Frontier Badmen

What a thrill, to find a Western I've not even heard of before, and then to find it is almost perfect.

First, of course, is the story: Gerald Geraghty and Morgan Cox wrote the original screenplay. Perhaps almost every individual element has been used previously, but the business premise is new to this type of Western. And it really works.

Next is an extraordinary cast -- although back-stage gossip says there is at least one player who had a drinking problem. Therefore, since that does not show on screen, directors -- one of whom, William C. McGann, doesn't get screen credit -- and fellow players as well as editor Fred R. Feitshans, Jr., and cinematographer William A. Sickner all get extra credit.

Universal was not known for big-budget pictures, but this one looks big-budget. First, with its aforementioned extraordinary cast plus hundreds of cattle, who must have wreaked a lot of damage.

Performers all, each and every one, deserve special mention, but I will stop with one: Robert Paige. He had everything that should be needed to be a star: Tall, handsome looks, a great voice, even for singing, which he did a lot of though not here, athleticism allowing him to be a good cowboy, and acting talent that let him play quite a variety of roles.

His adorable co-star Anne Gwynne said he was afraid of horses, but that too doesn't show on screen. However it might explain why he wasn't in a lot more Westerns.

"Frontier Badmen" is another inane generic title, telling us nothing about the movie, and the movie seems to be hard to find, especially online. I highly recommend it and hope you can find a copy, perhaps at your local library. It is well worth the search. One great film!