Texas Terror

No need to repeat the plot. This matinée special has a number of interesting features. Reviewer jayraskin1 is right—this is one of the young Wayne's better performances since he has to run a gamut of emotions from shame to anger. He's actually a better actor than these two-reelers required, and I wouldn't be surprised this was a feature where the great John Ford caught Wayne's potential before elevating him to the A-class in Stagecoach (1939). Then too, I enjoyed the old flivver chugging down the road. Sure, there are some questionable anachronisms like the antique telephone. But it's fun and revealing to see these early editions of everyday modern contraptions. Also, the milking contest is a charming hoot, expertly done by the two characters playing the yokels. I wish I could say the same for the leading lady who at one point declaims like she's center stage doing Shakespeare.

But wonder of wonders, catch an apparently well-groomed George (Gabby) Hayes in several scenes where, dare I say it, he looks almost handsome! I'm still wondering about that and whether I should have any more 12-packs while enjoying these oaters. Speaking of visual oddities, is that about ten seconds of a subjective camera in the movie's first part when the scene goes all blurry as though we're peering through the blurry eyes of the leading lady (I believe it was hers and not mine!). If so, it's one of the few subjective shots in a genre not known for arty effects, to say the least. Anyway, I'm glad Lone Star popped enough money to put the larger than usual cast including extras into the piney mountains east of LA. The locale may not be the scenic Sierras, but it sure beats the scrubby hills of city outskirts. All in all, it's a better-than- average entry for fans of the Lone Star- Wayne series.

This B-western begins with John Wayne as a town's sheriff. However, following a robbery, Wayen chases the baddies and thinks he's accidentally shot and killed an old friend--not knowing that the leader of the gang actually killed the man. Saddened by the death, he decides to quit the job and become a recluse...for a while. Eventually, he gets his act together and eventually unravels the mystery--saving the day.

Compared to other Wayne films of the era, this one is about average--entertaining but with a few problems here and there. The one big problem for me was the use of stunts--which were usually the highpoint of these films. Instead of staging new stunts, they sloppily took clips from other Wayne films and stuck them in--less than seamlessly. For example, though the grass is short and they are in a semi-wooded area, when baddies are shot, they fall in very high grass with no trees about them! Sloppy...and obviously recycled. Still, the rest of the film is breezy light entertainment--what you'd expect from such an unpretentious film.

A couple things to look for is a particularly bad job of acting and directing when the heroin enters the film. She talks directly to the camera and her delivery is less than magical...in fact, it's craptastic. Also, look for Gabby Hayes as the new sheriff. Unlike many of his other western roles, here he wears his dentures and sounds very erudite--without that 'old coot' voice you usually expect from him. This isn't too surprising, as in these Wayne westerns, Hayes experimented a lot with his characters--even sometimes playing bad guys or action heroes...of sorts.

Wayne portrays a Texas sheriff at around the turn of the 20th century who is framed for the murder of his best friend. His best friends daughter finds out about what is believed to be The Sherriff's brutal act, yet Wayne finds out the truth and brings the real killers to justice. Kudos to the Duke!

In this Lone Star production, John Wayne is a sheriff who is tricked into thinking he killed his best friend and that selfsame friend was part of a robbery of an express company.

So distraught is Wayne over this that he quits the sheriff's job and becomes a desert prospector. In these scenes the Duke with that growth of beard on him looks a whole lot like his character Tom Doniphan in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Wayne does a major reclamation job on himself after he rescues Lucile Browne from a stage holdup. Browne is the best friend's daughter.

Of course in the end the Duke does find out who are the real culprits with the help of some grateful and friendly Indians. How the Indians get into it, you have to watch Texas Terror.

Texas Terror is set in a more modern version of the west. The stage is actually a large sedan and the people out here use telephones. Kind of like the settings of most later Roy Rogers westerns.

Gabby Hayes is on hand as well as the former sheriff who steps back into his job when Wayne quits and LeRoy Mason who was in so many of these Lone Star films for Monogram as well makes a convincing villain as always.

John Wayne plays a sheriff who mistakenly believes he killed his best friend. So he turns in his badge and goes to live in the woods. A year later the dead friend's citified daughter shows up. Wayne has to rescue her and she offers him a job as foreman on the ranch she inherited from her father. Romance follows but not without some troubles. Eventually Wayne finds out who really killed his pal and straps on his guns to get justice.

In many ways this is a routine B western, the type Duke made plenty of early in his career. The plot elements and even some of the stunts seem familiar to other Wayne oaters I've seen from the period. But there are some interesting things I haven't seem before. John Wayne being broody, for one thing. At one point we see him with a beard and trying to look disheveled. Kind of funny. Gabby Hayes is also in this but without the grizzled old-timer shtick we all love. It's enjoyable enough for the type of unchallenging movie it is. I think these were mostly aimed at kids back in the day so don't expect anything deep.