I am back in my apartment tonight, and actually I've been back since yesterday afternoon. They finished the ceiling repair a day earlier than expected, so I only spent one night in the empty apartment, then yesterday I had to move all my stuff back to my unit, which is very tiny, so it was a job and a half to begin putting everything back in place, and I'm still not done. You know those companies like Closet World that say they will organize your closets and get your clutter all squared away? Well, I am the master of closet organisation, and have taken it to another level because I have a lifetime of stuff in a studio apartment, and it was as neat and squared away as I could possibly make it, considering how small my living space is. So, when I had to move everything out for the ceiling work, it was like undoing a Rubik's Cube's worth of well-organized stuff, and now I'm in the process of putting it all back together. There's been a lot of dust to deal with, too, because since 2014 I more or less lived at Pearl's, and only used my apartment on afternoon breaks and when I was off work. Anyway, my reason for saying all of this is because the movie reviews are a little short this time. I apologize, and will be back to the normal length reviews by the next blog.
Last night, we found another new Western star : Tim McCoy, who was born in 1891, over a dozen years earlier than Johnny Mack Brown and Tom Tyler. McCoy's career goes back to the Silent era, and he also fought in World War One! In "Code of the Cactus"(1939), he plays "Lighting Bill Carson", a noted gunman who is bidding for a ranch at auction. The ranch is being rustled - by men in trucks! This is another comtemporaneous Western, and at the beginning of the movie there's a wanted dead or alive offer from the ranch owner for the capture of the rustlers, who are led by Ted Adams (naurally). He's got a boss above him who calls the shots, the usual big shot land owner who stands behind the scenes. What happens is that Lightning Bill goes undercover as "Miguel", a Mexican Bandito who is a one-man rustling gang. He's so fast with a gun (as Tim McCoy apparently was in real life) that Ted Adam's gang doesn't stand a chance in a shootout. So, Adams agrees to let Miguel in on the rustling. It's a play act on Lighting Bill's part, because he's trying to find the head honcho of the rustlers, the guy above Ted Adams. McCoy is great, and has comedic talent, which he shows in his guise as Miguel. He's pushing 50 here, his hair is thinning, and though he's handsome, he doesn't quite have the chiseled matinee idol looks of Tom Tyler or Johnny Mack. What he does have is an engaging personality, which he uses to maximum advantage, whether as Miguel the Bandito or Lighting Bill Carson.
The movie is all about rustlers in trucks, and Carson's attempt to stop them. There's no romance in this one, but there is a fine cowboy song, sung by Art Davis. Needless to say, we'll be looking for more from Tim McCoy. "Code of the Cactus" gets Two Big Thumbs Up. It's great stuff, shot at Iverson Ranch and Burro Flats, which later became the Santa Susana Field Lab. The picture this time was razor sharp, so be sure to give it a view. ////
The previous night, we saw "The Glory Trail"(1936), a more traditional Western in the serious mode, starring Tom Keene (the Tom Brady of Westerns). The movie tells the story of the US Cavalry's attempts to deliver ammunition to outpost forts, across the territory of Chief Red Cloud and the Sioux Nation. The Army has an understanding with Red Cloud, that as long as their wagon train keeps moving and doesn't encroach on his land or try any funny business, they will have safe passage. But then, as they are making one such delivery of ammo, they come across a troop of Confederate Army rebels, led by Captain Morgan (Keene), who are still fighting even though the war is over. The Cavalry captain has to decide whether to chase after the Rebs or continue with the ammo supply run. If he fights the Rebels on Red Cloud's turf, he'll be risking a war with the Sioux also. It's a great story that features a lot of subthemes, such as one involving the emancipated slave "Mandy Johnson", who has chosen to remain with her "white family". Mandy is played by Ettie McDaniel, the sister of Oscar winner Hattie, with whom she she shares both acting talent and a strong resemblance. Then there is "Toby", a black man fighting for the Confederates out of loyalty to his master, Captain Morgan. It's a complex plot, which turns when Captain Morgan's Lieutenant (who's also his best friend), goes on an unauthorised raid against the Sioux. He's caught after his sword is found at the massacre site, and he's executed for war crimes. But, we later find out he didn't do it. His fiancee (Captain Morgan's sister) dies of a gunshot wound fired by an Indian at the end of the movie. In that way, she and the Lieutenant are reunited in death. This is good stuff, and although Tom Keene doesn't make for the same kind of action hero as Tom Tyler and Johnny Mack Brown, he's nonetheless very good in the leading role. "The Glory Trail" is a historical Western in the tradition of many of the A-List films of the genre, and as I watched I was thinking, "you know, I never noticed it before, but in the 60 minutes Westerns we've been watching, with JMB and TT and Buster Crabbe, et al, there haven't been any Indians in the stories. It's all been Cowboys & Crooks. I wonder what the reason for that is? Maybe to keep things light for the Saturday Afternoon Matinee crowd. You couldn't do comic relief in a Cowboys & Indians movie because of the serious subject matter. Well anyhow, Two Big Thumbs Up for "The Glory Trail". The picture is very good and it's highly recommended. ////
That's all for tonight. I hope you are having a good week. Can you believe that Spring is almost here? My goodness.
I send you Tons of Love, as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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