Texas Cyclone

B-Western starring Tim McCoy as a new guy in town who everyone mistakes for a heroic rancher who went missing years earlier and was presumed dead. Through a series of circumstances too silly to relate, McCoy decides to go along with the charade that he's this hero, and help out the man's wife (Shirley Grey) who has been struggling to keep her ranch going in the face of incessant cattle rustling by the minions of bad guy Wheeler Oakman. McCoy finds help in nice-guy ranch hand John Wayne and old coot sheriff Walter Brennan.

Tim McCoy was a major Western star in the late silent period, and continued on with B Westerns throughout the 1930's into the 40's. He was a real cowboy, adept horseman, and expert on Native American cultures and customs. He's perhaps not the strongest actor or the most intimidating screen presence, but he's genuine, and I liked him well enough. Wayne doesn't have a lot to do, but he's not bad, and you can see why he was a bit of a sex symbol during the early years of his career. Brennan, in one of his biggest roles to date, was only in his late 30's, but already playing a gray-haired old goof. As for the movie, it won't make anyone's top ten lists, but there are a lot worse in the world of quickie B Westerns.

An American western; A story about a wanderer who rides into a strange town in Arizona, and the town villains confuse him with a a former inhabitant, believed dead for five years. This 'B' movie oater has a theme about reclaimed justice, but mostly suffers for its primitive plot about supposed mistaken identity. It has staged fighting and mostly stiff acting from its star, Tim McCoy. John Wayne makes an appearance, but does not make enough impact given his then burgeoning talent.

I mostly agree with the other comments, that the main attraction of this film is the early days of John Wayne, and also, the beginnings of Western "talkies." The rating is dependent upon how indulgent you are, and if historical interest means little to you, then your rating will be lower than mine. The basic plot element of mistaken identity is absurd. Beyond this, all of the cowboys seem to have immaculate clothing and hats--none of them appears to have been spending regular time with the cattle. But the appearance of these cowboys probably has much to do with the beginnings of "Gower Gulch," that part of Gower Street in Hollywood which Harry Cohn acquired to serve as the home of Columbia Pictures. This is obviously a Columbia film, because at the start of the film you can hear the audio fanfare for the Columbia trademark. Cowboys and other hopeful extras for a western film would congregate on the street near Columbia, hoping to be hired by the studios based in that area. Often, having one's own costume and hat helped in being hired. The numerous cowboys regularly seen on Gower led to the location being nicknamed "Gower Gulch."

This film begins with a cowboy by the name of "Texas Grant" (Tim McCoy) riding into the small town of Stampede, Arizona where he is mistaken by everybody there as a man named "Jim Rawlings" who owned the Diamond R Ranch about 5 years ago but was presumed dead. At first, Texas Grant doesn't know how to handle this news, but while talking to a bartender named "Hefty" (Vernon Dent) he is convinced to adopt the new name because it displeases some of the bad hombres in town. He then immediately realizes the depth of their hatred when, as soon as he walks out of the saloon, two men try to kill him. Fortunately, he is able to defend himself from their attack, and subsequently learns that both of these men work for a local cowboy by the name of "Utah Becker" (Wheeler Oakman) who is trying to acquire the Diamond R Ranch from Jim Rawlings' widow "Helen Rawlings" (Shirley Grey). Wanting to keep up the charade, he then rides out to the ranch, but after talking to Helen he is convinced to stay a little longer to help rid her of some of the rustlers who have been stealing her cattle. What he doesn't realize is just how badly Utah Becker wants the Diamond R Ranch--and the lengths he will go to in order to have it. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I was pleasantly surprised by just how entertaining this film turned out to be. Admittedly, it is an older film and doesn't have many of the refinements one would expect by today's standards. Even so, it had a good plot, plenty of action and some good performances by Tim McCoy, Wheeler Oakman and John Wayne (as the ranch hand "Steve Pickett"). That being said, I liked this rather obscure film and recommend it to those who might enjoy a movie of this sort. Above average.

I agree with the previous reviewer, if you can accept a very silly premise that a man could look and talk so much like a missing rancher who's from the town he rides into than you will enjoy Texas Cyclone. And of course you can see John Wayne in support of another cowboy hero Tim McCoy.

During this short stint with Columbia Pictures Wayne did two films with Tim McCoy. Both are directed by D. Ross Lederman, both written by William Coit McDonald, and both had a whole lot of the same cast members.

Repeating his role as villain is Wheeler Oakman and John Wayne is once again a cowhand, the only one it turns out who's honest and employed by Tim McCoy's 'widow' played by Sheila Terry. We also have for the first time Walter Brennan and John Wayne working in the same film. Brennan is the sheriff and he's made up to be quite a bit older than he was at the time. This may have been the beginning of all those old codger roles that Brennan played right up to when he was one.

Of course McCoy finds that Oakman is still up to no good just like when he left and he has to deal with all the problems Oakman is causing. With John Wayne's help all things are righted in the end and the reason for McCoy's absence is explained in a very typical movie fashion.

If it wasn't such a silly plot premise, I'd give the film a notch or two higher a rating. It's not bad for a B film and the young Duke is shown to great advantage here.