Night Raiders

Night Raiders is directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Maurice Tombragel. It stars Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight, Lois Hall and Tommy Farrell. Music is by Raoul Kraushaar and cinematography by Ernest Miller.

Build a fire under the sheriff to see how he jumps!

Pretty unexciting "B" Oater that finds Wilson as a Territory Marshal investigating why in the town of Bitter Springs night raiders are ransacking property - but taking nothing?! Plot is uninteresting which in turn marries up with the over all tired feel to it all. It feels more like a 1930s spooky mystery, something which is further felt via the musical accompaniments. Whip of course cracks his whip and punches heroically and Knight is naturally a lovable buffoon, while the finale involving shootings and fisticuffs among the rocky terrain is pleasingly safe. But it doesn't have enough about it to warrant recommending even as a time waster. 3/10

Whip arrives to investigate why night raiders are ransacking cabins but taking nothing. He recognizes the saloon owner as the man that went to prison for a robbery committed five years earlier in which the money was never recovered. He then learns the Sheriff was his partner in that robbery but escaped. It appears the Sheriff has hidden the money and Whip now tries to trick him to revealing it's location.

Whip Wilson cracks his whip again in another western entry that has a serviceable storyline, routinely told and has competent acting, but the languid pace and a lack of action brings it down a notch. Just an adequate time filler.

Watching this old picture on TV I was surprised to hear the title music which was more familiar as the theme for the Dale Robertson TV western series 'Tales of Wells Fargo'. I believe two different themes were used - one by Harry Warren - for this long-running TV show and the Night Raiders title music was presumably adapted for one of them. Perhaps the film itself is only a B picture although with a somewhat unusual plot but at least the music is worthy of better things. Raoul Kraushaar composed the music for Night Raiders which was released a few years before Tales of Wells Fargo appeared. Strange how music can stir memories after fifty years.