The Terror of Tiny Town (1938)

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writers:

Fred Myton (writer)
Clarence Marks (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

1 December 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Musical | Western

Tagline:

LIttle guys with big guns!

Plot:

An evil gunslinging midget comes to terrorize the good little people of Tiny Town. The townspeople organize to defeat him, and zany antics ensue

Plot Keywords:

Midget | Cult Favorite | Fist Fight | Feud | Surrealism

Cast

Billy Curtis	...	The Hero (Buck Lawson)
Yvonne Moray	...	The Girl (Nancy Preston)
'Little Billy' Rhodes	...	The Villain (Bat Haines) (as Little Billy)
Billy Platt	...	The Rich Uncle (Jim 'Tex' Preston) (as Bill Platt)
John T. Bambury	...	The Ranch Owner (Pop Lawson) (as John Bambury)
Joseph Herbst	...	The Sheriff
Charles Becker	...	The Cook (Otto)
Nita Krebs	...	The Vampire (Nita, the dance hall girl)
George Ministeri	...	The Blacksmith (Armstrong)
Karl 'Karchy' Kosiczky	...	The Barber (Sammy) (as Karl Casitzky)
Fern Formica	...	Diamond Dolly (as Johnnie Fern)
William H. O'Docharty	...	The Old Soak (as W.H. O'Docharty)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jed Buell's Midgets
Charles Swensen	...	The Preacher

Runtime:

62 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Jed Buell Productions

Trivia:

Following this film's release, it was reported that Jed Buell planned to use the same cast in a film version of the story of Paul Bunyan (with a large gentleman playing Bunyan). It is assumed this idea never got past the pre-production phase.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the dwarves are playing their musical instruments, the guy playing the cello gets his bow stuck in the strings and has to fight like mad to get it out. But the music continues.

Quotes:

The Ranch Owner (Pop Lawson): Seems to me that I smell something that should be buried - smells mighty like a polecat.
The Rich Uncle (Jim 'Tex' Preston): Why, you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mr. Belvedere: Deportation: Part 1 (#3.6)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Down on the Sunset Trail

The first (and last) all-midget western!

One wonders who thought this would be a great idea--a western done straight with all midgets. Plot-wise this is like any other B western--two neighboring ranchers suspect each other of rustling their cattle. The Hero (that's how he's billed in the cast--Billy Curtis) of one ranch falls in love with the Girl (Yvonne Moray) of the other ranch! And the Villain (Little Billy) tries to frame the Hero.

The plot is as old as the hills and every single Western cliché is firmly in place. Also there are songs! The movie opens with the entire town singing a nauseating song about how happy they are! There's there's a saloon vamp (Nita Krebs) who squeaks out a few more (and very badly too). The acting is truly horrendous and (cinematically speaking) this movie is worthless. After the initial novelty of the midgets wears off this is pretty lame stuff. Still it moves quick and is only about an hour long. Also there are some good action scenes--if you can get past the midgets riding ponies instead of horses! I give this a 3 because it does have its moments and you have to admire the fact that the whole movie is played straight.