False Paradise

During the 1950s, many of the great B-western stars had their films trimmed for television...and there was a career renaissance for the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy. Fortunately in the case of the Cassidy films, the original prints were saved...and the Cassidy estate recently restored them and uploaded them to YouTube...which is where I found "False Paradise".

"False Paradise" is the penultimate Hopalong Cassidy film. At this point in time, William Boyd was in his early to mid-50s....and in general he is a bit less tough and action-oriented in the films. He also often did not appear in black like he used to but more middle-aged man tan getup. I really don't mind this, as the writing was still awfully good for a series that consisted of more than 60 films! In this installment, as usual, Hoppy has two sidekicks. Rand Brooks appears as Lucky and, was always the case in the final half of the series, Andy Clyde is on hand as California.

When the film begins, the trio have a weird meeting with the Professor and his daughter. It seems that someone sold the man on some 'wonderful property'...which turns out to be land everyone knew was barren and worthless. Well, at least that is why the Professor was able to get the land...because the man selling it thought it was junk and lied about how great it was. But it turns out the land IS valuable and there's silver. This is great, right?! Well...perhaps not. Because as the Professor sets up a mine and Hoppy and the gang run it, unseen forces are trying to destroy the mine so that they can foreclose on the property and steal the mine. Hoppy needs to figure out who's behind all this and make sure that the Professor gets what's his.

The story is good...very good. So, despite Hoppy getting a bit older and there being a bit less action, the film STILL is very good and worth your time. A worthy addition to the series.

Hoppy wears his tan rancher's outfit throughout the film, so we know right off that this isn't going to be a great Hoppy movie. But it is very good, especially for a late entry in the series (this is one of the very last Hoppy films). Trivia section: Elaine Riley is prettier & a better actress than most of the young heroines in the Hoppy series (who were always present to give Lucky or Johnny or whatever young sidekick a mild love interest); she appeared in 5 Hoppy movies, from 1946-48; I was surprised to learn (on imdb) that she's English, she doesn't have the slightest trace of an English accent. We learn that California's real name is "Clarence" (Carlson). We learn that the Big Dome Saloon, in Spring City, offers "free lunches." We learn that in keeping with his wholesome image, Hoppy "never touches" cigars. The silver mine/crooked Westerners vs. naive Easterners plot is interesting, with some turns & several nice touches. There are a couple of obvious gaffs, including Hoppy firing a shot back at his own men during a horse chase (no baddies are even visible around the bend); 5 baddies push a flat lying boulder that must weigh half a ton; & not to be outdone, Hoppy lifts a mine girder that must weigh several hundred pounds! Overall well-done & enjoyable, with three gunfights & good action scenes. I rate it 7/10.

One of the best In the series - well written andacted. Boyd is at the top of his game in his role as Hoppy I prefer. Hayden as " Lucky " but this guy is ok-plus Andy does not compare with Gabby but he is decent.

Hopalong Cassidy and his sidekicks Lucky and California come to the aid of Professor Joel Friedkin and daughter Elaine Riley who've just bought a seemingly worthless piece of property to settle down and ranch on. But there just might be silver on the property. It will take a lot of money to mine it before a profit can be shown. Still there's a potential Comstock Lode on the place.

And land agent Kenneth MacDonald and banker Kenneth MacDonald want that land back real bad and do what they have to to get it back. Of course Hoppy and his sidekicks triumph in the end.

Friedkin was playing the nutty professor who left the serious thinking to his daughter while he and California go out chasing butterflies. He was a science professor and I could never quite wrap my head around the concept that Andy Clyde would have any kind of acquaintance with scholar no matter how wacky. Andy's comedy was a bit more forced here than usual.

A banker is trying to cheat people out of their silver-rich land. Hoppy learns that the banker is in league with an outlaw gang.

Hoppy comes to the rescue of a daughter and her butterfly catching father who is a little eccentric when they leave East to live on a land called 'Paradise.' They realise it didn't live up to its name. Hoppy believes they were hoodwinked, but later, the villains, which includes a banker, want the land back when they realise its got plenty of silver.

A fairly strong plot, interesting characters like the butterflying father and his humorous partnership with California, and an rather rip-roaring twenty minute finale lifts this above the standard.