Borrowed Trouble

After selling off some Bar 20 cattle Hoppy, Lucky, and California run into some Borrowed Trouble when the rivalry between two saloon owners takes an interesting twist. Borrowed Trouble is stolen from our cowboy heroes by the performance of Anne O'Neal as one feisty schoolteacher who has it in for one of the saloon owners.

Seems as though his place during the daylight hours is quite the fascination for her pupils especially those just starting those pangs of puberty. She emphasizes to Hoppy that John Parrish's place is too much for her to deal with and she's going to close it one way or another. All while telling Hoppy that she's no kind of blue nosed reformer though she sure looks like she belongs in Carry Nation's army.

Can't go any farther because this story does take an interesting twist. Let's say that some forensic evidence tells the tale to Hopalong Cassidy who O'Neal insists upon calling William.

Some nice scenes with Hoppy and the school kids show why he was such an idol among America's youth and Andy Clyde teaching a bunch of kids all smarter than him is a hoot.

One of the better of the later Hopalong Cassidy films. All owing to Anne O'Neal.

Some time ago, the old Hopalong Cassidy films were fully restored to original length and with lovely pristine prints. Fortunately, they were then uploaded to YouTube...where you can see these films for free. I strongly recommend it, as the Cassidy films are at least the equals of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

"Borrowed Trouble" is a very, very unusual installment in the Hopalong Cassidy series. While I really wanted to score it 7.5, I'll round up to 8...because it did dare to be so very different. This is a great thing, as it's one of the last films in the series and instead of just retreading old plots, this one is wholly original...and quite funny.

Hoppy and his two pals arrive in town. Then, something strange happens....the local school teacher begins throwing apples through the windows of the saloon that is smack next to her school! She's tossing apples because the saloon owner promised to build elsewhere...but the noise and crowd inside make teaching the kids difficult to say the least. Hoppy sees this and tries his best to mediate...but to no avail. Soon, the teacher is kidnapped...and all the signs point to this saloon-keeper. What's next? See the film.

I love the slow, leisurely pace of this one. I also loved seeing California trying to fill in for the teacher...even though he practically knows nothing! Very clever and with an amazingly violent finale where the teacher herself delivers some justice! Well worth your time.

Completed during the final year (1948) of Hopalong Cassidy feature film-making, this effort unsuccessfully blends humour with a customary action element, relating of quarrels among a crusty schoolteacher and two rival saloon owners, with Hopalong (William Boyd) and his two sidekicks, Lucky Jenkins (Rand Brooks) and California Carlson (Andy Clyde) finding themselves trying to mediate the various conflicts while Hoppy and California fill in for the schoolmarm (Anne O'Neal) who has been kidnapped as punishment for breaking saloon windows with apples. Produced by Boyd for United Artists and filmed in California's picturesque Inyo County, the work fails to maintain a consistent tone and, although the cast provides good performances from veteran supporting players Byron Foulger, Earle Hodgins and Cliff Clark, tepid direction from generally reliable George Archainbaud, along with very sloppy editing, leave their markings; there is, however, a nifty score by Darrell Calker who composed for many "B"s, and always adroitly.

The 64th of 66 Hopalong Cassidy movies sees William Boyd as Hoppy intervening in a feud. John Parrish's saloon is right next door to Anne O'Neal's schoolhouse. She won't have her classes disrupted, so throws apples through the saloon windows. Then one morning, Miss O'Neal is missing, so Boyd puts Andy Clyde in charge of the school and heads off in search of clues.

It's a very funny mystery in the series, with Miss O'Neal prim and proper, insisting on addressing Hopalong not as Hoppy, not as Bill, but as William. Born in 1893, she entered films in the early 1930s. She toiled as an uncredited extra in more than 100 film appearances, with only the occasional listing. She did somewhat better in television. She retired after her last appearance in a 1962 TWILIGHT ZONE episode and died in 1971.

Finishing a trail drive, Hoppy and the boys head to town and immediately get caught up in the conflict between school teacher Miss Abott and next door saloon owner Mawson. When Miss Abott disappears, Hoppy gets a clue to her location and rescues her from Mawson's cabin. It looks like Mawson is the man he wants, but Hoppy finds an item that indicates otherwise.

Anne O Neal is amusing as a school Mark who throws apples at the saloon, which was meant to be a store but the owner reneged on his promise and built a saloon. She's quite feisty in the role and calls Hoppy William. There's some chortling one liners, an unusual slant in regard to this being saloon keeper vs a school teacher. Not a striking episode, the plot is thin, but it has interesting bits.