Bulldog Courage

This is a solid B-Western that's mostly carried by the plot, with some interest added by the dual role of Tim McCoy, as a father and son. The story has mostly familiar elements, but it moves at a steady pace, and the production gets decent usage out of generally inexpensive settings and other resources.

McCoy's first character is one of many men who have been swindled by the villain, a dishonest banker who is not above using illegal means, including violence, to seize valuable properties. The fraud victim is succeeded by his son, who carries on the battle against the banker and his cronies. Much of it is predictable, but there are some interesting developments and a couple of good sequences. The best scenes are toward the beginning. The first holdup sequence features some entertaining touches, and the subsequent chase also adds a couple of interesting details.

The father character, who is only in the first few scenes, is actually the more interesting of the two. McCoy also gives him quite a bit more personality and depth than he gives the son, who is the main character the rest of the way. Joan Woodbury is nice to look at as the daughter of his father's old associate, but her limited role doesn't give her very much to work with. The supporting cast features a few good moments from Paul Fix, as one of the banker's shady contacts.

There are some obvious ways that it could have been better. The son character is one-dimensional and is not really that interesting, at least when compared with his father. The editing is also rather ragged throughout the movie, which occasionally becomes a distraction. But the pluses are easily enough to make it entertaining and to be worth watching for the hour or so that it runs.

The film begins with a Robin Hood-like bandit fighting the forces of evil (lawyers and the like). When he's shot and lies dying, he passes on his legacy to his son. This kid grows up to become Tim McCoy and carries on his father's one-man crusade against lawyers and bankers and telemarketers (okay, the last one wasn't in the film).

Okay, it's best I admit up front that I am not a huge fan of B-Westerns--especially the series films of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the like. I have nothing against them, but after seeing just a few I just can't see much difference between them. On a lark, I decided to watch my first Tim McCoy film and found that it really wasn't any different. Like the typical series film, Tim never seems to shoot anyone except in the hand, he catches people trying to murder him and takes their guns--then lets them go, and never slugs anyone unless it absolutely can't be helped. Now I understand that he's playing a good guy, but this routine is ridiculous. For example, in one case, a man shoots at him as he's riding his horse. McCoy pretends to have fallen off the horse and died. And, when the perpetrator comes to look for the body, he's caught by Tim. Tim doesn't hit him, shoot him or even yell at him--just takes his guns and tells him to git! No one is THAT wonderful! If Gandhi had lived in the Old West, I bet he would have plugged a guy who tried to bushwhack him like this--or at least busted him up a bit!! The complete and total lack of realism or violence of any kind make this a film only for the most undemanding audience.

The bottom line is that although in real life Tim McCoy was a great guy (look at his WWI and II record for proof of this) but he has all the on-screen charisma of a block of blue cheese! By comparison, he makes Autry, Rogers and the Lone Ranger look like Howie Mandel on crack--he's THAT dull! It's like he's just walking through the film, trying to be sure to keep his blood pressure under 100/70. Heck, the guy never even breaks a sweat!

Western miner Tim McCoy (as Slim Braddock) is cheated out of his claim by Karl Hackett (as Williams), but he can't prove anything. So, he becomes "The Phantom" bandit, and robs stages carrying Hackett booty. During a confrontation, Mr. McCoy is wounded; he dies in the care of son Eddie Buzard (as young Tim Braddock). Mr. Buzard quickly grows into McCoy (as old Tim Braddock), which is the main Braddock role. After pretty Joan Woodbury (as Helen Brennan) is introduced, the characters' ages are difficult to discern.

McCoy is an odd "Phantom"; he makes no effort to hide his identity, and is plainly visible as "Slim Braddock". He also terrorizes citizens with kindness, and makes minor repairs on the coaches he robs. The most entertaining part of "Bulldog Courage" occurs when Paul Fix (as Bailey) arrives to blow-up a mine; he really uses his "noodle." After Mr. Fix is detained, McCoy does a wild impersonation of "Bailey"; with his obvious ability to memorize dialogue, and capture a character, "Braddock" should have been an actor instead of a minor.