"The Bold Frontiersman" is a nearly meaningless title for a highly entertaining and well-mounted B-western from 1948, which was a year during an era in movie-making (1946-1953) that produced countless and often competent westerns with many leading stars. These stars include Alan "Rocky" Lane (who stars in this one), Monte Hale, Rex Allen, Bill Elliot, and Sunset Carson, among others. However, the stories were usually standard and without much distinction. And the viewer can tell that they were ground out in a routine manner. They also tended to present the stars as Old West fantasy-styled superheroes. But this entry has a captivating unfolding story with an undercurrent of intrigue and some imaginative plot devices.
The acting is first rate, with Alan Lane leading the charge. "Rocky," as he became known, was a pleasantly-countenanced actor who moved through Hollywood for several years playing in mostly lower budget mainstream movies beginning in the late 1930's. Lane's career never really took off, but luckily for horse opera fans he found a comfortable home in westerns.
And then there is Roy Barcroft, one of westerndom's favorite bad guys. He was always enjoyable to watch, and here he is a marvel of sinister predictability in his villainy. The remaining cast, including Eddy Waller, who was Lane's right-hand man, if not a sidekick, in so many filmed adventures, are excellent.
"The Bold Frontiersman" is a little gem of a B-western movie and fans of the genre' will undoubtedly very much enjoy it.
