Westward Ho!

THE PARSON AND THE OUTLAW-1957-I don’t know how I do it but even when I’m on vacation I happen to run across some low budget movie not worth watching! The story is based on the legend that Billy The Kid was not killed by Pat Garrett but instead only “pretended” to die and started a new life.

Emotionless Anthony Dexter is Billy who now goes by the name of Bill and carries no guns. He is befriended by gunslinger Jack Slade (Sonny Tufts from CATWOMEN ON THE MOON) who works for The Colonel (‘40’s Batman Robert Lowery) who runs the town where Bill settles. B-movie actress icon Marie Windsor (also in CATWOMAN and Kubrick’s THE KILLING) is outrageous as a Mexican “floozy” who can’t made up her mind on who’s side she’s on. Former silent screen star Buddy Rogers (also the executive producer, in his last role) is The Parson who tries to clean up the town and fails miserably. When he’s killed and falls against a railing his shadow resembles Christ on the cross! In such an inept movie an image like that was quite a surprise!

Bob Steele (Duffy on TV’s F-TROOP), Jean Parker (from Laurel & Hardy’s FLYING DEUCES and Edgar Ulmer’s BLUEBEARD) and Richard Reeves (in a an un-billed role as Garrett) are also featured. The director of this stilted mess, Oliver Drake worked mainly in westerns but later made the more screwed up THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKAL (what a title!). His last movie was something called ANGELICA: AMERICAN VIXEN in 1970. He died in 1991.

LAW AND ORDER-Universal-1932-This is it! The great Edward L. Chan’s first film as director! And John Huston wrote it! His father Walter stars as Frame “Saint” Johnson, “the killing-est peace officer that ever lived” who cleaned up Kansas and now just wants to settle down in Tombstone. He’s reluctantly recruited to become the new Marshall and take on the town’s corrupt sheriff and it’s resident horse rustlers/bullies/killers The Northrup Brothers. He gets help from his three buddies. Russell Hopton (who would commit suicide in 1945) plays his younger brother. Harry Carey Sr. is his itchy trigger fingered friend Ed who dresses like an undertaker. Veteran character actor Raymond Hatton is Deadwood. The group tries everything to rid the town of crime including banning the use of firearms. Johnson does convince a criminal (Andy Devine) he should be proud to be Tombstone’s first legal hanging! Look for Walter Brennan in bit role during the hanging scene! It all ends with a shootout where nearly everyone is killed and Johnson leaves disillusioned and bitter!

The Northrup Bros. are portrayed by Harry Woods (a veteran western villain who was in The Marx Bros. comedy MONKEY BUSINESS the year before), Ralph Ince (the actor/director, who’s brother Thomas died under mysterious circumstances in 1924) and Richard Alexander (Prince Barin in the first two FLASH GORDON serials).

LAW AND ORDER is an old fashioned, dusty, uncompromising western with no women characters to speak of. There were several subsequent films called LAW AND ORDER but this one’s the first!

Thanks for reading!