North of Arizona

In the numerous fight scenes in this film Jack Perrin launches himself off a rock horizontally at an opponent as if he were imitating Superman.For some reason,maybe economy, the producers decided not to add a comedy sidekick.So Perrin is always outnumbered in a fight,usually 2-1,but on one occasion 3-1,but somehow aways manages to beat all his opponents.The fight scenes are so poorly staged that they become rather tiresome.In fact at the time this film was made it must have seemed like a collection of clichés woven together in the hope of making a story.This is a very uninspired example of the B movie western.It shows that in order to keep a film of this genre moving you need something special,be it a story or actor

Jack Perrin is drifting, looking for a job. Al Bridge doesn't have any open spots, then he does. However, big-hearted Jack, who rescues some Indians from Bridge's henchmen, doesn't seem to get the idea that all the thievery and brigandage is at the behest of Al, until he stops Lane Chandler and pal from robbing the express office, and they claim he was the thief. He escapes from Marshal Murdock MacQuarrie, and it isn't until Bridge explains the situation to him in words of one syllables that Perrin begins to plot to stop the bad guys.

The pacing of this B Western from Reliable Pictures is slow and dull. It begins with some men dancing a jig for more than a quarter of a minute, then the camera pans sluggishly to the bar. Later, the bad guys pursue Perrin on horseback for a minute and a half. There is a palpable pause between each actor's lines; in Bridge's performance, this sounds thoughtful and sarcastic. For everyone else, it sounds dull-witted.

Fight sequences are likewise dull. No one seems to know how to throw a punch, and Perrin can defeat however many opponents he has, because they always come at him one at a time. True, the final fight sequence has the traditional group of rescuers (led by leading lady Blanche Mehaffey in jodhpurs -- apparently they let her dress as she wished) alternate with Perrin facing three bad guys, but he manages to subdue all of them with his fists well before the rescuers arrive.

Editing is likewise haphazard. I'm poor at picking up goofs, but there's one sequence in which I heard director Bernard B. Ray issue instructions to his performers.

Yet this was considered good enough to go out to the public, via the States Rights system in the US and Equity British Films in the UK! Clearly the situation could and did not last. Perrin ceased to be a cowboy star when he sued the producers and the courts agreed that they owed him the money. By 1937 he was reduced to extra work. The producer and director scattered, to the lowest remaining rungs of the industry: PRC. The time when slow, slovenly work like this was past.

Obviously low-budget Western still gets and deserves a high rating for its production values and its quality, though not too well known, cast.

Of its star and action hero, Jack Perrin, mini-biographer Jack Backstreet has written, "he seemed to possess all the assets necessary for cowboy stardom," but "fate would not be particularly kind ..."

What a shame. Perrin was good-enough looking, was a good rider, and his acting skills surpassed many another Hollywood performer who did go on to fame and glory.

In addition to his acting, Perrin handled beautifully well the general action and especially the many fight scenes. A viewer can tell, even without close observation, the numerous fight scenes did not have the slick look of those later choreographed by, for example, Yakima Canutt. Rather, the actors themselves, Perrin, Lane Chandler, Al Bridge, and George Cheesebro, varying from scene to scene, risked injury to produce the action -- and produce it they did!

Sitting down to kill some time, I had no great expectations, so perhaps I am so enthused by "North of Arizona" because it very greatly exceeded my low expectations. Fact is, though, this is quite well done, with very good performances from everyone, cast and director and photographer, and it is exciting and a lot of fun. You can find a very good print at YouTube, presented by those wonderful people, Bob Terry and Westerns on the Web. God Bless Westerns on the Web!

A poverty row outfit called Reliable Pictures inflicted this western on the movie going public. In North Of Arizona there's no mention of Arizona or anything north of it.

Jack Perrin is our cowboy hero and outlaw Al Bridge who uses a ranch as a cover for his villainy decides out of the blue after first rejecting Perrin's inquiry for employment to make him his foreman. I'm still not understanding the reason there. If this were a Hopalong Cassidy film, would the villain hire Hoppy as Hoppy and give him run of the place?

Everything stems from that and the direction, the acting, the script, the lack of production values are worse in this film than even in most poverty row oaters.

Al Bridge who was a great villain in a lot of films and was a favorite of Preston Sturges must have cursed out his agent for getting stuck in this clinker.

This is a quickly made B western starring Jack Perrin as a naive cowboy hired to be a dupe for a gang of thieves who is framed for a robbery and then breaks out of jail and with the help of friendly native Indians plans to bring the thieves to justice. The Indians help him as the gang plans to cheat them as well.

The picture quality is OK with the conditions of the picture and sound being watchable unlike Jaws of Justice which also starred Perrin. It is only about 60 minutes long and it shifts along at a good pace with numerous fight scenes as Perrin is happy to get involved in a punch up no matter how many occasions he is outnumbered.

As a low budget B movie western from the 1930s this is pleasant enough with a thin plot and obvious dastardly bad guys.