Heart of the West

I hadn't seen a Hopalong Cassidy in years--then this one appeared on COZI TV--they show old movies and TV shows. It was fast paced and quite exciting with a cattle stampede to boot! Paramount released this film ( #6 in a series of Hoppy films)in 1936. Besides William Boyd as Hoppy, the film had James Ellison as his sidekick, Johnny Nelson. Ellison was quite handsome and even managed to take his shirt off twice--once to save Gabby Hayes from drowning. I think that Mr. Ellison practically stole the picture from Mr. Boyd. Mr. Ellison was later replaced in the series by Russell Hayden--who was also good, but Ellison was a better actor and very handsome.

If you've seen many of the Hopalong Cassidy films, this one might be a bit confusing due to a continuity problem. When the film begins, Johnny jumps in the river to save Windy's life....and Johnny and Hoppy don't know Windy...and vice-versa. This is strange as George 'Gabby' Hayes had previously played Windy in "Bar 20 Rides Again" with them! Hayes was also in the first Hopalong Cassidy film, though in this one he played a different character! Such continuity problems aren't unheard of in cowboy B-movies...but it is confusing.

Shortly after saving Windy's life, Hoppy and Johnny head into town. There they learn that the man who offered them jobs is orchestrating a range war...and he's hiring them to be his hired guns. Well, not surprisingly, Hoppy is disgusted by Trumbull and his propensity towards violence....and he tells him to keep his job! But instead of just heading off into the sunset, Hoppy and Johnny stick around to learn more about this brewing problem....and as time passes, it's obvious Trumbull and his men are doing far more than just raising cattle!

So is it any good? Generally yes. My only complaint is that the story is awfully simple...and there is nothing especially unique about the movie. In other words, it's a competently made and well acted western....just like all the rest of the Cassidy films...but also not a must-see either....though I did enjoy seeing how Trumbull met his fate!

The location for this film is around Sonora, California...several hours to the west of the filming location for most of the Hopalong Cassidy movies--with Yosemite National Park separating them. This isn't a problem...just an observation and you might notice that the location is a bit more hilly and less a mountainous desert like Lone Pine.

Although, as a general rule, the early entries in this series are superior to those produced in the 1940s, "Heart of the West" emerges as one of the least interesting of the Hopalong Cassidys. This one disappointingly treats us to a parade of dull and boring characters engaged in a tiresome plot about a fence war between neighboring ranchers. How many times have we been regaled with that one? True, fascinating characters and clever storytelling can overcome even the most hackneyed themes, but here the problem is not alleviated at all, but compounded by indifferent acting and poor production values.

Technically, the movie also weighs in as second-rate. The sound recording and the dubbing of effects are especially weak, and even Archie Stout's camera-work scales up as far less noticeably impressive than usual (although there is one composition looking through a window that's mildly appealing).

All the action is saved for the final reel. True, if you're prepared to wait for it, the cattle stampede at the climax does perk up the picture a few notches.

In the sixth Hopalong Cassidy movie, Bill Boyd and James Ellison head out to take a job for a while with Sidney Blackmer's outfit. Before that can happen, they hook up with whip-wielding Gabby Hayes, who tells them about the fence war with his employer, Lynn Gabriel. So Hoppy and Johnny go to work for her. Meanwhile, Blackmer tries to get Miss Gabriel's spread, proposing marriage to her, and starting a cattle stampede. With Hoppy on the job, will everything turn out right?

It's a pleasant effort early in the long-running series, still under the control of producer Harry Sherman. It looks like pretty much standard B-western fare, albeit with a better script, pacing, and production values than the independents could manage.

Heart Of The West has a beginning like the John Wayne/Robert Mitchum classic El Dorado. Do you remember that Wayne came to work for Ed Asner, but after finding out that Asner was the bad guy, the Duke threw in with Robert Mitchum the sheriff and the family Asner was trying to force out.

Same here. Bill Boyd and his young friend James Ellison get an offer to work for Sidney Blackmer the local Ponderosa owner. But when they find out he's the bad guy they throw in with brother and sister Charles Martin and Lynn Gabriel who are being squeezed by Blackmer.

There's some public grazing land that Blackmer has appropriated for himself. At first the thought is he's just greedy. But he actually does have some underhanded motives for trying to keep everyone else off.

Blackmer in the best Snidely Whiplash tradition has designs on Lynn Gabriel. But as usual when there's a pretty girl around to get his attention, anyone else will have to deal with Jimmy Ellison.

The climax is a cattle stampede which Hoppy turns to his advantage.

A good one in the Hoppy tradition.