This "sort of a western" stars Tom Tyler, whose deep voice, wide grin and natural athleticism are the keys to the success of his two serials 'The Adventures of Captain Marvel' (1941) and 'The Phantom' (1943). Here they aren't enough to make this routine and formulaic film more than a pass the time waster.
He plays a prize fighter, 'Scotty' McQuade, who is tricked into losing a bout by the evil promoter, played by the smarmy Forrest Taylor. Cut to Scotty suddenly walking through the middle of a western prairie, renouncing his boxing career and getting a job working on a horse ranch. Taylor also shows up as he is now promoting horse races as well as fights.
We get all the clichés of a western without much western action: Charles King (as ranch foreman 'Bones') picking a fight with Scotty; the up and down relationship with the "Prairie Flower," (here played by Beth Marion who starred in Tom's next western as well) whose wifeless Dad runs the ranch; the obligatory false imprisonment scene; and the final 'rescues' of the ranch by our hero --in this case he wins both the horse race and the prize fight.
High points: Charles King gets in more dialog than usual, but his fights with Tom are too short; the presence of the comic Sammy Cohen, who had made some of the first Vitaphone talking shorts. That's about it. Hopefully Tom did better in his 13 '3 Mesquiters' films as 'Stony Burke.' I'll be generous and give this one a 3 for Tom's voice, grin, and Charles King's presence.
He plays a prize fighter, 'Scotty' McQuade, who is tricked into losing a bout by the evil promoter, played by the smarmy Forrest Taylor. Cut to Scotty suddenly walking through the middle of a western prairie, renouncing his boxing career and getting a job working on a horse ranch. Taylor also shows up as he is now promoting horse races as well as fights.
We get all the clichés of a western without much western action: Charles King (as ranch foreman 'Bones') picking a fight with Scotty; the up and down relationship with the "Prairie Flower," (here played by Beth Marion who starred in Tom's next western as well) whose wifeless Dad runs the ranch; the obligatory false imprisonment scene; and the final 'rescues' of the ranch by our hero --in this case he wins both the horse race and the prize fight.
High points: Charles King gets in more dialog than usual, but his fights with Tom are too short; the presence of the comic Sammy Cohen, who had made some of the first Vitaphone talking shorts. That's about it. Hopefully Tom did better in his 13 '3 Mesquiters' films as 'Stony Burke.' I'll be generous and give this one a 3 for Tom's voice, grin, and Charles King's presence.