Clearing the Range (1931)

Director:

Otto Brower

Writers:

Jack Cunningham (story)
Jack Natteford (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 April 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Plot:

Kildare kills Curt Fremont's brother Jim. When Curt arrives he poses as a coward in public but sneaks...

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Shack | Bank Clerk | Father Daughter Relationship | Masked Man

Cast

Hoot Gibson	...	Curt Fremont (El Capitan)
Sally Eilers	...	Mary Lou Moran
Hooper Atchley	...	Lafe Kildare
George Mendoza	...	Juan Conares
Robert Homans	...	'Dad' Moran
Eva Grippon	...	Senora Conares (as Mme. Eva Grippon)
Maston Williams	...	George 'Slim' Allen
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Sheriff Jim
Jack Byron	...	Henchman Tom
Edward Hearn	...	Jim Fremont

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Allied Pictures Corporation

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Dude Bandit (1933)

Soundtrack:

La Paloma

Hoot Does a "Zorro" Act in the Old West

When his brother is shot dead by crooked bank cashier Lafe Kildare, Curt Fremont poses as a weak-kneed scaredy-cat. In reality, he is vengeance-seeking "El Capitan".

The script sounds promising enough, but it's given an economy-budget treatment -- and worse, it's full of holes. One moment, Sally Eilers (Gibson's wife in real life when this movie was made) is telling us how she remembers the hero's act of bravery in saving her life, and next minute she's convinced he's turned coward. Maybe the screenwriter is trying to portray the heroine as a dumb cluck, but that's not the way Sally Eilers plays the part.

It's also rather odd to see Robert Homans, that perennial policeman on the contemporary city beat, transferred to a role as an avuncular rancher in the Old West.

Nonetheless, despite script flaws (including scenes that run too long and others that seem short-changed), director Otto Brower manages to invest the movie with a bit of pace and atmosphere, despite an obviously limited budget. Of course, he's helped by the fact that Hooper Atchley is playing the slimy villain with all stops out, while Edward Peil makes a convincingly sympathetic sheriff.

We could have done without George Mendoza and his occasional weak attempts at comic relief, but Hoot Gibson himself does a good job in both his characterizations. He's also admirably agile on his feet and performs at least two of his own stunts