The Marshal's Daughter

Am trying to find clear words telling why I liked Ken Murray's 1950s version of an ultra low budget 1940s poverty row western.

First, I liked the cast. Bob Duncan, an enigmatic b-western actor in real life, plays the bad guy, plus he wrote the script. Hoot Gibson had enough left to phone it in. Lauri Anders, another enigmatic figure, is Murray's protégé here instead of Marie Wilson, Murray's primary "Blackout" revue star. Harry Lauter plays his gratuitous role well enough, pretty much like he played all his roles.

Second, Texas Ridder sings some of the soundtrack as background instead of too far out front like it was in that Cooper/Kelly western High Noon. Third, an improbable poker game is inserted only because Murray wanted it, featuring "name" b-western players and Preston Foster, all friends of Ken Murray.

Last but not least, the cast plays it straight. No actor hambones it up, there are zero pretensions, everyone seems to be hitting their marks, and the sometimes erratic editing is not much of a distraction.

This is the third time I've watched it since i found it on the internet years ago. It reminds me a little bit of a Judy Canova movie made around then that is similarly low regarded but that I like. I.

Willliam Berke was a prolific "B" director capable of turning out tight, entertaining, well-made little pictures.

This is not one of them.

Everything about it is sub-par--the writing (laughable), the cinematography (dark and muddy), the editing (done with a dull chainsaw, apparently), the songs (the title song is especially sappy and juvenile) and lead actress Laurie Anders (for whom this as a vehicle) isn't up to it. She's cute, blonde and perky, but that only goes so far, and in this instance it doesn't go far enough.

It's not all her fault, though. Everything about this film is substandard. If Miss Anders was looking for a project to make her a star, she should have kept looking.

According to IMDB, Hoot Gibson was perpetually in financial straits, as he seemed to spend money as soon as he earned it. As a result, he often took on any project. "The Marshal's Daughter" is clearly 'any project', as Hoot is clearly well past his prime...looking old and puffy instead of heroic. He is, after all, in his 60s...and he clearly looks it. Sadly, he's not even the star of this film...and he's there to clearly support Laurie Anders who plays the title character. As for Anders, she's kind of cute and sings and dances (not so cute)...but she hardly has the chops to be a leading lady in this sort of picture. After all, a western is supposed to be tough...and she just comes off as cute and a bit out of her league.

The plots involves the Marshal and his daughter seeking out the murderer of an orphan's grandfather as well as a local baddie who is trying to take over....and using the 'cattleman's association' to do so.

Seeing and hearing Laurie Anders do ventriloquism in the film, in addition to all her singing and dancing, made my skin crawl. To be fair, she was NOT the first to do this...as Tex Terhune made MANY films along with his ventriloquist dummy...but that ALSO made my skin crawl. But at least in Terhune's case, he starred in films where he was just one of a trio of good guys...and the other two helped balance this. But with Anders, the film is all about her and it seems as if producer Ken Murray is trying to show off her many, many skills...even if they aren't appropriate to the film...which they weren't. So instead of a watchable B-western, it's more a talent show featuring just Anders. Tough to watch...impossible to enjoy.

Ken Murray comedian and now more famous as the guy who takes all those home movies of Hollywood in its golden era turned producer for The Marshal's Daughter. This film was created to showcase Laurie Anders from Murray's TV show. Anders was cowgirl trick roping artist who goes Victor/Victoria here.

Her day job is with Murray's medicine show. But by night she goes Zorro as a masked fighter for law and order in the old west helping her dad Marshal Hoot Gibson catch the one that got away.

I'm betting Murray cashed in a few favors to get this produced. Some friends did some cameos, Hoot Gibson was certainly way past his prime and wasn't getting movie offers. Tex Ritter sang some songs on the sound track.

The poker game with guests Preston Foster, Jimmy Wakely, Johnny Mack Brown, and Buddy Baer was the only bright spot in one dismal attempt at satire.

I began in a good way, it brought good expectations, it is not long, only seventy one minutes, but the result is lousy. I guess a director like Joseph H Lewis would have given us something far far better. It remains cute, agreeable, gentle, nearly an oater, not the best effort from director William Berke, who lost his energy on this film. A female lead was rare in those times, so we can admit this is daring. Now, female lead using guns is not rare any more. It remained a rare film since a long time and is now available on You tube. The quality is above average. So, to summarize, I still think that's a good little western for western buffs. But for the others, forget it.