Silent Conflict

Hoppy is worried about Lucky, he seems to be not focused and is seen talking to a man with a bad reputation- he soon learns that Lucky owes that man money due to a poker game. But things get worse when a man (Earle Hodgins) and his daughter show up - next minute Lucky is in a trance, the gold Hopalong was carrying has gone. Lucky took it but a group of men think Hopalong took it. Hopalong follows the trail of Hodgins , his daughter and Lucky...

This is a slightly unusual Hoppy western, there's less action and more of an intriguing situation - hypnotism adds a little twist to this rather engaging tale. Great scenery, there's a tense moment when Lucky is shooting at Hopalong, but it's Earle Hodgins' performance that takes the cake. He plays a rather nasty character who uses hypnotism to pilfer gold from Hopalong.

Hopalong Cassidy and pals are at the end of a cattle drive. Hoppy seeks the comfort of sleeping in a bed -- the audience is a-tingle, wondering if he wears black pajamas to match the spotless black shirt he wears on the dusty trail. Meanwhile, perennial series juvenile Rand Brooks is fascinated by medicine-showman Earl Hodgins and his talk of his many great inventions, including a glass eye that can wink. Hodgins also gives Brooks a drink of his special tea. He says it will clear his mind. It will clear it so greatly that Brooks will do whatever Hodgins says, including giving him the money from the drive and agree to kill Hoppy.

That would have been one way to end the series, I thought, when I read the synopsis. If I give you the impression that I was not impressed with the story written by Charles Belden, you are correct. It's silly, far-fetched and there's no way that things will turn out badly for Bill Boyd when he's the producer; it would break the hearts of the youngsters who loved his screen character.

Cinematographer Mack Stengler shoots the vistas very nicely, and anyone who has seen more than three B westerns will instantly recognize the familiar rocks of Lone Pine in this placeholder entry to the series.

Generally, the Hopalong Cassidy B-westerns are among the best in the genre. They are almost always entertaining and well made....but there are a few exceptions. A HUGE exception is "Silent Conflict" and of the 40 or so films I've seen in the series, it and one other ("Outlaws of the Desert") , are the worst....terrible films due to ridiculous plots. In "Outlaws of the Desert", Hoppy and is pals hang out in Saudi Arabia! And, here in "Silent Conflict", one of his pals is controlled by an evil hypnotist!!! Evil hypnotists and Saudi Arabia clearly have no part in an American western...and they really are dumb films!

When the story begins, Hoppy, Lucky and California are bringing in some cattle to sell. Lucky is acting out of sorts...but Hoppy assumes he'll soon snap out of it. Another man, the 'Doc', also sees that Lucky is out of sorts and takes what appears to be a fatherly interest in the guy. Instead, however, he used mind-altering drugs and hypnosis to turn Lucky into his evil pawn!!!! Then, he gets Lucky to steal all the money from the cattle sale!! Not surprisingly, Hoppy and California give chase....and the trail leads to Doc...and a final showdown.

Hypnosis?! Give me a break. First, hypnosis cannot make you do what happens in the film. I am a trained hypnotist...and if it could turn people into your evil pawns, I would have used it for this decades ago!! Second, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that the series had 'jumped the shark' with such a stupid and ridiculous plot! But "Borrowed Trouble" was also made in 1948 and is a dandy and very enjoyable Cassidy film. All in all, a terrible film compared to the others in the series and evidence that the writing wasn't always stellar in the series.

Seems they either love or hate this entry in the Hoppy franchise? I didn't mind it, a bit different, no punch ups or gun fights, but an intriguing, if improbable little plot, don't forget these were primarily made for kids, of all ages I might add, and kids don't analyse things too much, they just sit back and enjoy. Rand Brooks, I thought, made a good Lucky Jenkins, and hey, it's Hoppy, nothing much else matters!

Silent Conflict has a different plot than most westerns. This time the bad guy is a master of mind control, and poor Lucky Jenkins is the victim.

As Hopalong Cassidy, Lucky Jenkins, and California Carlson head home from a cattle drive they lose the money they collected to pay all the cattle ranchers. Hoppy has a hard time finding out who took the money and what has happened to his friend, Lucky. A feeling of hopelessness hangs over most of this movie, but has anyone ever seen Hopalong Cassidy fail to come through by the end of a movie?

The relationship of Hoppy and his pals was one of unquestioned loyalty. He would always look out for his friends. In Silent Conflict nearly all of his dialogue with Lucky is downright mean. Hoppy usually showed some kind of care for Lucky when he had to correct him, but this time he crossed over the line of "tough love." Although we know that Hoppy really cared for Lucky, a first time viewer may not get that right away from watching Silent Conflict. Hoppy is even mean to the innkeeper for no reason.

California often got in trouble to draw Hoppy into action. This time he cannot take the blame for any of Hoppy's troubles. In one humorous scene he reveals that he does not know his own age.

An indicator that a movie will be fun to watch is the inclusion of Earle Hodgins in the cast. His role as Doc Richards in Silent Conflict was better than normal. Not only is he the villain, he does not need any henchmen to help him do his dirty work. Hodgins was magnificent in this movie. This may even be his best role in a movie because he gets so much time on screen.

Rarely does background music make itself noticeable, but the music stands out in Silent Conflict. The usual Hoppy theme music switches back and forth with an eerie horror/suspense type of music during the scenes where Lucky is hypnotized. The forced fit of unmatched music was distracting, especially in the outdoor scenes among the rocks.

An unusual plot and the strong presence of Earle Hodgins make Silent Conflict stand out. It is definitely worthwhile to watch this one.