Texas Cyclone

A classic, innocent western. Fun and, at times, funny. John Wayne as Steve is worth the whole 58 minutes. Tim McCoy over acts like nothing I've ever seen and the whole movie is simply enjoyable. Find it if you can.

B-Western starring Tim McCoy as a new guy in town who everyone mistakes for a heroic rancher who went missing years earlier and was presumed dead. Through a series of circumstances too silly to relate, McCoy decides to go along with the charade that he's this hero, and help out the man's wife (Shirley Grey) who has been struggling to keep her ranch going in the face of incessant cattle rustling by the minions of bad guy Wheeler Oakman. McCoy finds help in nice-guy ranch hand John Wayne and old coot sheriff Walter Brennan.

Tim McCoy was a major Western star in the late silent period, and continued on with B Westerns throughout the 1930's into the 40's. He was a real cowboy, adept horseman, and expert on Native American cultures and customs. He's perhaps not the strongest actor or the most intimidating screen presence, but he's genuine, and I liked him well enough. Wayne doesn't have a lot to do, but he's not bad, and you can see why he was a bit of a sex symbol during the early years of his career. Brennan, in one of his biggest roles to date, was only in his late 30's, but already playing a gray-haired old goof. As for the movie, it won't make anyone's top ten lists, but there are a lot worse in the world of quickie B Westerns.

I had caught this movie on Sony's channel GetTV. I thought it was an extremely entertaining B Western. It does not have the production quality of a post WWII major western but was a lot of fun. It was quite fun to see a young John Wayne and Walter Brennan. I was not familiar with Tim McCoy, but he had a really entertaining persona along with his giant hat. I got a kick out of how the sped up the bar room fight scenes kind of an early version of FX. If you like this one you may also like Two Fisted Law. Both movies are short so great viewing for an afternoon. These are Columbia pictures movies. John Wayne has a somewhat minor role,but one sees how he did have the persona to become a star shortly.

I mostly agree with the other comments, that the main attraction of this film is the early days of John Wayne, and also, the beginnings of Western "talkies." The rating is dependent upon how indulgent you are, and if historical interest means little to you, then your rating will be lower than mine. The basic plot element of mistaken identity is absurd. Beyond this, all of the cowboys seem to have immaculate clothing and hats--none of them appears to have been spending regular time with the cattle. But the appearance of these cowboys probably has much to do with the beginnings of "Gower Gulch," that part of Gower Street in Hollywood which Harry Cohn acquired to serve as the home of Columbia Pictures. This is obviously a Columbia film, because at the start of the film you can hear the audio fanfare for the Columbia trademark. Cowboys and other hopeful extras for a western film would congregate on the street near Columbia, hoping to be hired by the studios based in that area. Often, having one's own costume and hat helped in being hired. The numerous cowboys regularly seen on Gower led to the location being nicknamed "Gower Gulch."

This Tim McCoy movie is well worth seeing due to its cast. Although today McCoy is pretty much forgotten, the film also features a couple future stars--John Wayne and Walter Brennan (spelling 'Brenan' here--and wearing a lot of makeup to make him look much older). Plus, for fans of old time comedy (such as Mack Sennett and Three Stooges films) will probably recognize Vernon Dent as the bartender.

McCoy enters a new town and, oddly, everyone seems to know him and keep referring to him as 'Jim'. Apparently, this Jim was a bit of a hero who was loved by many and hated by others--but he died several years ago! Yet, in their eyes, Jim was somehow back from the dead. After talking with the bartender (with whom he develops an instant friendship), McCoy decides to pretend he is Jim to see what develops. However, this plan is sorely tested when he meets Jim's widow--who also thinks he's Jim! Using an old movie cliché, she faints at the sight of him. Soon he strikes up a friendship with John Wayne (who, for once, plays the sidekick role) and, along with some friends from back in Texas, they set out to set things right.

While this is a pretty standard B-western (aside from the cast), it is a nice film to watch simply because the DVD is of such a nice quality. Unlike many of Wayne's early Bs, this one is in nearly pristine condition and even has DVD captions in three languages (including English). In addition, the acting and script is a bit better than you'd normally find in a low-budget western. While the film won't change your life and the whole mistaken identity idea is silly if you think about it, it's well worth seeing if you enjoy the genre...or if you have an hour to spare and want to try one of these old-time films.

By the way, I'd like to explain my score of 7. This is relative to other Bs of the era as well as indicative of its watchability today. for what this is, it's pretty good. Also, if you like this one, McCoy and Wayne also did one other film together--"Two-Fisted Law".