Wild Horse Ambush

"Wild Horse Ambush" (1952) is the last of the four Red and Judy westerns that Republic made in the early 1950's as a series called "The Rough Ridin' Kids". These were relatively successful Saturday matinée features with stories told from the point of view of 10-12 year-olds. The idea would be copied by 1950's television with characters like Rusty in "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" and "Corky and White Shadow".

Unfortunately this "we were there" idea seems to work best when the setting is a cavalry post or a circus. But like "Corky", Red (Michael Chapin) and Judy (Eilene Janssen) live in a small western town and instead of matching wits with other children they are inserted into the plot of standard "B" westerns. Red is the grandson of Sheriff Tom White (James Bell) and Judy is the reformed foster daughter of a captured outlaw. It's actually a nice premise with a lot of potential. The two young actors have a lot of charm and are good riders. Too bad the writers didn't keep things focused on childhood adventures against enemies their own age.

In "Wild Horse Ambush" they make friends with an officer in the Mexican Border Patrol and help him to crack a counterfeit ring. A gang has forced an engraver to make plates for printing Mexican currency. The bills are concealed in the manes of wild horses for transport across the border.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Fairly routine kiddie matinee western, complete with an injection of child actors, Red and Judy, who help a Mexican lawman identify counterfeiters. The scheme involves kidnapped artists being forced to forge denominations of pesos, which are then attached to horses patronizing a waterhole north - then south - of the border. It's a bit obvious when some supposedly outdoor scenes have been filmed indoors. But otherwise it's almost mediocre, with the action limited to the mostly non-gunplay kind.

Wild Horse Ambush is the last of a series of westerns that starred Michael Chapin and Eilene Janssen as a pair of adolescent kids who both assist and annoy Chapin's grandfather James Bell who is the local sheriff of their Southwestern town. Watching this it occurred to me that at the time these films were made they might have made a good series for the kids on television. But Republic's boss Herbert J. Yates was in denial as to the staying power of the box and it cost him his studio in the end.

An engraver from the Mexican mint, Julian Rivero and daughter Movita have been captured and are forced to work at Roy Barcroft's ranch our side of the border turning out 50 peso notes. How they get over the border has to do with a wild horse herd which doesn't need to go through customs.

Mexican cop Richard Avonde is also on the case and cooperation between Mexican authorities, US authorities and the kids lead to the apprehension of the gang. The kids do work very much on their own.

Wild Horse Ambush is a nice family film which would still be liked by those in the age bracket of Michael and Eilene.