The Texan

... because it sags dreadfully, especially in the middle portion after Cooper's character arrives in South America. That and the complete absence of any kind of score makes it tough going.

Gary Cooper plays the Llano Kid, wanted dead or alive for robbing a stagecoach. He stops off in a town to have his horse shoed, and the town blacksmith happens to be a Bible beating preacher type who also, strangely enough is the sheriff. Satisfied that the sheriff has no idea who he is, the Kid goes to the saloon for a drink and some cards. But the fellow he's playing is cheating, and when exposed draws his gun and tries to kill the Kid. The Kid returns fire and kills him in what sure looks like self defense.

The Kid fools the towns folk and their posse into believing "he went thataway", retrieves his horse from the sheriff who vows to get him someday, rides to the railway station, and gets onboard. On the train he meets Abner Thacker, who offers The Kid a deal - If he'll pose as a rich South American woman's long lost son who ran away 15 years ago at the age of ten, they'll soak her for all she's worth and split the proceeds. The Kid agrees.

But once in South America, The Kid has second thoughts. The old woman who thinks he's her son is very kind to him, and he falls in love with Consuelo (Fay Wray), the old woman's companion. But Thacker is not having this newfound sentimentality cutting into his bottom line and threatens to turn The Kid into the local American consulate as a wanted criminal if he doesn't continue the ruse.

Complications ensue. In fact the complications are what liven up the last third of the film. First off there is an unexpected twist at the end. Secondly, the Bible preaching sheriff shows up at the widow's hacienda looking to bring The Kid back to Texas. This last part is very strange. This guy is a sheriff, not a U. S. marshal. He has no police powers in a foreign country. And who is guarding the town while he's globetrotting? And why this resolve to capture a guy who killed in self-defense?

The high point of this film is seeing the subtle humor in Cooper's performance. He'd played westerners and cowboys all through the 20s in the silent era because of his roping and riding skills. But talking film added a layer to the authenticity of his performance as a genuine cowboy.

Saw part of this recently made-available 1930 film on Encore Western. Before I checked out this site, I was undecided whether or not the protagonist was being played by Gary Cooper. He looked somewhat like the older Cooper I'm used to seeing, and talked somewhat like him. But, he is extraordinarily stiff in this film. Spends too much time just standing around silent with his head pointed downward, often shifty-eyed. True, he's supposed to be an outlaw. I certainly wouldn't have regarded him as a promising actor...........In contrast, Fay Wray, in playing his beautiful Mexican girlfriend, Consuelo, seemed much more at home in her role. Later, she became Hollywood's first 'scream queen', beginning with her much remembered role as the damsel King Kong picked up, causing her to let out a shrill scream. She was also in several other early horror movies.

Gary Cooper is a bad man who hooks up with crooked lawyer Oscar Apfel to swindle Emma Dunn by convincing her that Coop is her long-lost son. Yet Cooper seems increasingly uncomfortable with the deception.

After a lifetime of looking at the previous year's Battered THE VIRGINIAN, the fact that this print is in pretty good shape allows longtime Paramount cameraman Victor Milner to strut his stuff. The dialogue direction tends to have everyone sound overly emphatic, but perhaps that's in reaction to the buzzy tone of the soundtrack. The story, based on O Henry's "The Double-Dyed Deceiver" has a good deal of humor in it, perhaps an attempt to emulate the Oscar-winning IN OLD ARIZONA. Oscar Apfel excels as the crooked lawyer, and Fay Wray is an adorable Consuelo.

I truly thought this film lost and I'm sure glad it was restored. Gary Cooper stars in The Texan based on an O Henry short story. Some similarities here to that more famous O Henry story the Cisco Kid.

I guess allowances have to be made for Emma Dunn believing that Cooper is her long lost son. I guess she feels he lost his Mexican speech pattern and accent being in America too long. But she wants to have a son again so she'll believe anything.

Which is what Oscar Apfel is counting on. Cooper is on the run from the law in Texas in the person of bible quoting sheriff James Marcus. Apfel's proposition is to have Cooper portray her long lost son who ran away over 15 years ago. There's a big reward out from his mother Emma Dunn, butApfel has schemes for bigger things than just that reward.

As for Coop he's gotten interested in Fay Wray his 'cousin' and companion to Dunn. There's getting to be more and more reasons why Coop might not want to go through with this plan.

Paramount remade this film about a decade later with Mexican star Tito Guizar and this film went into mothballs. For awhile it was thought lost. As a big fan of Gary Cooper I'm glad it's not.

Good performance here by Oscar Apfel who's a real bottom feeder. Apfel's career goes back to the earliest of silent screen days with Cecil B. DeMille.

I saw a real good print of this restored classic. A must for Gary Cooper fans.

THE TEXAN (Paramount, 1930), directed by John Cromwell, from the story "A Double-Dyed Deceiver" by O. Henry, is a worthy follow-up to Gary Cooper's first talkie and previous western outing of THE VIRGINIAN (1929). Now as a Texan known as The Llano Kid, Cooper brightens his acting range in another character, that of a likable good-badman type.

Opening with a wanted sign for The Llano Kid with a $500 reward on his head, The Llano Kid (Gary Cooper) rides his horse to the nearest blacksmith where John Brown (James Marcus), who also happens to be the town sheriff, works on the stranger's horse for its horseshoe replacement. During his wait, the Llano Kid heads for a bar for a drink and a game of cards with other cowboys, with one cardsharp getting gunned down for cheating. The Llano Kid returns to the blacksmith, who recognizes him, to reclaim his horse. He throws the blacksmith's gun into a bucket of water and makes his escape. Heading towards the next train out of town, the Llano kid steals a ticket belonging to fellow passenger, Abner J. Thacker (Oscar Apfel). Because the cowboy happens to resemble a man of 25, Thacker, a lawyer representing a rich widow who's son ran away from home 15 years ago, to locate him in Texas and bring him back to her. He not only hires the cowboy to accompany him to South America for the impersonation, but schemes in obtaining Senora Ibarra's (Emma Dunn) bags of gold on top of her $1,000 reward to him. During his two month stay before leaving on the next boat back to the states, The Llano Kid, now known as Enrique, lovingly called "Quico" by his "mother," becomes acquainted with his "cousin", Consuelo (Fay Wray), and new lifestyle until something occurs to change all that. Others in the cast include: Donald Reed, Soledad Jimenez, Ed Brady and Enrique Acosta.

Unlike Cooper's first talkie, THE VIRGINIAN, THE TEXAN (title not to be confused with THE TEXANS (Paramount, 1938) starring Randolph Scott), was never sold to commercial television, becoming unavailable for viewing for many decades. It's one of those movies one hears about but something that will never see the light of day again. After many years in obscurity. THE TEXAN finally resurrected on the Encore Western Channel in March 2020, and a worthy rediscovery and welcome addition to the cable network.

Regardless of its age and lack of musical scoring in the plot, THE TEXAN is leisurely paced and recommended viewing. Fay Wray (best known for KING KONG (1933)), gets by physically as a Spanish senorita, and makes due with her accented way of talking. It would not be the first nor last time she would assume a Spanish character. Also commendable in their roles are Oscar Apfel as the crooked lawyer and James Marcus as the sheriff/blacksmith who happens to be a religious man. THE TEXAN was remade by Paramount as THE LLANO KID (1939) featuring Tito Guizar in the title role with Gale Sondergaard and Emma Dunn reprising her original role of the mother. As with THE TEXAN, to date, THE LLANO KID is unavailable for viewing.

While Gary Cooper appeared in other, yet better westerns in later years, winning an Academy Award for HIGH NOON (1952), THE TEXAN (at 79 minutes) is worthy viewing. (***)