Border Patrol (1943)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Lesley Selander

Writers:

Clarence E. Mulford (characters)
Michael Wilson (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 April 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Western

Tagline:

"Hoppy" STRADDLES THE BORDER AS BULLETS FLY! (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

When three Texas Rangers try to investigate kidnapped Mexicans being used as forced labor in the mines of Silver Bullet, they are framed for murder by the town's corrupt sheriff.

Plot Keywords:

Texas Ranger | Corrupt Sheriff | Mexican Border | Hanging Judge | Mexican Laborer

Cast

William Boyd	...	'Hopalong' Cassidy
Andy Clyde	...	'California' Carlson
Jay Kirby	...	Johnny Travers
Russell Simpson	...	Mayor Orestes Krebs
Claudia Drake	...	Inez LaBarca
George Reeves	...	Don Enrique Perez
Duncan Renaldo	...	Mexican Border Patrol Commandant
Pierce Lyden	...	Henchman Loren, the Jailer
Robert Mitchum	...	Henchman Quinn (as Bob Mitchum)
Cliff Parkinson	...	Henchman Barton

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company:

Harry Sherman Productions

Quotes:

'Hopalong' Cassidy: We're Texas Rangers, and we have authority to enter any town in the state.
Henchman Quinn: Nobody enters Silver Bullet without a warrant from Sheriff Krebs!
Johnny Travers: Did he give you a warrant to shoot a Mexican in the head?
'Hopalong' Cassidy: [after Quinn fires at them] There's your answer!
[they ride off quickly]

Movie Connections:

Follows Lost Canyon (1942)

Where else could you see Superman, The Cisco Kid, Robert Mitchum, & Hopalong Cassidy all in one place?

Hoppy, California, & Johnny are all Texas Rangers (I guess they had very loose hiring criteria if California got in!). Hoppy's dressed in all black throughout the film (this is important to those of us who know that his black outfit signifies "he means business" & his rancher's & other outfits signify "he's only fooling around & trying to act like someone other than "Hoppy"). The setting is Silver Bullet, Texas, & no, The Lone Ranger is not in this movie, although practically everyone else is! George Reeves (Superman) is here; he plays a Mexican & is on screen for only a few moments. Duncan Renaldo (The Cisco Kid) is here, & has a nice role as a Mexican police commandant. Robert Mitchum plays his usual (for his early days in the westerns) baddie. Claudia Drake actually has a more significant role in the film than anyone other than Hoppy himself. There's good action (4 gunfights), good humorous situations, & overall it's quite nicely done, with good production values. I rate it 8/10.