Western Mail

"Western Mail" is a competent film, though it's also quite predictable since so many other films were very similar. Specifically, Tim McCoy made several such films in the 1930s....so it was predictable as a result.

When the story begins, a crook is being chased by the law out west. However, when they catch the guy, a stranger in town, Tom Allen (Tom Keene), vouches for the baddie...insisting they were together all the time and he couldn't have committed the crime! Yes, Tom is lying....but why? Through the course of the film you learn why...and Tom obviously has ulterior motives!

Keene was fine....the script was okay. It's not a bad B at all...except that it's so very familiar and predictable. If you are a fan of B-westerns, you'll see nothing new here.

Tom keene and his horse both get above the title credit in this one! Probably because hollywood made such a big deal over roy rogers and his horse trigger! When the gang robs the mail wagon, sheriff collins tries to figger out who-dunnit. Pretty much guys only in this one. Only one lady in the whole show. And she's the sister of one of the holdup guys. Frank yaconelli and his pet monkey (!) are along for comedy. Sort of. With the required gunfight right at the end. It's all okay. A very typical western. Gina kaus gets credit for the "original story" but there isn't much new here. The monkey i guess. Directed by robert tansey for monogram pictures. Tansey died young at 53.

Tom Keene and sidekick Frank Yaconelli get into an gang by providing an alibi for gang member Fred Kohler, Jr. who sheriff Glenn Strange is chasing after a stagecoach robbery. That was the general idea because Keene and Yaconelli want to find out who's behind these robberies. Since these robberies are of the US mail it's their federal jurisdiction.

A word to the wise is always stay away any crimes involving the mails because that's federal and there's no place to run to. But here the villains are targeting the mails for a specific purpose in mind for the boss.

This is a Monogram Picture so don't expect too much. But Keene as western hero is easy to take and Yaconelli is a funny guy.

Tom Keene was an especially likable actor, and his westerns are especially likable, very much because of him, but also because the production values are usually quite high.

Early on, in a chase scene, two bad guys are also likable, for bad guys, but they show some personality as well as athletic ability, somewhat unusual for low-budget movies -- which this is, yes, but what money was spent was well spent.

"Western Mail" stands out for several reasons, one being that the great Glenn Strange gets to play a sheriff and not a villain, for a change. And he shines. Mr. Strange was a good actor, and showed it often, not even counting his performance in TV's "Gunsmoke."

Definitely another reason this stands out is a good script. The many "minor" characters seem awfully real and believable, and add a dimension to this movie missing from so many other low-budget films.

That they are played by talented and veteran actors is, of course, one more reason this is such a good movie.

In that chase scene mentioned above, there are two director errors I hated to see, because they were obvious and really shouldn't have happened. But, I realize, they honestly don't matter.

This is a darn good movie, an excellent B western, and I am grateful I found it on YouTube. I highly recommend "Western Mail."

Tom Keene makes an amiable leading man in this otherwise turgid mess of a movie in which characters repeatedly ask stupid questions so that the plot can be clearly explained to slower members of the audience. Among a cast of inadequate actors Jean Trent stands out as positively the worst - even the monkey does better.