Border Caballero

Sam Newfield was allegedly mighty fast on his movie-shooting feet, but no-one has ever described him as stylish or creative. This little film could well be the exception.

True, Doc Shaw's endless fulminating is allowed to take up too much screen time, but this is otherwise an admirably well-produced "B" with a surprisingly gritty, realistic feel to it.

By Newfield's humble standards, the direction is extremely gripping and involving, with action vigorously staged with lots of extras and an unusually dark atmosphere deftly, realistically created, despite a routine plot that pits our hero reluctantly against a band of bank bandits.

Many interesting characters in this from cinema's most prolific director Sam Newfield. Tim McCoy an ex G man posing as Missouri is with Dr. Shaw's medicine show. The medicine show's favorite pitchman, Earle Hodgins livens things up as the most loveable con man in the west. The best Dick Tracy, Ralph Byrd and McCoy have their eye on number one western sweatheart, Lois January. Although in a limited role, it was great to see the man who represented the law in the west Jack Rockwell. Tim McCoy shows some acting range here and many great character actors from the period make Border Cabellero a memorable flim.

Another one of those Tim McCoy western movies that seem to spring up like rabbits when looking up the history of the Western. In this one, he gets a job in a traveling medicine show (helping the man who runs it skirt the law at the beginning reel) and getting involved in helping to try to bust a series of bank robberies in the region. His past friend is a G-Man who has infiltrated the group is soon found out and dealt with.. Is Mccoy next? This film isn't all that bad. Tim McCoy certainly doesn't really rank with the best of the movie cowboys (well, #1 problem would be his hat), but he's somewhat entertaining, gets into a lot of wimpy looking fights (he throws his hat a weapon1 Ooh! Tough!) shoots his gun totally wrong and again treats us to his Mexican impersonation (like he did in Lighting Carson Rides Again). Good for some entertainment.

Border Caballero finds Tim McCoy as a former FBI man in the modern west out on the range where he hooks up with Earl Hodgins Medicine Show as a trick shot artist. He meets up with his former colleague Ralph Byrd who is on the trail of counterfeiters. When Byrd is killed by the gang and McCoy framed, McCoy takes up where Byrd left off in an effort to trap the gang and find out who the brains is behind it.

Unfortunately we're told right away who the culprit is, but that doesn't stand in the way of Border Caballero being a pretty good B western. I have to call attention to two outstanding performances. The first is Lois January who plays a saloon girl named Goldie with a far more urban twist to her performance and a far more realistic one than you would find in a B western for the Saturday afternoon matinée crowd.

The second is one of my favorite character actors Earl Hodgins who occasionally got into a major film, but who graced many a B western with some outrageous characterizations. I love watching him here as the medicine show man who is one congenial fraud, but a good guy nonetheless.

Try to see Border Caballero if broadcast.