Tombstone Canyon

Some elements of melodrama and even Gothic horror are part of this poverty row western starring Ken Maynard entitled Tombstone Canyon.

Ken's been sent for by a rancher who knows something of his parentage which Ken is unaware of. Growing up in an orphanage Ken has no clue of his background.

There's a fellow who for years has a hideout in Tombstone Canyon where he does a whole Zorro act terrorizing one outfit run by Frank Brownlee and his son George Gerwing. But he's got a hideous look to him, more the Phantom of the Opera unmasked than Zorro. And he's as touched as the Phantom was living down in those catacombs of the Paris sewers.

A whole lot of killings, a manhunt for Maynard who is blamed for all of them including a sympathetic sheriff before Ken puts it all together about himself and the Phantom.

A bit of an unusual western for the Saturday matinée kid crowd, but entertaining.

Within the context of a B western, Tombstone Canyon is close to perfect. Yes, it looks a lot like every other cheap western of its time, but the early 1930's were a great time for westerns. Ken Maynard never falters for the entire run time of this movie.

As the movie starts we are introduced to the place known as Tombstone Canyon. Ken rides in to find himself unwelcome and the desired target of many ill-intended shots. Between the gang of bad guys and the mysterious phantom Ken has his hands full, but fortunately Jenny Lee happens to be riding through and fires a few helpful shots of her own. It is then that Ken learns more about Tombstone Canyon and the mysterious screaming phantom who kills as many of the Lazy S cowboys as possible. The phantom is not Ken's worry, however. He has traveled to meet a friend who has a secret to reveal, but by the time Ken arrives he finds out that his friend is murdered. Alf Sykes, owner of the Lazy S does not want Ken to learn anything, so he does everything he can to destroy Ken. The phantom also confronts Ken and threatens him. It is only at the end that Ken learns the secret someone wanted him to know, and the phantom's identity is revealed.

Even if the plot was done hundreds of times over the years, it was done right in this 1932 movie. Most of the credit must go to Ken Maynard for making Tombstone Canyon so much fun to watch. His on screen personality was at its most captivating. Few western heroes looked as good and had the ability to act as well as Ken Maynard.

Don't be fooled by armchair critics. This movie was cast with Ken Maynard who could ride with the very best! It might be a little stilted, but look at the date the film was made. Ken Maynard several times used Phantom elements in his films and this one is actually quite good. I got mine on a hundred films from the 1930s collection and this is one of the best. John Wayne's Angel and the Badman was in that collection too. The film is not restored, and a ton of money spent on archival correction. Yet it is good to see what was done then. Ken Maynard and Bob Steele could ride and their acting is pretty good coming out of the Silent film era. Go look a the original Panco Villa films for comparison.That if course was the real deal.

Ken Maynard stars in "Tombstone Canyon" released in 1932 by World Wide Pictures. The film sustains interest during its fairly brief running time. Two reviews seem quite fascinated with World Wide's logo which opens the picture for about three seconds. The immaturity level of the people writing these reviews seems pretty low. Are they adults or horny teenagers?

After one of the greatest studio logos I've ever seen (check out those whirling hooters!) and getting all hyped about that, the next hour is a pretty boring escapade. Ken Maynard, who's shirt seems to be saying "look at my buttons and my armpits!" stars as Ken, a cowboy new to town, but has a lot of clothes stashed away somewhere, who is looking to find out who is his father. There are a lot of mysterious deaths going on, by one "Phantom Killer", who wanders around canyons in, yes, a cape and big hat (he looks like the V for Vendetta guy), and everyone in town thinks that Ken is the Phantom. It's up to Ken to prove them wrong and find out who his father is! Gee. One guess. This is SLOW. The plot just creeps along, not giving us a lot of suspense. The acting is OK, but the guy playing the sheriff seems to be sleepwalking through this role. As proved before in other movies, Ken Maynard is not much of an action star, as his fight scenes sure are flat. There are MUCH MUCH better westerns out there.