Bandit Ranger

Very shortly after doing the Magnificent Ambersons, Tim Holt was making Bandit Ranger, one of his innumerable and indistinguishable Westerns. They were all pretty enjoyable, and short enough not to outstay their welcome, and this is no exception. Holt is very young for a rancher, but has the screen presence to overcome this handicap.

The plot is absolutely routine: Holt uncovers a murder, for which he is blamed, and has to clear his name while simultaneously keeping a pretty girl out of danger. The girl, as is traditional in this plot, doesn't know Holt, and so he has to win her trust ... and maybe love? This is the plot of dozens of Holt films; here the part of the idiot sidekick is played, not by Richard Martin who came along later, but Cliff Edwards - more of a clown in his Ukelele Ike role, and he has a couple of nice musical numbers. The baddies are bad and plausible. The girl (Joan Barclay) is a bit dim. The twist where the bad guys turn the tables on Tim Holt is a clever one.

All in all, very entertaining in its lower case way.