Uma Cartada Afoita

Okay Hoppy entry. Action doesn't pick up until the last when we get lots of scenic hard riding and a poorly staged gun battle. I could also have used more eye candy from the movie's only girl. (Too bad blonde actress Rogers died so young; I wish we knew why.) The plot is more involved than usual as threads follow each of our three heroes trying to infiltrate the rustler gang where there's an unusual twist. Anyway, there's a scenic desert backdrop, along with Hoppy, Lucky, and Windy. And that's the thing- they combine so well as a trio that they carry even the slowest stories. No wonder the series lasted so long.

Hoppy goes undercover as a gambler from the East when Bar 20 cattle are stolen by unknown rustlers. Brennan/Talbot are twin brothers (one a casino owner, the other a rancher) and Hoppy believes they provide alibis for each other while one is out committing crimes. Hoppy gets a job in the casino to learn more but is exposed when a gambling gunslinger notices him.

In this well-plotted and leisurely western Hoppy goes undercover as a gambler, Lucky tries to nab a foreman for stealing cattle and ends up in jail for killing a cattle rancher and Gabby Hayes mosies down the saloon to convince everyone he's an outlaw- it's decent entry, but a little slow at times. Nice to see Gabby and Lucky get more screen time.

It is good to see this kind of movie in a day when so much violent and profane stuff is present in today's movies. This movie starts out slow; but has a good shoot 'em up ending. The story line is good and will hold one's attention to the end. One can gain an interest in what becomes of the cast.

One of the last Hopalong Cassidy movies to feature Gabby Hayes (as "Windy"). Gabby & Russell Hayden (as "Lucky") have larger roles than usual in this film, & Hoppy appears only after the first 9 minutes have gone by! There isn't too much action until near the end of the film, but this movie is well done & interesting. Windy claims to be the well known stagecoach robber named Black Bart, & even has "Wanted" posters printed with his photo on them. For Hoppy completists, we learn that Windy carries a Remington 1876 reissue revolver (unloaded!). For added fun, there's also a quite noticeable blooper at the end. Windy leaves on his horse, & Hoppy mounts Topper to follow him, but Topper's first step is into a bucket of water! William Boyd (as "Hopalong Cassidy"), a pro with many years of acting experience, looks down to see what happened on both sides of Topper, with a startled expression, but continues the scene as written! His laughter is on cue for Windy's departure, but also fits Topper's accidentally stepping into the bucket of water. I give it 8/10.

In case you don't know (though I mention it in many of my review for his films), the Hopalong Cassidy films are available on YouTube and this is THE place to find them. This is because in the 1950s, the B-westerns of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy (among others) were edited down for television time slots. But William Boyd (Cassidy) saved original prints...and his estate recently restored them and posted them to the site. So, you can't find better prints anywhere....complete and looking amazing.

When the story begins, Lucky and Windy are out tending the Bar 20 cattle when rustler's are able to steal many of them. Instead of running to get Hoppy, they decide to try to find them on their own. As for Hoppy, when he finds out he also follows the trail and ends up going to a crappy crime-infested town. But instead of letting folks know who he is, he pretends to be a professional gambler in order to cozy up to the local baddies. What's next? See the film.

The only real weakness of the film is that Hoppy is supposed to be pretty famous and him going incognito seems a bit far-fetched. Otherwise, it's another enjoyable and well written installment of the series...well worth seeing.