The Tabasco Kid

Tabasco Kid, The (1932)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Pretty good short has Charley Chase playing a timid coward working on a ranch. When the owner's daughter comes back she informs him that she likes singing cowboys so Chase must quickly put a band together. Later in the picture a bandit (also played by Chase) shows up and it's one mistaken identity after another. THE TABASCO KID has a nice title, some decent laughs and a terrific performance by Chase who certainly makes the film worth viewing. Chase is so perfect here that you can't help but wish some of the filmmaking was a tad bit better so that the overall film would seem up to par with the performance. I really loved the way Chase played the bandit as he was perfect as that "Latin Lover" stance but he also does a fine job with the coward. I thought the sequence where he goes back and forth between the two parts was extremely well done by the actor. Billy Gilbert plays the ranch owner and gets a couple very good scenes and since his foot is broken you know it's going to get a lot of damage done to it. Some of the editing and cinematography are a tad bit rough and the film actually seems a lot older than it actually is. For a 1932 production the actual look of the film makes it seem a few years earlier. If you're unfamiliar with the work of Chase then this isn't his greatest film but it's a good example of his comic ability.