Sunset Carson Rides Again (1948) User Reviews

Below Average

[FightingWesterner · 4/10 · 27 June 2014]

Sunset Carson saves a young easterner in the desert and brings him back to his ranch, where Sunset is planning a boxing exhibition to fund a new school, while his crooked partner and brutish ranch-hands are planning to take the money. Meanwhile, the young man agrees to fight for Carson, despite allegations that Sunset killed his father!

There's nothing much to recommend about this B-western, except for the color photography and some great fiddling by The Rodeo Revelers. The acting is bad and the action is often times pretty inept. While certainly not the worst B-western of the 1940's, there's definitely better examples.

Sunset sure is brawny though. He just doesn't have much to do in the mostly talky script.

sunset rides again - and non-acts again.

[froberts73 · 6/10 · 13 April 2011]

Ole Sunset Carson! The story opens as his acting coach rides into the sunset, shrugging his shoulders and mumbling, "I give up." To his credit, Carson looks good atop a horse. It's when he hits the ground and 'recites' his lines when things get rough.

The 6'4" - er - actor stars in the color extravaganza along with a host of veteran performers who, in a way, acquit themselves fairly well. Best of 'em is co-star Al Terr, a New Yorker who probably learned to ride in Central Park. He is a Farley Granger lookalike.

John Cason, the resident meanie, has been in many films and teevee shows, and the lovely Pat Starling has also been around. She had worked before with Sunset. She is a vision with a lovely voice and, speaking of music, the Rodeo Revelers provided the movie's highlight with some really good offerings.

A big minus were the fight scenes. Very poor choreography. Guys are knocked down and out, and opponents responsible look like they're striking the air. There was a boxing scene involving Terr and Cason, however, that was well staged.

Finally! I was prepared to thoroughly dislike the movie, a cheapie to end all cheapies, but as it went along I found it somewhat enjoyable - well - tolerable. I said tolerable not terrible.

"Alright boys, step back and give this tenderfoot room to fall".

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 20 July 2011]

The color format could have been good for bonus points but alas, the story is fairly typical for a B Western that almost tries to cram in too many plot elements for it's own good. Sunset Carson is intent on raising money to build a school for the local kids (funny, there wasn't one to be found throughout the story), while Eastern dude Bob Ward (Al Terry) has it in for Sunset for killing his father. Part of Sunset's fund raising plan was to promote a boxing match against Slugger Appolodamus (Bill Vall), but when the Slugger gets roughed up by henchman Murdock (Stephen Keyes), he trains young Ward to take his place.

I got a kick out of Sunset's appearance when he entered the bunkhouse after saving Ward from a poisoned spring on the trail. He was so tall compared to the other players that his head was out of the frame. Shorty McDuff (Joe Hiser) sure lived up to his name as he almost looked like a midget next to the towering Carson. Earlier, when Sunset hoisted Ward over his shoulder for the ride back home, he mounted his horse without the slightest strain, which gives you a pretty good idea how strong he had to be to pull that off.

On the flip side though, Carson exhibited a rather awkward fighting style each time he took up with the fisticuffs himself. His punches were generally wild and not well choreographed, seemingly out of character with someone who otherwise seemed athletic enough. Even so, I didn't understand why he didn't take part in the boxing match he promoted since he was the star of the show.

Of course this won't be the first (or last) time you'll see the hero set up for robbing the locals, as chief villain Sam Webster (Bob Cason) sends his boys to waylay Sunset on the trail. Sunset's eventually cleared by a second letter Bob Ward has from his father, the first one implicating Carson in the elder Ward's murder. That whole business with the letters was just too clumsily written and managed to bother me throughout the story. Even with his instructions, why wouldn't Ward just open the second letter right away? It would have saved him a lot of grief.

Doesn't compare with better crafted "B" westerns.

[rsoonsa · 2/10 · 17 May 2003]

A staggeringly corny work made with a miniscule budget, this is one of four westerns produced by deservedly little-known Yucca Pictures, and features glyphic Sunset Carson playing himself in his customary fashion, i.e., a discomposed delivery of dialogue when not sitting atop a horse - which he does with surety - the plot presenting Al Terry as Bob Ward (listed as Wade in the titular credits) seeking to avenge the murder of his father, apparently the work of the eponymous hero. Filmed in colour, uncommon for the period and genre, the movie is cumbered by pitiable production values, as well as possibly the most embarrassingly poor stunt work to be found in a professional effort, yet includes in its cast some capable character actors, including a winsome Pat Starling whose clear soprano graces a duet with Terry, and a viewer must be glad indeed that several musical novelty numbers are presented featuring gifted fiddler Buddy McDowell.

I should give this "yucca" close to zero, but I am feeling generous today!

[JohnHowardReid · 3/10 · 13 May 2018]

Sunset Carson (himself), Al Terry (Bob Ward), Pat Starling (Joan Carson), Dan White (sheriff), Bob Cason (Sam Webster), Pat Gleason (boxing referee), Buddy McDowell and the Rodeo Revelers (themselves), Stephen Keyes (Murdock, the foreman), Ron Ormond (Jim Pizer), Bill Vall (Slugger), Joe Hiser (Shorty), Bob Curtis (Tin-Cup), Forrest Matthews (Nevens), Don Gray (Rand), Dale Harrison (Tomkins).

Director: OLIVER DRAKE. Screenplay: Elmer Clifton. Film editor: Ralph Dixon. Photographed in 16mm CineColor by Clark Ramsey. Music director: Frank Sanucci. Script supervisor: Pearl Leiter. Production assistant: D.A. Towne. Sound recording and technical supervision: Telefilm, Inc. Associate producer: Oliver Drake. Producer: Walt Mattox.

Not copyrighted by Yucca Pictures. U.S. release through Astor: 10 September 1948. No recorded New York opening. No Australian theatrical release. 63 minutes. COMMENT: Not exactly the worst "B" western ever made, but for exactly half its length it certainly comes mighty close.

Fortunately a marked improvement occurs in the boxing scene in which Al Terry and Bob Cason battle most convincingly, and Mr Bob Cason then carries the rest of the film through to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.

Mind you, Mr Sunset Carson is consistently awful, and the film is always wretchedly photographed, and production values are always minimal. "Yucca" is indeed a true description!

But on the other hand, Miss Starling and Mr Terry are reasonably attractive leads, and even the comic relief cowpokes are genuinely funny at the halfway mark. Up to this point too, Mr Drake's "direction" has been struggling to achieve zero out of ten, but suddenly he shoots up to around two or three out of ten. On the whole, however, it's a rare western indeed in which the musical interludes rate higher (maybe two and a half) than the rest of its array of "entertainment".

Fighting out of your weight class

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 10 June 2013]

At one time Sunset Carson was one of Republic Pictures stable of cowboy heroes. He went off on his own to films independently and that seems to have been a big mistake if Sunset Carson Rides Again is an example.

Other than it being done in color this one was a real cheapie with a rather silly plot that would have us believe that a fatally shot man wrote a letter while dying naming his murderer. Worse than that, he wrote an earlier letter that alluded to the fact that Carson was the one who did the foul deed.

What Sunset has on his mind was raising funds for a new school house and toward that end he's putting on a prize fight. But his partner John Cason has in mind to steal the funds raised and a horse being put up for the prize. He cripples the fighter Carson brought in and young Al Terry who has the mistaken grudge against Sunset substitutes because he boxed some in college.

I'm sure Terry fought someone in his weight class as Cason makes chopped liver of him in the ring. That was truly rather stupid.

The whole thing is a shoddy mess and I hope the others of Carsons post Republic films aren't as bad.

The color doesn't add much but blurriness.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 19 May 2021]

Watching this along side of another Sunset Carson western ("Battling Marshal"), I had high hopes because of the true color utilized which looks almost like it was hand painted. I can't imagine how this looked on a bigger screen because on a 27 inch TV, it had absolutely no depth and the dull focus and lack of detail made it nearly as impossible to watch as the lower budgeted "Battling Marshal". Most of the same cast is back in a story dealing with the fight to build a school, and while there's a few musical moments, the deluted sound made it difficult to hear every lyric.

Another issue is the bland acting, but all I can say is that they convincingly read the cue cards without stuttering even if there was absolutely no emotion in saying the lines. Pat Starling is certainly pretty and a decent singer, and Carson himself is ruggedly handsome, but they are as cliched good characters as the villains are cliched bad characters. It's difficult to get into because the print look like it were covered in plastic over the camera lense.

Some very good riding inserts, good story, don't quite make up for poor acting, directing

[morrisonhimself · 7/10 · 5 March 2018]

Ollie Drake was one of the great B Western writers, but as a director? Based on this sample, not so much.

Sunset Carson was a very likable man (and I met him in person quite a while after this movie and he was still very likable), but he was never known as a good actor. Well, in this movie, he was almost the best in the cast.

He was a tall and good-looking man, and apparently very strong. In one scene, he has to pick up another actor and, holding him on his shoulder, he mounts his horse! Most other actors would have had to drape the other over the horse then mount. Quite a feat.

Standing out in the acting category was veteran villain John Cason, for some reason billed here as Bob Cason. He had a couple scenes where he had to take off his shirt and he showed he was a well-built and athletic-looking guy.

Female lead was Pat Starling. Almost nothing is known about her except that she has 15 credits. She was a beautiful woman, and with a better director could have been seen as a very good actress.

Providing music was one of the best Western bands I've seen and heard, The Rodeo Revelers seem to have made only this movie but the apparent leader, Buddy McDowell, was in two. He was quite a good fiddler.

In one song, they sounded a bit like the Sons of the Pioneers, but in others they had their own sound, which was a good one. No credits are given, but at least one song sounds like the work of Oliver Drake.

There is a pretty good print at YouTube. It's not great movie-making, but it has Sunset Carson and that's enough reason to watch.

Sunset Carson Rides Again

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 5 January 2023]

This has quite a good story to it, it's just that the execution is pretty lame - and, oddly enough, the colour photography really doesn't help it at all either. Sunset Carson is trying to raise some money for a new school but his partner "Sam Webster" (John Cason) has other ideas. When Carson sets up a big prize-fight to raise this poke, his pal plots to abscond with it... The bout itself is well staged and filmed, and there is the odd joke to help it along nicely; Carson is good looking, kind and engaging - though maybe a bit too virtuous - but Pat Starling "Joan" is just a bit too annoying. It is still not a bad effort until ten minuets to go - then the story really does revert to type and goes a bit to pot. If you can see past the ropey directing and sloppily choreographed fisticuffs, it makes for a quite an enjoyable hour, complete with the odd musical contribution from the "Rodeo Revelers"...