Dead or Alive (1944) User Reviews

Tex is the Idaho Kid !

[revdrcac · 5/10 · 24 August 2006]

This 1944 sagebrush tale from singin' cowboy Tex Ritter offers a standard storyline, coupled with a few of Ritter's signature western ditties. Dave O'Brien goes undercover to work himself into a local gang, but eventually both he and Tex end up in hot water !

Tex Ritter's films were always predictable in my opinion, but were adequate as films of the singing cowboy genre. This one was a pleasant diversion, offering his fans the matinée thrills and western tunes which they had come to expect.

Dave O'Brien was especially good in this film. He was a good performer, who never quite reached the stardom he deserved. This film is worth a look, especially to catch his fine performance. Enjoy !

Wanted

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 4 September 2021]

"Dead Or Alive" was originally released back in 1944.

Anyway - As the story goes - In this Texas Rangers feature, the Rangers are looking to stop the Yackey Gang and end their criminal activities in the territory. While Dave goes undercover to infiltrate the gang, Tex decides to join the local community in their efforts to stop the bandits.

"To catch a big fish you have to use a big hook..."

[classicsoncall · 3/10 · 10 May 2012]

If you didn't know it up front, you'd have a hard time figuring out that this was one of PRC's Cowboy Trio series. The Texas Rangers got under way in 1942 with Dave O'Brien, Jim Newill and Guy Wilkerson who put together a total of fourteen films. Newill was replaced by Tex Ritter in 1944 for the final eight flicks, with "Dead or Alive" being the second of that bunch.

What you should probably do for this one is suspend all rationality and view it as a pre-teen matinée fan would have back in the day. The story uses a real dumb gimmick early on when sheriff Panhandle Perkins (Wilkerson) bets and loses presumably stolen money on a roulette wheel at the Half Way House saloon. When his 'prisoner' (O'Brien) calls him on it, Perkins agrees to release him to throw in with villain Clint Yackey (Ray Bennett). I can't tell you how many times I tried to rationalize this while I was watching, but at a certain point I just had to let it go.

Another mind bender revolved around the appearance of Arline Arthur (Marjorie Clements), who showed up in the town of Delano to claim her inherited stake in the Half Way House. Apparently the only thing necessary to make this so was her word on it, because Yackey never asked her for any credentials or proof of identity. Similarly, the bank president (Ed Cassidy) turned over his books to 'lawyer' Tex Haines (Ritter) and Miss Arthur on their say so as well. Can you even picture this happening today?

If not for the cool bar room brawl near the end of this oater, there wouldn't have been any redeeming aspect for this picture. OK, Tex gets to sing a couple of tunes along the way but it's not enough. Miss Arthur's appearance in the story has no impact on the final outcome, and the ending throws everything off kilter if you were paying attention from the very beginning. In the opening foreword, mention is made of the film's dedication to the law officers of 1880, but in the closing scene, Tex opens his fist to reveal a shiny new quarter - the date on it was 1938!

Panhandle you klutz

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 12 June 2020]

Tex Ritter, Dave OBrien, and Guy Wilkerson are the Texas Rangers in this poorly plotted PRC western which has O'Brien posing as an outlaw and prisoner of Wilkerson and escaping to join an outlaw gang and wrk from the inside.

Wilkerson who is the comic relief in this trio wasn't all that funny here. In fact he's downright stupid and in thus case his stupidity nearly gets his partners hung.

Main attraction is Tex Ritter warbling a few cowboy ditties.