Am trying to find clear words telling why I liked Ken Murray's 1950s version of an ultra low budget 1940s poverty row western.
First, I liked the cast. Bob Duncan, an enigmatic b-western actor in real life, plays the bad guy, plus he wrote the script. Hoot Gibson had enough left to phone it in. Lauri Anders, another enigmatic figure, is Murray's protégé here instead of Marie Wilson, Murray's primary "Blackout" revue star. Harry Lauter plays his gratuitous role well enough, pretty much like he played all his roles.
Second, Texas Ridder sings some of the soundtrack as background instead of too far out front like it was in that Cooper/Kelly western High Noon. Third, an improbable poker game is inserted only because Murray wanted it, featuring "name" b-western players and Preston Foster, all friends of Ken Murray.
Last but not least, the cast plays it straight. No actor hambones it up, there are zero pretensions, everyone seems to be hitting their marks, and the sometimes erratic editing is not much of a distraction.
This is the third time I've watched it since i found it on the internet years ago. It reminds me a little bit of a Judy Canova movie made around then that is similarly low regarded but that I like. I.
