Cheyenne Takes Over

US Marshal Cheyenne Davis (Lash Larue) and his sidekick Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John) go to Lobos ranch for a vacation, but receive a chilly reception. Apparently the owner died and a man claiming to be an heir anppears. After talking to saloon owner Fay Wilkins (Nancy Gates), Cheyenne suspects that an impostor has taken over the ranch.

Cheyenne Takes over stars Lash La Rue as Cheyenne-opposed to Lash which he is later known as - and Fuzzy is the sidekick, who is up to usual shenanigans. The story has a little intrigue over the ranch and there's a fair bit of secrecy. Some decent action but I found it meandered a bit midway and was a little confusing. Nancy Gates was sweet and charming.

I just saw this movie last night which I may or may not have seen when I was a kid. All I can remember is that on tv in the early fifties he was a popular figure. I remember seeing him quite often but I don't remember those storylines, the acting or the production values. It was a treat seeing him again but I can wait a long time before seeing another. This was about as low-budget as you can get and the acting was like a school play. What puzzles me is why everyone remembers him. He did not make many movies and the ones that he did were very forgetful. It must have been the black outfit, the whip and a resemblance to Humphrey Bogart.

Deputy marshals Lash Larue and Al St. John head over to a ranch owned by a pal of St. John's. They're under orders to take a vacation. However, there's no rest for them, as the owner is dead and there seems to be murder involved.

There's a lot of complaining about Larue's acting abilities. He's actually decent here. The problem lies with the movie, which is clearly underwritten for one that is supposed to last less than an hour. St. John has to mug an awful lot, and does so in such a casual fashion there are few laughs involved. In addition, editor Joseph Gluck's timing is off. Sequences that are edited in a maner that suggests they are supposed to be suspenseful are muddled. Still, cameraman Ernest Miller know how to manage a camera, and Nancy Gates makes a pretty leading lady.