Boothill Brigade (1937)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writers:

Harry F. Olmsted (story)
George H. Plympton (writer)

Release Date:

2 August 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Rancher Reynolds has fired his men and hired killers and is now using a crooked land deal to put the other ranchers off their land...

Plot Keywords:

Land Swindle

Cast

Johnny Mack Brown	...	Lon Cardigan
Claire Rochelle	...	Bobby Reynolds
Dick Curtis	...	Bull Berke
Horace Murphy	...	Calico Haynes
Frank LaRue	...	Jeff Reynolds
Ed Cassidy	...	John Porter
Bobby Nelson	...	Tug Murdock
Frank Ball	...	Murdock
Steve Clark	...	Holbrook
Frank Ellis	...	Brown

Also Known As:

Boot Hill Brigade (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

56 min | USA:52 min (Alpha Video Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3396) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Supreme Pictures

Johnny saves homesteaders but not the film

Johnny Mack Brown plays Lon Cardigan a moral preaching cowboy who uses his wits and fists rather than six-guns to battle a land-grabbing villain who is exploiting homesteaders through frontmen. The storyline is heavy on moral epithets rather than action. Unfortunately, unlike some other western films, the script does not deal with the underlying conflict throughout the West between ranchers and homesteaders. Meanwhile, the alleged villain's pretty, young daughter is part of the equation with the usual predictable twists.

This film is one in a collection called Cowboy Heroes of the Silver Screen from Marathon Music and Video. The source print was a 16mm dupe in fair condition with missing frames. The transfer is slightly soft but not irritating. There are some sporadic wash marks but surface noise is minimal. The sound is very good.

This is low-budget fare without much redeeming quality. And, even Johnny Mack Brown cannot save the story.