False Colors

Most of the better Hopalong Cassidy films are a cut above typical B westerns of the 30s and 40s and this one stands out among the Cassidys. Some of the violence here and in other Hoppy films, particularly "The Eagle's Brood" and "Three Men from Texas", suggests that these films were not really intended for children. The plot is a good one that sets Hoppy and his friends off on another mission to help out someone they don't really know, but who is in trouble. That's Hoppy all over. The cast is typically first rate and full of seasoned pros, like Douglas Dumbrielle, a perennial villain. Boyd, of course, always raises the bar for B westerns as a long-time movie pro, whose roots go back to the silents of DeMille and Griffith. Thus, he brings more depth and realism to his interpretation of Cassidy that Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, both really singers, brought to their films, although I'm a huge fan of both of them as well. I don't want to give away spoilers, but I recommend that you put this one near the top of your list of Hoppy films to watch.

Bud Lawton, one of Hoppy's young ranch hands, is ambushed and killed right after he has had a lawyer draw up a business agreement in which he names Hoppy, California and Jimmy as his full partners in his 2/3rds ownership of a ranch that he has just inherited from his estranged father. Hoppy and his sidekicks decide to visit the ranch and upon arrival discover that "Bud Lawton" has returned to the old homestead. The imposter has been hired to do the impersonation by a rat who wants the water rights which go with the property and hopes to get the property by having the imposter convince Lawton's sister to sell the ranch. Douglas Dumbrille as usual does a marvelous job playing the villain, Mark Foster. Of course if this movie is remembered at all by non-B western fans it's because of Robert Mitchum. And what a good job he does. I've seen an early John Wayne western and I can't say that I thought he was anything special but Mitchum does shine in this early film, especially in the poker playing scene and the subsequent barroom brawl with Hoppy. I like Andy Clyde as California but must agree with a previous reviewer that he kinda was asking to get hit after his inappropriate kibitzing at a poker game.

The cast just stand about talking for most of this lethargic Hopalong Cassidy western which even feels studio-bound outdoors.

It's distinguishing features are the fanciful plot device alluded to in my heading, the fact that for once the heroine's father died of natural causes before the bad guys get a chance to kill him. And that one of the bad guys is played by a young Bob Mitchum, roughly handled by Hopalong as a lesson in manners.

A good 'Hoppy', as most of them are. A decent punch up between Hoppy & bad guy Bob Mitcham, didn't really take to new sidekick Jimmie Rogers, to me he looked like a young Jimmy Durante, complete with 'hooter'. Good old Andy Clyde was his usual amusing self, and the usual solid cast of characters both bad & good, plus quite a decent plot makes this an enjoyable oater all round!

Although Hoppy appears dressed all in black throughout this film, it's not one of the better Hopalong Cassidy outings. Interesting highlights are a fight between Hoppy & Robert Mitchum (at one point William Boyd's stunt double is quite obvious), & Hoppy's shooting a gun out of Mitchum's hand. Hoppy always had two sidekicks. One was the scruffy oldtimer (first done to perfection by George "Gabby/Windy" Hayes & later played by Andy Clyde as "California"). The second sidekick was usually named "Johnny" or "Lucky." The "Johnnies" & the "Luckies" of the Hoppy films were often handsome young actors who had trouble acting. The idea was to give the women in the audience something to look at, & to provide a romantic interest when "Johnny" or "Lucky" fell for the heroine. "False Colors" makes me yearn for a Johnny or a Lucky, because the "Jimmy" (Rogers) in this film is neither attractive to look at, nor can he act. As a matter of fact, he's the worst actor of any junior sidekick in the Hoppy movies, and he appeared in several of them. Aside from having a famous dad (Will Rogers), why they needed this guy is beyond me! His attempts at providing a romantic interest are unintentionally laughable. I rate this 5/10.