The Tabasco Kid (1932)

A timid accountant for a California cattle ranch and a lookalike dashing bandit become rivals for the beautiful daughter of a wealthy rancher.

Director:

James W. Horne

Writer:

H.M. Walker (dialogue)

Stars:

Charley Chase, Frances Lee, Billy Gilbert

Cast

Cast overview:
Charley Chase	...	Charley / Francisco Murietta
Frances Lee	...	Mary Jones
Billy Gilbert	...	Mr. Jones, a Rancher
Jimmie Adams	...	(as The Ranch Boys)
Frank Gage	...	(as The Ranch Boys)
Marvin Hatley	...	(as The Ranch Boys)

Storyline

When a wealthy rancher tells his bookkeeper Charley that he is expecting his beautiful daughter Mary back home, the meek accountant's ardor for her is rekindled. Things become complicated when Francisco Murietta, a dashing local outlaw chief, becomes smitten with her too. Charley, a lookalike for the infamous bandito, impersonates his rival in order to win Mary, but Murietta's men aren't so easily fooled.

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Plot Keywords:

bookkeeper | cattle ranch | mexican american | henchman | western band | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Musical | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1932 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of the Mexican bandit is a clear reference to legendary California outlaw Juoquin Murietta, a controversial folk hero and Mexican nationalist considered by some as the "Robin Hood of El Dorado." Murietta served as the model for the fictional Zorro.

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Soundtracks

"In the Good Old Summertime"
(uncredited)
Music by George Evans
Included in background score

User Reviews

One of Charley's best

Among all the Charley Chase films I have seen, I think that generally his best films are his silents though a few talking pictures are a lot of funny--such as THE TOBASCO KID. Unlike many of his other shorts, this one is a lot of fun and has a lot more energy--plus the cliché of having comedians play exact doubles (such as Stan and Ollie in OUR HOSPITALITY) was rarely done better.

The film begins with Charley out West of all places. His girlfriend is returning home to the ranch and he decides to get all duded up like a movie singing cowboy to impress her. I wasn't too surprised to see this, as Chase sang in many of his films--having a rather pleasant voice. But what caught me off guard was having Charley also play an evil bandit whose mere name makes others run. I especially liked how her father (Billy Gilbert) reacted when he heard this desperado was about town. Unfortunately, everyone realizes that the bandit is here but the girl thinks this is Charley making a joke and she refuses to run or hide. All this leads to a dandy conclusion and I found myself laughing several times at the antics.

The only negative at all in the film was the schtick about the bandit howling like a coyote when he hears Charley singing. This is just stupid and detracts, just a bit, from the film. Otherwise, this is a top-notch Chase film.