Billy the Kid Trapped

Great to see the one and only Buster Crabbe and the outstanding Anne Jeffreys in one movie but that's not where it ends. Glenn "Pee Wee" Strange, Fuzzy St. John, Jack Ingram, Ted Adams, Milton Kibbee and Walter McGrail all put in their usual stellar performances. Bud McTaggart held his own and then some with the stars. Unfortunately, this young talent left us too soon. Great story of Billy the Kid's trio breaking out of jail with the help of mysterious benefactors. But as Phaedrus once said, "Things are not always what they seem." Billy has to work fast to stop the robberies and murders of the nefarious imposters.

Awaiting execution for a murder they did not commit, Billy the kid, his sidekick Fuzzy Jones, and their pal Jeff are busted out by the real killers, a group of outlaws who proceed to impersonate them in order to rob and terrorize with impunity.

Billy then trails the killers to Mesa City, run by crooked town boss (and future Frankenstein monster) Glenn Strange, who's turned it into a safe hub for lawbreakers and realizes that in order to clear his name he'll have to clean up the town.

The ninth film in Producers Releasing Corporation's Billy The Kid series and Buster Crabbe's third, this is well paced and action packed, with some great gun battles, raucous fistfights, and nasty villains, definitely worthwhile for fans of the series.

A rather ordinary western story, except for the gimmick of a trio of outlaws dressing up like the Trio of Billy the Kid(Buster Crabbe), Fuzzy(Al St. John), and Jeff Walker(Bud McTaggart). Billy and Fuzzy are constants in the Billy the Kid PRC series. Sometimes, as here, a 3rd buddy is included, so that they more resemble such cowboy trios as Republic's Mesquiteers, and the partners Hopalong Cassidy, Lucky and Windy. Striking blond Anne Jeffries, in her first Hollywood role, at age 19, is the leading(only) lady. She would go on to have a long Hollywood and TV career, and died less than a year ago! She didn't have a lot to do here, mostly becoming convinced that the real Trio weren't committing the crimes they were blamed for...Glenn Strange plays Jim Stanton: the stereotypical-looking gang boss, with small moustache, dark looks, wearing a black hat and outfit. He looked much like I. Stanford Jolley, who sometimes played this role in this series........ Naturally, there is much confusion between who the people are dealing with, , and who is committing crimes. The fakes are part of Stanton's gang, which virtually rules Mesa City, having Sheriff Barton and Judge Clark on their pay. Things start off crazy, as the real Trio are in jail on a murder charge. The fake Trio is outside their cell window throwing them the key to their cell and some guns, and assuring them that their horses are nearby. (They created a shooting diversion in front of the jail to lure the sheriff outside)(How did they manage to get the key??). Stanton had ordered them to do this, because if the real Trio was known to be in jail or executed, they couldn't be blamed for crimes committed by their lookalikes!.......Sometimes things get confusing which sheriff we are dealing with. Sheriff Masters(honest) is sheriff of the county where we begin, but sometimes goes over to Mesa City, out of his jurisdiction, to deal with the real Trio. In one case, he was supposedly taking them back to his county jail, but as soon as he got over the county line, he released them. Sheriff Barton of Mesa City is in with Stanton's gang. There are some legal irregularities committed by the real Trio, when they arrest members of the gang, and put them in jail.......There are enough brawls, horse chases, shootings and stagecoach chases to satisfy most any western fan. It has a surprise humerous ending, which you can see at YouTube(along with the rest of the film.)

Billy The Kid and his intrepid sidekicks Al St. John and Dave O'Brien start the film in a real pickle, in less than a day they're to be hung at sunrise. But a miracle happens, a shooting fracas starts, their guns are tossed through a window, the key as well, and horses left outside. Now who could be such a guardian angel?

Well it ain't no angel. It's Glenn Strange who is the local outlaw boss and three of his guys dress like Buster Crabbe, St. John, and O'Brien. And if they're dead or locked up indefinitely, that part of Strange's action is closed down indefinitely.

It's a devil's choice for Strange because when our three heroes get out they set to find out who's been framing them and you know the result won't be good for the bad guy.

The most important leading lady that Crabbe ever had is in this film in the series. Anne Jeffreys is the sister of the sheriff of an outlaw town who Crabbe saves and she's grateful. Of course her fame came later in television as Marion Kerby in Topper.

Definitely one of the better of the Billy The Kid series.

Billy the Kid must track down three villains who carry out hold-ups disguised as him and his sidekicks Fuzzy and Jeff before he is jailed for the crimes. A serviceable but very minor B-Western which sees Buster Crabbe, the actor forever associated with the character of Flash Gordon, ditching his blonde dye job and pulling on a showbiz cowboy outfit. The film is at pains to emphasise just what a wholsome, All-American guy Billy the Kid is, which seems a bit odd when viewed today. A decent example of its kind, though.