Tim Holt appeared in seven B Westerns released in 1942, interrupted only by a terrific Orson Welles film, "The Magnificent Ambersons". One could argue that Holt's character in that film, George Minafer, might have been his finest performance, even if a bit one sided as an arrogant and petty individual. At least it demonstrated a range in Holt's repertoire that doesn't get a chance to come through in these sagebrush sagas.
This one is about as standard as they come. Two towns on either side of a dry wash are vying for a railroad right of way, and the vigilante committee of Spencerville is determined to make sure it gains the properties in its path to enrich its members. Depending on the era Western you get to see, the term 'vigilante' can be used for a committee of good guys or a bunch of villains. Here, the vigilantes are bad guys, terrorizing local ranchers and businessmen to sign over their holdings for a pittance or face the wrath of the baddies. As U. S. Deputy Marshal, Larry Durant (Tim Holt) is working undercover by order of his superior (Lee Shumway), in order to scope out the villains and put an end to the lawlessness.
This flick would have been enhanced by the inclusion of Richard Martin as Tim Holt's sidekick, but that wasn't to happen until Holt returned to pictures following World War II. Instead, we have a poor substitute in Cliff Edwards, nicknamed 'Ukelele Ike' for his preference for that instrument, but not in this story. He plays a guitar for a couple of tunes here, with the first song actually being quite humorous. Otherwise, the attempt at humor with his character is somewhat dubious, while getting in the middle of altercations between Durant and the villains. If you keep an eye on that scene where Ike is chased on horseback by outlaw Layton (Charles King), he's clipped in the shoulder from behind by Layton's gunshot, but when Deputy Durant catches up with him, there's blood on the front of his shirt!
Well, continuity wasn't all that important for these sagebrush yarns back in the day. You always knew the outcome before the story was over as well, as this time, Durant and the citizens of East Spencerville put an end to the vigilante lawlessness as they learn the railroad surveyor's decision to grant the railroad right of way to them. A running gag of Ike waiting for the arrival of his pen pal sweetheart to arrive by stagecoach closes out the story, but to his dismay, his gal Genevieve (Sedal Bennett) shows up with a ready-made family of five!!
This one is about as standard as they come. Two towns on either side of a dry wash are vying for a railroad right of way, and the vigilante committee of Spencerville is determined to make sure it gains the properties in its path to enrich its members. Depending on the era Western you get to see, the term 'vigilante' can be used for a committee of good guys or a bunch of villains. Here, the vigilantes are bad guys, terrorizing local ranchers and businessmen to sign over their holdings for a pittance or face the wrath of the baddies. As U. S. Deputy Marshal, Larry Durant (Tim Holt) is working undercover by order of his superior (Lee Shumway), in order to scope out the villains and put an end to the lawlessness.
This flick would have been enhanced by the inclusion of Richard Martin as Tim Holt's sidekick, but that wasn't to happen until Holt returned to pictures following World War II. Instead, we have a poor substitute in Cliff Edwards, nicknamed 'Ukelele Ike' for his preference for that instrument, but not in this story. He plays a guitar for a couple of tunes here, with the first song actually being quite humorous. Otherwise, the attempt at humor with his character is somewhat dubious, while getting in the middle of altercations between Durant and the villains. If you keep an eye on that scene where Ike is chased on horseback by outlaw Layton (Charles King), he's clipped in the shoulder from behind by Layton's gunshot, but when Deputy Durant catches up with him, there's blood on the front of his shirt!
Well, continuity wasn't all that important for these sagebrush yarns back in the day. You always knew the outcome before the story was over as well, as this time, Durant and the citizens of East Spencerville put an end to the vigilante lawlessness as they learn the railroad surveyor's decision to grant the railroad right of way to them. A running gag of Ike waiting for the arrival of his pen pal sweetheart to arrive by stagecoach closes out the story, but to his dismay, his gal Genevieve (Sedal Bennett) shows up with a ready-made family of five!!