A Demon for Trouble

Fast-moving Steele oater. I'd like to have a nickel for every time Bob bounces off a horse here-- I'd be rich. He's energetic as heck in this otherwise routine horse opera. For example, catch how he puts a little extra oomph into his actions, as though he has oomph to spare. At the same time, the oft-used Alabama Hills make an eye-catching backdrop, though why they call the jutting rock spires "hills" is still a mystery to me. The plot's the usual- a ranch-stealing land grabber. Trouble is Bob gets blamed for a murder the grabber masterminds, so our fugitive cowboy gets help from charming Mexican rogue (Alvarado). Meanwhile, sweet blonde ingénue, Shea, gets to mostly stand around looking sweet, while Mexican siren Laroux adds personality. Nothing special here, but director Hill does keep things moving, so there's no visual sag. And watch out for when Steele almost leaps face-first through the screen, a most unusual touch for a programmer. All in all, the diminutive Steele shows throughout the hour why big is not necessarily better.

In one of his earliest starring westerns Bob Steele comes courting Gloria Shea and inquiring about becoming her foreman. But she and her brother are selling out. But no sooner than they have a check in hand then the brother is shot down dead and since Steele heard the shot and was seen bending over the body he's tagged for the murder.

The law is also after a Cisco Kid like Mexican bandit played by Don Alvarado. He's one charming rogue and Alvarado and Steele join forces to see that justice is done.

A Demon For Trouble is a remake of a not too distant past Ken Maynard western Arizona Terror. A poverty row studio called Supreme Pictures sent this before the movie-going public of 1934. It's production values are anemic.

But Alvarado steals this film. The best way to describe him is a light version of Gilbert Roland. Alvarado really should have played the Cisco Kid.

Watch A Demon For Trouble for Don Alvarado.