Boss of Bullion City (1940)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Ray Taylor

Writers:

Victor McLeod (writer)
Arthur St. Claire (story)

Release Date:

1 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Western

Tagline:

Six-guns protect the gold rush trail!

Plot:

A lawman sets out to disrupt the operations of a crooked town boss.

Plot Keywords:

Crusading Newspaper | Corrupt Sheriff | Beautiful Woman | Newspaper Publisher | Medicine Show

Cast

Johnny Mack Brown	...	Tom Bryant
Fuzzy Knight	...	Burt Pennypacker
Nell O'Day	...	Martha Hadley
Maria Montez	...	Linda Calhoun
Harry Woods	...	Sheriff Jeff Salters
Melvin Lang	...	Deputy Fred Wallace
Richard Alexander	...	Steve Hogan (as Dick Alexander)
Earle Hodgins	...	Mike Calhoun
Karl Hackett	...	Deputy Tug
George Humbert	...	Mario
Frank Ellis	...	Express agent

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal Pictures

"Never mind my inefficiency, you just watch your step."

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Tom Bryant (Johnny Mack Brown) and his sidekick Burt Pennypacker (Fuzzy Knight) are headed to Bullion City to open a newspaper business, but before getting established, they find themselves up against a crooked sheriff who's been staging robberies in the territory with his outlaw deputies. When a large gold shipment is scheduled to leave town, Bryant "steals" the gold from the Express Office to measure the sheriff's reaction and set him up for a showdown.

"Boss of Bullion City" is a rarity among "B" Westerns as it offers a shooting cowgirl operating as a homesteader. Martha Hadley (Nell O'Day) is good with a gun, however once that's established, she isn't called upon to use it again in a critical situation. So that set up seems like a wasted plot line.

Pay attention as Tom and Burt enter the Bullion City saloon when they first hit town. They have an outlaw in tow, and as Tom asks for the sheriff, Burt calls out to him to watch out, looking as if he's clear across the room; they had entered the saloon with the outlaw between them.

The couple of examples offered are among a few that create a disjointed feel to the story. At least Fuzzy Knight is good for a few comedic moments. During the saloon fight he's knocked against a wall as a mounted bear head falls on top of his. Later on in the story, he tries to ride a horse without a saddle by gluing himself to the horse. By the time we get to the final bad guy roundup, he's calling Martha "Marcy", in another head scratcher.

It's no surprise that at the time of this posting, the film is still awaiting enough votes to have a rating. Many Westerns of the era are largely without an audience, with their formulaic and largely forgettable stories. But even so, it's a kick to see the old time cowboy stars in action, and with well over a hundred films to his credit, Johnny Mack Brown is worth watching at least once. So's Fuzzy.