This doesn't happen often, but every once in a while, I come across an old film that doesn't have a review yet, and this is one of them. The early Red Ryder movies had many different actors standing in for the title character; my favorite was Wild 'Bill' Elliott who made a handful. Others included Alan 'Rocky' Lane and Don 'Red' Barry, but this was my first look at Jim Bannon as the cowboy hero. He's surrounded in this one by the regular characters appearing in Ryder stories, notably Indian sidekick pal Little Beaver (Don Reynolds), his aunt The Duchess (Marin Sais), and for comic relief this time around, Emmett Lynn as Buckskin.
In this outing, a sort of Mexican Robin Hood who only steals from those who originally stole from him, finds himself being framed for raiding local ranchers and leaving them destitute. Silver conchos left at the scene of each crime appear to identify El Conejo (I. Stanford Jolley) as the culprit, but Red Ryder has his doubts, since the infamous bandit is not known to operate outside of Texas. The bad guys pulling strings to make El Conejo look bad include the owner of the Silver Dollar Bar, Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange), and his accomplice Happy Loomis (Lee Morgan), the town's barber. Lane Bradford appears as a Hanlon henchman named Wolf.
This is not one of the better Red Ryder flicks, as Bannon in the title role isn't as charismatic as those who preceded him. There's a cringe inducing scene between Ryder and El Conejo in which the Mexican threatens to shoot him, but refrains when Red doesn't show fear. In an incredulous turn, Red convinces Conejo to turn himself in to the sheriff while he tries to solve the mystery raids. With Conejo in jail, the baddies can't operate because they don't have a fall guy. As the pendulum swings between Ryder's allies and the baddies, Red searches Happy Loomis's barber shop where he comes up with the conchos that have been incriminating El Conejo. In between you have your usual back and forth horse chases and fisticuffs that attend these old time oaters.
If you're like me and have never run into a Western you didn't like, you'll probably be okay with this flick. But quite honestly, it's not one of the better B Westerns, or even one of the better Red Ryder pictures. It appears to be largely unknown as well, but if you must see it, it's currently streaming on Tubi TV where you can catch it any time you like.
In this outing, a sort of Mexican Robin Hood who only steals from those who originally stole from him, finds himself being framed for raiding local ranchers and leaving them destitute. Silver conchos left at the scene of each crime appear to identify El Conejo (I. Stanford Jolley) as the culprit, but Red Ryder has his doubts, since the infamous bandit is not known to operate outside of Texas. The bad guys pulling strings to make El Conejo look bad include the owner of the Silver Dollar Bar, Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange), and his accomplice Happy Loomis (Lee Morgan), the town's barber. Lane Bradford appears as a Hanlon henchman named Wolf.
This is not one of the better Red Ryder flicks, as Bannon in the title role isn't as charismatic as those who preceded him. There's a cringe inducing scene between Ryder and El Conejo in which the Mexican threatens to shoot him, but refrains when Red doesn't show fear. In an incredulous turn, Red convinces Conejo to turn himself in to the sheriff while he tries to solve the mystery raids. With Conejo in jail, the baddies can't operate because they don't have a fall guy. As the pendulum swings between Ryder's allies and the baddies, Red searches Happy Loomis's barber shop where he comes up with the conchos that have been incriminating El Conejo. In between you have your usual back and forth horse chases and fisticuffs that attend these old time oaters.
If you're like me and have never run into a Western you didn't like, you'll probably be okay with this flick. But quite honestly, it's not one of the better B Westerns, or even one of the better Red Ryder pictures. It appears to be largely unknown as well, but if you must see it, it's currently streaming on Tubi TV where you can catch it any time you like.
