Come on Danger

COME ON DANGER is one of a bunch that Tim Holt seems to have shot in a hurry before enlisting during World War II. He is a Texas Ranger in this one, investigating some rustling, and turns up a corrupt town.

It's not one of his better ones. While the camera-work by Harry Wild is topnotch, this short 'un is eked out with some cornball humor and songs ("Come On, Danger!") played by his sidekicks, Ray Whitely and Lee White, falling right into the vanilla assistant and the Old Coot mode. Frances Neal is good as the rancher whom he helps.

Holt's westerns usually had the muted love interest written as women who are fairly capable themselves, although they were sometimes played by starlets at the beginning of their careers and not quite up to the writing. Miss Neal is fairly good in the role. However, this movie, while watchable, is not one of the stronger entries in the series.

This shortie was kind of mid-career for cowboy Mason (Tim Holt). He's been sent to find Ann Jordan, who is rumored to be commiting murder and various other crimes. The film opens in a bar with a jug band playing, and some rough and tough gang make it plain that they don't like music, and start a good old fashioned bar brawl. It's the usual "Oat burner", with lots of gun fights on horseback, chases through the desert. Apparently, this has almost the same plot as "Renegade Ranger", another, earlier RKO film from ten years back. Frances Neal is "Jordan"... and she only had a few roles... looks like her biggest role was as MRS. Van Heflin. The bad guys are onto Mason, but he still has a trick or two up his sleeve. Directed by Ed Killy, who had made TEN films with Tim Holt. the acting here is all so-so. story and directing about the same. so much singing. probably should have jazzed up the story instead of spending so much time on the music. Showing on Turner Classics. the usual western. Holt died quite young from cancer.

Come On Danger finds Tim Holt once again a Texas Ranger on a dangerous assignment. In this case to bring in a notorious outlaw leader. But the twist here is that the outlaw leader is the lovely Frances Neal who would in real life wed Van Heflin and abandon her own movie career.

Tim's sidekicks Lee White and Ray Whitley come along unofficially because they're on suspension from the Texas Rangers following a saloon brawl. But a little investigation on Holt's behalf shows him that Ms. Neal is actually a female Robin Hood who is just taking back what some thieving politicians led by tax collector Karl Hackett has been pilfering from all the honest citizens of Manzanita, Texas.

Come On Danger follows the usual run of Tim Holt westerns, nicely constructed stories with a believable cowboy hero, the very best of them in my opinion.