Marshal of Reno

I love the opening of this Red Ryder with Red, Little Beaver, and Gabby Hayes literally stepping out from the pages of a Red Ryder comic book. Like any kid of my generation, I loved these movies. And this was a good kid's film. Lots of action, villains, and no girl to distract Red. Back then the hero could rescue a female but no romance, especially kissing which was referred to as mush. The hero was loyal to his friends and loved his horse, period.

Plot, what eight-year-old cared about plot. We liked action and this one has action. And with Gabby Hayes as the sidekick, we had some laughs. Frequently we could figure out who the bad guys were because the actors were bad guys in other cowboy films. We might not have known their names, but we did know their faces. Looking back, I could never figure out how Wild Bill Elliott could draw his guns so quickly with the handles turned backwards, I tried and I had sore wrists to prove it.

Watching those films during a Saturday matinee, I know my eyes were glued to the screen as I cheered Red and booed the bad guys along with my friends. As an adult these films look cheap and repetitive, but they weren't made with a 21st century audience in mind. Back in the 50s, they fed our need for heroes; someone we could imitate in real life. We were Red Ryder, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Hickok out there chasing Indians or rustlers, or bank robbers. We stepped into those personas to be as brave as our heroes.