Son of a Badman (1949) User Reviews

Who was that masked man ?????/

[revdrcac · 7/10 · 23 June 2006]

This low-budget oater from the King Of The Western Bull-whip was actually better than I had anticipated. In this film, Lash and his lanky sidekick Fuzzy are on the trail of a mysterious masked bandit ---- and mysteriously receive little or no help from the local lawman.

Lash LaRue had a limited acting range, but was likable, photogenic and pretty accomplished with the whip. The writing was fairly basic, but convincing. This film held few surprises, but was a satisfying example of the kind of matinée fare he specialized in. Fuzzy St. John is pretty funny here, in a stooge-like way.

Fans of the black-clad whip-slinger will like this one .... I did.

Lash and Fuzzy chase a masked man

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 7 February 2014]

This time out Lash and Fuzzy are going after El Sombre, a masked bad guy intent on getting his hands on a certain piece of real estate. Sent for by a rancher who is killed by El Sombre the pair are soon on the hunt for the masked villain. Lash knows somethings up when he realizes that the sheriff hangs out in the bar frequented by El Sombre's men.

Solid entry in the Lash La Rue series has the requisite amounts of action and humor. Say what you will about the series they never really seemed to skimp on the action. The humor is also in evidence as a running plot point about Fuzzy's sore wisdom tooth, which he says only bothers him when danger is near.

A great deal of fun and worth a a look for anyone who's a fan of the series or of good western action

Whalen to the rescue!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 20 November 2017]

Lash La Rue (himself), Al St John (Fuzzy Q. Jones), Michael Whalen (Doc Jarvis), Noel Neill (Vicki), Zon Murray (Leo), Frank Lackteen (Piute), Francis McDonald (Joe Crist), Jack Ingram (Rocky), John L. Cason (Bart, a henchman)), Steve Raines (Bart), Don Harvey (sheriff), Edna Holland (Mrs Burley), William Norton Bailey (Brad Burley), Sandy Sanders (Pete), Doye O'Dell (Tex James).

Director: RAY TAYLOR. Screenplay: Ron Ormond, Ira Webb. Photography: Ernest Miller. Film editor: Hugh Winn. Music composed and directed by Walter Greene. Art director: Fred Preble. Set decorator: Ted Offenbecker. Camera operator: Archie Dalzell. Grip: Noble Craig. Gaffer: Frank Jenkins. Stills: James Doolittle. Continuity girl: Moree Herring. Assistant director: Austen Jewell. Sound recording: Glen Glenn. Associate producer: Ira Webb. Producer: Ron Ormond.

Copyright 15 April 1949 by Western Adventure Productions, Inc. Released through Screen Guild: 16 April 1949. No recorded New York opening. Never theatrically released in Australia. 64 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: La Rue exposes the identity of El Sombre, a masked bandit who leads a gang of outlaws.

COMMENT: Another derivative Lash La Rue outing, this one combines the dentist plot gimmick of "Texas" (1941) with the masked Spanish bandit of "Old Los Angeles" (1948). Poor Michael Whalen no doubt had a hard time keeping a straight face, but nonetheless easily out-acts every other member of the cast.

The lovely Noel Niell also had reason to question her agent's sagacity. Her role, alas, is both piffling and small. Instead of a run-in between Whalen and Neill (or even Lash and Neill), the hapless audience is treated to a larger helping than usual of Mr. St John, who even brandishes some wildly unfunny anecdotes without even the slightest interruptions of a steadying dubiety from his more soberly upright partner.

Production values are decidedly limited, of course, but there is probably just enough chasing and fist-fighting to satisfy really indulgent fans.

True, the action is staged in a ruthlessly lackluster manner, complete with a wholly superfluous twenty minutes in which La Rue, St John and Ingram aimlessly wander around and around some familiar, tried-and- true locations.

But I guess you can't have everything. The presence of Michael Whalen is surely reason enough reason to watch Son of a Bad Man!