The Return of Daniel Boone

"The Return of Daniel Boone" is arguably the best of the Bill Elliott westerns. In 1941 Elliott (generally regarded as the original "Wild Bill Hickok") got to play both the grandson of Daniel Boone and the "Son of Davy Crockett. These Columbia features look very good for their time, in some ways better and more authentic that similar stuff made on higher budgets by other studios in the 1950's.

In this story Wild Bill Boone (Elliott) stumbles on a town with a scheming town boss Leach Kilgrain (Ray Bennett) and a crooked Mayor (Walter Soderling). They have raised taxes to levels most ranchers cannot pay and plan to acquire the properties at a bargain when they are sold for overdue taxes. Ellen Brandon (Betty Miles), the daughter of a local rancher, has accidentally killed the tax collector just before Bill's arrival. He accepts an offer to assume the now vacant position, believing it a good way to gather the evidence needed to expose the scheme.

Bill's plan is to mark some of the town's tax money and see if it is used to purchase land at the tax sale, thereby tying Kilgrain to the Mayor. Unfortunately Ellen thinks he is in league with the bad guys and her impulsive actions derail his plan. So things get a little more complicated before they finally get sorted out.

"The Return of Daniel Boone" transcends this rather ordinary plot by introducing a very original back-story involving Bill's long-time bumbling sidekick Cannonball Taylor (Dub Taylor). Cannonball is the strangely reluctant recipient of the attentions of identical twin sisters Melinda and Matilda (played by twin sisters Verda and Verna Rodik). This becomes even more comical because Cannonball thinks they are the same girl. Since the Rodik girls are arguably the hottest actresses you will ever find in this type of western (plus they do some nice singing), and Dub Taylor is anything but leading man material; his ability to resist their charms until almost the end seems highly unlikely.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Wild Bill Boone (Elliott) stumbles on a town with a scheming town boss Leach Kilgrain (Ray Bennett) and a crooked Mayor (Walter Soderling). They have raised taxes to levels most ranchers cannot pay and plan to acquire the properties at a bargain when they are sold for overdue taxes. Ellen Brandon (Betty Miles), the daughter of a local rancher, has accidentally killed the tax collector just before Bill's arrival. He accepts an offer to assume the now vacant position, believing it a good way to gather the evidence needed to expose the scheme

An enjoyable Columbia western starring Bill Elliott who is at his usual best, his dialogues are snappy, so are his six shooters and fists; check out his fight with the main villain played by Ray Bennett, who looks one creepy guy. It's nicely paced, has great production values and grand camera work; most importantly the story is lively, though Dub Taylor and the twins scenes can get in the way.

This is one of the best B westerns that I have seen. Mostly due to the performance of the twin sisters that are in love Bill's sidekick Cannonball. It is a shame that these sisters were only in this one little movie. Not much is available about them on their IMDb page which is a shame. The cute songs in this movie sung by the sisters and Cannonball are amusing and damn good. This film is not available on DVD or video to my knowledge but can be seen on Starz encore westerns channel. They don't make films like this anymore. Even B movies were enjoyable back in the golden age of Hollywood. Unlike today when a movie is a stinker, it really stinks! If you like B westerns or westerns in general and the opportunity arises to see this film, definitely take advantage of it. It is one enjoyable, entertaining hour of days gone by.

I just watched this on Encore Westerns and aside from the print being excellent, the writing and especially Bill Elliott's acting was superior. His dialog was snappy, to the point and that is exactly how he delivered it, as he always did.

My only complaint was that they had to fill up time with songs that were cute, and 2 young women 'in love' with Dub Taylor's character, but kind of amateurish. Dub, as always, handled it all very well.

I've never seen a Bill Elliott movie that didn't move right along and please me, plus he actually looked the characters he played and he was one heck of a fighter.

The citizens of this part of the west would scoff at Oliver Wendell Holmes's dictum that taxes are the price we pay for living in a free society. Not when the government is run by a lot of crooks who've found a new racket. Just tax the citizens to death.

Ray Bennett who has the mayor and sheriff in his pocket just has them increase taxes exponentially on the citizens and when they don't cough up the tribute just seize their land and sell it.

That's what Bill Elliott is in town to prove with the help of trusty sidekick Dub Taylor is trying to prove. Elliott is Wild Bill Boone in this film the grandson of Daniel Boone, hence the title The Return Of Daniel Boone.

Watching this all I can say is that the message about government and taxes is one that should resonate with all right wing audiences. For all that it's an entertaining western with Cannonball Taylor being the object of the affection of a pair of man hungry twins.