La Diligence tragique

When the owner of the ranch runs into trouble with the bunch of crooks in the ol west, Collins (Tim Holt) tries to help. "Jessie", the ranch owner's daughter (Jeff Donnell), can ID the crooks, but decides to masquerade as a man for some unknown reason. It's all so more complicated than it needs to be. Some great scenes of the Alabama Hills, where SO MANY old westerns were made. The constant, silly "mis-understandings" and complaining by Jessie got annoying after a while. It's a very, typical western, bad guys on the run from the good guys. Tim Holt died quite young at 54 from the cancer. Directed by Lew Landers, who directed TONS of films in the 1930s and 1940s. It's pretty good. Plain, simple wester, with some great outdoor chase scenes. Oatburners...

This entry in the Tim Holt B western series for RKO takes some inspiration from another gender bending film classic the studio did back in the Thirties, Sylvia Scarlett. Though Jeff Donnell isn't Katharine Hepburn, this film has a few more laughs in it than the normal Holt western where usually the laughs are provided by Richard Martin's amorous intentions.

Thurston Hall and daughter Jeff Donnell are traveling to Arizona for him to check on one of his holdings, a ranch there and for Donnell to get away from some fortune hunter who's been romancing her. That's bad news for Joe Sawyer and a couple of hands there who've been stealing the absentee owner blind. Sawyer should have listened to his two henchmen who said it was time to flee the territory. Instead they set up an ambush to murder Hall.

Bad luck to do it though within hearing range of the stagecoach station that Holt and Martin operate on their ranch. But does a thwarted stage holdup deter Donnell? Not a bad, she's determined to get back to San Francisco and marry her guy. While in town she sneaks away and dons the disguise of a boy and gets on the coach.

No need to tell the rest of the story, it's set up nicely for quite a few laughs as well as the usual gunfights that are required. Stagecoach Kid is definitely one of the better Tim Holt westerns that RKO did and Donnell is quite a good comedienne.

Has a similar theme as "West of the Pecos" where a lady disguises herself briefly as a boy. This movie was fun to watch. Different from many Tim Holt westerns-he goes by another name in this movie,his character and Chito are not mending fences,and surprise, surprise-he gets the girl at the end. The ending is typical with a lady chasing Chito.

After building his fortune in San Francisco, millionaire Peter Arnold (Thurston Hall) is heading to his ranch to retire, taking with him his daughter Jessie (Jeff Donnell) who wants to go back to San Francisco. But it seems that Arnold's ranch foreman, Thatcher (Joe Sawyer) has been lining his own pockets whilst running the ranch and knows that when Arnold discovers the truth the good times will be over. It is why Thatcher has a couple of men attack the stagecoach which Arnold and Jessie are travelling on but are thwarted by Dave (Tim Holt) and Chito (Richard Martin). When the same two henchmen rob another stagecoach Dave and Chito find themselves going after the stolen gold whilst Dave has to deal with Jessie who after masquerading as a cowboy finds herself falling for Dave.

It's a Tim Holt western but cutie Jeff Donnell steals the scene with her comic timing. She plays the daughter of a rich man who wants to return to San Francisco- there's some humorous lines, an air of lightness amidst the usual sagebrush action. It has shades of "It happened one night" and it's quite surprising that Chico didn't get the gal in the end. It's strange that Chico is meant to be girl crazy but he didn't figure out that "Jesse James" is Jeff Donnell! But Tim Holt knew all along. It's a thoroughly fun western with a grand location. One of Tom Holt's best.

Yes, it is your typical Tim Holt western which makes it well worth watching at least twice. There are thieves, shoot-em-ups, horse chases, and women looking for love. It's just another one of many great Tim Holt westerns. I enjoyed it.