten. Sound put a halt to his career. Though possessing a reasonably good voice, Hoxie's problem was that he could neither read nor write and had difficulty remembering lines. So the idea was to hand him a script with as much equestrian action as possible.
Hoxie was a fine rider and stuntman (although it is Yakima Canutt who doubles for him in transferring from horseback to runaway carriage in Law and Lawless), but an indifferent actor and fighter. Here he is further burdened by a wearisomely vociferous sidekick in Julian Rivero.
However, it's interesting to see and hear Hoxie nonetheless. He was soon to retire from the screen altogether, devoting his showmanship to the circus.
So it's not a surprise that the other players run rings around Jack Hoxie here. But what is annoying is that the film starts so promisingly, with tried and trusted mysterious night-riders and an ever-reliable "cute meet" with the heroine, - all vigorously and energetically staged, - and then gradually peters down to a routine and predictable, almost perfunctory finale.