B-Westerns

[greenbudgie]

I've been watching some B-Westerns on You Tube lately. They've got a wealth of them on there. They're are mostly routine fillers running for 55 to 60 minutes. But I thought I would like to pick some that had interest to me. None of these will ever appear on the main western indexes. So I would like to start off with a couple of mini-reviews.

I notice that this type of B-Westerns ended circa 1953. I suppose that is when all the cowboys of B-Pictures moved over to TV. So I might pop a few early TV episodes on here as I go on.

Oh and if anybody has got some recommendations in the B-Western field I'd be pleased to hear. Those that might not warrant their own thread but may worth a watch anyhow. Thanks.

[greenbudgie]

RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (1937)

This is part of the Three Mesquiteers series from Republic. These comrades are known as Stony (the detective story fan) and Tuscon and Lullaby.The trio search for two missing expeditionists in a remote spooky canyon. They head for a promontory feature that has been naturally etched into the shape of a macabre skull at it's summit. In the cave inside the feature is a sinister Native cult who use it as a ritualistic setting while guarding hidden treasure.

The impressive scenery was shot at Painted Canyon Mecca California. The action is good but the acting from some of the minor cast not so good. There is a stunning avalanche sequence towards the end.

While Stony and Tuscon are the heroes Lullaby supplies the comic sidekick part. I enjoyed it for it's unusual take on a western story and it's spooky terrain and Crash Corrigan's heroics. Stuntman Corrigan plays Tuscon so when he scales a rock-face with agile speed you can be sure it's Corrigan who's actually performing it.

[greenbudgie]

MARSHAL OF AMARILLO (1948)

This is part of Republic's Rocky Lane series. Rocky meets an old-timer called Nugget who has just discovered a dead body in the stage coach he has stolen. He's running away from a stage-coach posting station that he's convinced is haunted. He'd met a sinister clerk with his invisible porter who take over as night staff there. Marshal Lane and Nugget go to the spooky-looking station and discover that it's a different place during the day.

It's amazing that Rocky keeps on believing Nugget's incredible story as it's continually torn to shreds. The truth is that there's a cover-up by the bad guys who are after $50,000 belonging to a stage-coach traveler.

The action is good particularly a chase of one stage-coach in pursuit of another. Eddy Waller is Nugget who is actually Rocky Lane's usual side-kick anyway. But it felt as though they played this one as though they had just met. I love these old 'haunted westerns' they used to do back then.

[dave jenkins]

In the cave inside the feature is a sinister Native cult who use it as a ritualistic setting while guarding hidden treasure.

Huh, maybe this scene migrated to Gunga Din (1939) where something similar occurs.

[cigar joe]

I've had occasionally during this long Covid-19 vacation, the Lone Star channel on in the background where a lot of these reside. A lot are Roy Rodgers or Gene Autry Westerns also besides The Three Mesquiteers. They remind me of Saturday morning TV when I was a kid. Its like radio background noise of hoof beats, gunshots, and genuine "Western Gibberish."  Its comfort sounds.

Occasionally one will catch your interest for a reel worth of looksie time, case in point, Chill Wills was a preacher mountain man with a hatred of Native Americans his best friend was his rifle. I think it was Apache Trail (1942) I wanted to see how holier than thou Wills ended up.

[greenbudgie]

That Lone Star channel sounds good. I think Saturday mornings has a long tradition for cowboys films. There used to be Saturday morning matinees at the cinemas here. They would show old singing cowboy films at those. I'd like to get Gene Autry and Tex Ritter and Roy Rogers on here sometime.

I'd like to see Chill Wills in 'Apache Trail.' You Tube have deleted that one for the moment I think but hopefully that will resurface in the future. I like old redneck characters like Pike Skelton (Chill Wills) who endear themselves to their firearms. Nugget (Eddy Waller) in the Rock Lane series calls his gun Maggie.

[cigar joe]

That Lone Star channel sounds good. I think Saturday mornings has a long tradition for cowboys films. There used to be Saturday morning matinees at the cinemas here. They would show old singing cowboy films at those. I'd like to get Gene Autry and Tex Ritter and Roy Rogers on here sometime.

I'd like to see Chill Wills in 'Apache Trail.' You Tube have deleted that one for the moment I think but hopefully that will resurface in the future. I like old redneck characters like Pike Skelton (Chill Wills) who endear themselves to their firearms. Nugget (Eddy Waller) in the Rock Lane series calls his gun Maggie.

 

Yea wills had a name for his riffle too but the name escape's me. Today TCM is showing Man from U.N.C.L.E movies all day today more audio comfort sounds (without the annoying commercials) lol