Cavalry

Robert North Bradbury is due a lot from us lovers of B Westerns: stories, direction, and two sons who starred in dozens or scores of pictures.

Mr. Bradbury directed his more famous son, known as Bob Steele, in this unusual movie of the time after the War Against Southern Independence.

The beginning is marred with stock footage of battles, then erases any complaints with a heart-tugging scene complete with some beautifully harmonized soul singing. No spoiler: Please watch it.

Then some irony is added to the story. Again, no spoiler.

Probably the ultimate direction of the action will become apparent to any viewer, but never mind. It's still a great story, beautifully written (although admittedly sometimes the dialogue seems a bit stilted, other times it's clever, other times it's perfectly realistic), beautifully directed (lots of angles and attention to detail), and beautifully acted.

So many players who don't get screen credit, such as Martin Turner who plays Mose, and one who plays Mammie is not even credited here at IMDb, which is rare, give more than adequate performances.

I watched this at YouTube, compliments of Westerns on the Web (and God Bless everyone concerned), and marveled at several levels of superb B Western entertainment.

Just one example: There is a super fight scene between the hero and the action heavy (well played by the great Karl Hackett), one of the best I've seen. Again I have to wonder why Bob Steele never played in a boxing film. He sure had the moves and athleticism.

"Cavalry" is an excellent title, an excellent movie, and I highly recommend it. (Admission: I really hate it when stars I like play Yankees, but I follow the advice sung by Tom Lehrer and I sublimate, sublimate, sublimate. So I enjoyed the movie.)

By the way, watch for Bud (sometimes called Budd) Buster in a really surprising role, and enjoy how director Bradbury films it.

Admittedly, 1930's westerns are not everyone's "cup of tea". However, when viewed in context, they offer fine entertainment in a short amount of running time. This 1936 oater by Bob Steele is no exception. In this film, written and directed by his Dad, Steele demonstrates the scrappy likabilty that made him a star for several decades.

In this film, Steele is a Captain trying to protect a much-needed telegraph line from the shady Leeds. While many of the co-stars are unknown to today's audiences, the great Earl Dwire makes a notable appearance. Dwire and Steele make this one a must see for fans of early western talkies.

Enjoy this one pardners, Bob Steele was one of the best !

Dad Bradbury writes and directs one of his best efforts. Bob Steele comes on the scene in heroic style as a Yankee soldier saving a Confederate General. Meanwhile, beautiful Frances Grant and her Uncle Lafe (Earle Ross) are burned out by guerrilla warfare. Also, one of the most versatile actors ever, Hal Price along with henchmen Karl Hackett and Ed Cassidy give the wagon train folk and telegraph people more than they bargained for. Great work also by Budd Buster who plays a dual roll as Honest Abe and the wagon master.

Lively oater with a storyline fit for an A-production. In fact, budget-minded Republic went all out hiring extras and riding them around Kernville locations. Plot-wise, the Civil War has ended and folks are moving west for a new life. Trouble is some southern anti-Unionists are conspiring for a separate new country in the West, and are colluding with Indians to establish it. Union army's Capt. Thorne (Steele) is assigned to thwart the separatist plans.

Steele plays it fairly straight, no steely glares he was later so good at. Also, he gets one really acrobatic fight scene, along with a winsome leading lady, Grant, as diversion from all the ugly guys. I don't know how much action is from stock shots, but the many story threads are woven smoothly together, quite a feat especially for director Bradbury who's also Steele's real life dad.

In passing-- note how respectfully both Civil War sides, North and South, are treated; plus, how happy the ex-slaves appear to stay on the plantation. I doubt this thread would pass today's muster.

Anyway, it's a superior oater, sure to entertain all front-row kids, past and present.

: In the aftermath of the Civil War, Bob Steele is promoted to Captain and sent by President Lincoln on a secret mission out west: there are rumors that a telegraph line is to be sabotaged and a group of Southerners is planning to start an independent nation, inciting te Indians to fight the US as a buffer. Investigate and stop them!

Steele's first movie for Republic makes clear use of the larger budgets and better facilities that Herbert Yates had for his B westerns. The sets are better, allowing cameraman Bert Longenecker to move his camera back for a better field of vision; there are more extras to fill out the crowds and action scenes (even though only Earl Dwire seems too have come over from the old stock company that Bob and his father, writer-director Robert Bradbury had). For his earlier pictures, Steele might have a crowd of a dozen people in one bar scene, and perhaps thirty men on horseback for the big final scene. Here, we have a couple of dozen people in a wagon train, a town scene with fifteen or twenty, and the big final scene.

It's not all gravy, though. The opening sequence has Bob leading a blinded Confederate general back to his plantation where the loyal ex-slaves have just seen his brother off; they wept and sang sad songs at his departure, like he would be coming back to lynch them all if they did not. Neither, despite a pretty good script, do we get to see Bob Steele do much in the way of personal action. It's well into the movie before he gets into a fist fight, and otherwise, he spends a lot of time talking .... not what one looks at a B movie for.

Still, it's a good story and it's good to see Bob get a good budget, despite a few tropes that have aged disgracefully.