The Fighting Gringo

The RKO O'Briens were the gold standard of B westerns in this period, with solid stories and acting, fine stunt work and cinematography by Harry Wild -- the opening sequence in which O'Brien stops a stagecoach robbery by leaping onto a horse's back -- the stuntman, actually --is a real corker, shot by a camera traveling in front of the coach. Unlike other B western cameramen, Wild never hesitated to move his camera, particularly in the outdoor shots.

This one is the film premiere of future Ford stock company member and Academy Award winner Ben Johnson, who is a member of the stunt team. That might be him doing the leap onto the horse's back.

The Fighting Gringo stars George O'Brien and he's got himself a nice size posse for hire, but only to good people. They are a cross between Robin Hood and his merry men and the A-Team.

After stopping a stagecoach holdup and saving Lupita Tovar, O'Brien is made welcome at her hacienda where her brother Lucio Villegas runs things. Neighbor LeRoy Mason is trying to steal the property via a fixed survey. But Mason's foreman William Royle is after even more. He's pledged to marry Mason's sister and co-owner of the ranch Mary Field.

Royle during a struggle shoots Mason and then gets the blame thrown on Villegas. It's O'Brien who uses his brains more than anything else who straightens everything and justice prevails.

You have to love the way O'Brien plays Royle's henchman Glenn Strange like a piccolo. Best part of the film. George Peppard and the A-Team couldn't have done better.

Lots of action for any western fan and a dab of humor as well. Can't go wrong here.