Dynamite Pass

Dynamite Pass is an enjoyable western. Although like all "B " westerns it had less than a substantial budget, it enjoys a good cast, storyline, and scenery. Whether starring in an "A" or "B" feature, the presence of Tim Holt usually guaranteed a worthwhile viewing experience. He had screen presence that is sadly lacking in most actors today.

Tim Holt plays Ross Taylor (not Tim Holt) and Richard Martin returns as his loyal companion Chito Rafferty for another indiscernible Holt western vehicle. Like most of Holt's corny low budget westerns, he's far too good of an actor for these pictures, which are a stones throw away from being an episode of The Cisco Kid or The Lone Ranger, with the plot revolving around feuding factions over the creating of a new road. Shootouts, barroom brawls, and chases on horseback ensue. Still, I'm fascinated by Holt, who has some staggeringly good performances in films like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "The Magnificent Ambersons" and could easily have had a career making prestige pictures, but instead chose a career as a B-picture western star (although maybe this was he more lucrative choice of the two, which I certainly couldn't fault him for).

Solid matinée western. Nothing like a barroom brawl to open the proceedings as the fists fly. The first part is action filled making good use of the Alabama Hills rock spires. Fortunately RKO popped for a lot of footage from that Neolithic scenery, the Sierras in the background. That's a good thing about many matinees—there's always natural wonders to compensate. Seems Ross and Chito set out to help build a public road through a hilly pass, instead of the toll road that baddie Dehner is strangling the town with. Trouble is Dehner has secret allies in town the cause problems for our guys. Catch Lynn Roberts as Mary who's anything but feminine adornment. She shoots a gun and gives orders as well as any man. And that's Cleo Moore as the cheeky blonde. She went on to star in a number of sleezy Hugo Haas films as a busty trollop. Note too the many familiar faces from the era in supporting roles, Pyle, Elliott, et.al. And catch the very last line that's between Mary and her husband. It's unusual for an oater of this type. Anyway, lots of hard riding, flying fists, and fast guns, enough to keep this front row geezer happy. And likely, you too.

Ross Taylor (Tim Holt) and Chito Rafferty come to the rescue of road engineer Dan Madden and his wife Mary. Dan is building a new road and being harassed by Anson Thurder and his gang who operate the old toll road. Anson holds the town under his thumb and is not about to let go.

This is a fine B-western. There is plenty of shooting and horse riding. There are also a couple of nice explosions. The outdoor locations look great. The production and directing are all pretty good for a B-movie. The acting is steady old school work. The story is a straight forward good over bad. This is an above average example of this average B-genre.

I always think it ironic that some of the very best B westerns come from the period when they were finally on the way out, i.e.1950 onwards.

This is a particularly good series entry, not because it is especially different or unusual, but because all of the necessary ingredients are neatly balanced. The plot is uncomplicated but wholly adequate, the cast (including stalwarts Toomey, Dehner, Harvey, Haggerty and Pyle) is well above average, the action sequences are well handled and evenly distributed throughout the film's short (61 minutes) running length and, this being an RKO picture, everything looks just as it should be. This may have been considered a "throwaway" item in the eyes of the studio but budget and facilities were still way ahead of those of the "poverty row" outfits responsible for the production of so many B westerns throughout the years.

Tim Holt always came across in his movies as competent and likable: his performances were pleasantly understated. Sidekick, Richard Martin, was, I thought, a little on the dull side or, perhaps it would be fairer to say, the character he played was dull. There is, after all, only so much humour that can be squeezed from a long list of Mexican forenames and a penchant for pretty girls.

But that is a minor quibble........