Abrechnung in Sonora

I was a bit shocked when I looked at the summaries for this film on IMDb. While the movie clocks in at only 59 minutes, its summary is about as long and detailed as you'd expect for "Gone With The Wind"!! Someone must have really, really liked this film! "Somewhere in Sonora" is one of a half dozen John Wayne B-westerns he made for the Leon Schlesinger Studio (which, in turn, were distributed through First National-Warner Brothers). Today I actually sat down and watched four of the six films and found them to be a very mixed bag. The first two, "Haunted Gold" and "Ride Him Cowboy" were simply dreadful--with nothing to recommend them. This was a bit of a surprise, as Wayne made a ton of B-westerns in the 1930s and most of them are better than the films of his contemporaries, such as Gene Autry. Fortunately, the third film I saw, "The Big Stampede" turned out to be a dandy little film. Was this an abberation or are there other good Schlesinger/Wayne films to be seen--and would "Somewhere in Sonora" be one of the good ones? The film begins with two Easterner women traveling out west where they meet Wayne. Wayne is about to race in a buckboard race and makes a quip about the other guy's wagon falling apart during the race. When this actually occurs (due to the machinations of evil gamblers, not Wayne), he is immediately assumed to be guilty. The two uptight ladies completely hate him (who can hate him?!) and Wayne is left to rot in jail--until his friends help bust him out of jail. He travels to Sonora, Mexico and deliberately insinuates himself with an evil gang--as he wants to help a friend break up this group of thugs. His cover as an escaped prisoner will no doubt help him in this task.

Later, when the two uptight and annoying ladies happen upon Wayne again, he manages to save their lives. At this point, it's obvious even to the most oblivious in the audience that romance is in bloom between Wayne and the less annoying sister. But can Wayne get the girl and break up Monte Black's gang? This is the SAME gang that boasts that no member has ever left the gang....alive! But, of course, Wayne is the handsome hero and this is a B-western, so is there much doubt?! One thing that makes this film a bit difference from the usual B-western of the era is the presence of two sidekicks--not one. The two guys are pretty cute together and they made a sweet couple--though I am not sure whether or not this was the writer's intention. They sure seemed VERY happy together--just like an old married couple. Considering that this film debuted in the Pre-Code era, perhaps this WAS the implication--especially since the two were confirmed misogynists.

Overall, this film is pretty much what you'd expect from a Wayne B-film. He's likable and the film is pleasant, but like all B-westerns, not terribly original or believable but still a lot of fun. Worth seeing.

John Wayne FINALLY got his oscar for True Grit, years after making Sonora. Wayne had mostly un-credited roles up to about 1930. here, in 1933, he's still early in his cowboy career; doesn't have the slow, bigger than life swagger yet. He's Bishop, trying to show off for the girls at the rodeo. but when there's an accident, he is framed for it, and is sent to jail. stuff happens, and now Bishop is off to mexico to look for a cowboy friend of the family, who may have joined a rough gang. adventures along the way... the same girls that Bishop had spoken with at the rodeo pop up down south, and cause him trouble. Bishop and his pals have stumbled into a plot to rob a mine, owned by the girl's dad. although it feels like the girls and Bishops' two cowpoke pals are just along for laughs... they get all the jokes, while Bishop plays it pretty seriously. and Joe Dominguez has quite a few lines as Captain Ramirez, but he only gets uncredited! it's just a shortie film from Warner Brothers. Original story by Will Comfort. Directed by Mack Wright. worked his way up as actor, AD, then director. filmed in the alabama hills, like SO many other films. amazing landscape. Wayne would go on to get his big break in Stagecoach.

An American Western; A story about a stagecoach rider in New Mexico who discovers a plot to rob a silver mine belonging to his girlfriend's father and, to foil the criminals, he joins them, but ends up accused of a crime during a rodeo race. This film is based on a 1925 novel by Will Levington Comfort called "Somewhere South". It is a remake, roughly edited, using stock footage from the original made in 1927. John Wayne is to the rescue, with boyish charm, heading to the eponymous Mexican state aiming to inflitrate a gang. Conflict inevitably ensues though a melodramatic J P McGowan, as the leader of the bandits, doesn't raise the tension too high. Frank Rice and Billy Franey as the cronies provide light relief, filling the gaps. All in all, it's corny and predictable with its theme about someone beig framed and then exonerated. The acting is a bit stiff here and there but there is ample action before it wraps up and some nice desert photography throughout.

It's in these early films that you see how middle-class John Wayne really is before he assumed the immortal identity of the American cowboy. He was obviously socialised into high society through his university connections and has a healthy interest in women. Thanks to John Ford he was just churning out the B-pictures one after the other. However, as a self-contained project, the film looks quite stagy as though it was fresh from the theatre. The dialogue is stilted and clumsy, but then that's down to the writing. I don't think that screenwriters and directors got to grips with the new medium that is cinema at this point, making this offering painful to watch.

Henry B. Walthall goes to bat for John Wayne after an overzealous sheriff charges him with a crime during a rodeo. Henry likes Wayne's riding skill and he reminds him of his lost son who fled after being accursed of a murder and hooked up with a murderous gringo gang South of the Border. Wayne repays Walthall's kindness and goes to Mexico to search for Walthall's son played by Paul Fix.

Paul Fix, very good friend of the Duke and father-in-law of Harry Carey, Jr., had more films with John Wayne than any other player. This was the second joint venture for the two of them and the last would be Cahill, U.S. Marshal, 40 years later.

Fix is in a terrible fix, the gang who took him in is one of those once in, never out outfits. But Wayne with the help of his trusty horse Duke sets things to right. Of course Duke the horse plays a mighty big hand in the final showdown.

Somewhere in Sonora entertained many a kid at the bottom half of a double bill for Warner Brothers on a Saturday afternoon. It still holds up pretty good today.