Tex Ritter is helped by all manner of sidekicks in this oater from 1940. He rides into Peeko with Slim Hunkapillar (great name for Slim Andrews), with Slim atop his old Arkansas mule Josephine. Tex aims to help his friend Ace Hutchinson (Carleton Young) and pretty Jane Winters (Terry Walker) in an oft recycled story of rival stagecoach outfits competing for the local business. Because there's a church benefit around the corner, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys also arrive to lend a hand and a fair share of musical numbers to this quick paced Western.
This time out, the lead villain Storm is portrayed by Karl Hackett. In one of the story's less credible moments, Storm intends to win the stage line business without actually owning one himself. He sends for Mule Bates (Olin Francis), fresh out of the penitentiary, put there by Tex Lawton (Ritter) when he was still in the 'law game'. Little do the bad guys know, but Mule owes one to Tex for having his son raised by Tex's mother. It seemed to me that a whole bunch of elements like this were thrown into the story to tie up loose ends without being tested for credibility. Another included references to Tex trying to win Ace's girl, a plot line that went nowhere; even Miss Winters didn't seem to be in on it.
What keeps coming at you with this picture are the comic relief moments and the songs. The outlaw bunch give new meaning to the term box office as they haul off the church social ticket booth with Slim inside. That sequence featured an unusual element, as one of the bad guy posse fell off his horse, saddle and all. No sense trying to figure that one out. Actually, Slim spends a lot of time in close quarters, as he also climbs into the back hatch of a stage coach during the final competition. Slim might have had the picture's most colorful line with "...I'll be a boll weevil's adenoid". That would have been my summary line if it didn't sound just a bit too creepy.
As for the music, all the good guys chime in at one time or another on a whole passel of musical numbers. The best are a lively rendition of 'Take Me Back To Tulsa' and Tex singing lead on 'You Are My Sunshine'. With a little more creativity, they might have come up with a tune for Josephine.
This time out, the lead villain Storm is portrayed by Karl Hackett. In one of the story's less credible moments, Storm intends to win the stage line business without actually owning one himself. He sends for Mule Bates (Olin Francis), fresh out of the penitentiary, put there by Tex Lawton (Ritter) when he was still in the 'law game'. Little do the bad guys know, but Mule owes one to Tex for having his son raised by Tex's mother. It seemed to me that a whole bunch of elements like this were thrown into the story to tie up loose ends without being tested for credibility. Another included references to Tex trying to win Ace's girl, a plot line that went nowhere; even Miss Winters didn't seem to be in on it.
What keeps coming at you with this picture are the comic relief moments and the songs. The outlaw bunch give new meaning to the term box office as they haul off the church social ticket booth with Slim inside. That sequence featured an unusual element, as one of the bad guy posse fell off his horse, saddle and all. No sense trying to figure that one out. Actually, Slim spends a lot of time in close quarters, as he also climbs into the back hatch of a stage coach during the final competition. Slim might have had the picture's most colorful line with "...I'll be a boll weevil's adenoid". That would have been my summary line if it didn't sound just a bit too creepy.
As for the music, all the good guys chime in at one time or another on a whole passel of musical numbers. The best are a lively rendition of 'Take Me Back To Tulsa' and Tex singing lead on 'You Are My Sunshine'. With a little more creativity, they might have come up with a tune for Josephine.