U.S. Marshal Clay Stacy brings law and order to a frontier community terrorized by an old Nemesis. As a young Indian affairs agent, Jim Blake arrests Clayt Stacy and his gang for illegally killing buffalo and trading in their hides. Years later, as a U.S. marshal, he hears that Clayt Stacy is running the town of Civilization, Kansas. He teams up with the town's female sheriff to put the bad guys out of business. As this farce began with the sonorous tones telling us how "the red man" considered the buffalo a gift from The Great Spirit I though for a moment that it was small documentary, but NO! Instead we are shown "The Tracey Gang" blazing away with their Winchesters at the buffalo herd which seems to spook and run away (so much for their marksmanship!). Caught red handed with the hides by White Hat Wearing Hero their leader can only intone "Guess you got us bang to rights, this time" and seem sure to spend a long time in the Big House. Several years later White Hat Hero is coerced into becoming marshal of Civilisation, Kansas (shown in stock shots from "Dodge City" to be wild and lawless). The Stacey gang have somehow (???) been released from jail and are basically running the town, and then board a train carrying a gold shipment guarded only by the lovely Dorothy Malone, who fills a skin tight shirt very nicely, thank you.. White Hat Hero and his two "chums" are on the train, have seen the shadow of a man on top of the carriage plus the gang walking through to the baggage car but must be half asleep as until the gang start shooting in the baggage car they take no action. Finally, good confronts bad in the confines of the baggage car and all six are blazing away with Colt 45's. The Stacey gang's aim hasn't improved over the years and only the scenery get's holes in it, they escape by holding the hapless Malone as a shield.<br/><br/>There is more, but I don't have the heart to burden you with it, suffice to say it's a BAD film, cheaply made and poorly acted, bulked out with "Dodge City" footage requiring White Hat Hero to change his clothes to match the Flynn footage.<br/><br/>If a young Dorothy Malone in her prime is your bag, then watch it with the sound off, otherwise go watch paint dry. Which is what Errol Flynn usually spent 10 minutes doing in each of his westerns explaning how he acquired his accent while "punching caws down on the Rye-Ohh-Gran-dee", including 1939's "Dodge City" which is where most of the footage (of any value or had more than two people in the scene) of this 1945 short came from. Of course, it's disjointed and choppy; one can't stuff 90 minutes of film into a 20 minute bag without the use of a narrator. For those who have lots of time to waste, then watch "Frontier Days" and "Dodge City" and match up costumes and scenes. Hey, no big deal, just one of those things Warners used to peddle to the exhibitors for filler. The only complaint here is that they didn't just use the whole 20 minutes with the camera on Dorothy Malone showing just how a two-sizes too-small western shirt should be worn.
Hanacedri replied
296 weeks ago