Westward Bound

A serious western this is not. Neither is it an Abbot and Costello adventure as rubes trying to be cowboys. Instead it evolves into a western strewn with serial comedic situations. As the son of a NY senator seeking reelection, Bob Lansing is sent back west with Ben after trying to protect Marge Holt in a night club. Driving around out in Montana, they manage to lose their stylish car and fine clothes. Eventually they are taken to a ranch, plagued by cattle rustlers and owned by none other than Ms. Holt, who recognizes Bob but covers her own identity from him. Somehow they must avoid being arrested and help protect the ranch from the rustlers. The humor in this film is based on their naivete and foolhardiness. I would recommend viewing it on that basis.

I'm not certain it was intentional here, but Allene Ray ("Marge") did make me smile here as she donned a pair of glasses and voila, as per Batman and Robin, it was a disguise that would fool even Sherlock Holmes himself! Why did she need a disguise? Well that's because she's got herself embroiled in the antics of "Lansing/Buffalo Bill Jr." (Jay Wilsey) as he works with "Ben" (Ben Corbett) to bring some dastardly cattle rustlers to book. From here on in, it follows the usual trammels of infiltrate the baddies, tread on a dangerous tightrope and then hope to get out alive as they will be doubtless be hopelessly outmanned and outgunned. There is something lightly engaging to Wilsey's performance, but the others merit little worth mentioning and the whole film belongs at the bottom end of the scale of these precursors to episodes of "Bonanza", only a little more earnest. It's watchable enough, but I know I shall never recall it.