The Renegade Ranger

While the plot idea of having an evil rich boss trying to control everything out west is one of the most common themes in westerns, "The Renegade Ranger" manages to take a worn cliché of a plot and make it mildly interesting. Mind you, this is a B-movie and to really appreciate it, you should remember that it has a very modest budget and modest cast--and they did pretty well with these constraints.

The film stars a big western star of the day, the all but forgotten George O'Brien as well as an up and coming star, Tim Holt. It also offers a very rare chance to see a very young Rita Hayworth before she was reinvented by Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn. What I mean by this is that Cohn envisioned her as a big star and had her makeup, hair and even hairline altered to create a much more glamorous image. Here in "The Renegade Ranger", although she's pretty, she isn't yet the stunner she'd soon become.

As far as the plot goes, the only way this really differs from the 101231092312 other westerns with evil boss-men is that the leader of the opposition is a lady (Hayworth) and an ex-Ranger (Holt) is working both sides of the fence during the picture! So why, if it's so familiar do I recommend it? Well, the acting. The three leads were a good bit better than usual for such a film and they managed to carry it off--making the acting seem more natural than usual. Worth your time.

THE RENEGADE RANGER (1938) is a 59-minute B-western about how white expansion in Texas forced out Spanish and Mexican landowners. Rita Hayworth plays Judith Alvarez, daughter of a Spanish landowner whose land has been taken by white landgrabbers working with a corrupt sheriff. She leads a band of Spaniards and Mexicans in making attacks on the ranchers who've taken their land illegally. Tim Holt plays a frustrated ex-Texas Ranger who wholeheartedly joins Alvarez' band and helps in their efforts. He even acquires a Mexican girlfriend (Cecilia Callejo). George O'Brien plays Holt's Texas Ranger buddy who joins the gang himself, working undercover, on assignment to capture and arrest Miss Alvarez. Holt is torn between loyalty to Alvarez and her cause and his friendship with O'Brien. O'Brien gradually falls in love with Judith himself, which complicates matters even further.

This is a fascinating movie on multiple counts, not least of which is the presence of Rita Hayworth in the role of an Hispanic crusader against white depredations. Hayworth was of Spanish descent herself (real name: Margarita Carmen Cansino) and her band is cast entirely with actual Mexican actors. (The more B-westerns I see, the more I realize that appropriate ethnic casting of Mexican and Indian roles was the rule and not the exception in this genre.) Hayworth was all of 19 when she made this and she was already a great beauty, adorned in stylish western fashions that bring out the best in her. It's easy to see the roots of the glamorous movie star and pinup queen she'd become in a few short years.

Also, the whites, except for the two male stars, O'Brien and Holt, are generally bad guys here and the taking of land from its original owners is condemned. (No word though, about the souls who occupied the land before the Spaniards arrived, but that's another story.) I've seen another western with this plot recently, "California Frontier" (1938), starring Buck Jones as an army officer working undercover in California to thwart white landgrabbers taking land from Mexicans. Rita herself had co-starred in a similar western in 1936, REBELLION. I imagine that further exploration into the vast uncharted territory of the B-western will yield additional gems.

RKO's B Westerns were always strong in the acting and script department. And "The Renegade Ranger" is no exception. Long-time cowboy star George O'Brien is solid as always. But it's relative newcomers Tim Holt and Rita Hayworth that really shine. Holt seethes with talent and emotion. And Hayworth just seethes.

You can tell both are headed for great things. Holt would become RKO's top B Western star with occasional forays into A pictures such as "Magnificent Ambersons" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". And Hayworth would become a superstar.

The writing is equally solid. Frequent B scribe Oliver Drake gives a sympathetic portrayal of Mexican outlaws in Texas. Proving once again that B Westerns aren't as politically retrograde as many think.

Yup, all this is good. But RKO B Westerns also have downside. The action isn't that well-staged. And there's never enough of it. This film is no exception there either. Promised fights are over too quick. Promised showdowns look confused and unfocused. And without good action, a Western can really drag. And this one does.

Still "The Renegade Ranger" is worth a watch for the intriguing plot, reliable O'Brien and especially the nascent talents of Holt and Hayworth.

A story of the texas rangers, with western regulars george o'brien and tim holt. Twenty year old hayworth, in one of her first roles as rita hayworth; she was billed as rita cansino in most of her earlier roles. She is probably best known for "gilda". (how was she not even nominated for that role? Maybe because she was such a bad girl.) here, the rangers need to round up judith alvarez, even though she claims she was only defending her own property against a land grab. What is the truth? Who can she trust? Can she get fair treatment from the texas rangers? It's a typical western. Mostly talk for the first half of the one hour shortie. Then we head out on the horses. Even a couple of songs thrown in. It's not bad. Pretty mellow, no big surprises, but it's okay. Fun to see young miss hayworth so early on. Directed by david howard. He died young at age 45, just three years after this film!

Texas Ranger Jack Steele is assigned to bring in former ranch owner Judith Alvarez, now the leader of a gang who is waging war against the crooked government official who cheated the ranchers out of their land. Steele is determined to bring her in as she still breaking the law, though deep down he knows she's in the right, but Larry, an ex-Ranger, who is part of Judith's gang, is trying persuade him not to hand her in to the authorities as the law is ruled by the crooked official.

George O' Brien stars in the renegade Ranger, a decent western with the usual well-tread formula, but the fast-pace, a striking Rita Hayworth and Tim Holt who oozes charisma and a well-structured plot keep it interesting.