Billy the Kid Trapped

Billy the Kid must track down three villains who carry out hold-ups disguised as him and his sidekicks Fuzzy and Jeff before he is jailed for the crimes. A serviceable but very minor B-Western which sees Buster Crabbe, the actor forever associated with the character of Flash Gordon, ditching his blonde dye job and pulling on a showbiz cowboy outfit. The film is at pains to emphasise just what a wholsome, All-American guy Billy the Kid is, which seems a bit odd when viewed today. A decent example of its kind, though.

Awaiting execution for a murder they did not commit, Billy the kid, his sidekick Fuzzy Jones, and their pal Jeff are busted out by the real killers, a group of outlaws who proceed to impersonate them in order to rob and terrorize with impunity.

Billy then trails the killers to Mesa City, run by crooked town boss (and future Frankenstein monster) Glenn Strange, who's turned it into a safe hub for lawbreakers and realizes that in order to clear his name he'll have to clean up the town.

The ninth film in Producers Releasing Corporation's Billy The Kid series and Buster Crabbe's third, this is well paced and action packed, with some great gun battles, raucous fistfights, and nasty villains, definitely worthwhile for fans of the series.

"Billy the Kid " from 1942 is a most clever, pleasant, and enjoyable B-western excursion, one that features the best of what the genre can offer. The story is fun and well developed... oh sure, there are a few plot devices that the keen observer will have to let pass, but for the most part, the story is attractive and unique, involving as it does a lookalike component that is more intricate and directly responsible for the film's reason for being than any I have heretofore seen. The comedic antics offered by Fuzzy in this one are only some in number, which is really just about right to set the tone for the invitation to the viewer to sit back and take in a relaxed and quite competently performed western whimsy. All this in spite of the fact that this picture comes from the infamously low-budgeted PRC organization.

Buster shows an excellent hero's persona in this one... strong, but yet relaxed and firmly comfortable to the point that he knows he can capably handle any difficulties that may arise, and rest assured plenty of difficulties indeed arise. Because Fuzzy showcases far fewer shenanigans in this film compared to many of the other films in their series, Buster doesn't have to play straight man all that much, which allows him to maintain a more consistent authoritative bearing. This authoritative posture allows the viewer to unquestionably respect his presence in the film. We see Buster firmly take his place as a cowboy hero in this one, one that most other western stars of the era consistently portrayed. And it makes the viewer feel good to see a no-nonsense hero seriously stand up without too much interference to the plentiful bad around him.

The rest of the cast is excellent in their roles, and the cheap sets are appropriately superb... the street scenes have an earthy and rustic feel about them. The interiors look worn and real, and the outdoor scenery is varied. Western movie action abounds, yes, including running horses with eyes aglow and manes afire, but it is the story and its unique bent that propels this PRC western movie to far more than ordinary.

Billy The Kid and his intrepid sidekicks Al St. John and Dave O'Brien start the film in a real pickle, in less than a day they're to be hung at sunrise. But a miracle happens, a shooting fracas starts, their guns are tossed through a window, the key as well, and horses left outside. Now who could be such a guardian angel?

Well it ain't no angel. It's Glenn Strange who is the local outlaw boss and three of his guys dress like Buster Crabbe, St. John, and O'Brien. And if they're dead or locked up indefinitely, that part of Strange's action is closed down indefinitely.

It's a devil's choice for Strange because when our three heroes get out they set to find out who's been framing them and you know the result won't be good for the bad guy.

The most important leading lady that Crabbe ever had is in this film in the series. Anne Jeffreys is the sister of the sheriff of an outlaw town who Crabbe saves and she's grateful. Of course her fame came later in television as Marion Kerby in Topper.

Definitely one of the better of the Billy The Kid series.

Great to see the one and only Buster Crabbe and the outstanding Anne Jeffreys in one movie but that's not where it ends. Glenn "Pee Wee" Strange, Fuzzy St. John, Jack Ingram, Ted Adams, Milton Kibbee and Walter McGrail all put in their usual stellar performances. Bud McTaggart held his own and then some with the stars. Unfortunately, this young talent left us too soon. Great story of Billy the Kid's trio breaking out of jail with the help of mysterious benefactors. But as Phaedrus once said, "Things are not always what they seem." Billy has to work fast to stop the robberies and murders of the nefarious imposters.