Though I've been a fan of Tim Holt since my childhood, I admit to feeling his series is generally blah.
Not this entry, "Riders of the Range"!
Everything about this is good to great.
Start with the screenplay by prolific veteran Norman Houston, who has more than 80 writing credits. His story is nothing special among Westerns (but that's OK, since just being a Western is good enough for me), but his dialogue here is.
Director Lesley Selander is another veteran, ultimately having nearly 150 credits, including TV. Here, he out-did himself. His camera angles and, for that matter, his control of his excellent cast show the work of a genuine master.
And that cast: Wow. As good an actor as Tim Holt often was, with the right script and right director, he also out-did himself in "Riders of the Range."
His character's partner, Chito, played as always by Richard Martin, was an important part of this story, and was not so silly as in other entries. Martin was really a very good actor and it's a shame he seems not to have had a chance to prove his ability in many other roles.
Someone new to me is the leading lady, Jacqueline White, an actual native of Beverly Hills, and who is still among us, having retired shortly after this film when she got married. Rather late in her life, she has begun attending film festivals. I would attend one just to meet her. In "Riders" she shows -- at least to me -- that she could have starred in her own Western series. She is lovely just to look at, and she handles the riding and action beautifully. In any scene, watch her face and body gestures. Wonderful!
One of my favorite actors, and a very busy voice actor, having dubbed no telling how many Italian and other foreign movies and narrated many more, the elegant Reed Hadley plays the leader of the bad guys. He was such a talent, and could play any type of role, from comedy to drama ("Racket Squad" and "Public Defender") to Westerns ("Zorro's Fighting Legion"). And he was, naturally, with that voice, a radio star ("Red Ryder").
Another of the all-time greats, Tom Tyler, gave a magnificent performance as another villain. Watch his face. Maybe he was best known as an action star, but see him here and you know he was an actor!
After several years of mostly uncredited work, Robert Clarke showed he was being wasted and was entirely capable of starring roles. For whatever reason, despite this excellent performance as a cowboy, afterward he played mostly in monster movies.
In addition, there are several excellent "withs" -- mostly uncredited -- filling out the cast and playing very necessary parts, essential parts.
"Kansas Jones," played by Tim Holt, is a much grittier and even more violent character than Holt's usual. He is a character well worth watching, and he was played by Holt in at least one more movie.
Tim Holt usually played a character named "Tim Holt," which strikes me as too bad, because the real Tim Holt could have played a lot more characters, if only he'd been given the opportunity.
Alas, he died awfully young, but we can be thankful we have that celluloid memory, including at YouTube, where an excellent print of "The Riders of the Range" can be found. And I hope you look for it. I highly recommend this movie.
