Hit the Saddle

It was exciting to see Bob Livingston in this entry.

It must be years since I last saw him in anything, but especially in a Three Mesquiteers.

His portrayal of Stony Brooke had always been the definitive one to me and, much as I love John Wayne, the Mesquiteers were not the same with him in the Brooke role.

This is a different Stony from any other characterization I have seen.

This movie had a little bit of everything, and managed to be enough different to warrant watching, except, perhaps, to the jaded.

There are gunfights; there is a saloon brawl; there is a dancing girl (played by someone named Margarita Cansino, a good-looking actress with some apparent dancing ability; whatever happened to her?).

There are wild horses and a good battle between two of them.

Tucson Smith was the leader in the stories as written originally by William Colt MacDonald, and in this movie he is. It's a good opportunity for Crash Corrigan and he makes the most of it.

Yak Canutt is one of the bad guys and, of course, the lead stunt man, and no one ever did it better.

Harry Tenbrook, of whom I know nothing, gets a good part as another bad guy, sort of the foreman, and is interesting enough I wonder why we didn't see him more often.

"Hit the Saddle" is another miserable generic title, and surely the producers could have found one more appropriate. However, that's my only complaint (except for the intendedly "funny" ending that wasn't) and I recommend this movie.

To be honest, I'll always recommend the Three Mesquiteers, and always recommend anything with Crash Corrigan.

P.S. Just in case: Of course I know Margarita Cansino became Rita Hayworth. I was just trying to be cute.