Arizona Trail

Rough Riders' veterans Johnny Trent (Ritter) and sidekick (Knight) return to Arizona to help out Johnny's dad whose ranch is being besieged by a greedy water rights gang.

The plot's pretty standard but there are several notable features. Johnny's relationship with his dad is definitely unusual for a matinée western. The two are estranged such that dad's not too happy to see his son again. Instead, the old man relies on his foreman Wayne (Moore) for help. Then too, we can't tell whether Wayne is really a secret member of the gang or whether he's really loyal to his employer. That adds an interesting complication to the story. Knight's there for comic relief and is not too silly, while Ritter and the musicians provide a mellow presence. All in all, nothing special here, just solid entertainment for Front Row kids from that earlier time and this one.

Tex Ritter returns home to his father's ranch after circling the world and fighting with the Rough Riders in Cuba. His father is angry with him, has cut him out of the will in favor of top hand Dennis Moore, and is ill. None of this stops Ritter from being concerned. What none of the good guys know, but soon becomes clear to the audience, is the guy behind all the shenanigans to wrest control of the suddenly valuable place is kindly doctor Joseph Greene.

Of course, the plot in a B western rarely matters, since there are so few of them. Strangely enough, there is also little riding and no shooting until the final few minutes. What there is is some singing, by Ritter and Johnny Bond and his band, and a nice little comic fight technique by sidekick Fuzzy Knight.