Outlaws of the Plains (1946)

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writers:

Elmer Clifton (story)
A. Fredric Evans (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

SMOKING 45's Declare Open Season!

Plot:

A gang of swindlers led by Nord Finner (Charles King) take advantage of simple-minded Fuzzy Jones (Al St...

Plot Keywords:

Billy Carson Series | Gullibility | Prisoner Tied To Tree | Hero Knocked Out | Comic Sidekick

Cast

Buster Crabbe	...	Billy Carson
Al St. John	...	Fuzzy Q. Jones (as Al 'Fuzzy' St. John)
Patti McCarty	...	Kitty Reed
Charles King	...	Nord Finner (as Charles King Jr.)
Karl Hackett	...	Henry Reed
Jack O'Shea	...	Ralph Emory
Bud Osborne	...	Sheriff
Budd Buster	...	Tom Wilson (town banker)
Roy Brent	...	Townsman
Slim Whitaker	...	R.R. Agent Graham

Runtime:

56 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Western Street, Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Quotes:

[Fuzzy consults a crystal ball]
Fuzzy Q. Jones: Oh, Big Chiefs in the Clouds, speak to me... Don't somebody want to speak to me?
Voice of Standing Pine: Sure. Me talk.
Fuzzy Q. Jones: W-W-Who are you?
Voice of Standing Pine: Me Chief Standing Pine.
Fuzzy Q. Jones: W-W-Where-Where are you standing, Pine?
Voice of Standing Pine: Right beside you, Paleface!

This low-budget oater is a lot of fun

Though produced on a shoestring, this Buster Crabbe/Al St. John outing has some good lines with an interesting plot. I use the term low budget kindly. For example, if the viewer notices when the chases take place, the horsemen pass the same clump of trees four or five times. At the end of one of the chases, Henchman Joe Dayton (John Cason), is tied to one of the trees in the clump by Billy Carson (Buster Crabbe). So the wide open spaces were somewhat confined on the set used.

Fuzzy Q. Jones (St. John) this go around is a psychic, a swami with a crystal ball, who is told by an Indian spirit, Standing Pine, that a certain land claim has gold on it. Fuzzy asks the wraith, "Where are you standing, Pine?" and the fun begins. Seems the outlaws are in a room next door to Fuzzy's, speaking through a tube that connects to a speaker hole where the would-be swami is standing tall. Fuzzy's pal, Billy Carson rides into town. When Fuzzy tells him part of the story about the spirit, Carson goads him, " A spirit. Fuzz, you better keep that cork in the bottle. Those spirits are going to get you in trouble." He's right about that. The rest of the film involves Billy Carson, working with the sheriff, trying to round up the spirits and put them in jail before they swindle Fuzzy and his backers (most of the town) out of their hard earned money.

Fuzzy is always a joy to behold. A master of slapstick comedy from the silent film days, Fuzzy could take a pratfall with the best of them. I would vote him next to Gabby Hayes as one of the best cowboy sidekicks ever. Athletic Buster Crabbe was a fine action hero for many a movie. There are also some of the meanest bad guys in the B westerns to provide the cause for the chases and fisticuffs. There's action aplenty with some good stunt work as a bonus.

If you enjoy action-packed cowboy antics with no singing and lots of humor, you should like "Outlaws of the Plains."