Earl Dwire as the arch-badman. And the most beautiful woman there has ever been. What more could you ask?
Another formulaic Tex
Ritter picture, one of many he made for Grand National in the 30s, this one
might better have been called ‘Rodeo Racketeers’ because it’s a rodeo movie in
which the show is being run by crooks who kill the local stars in order to
scoop the prize money, which does seem a little mean. The government is on
their trail and sends secret agent Carmen (Rita Cansino) to rumble them. Rodeo
star Tex and his sidekick Horace Murphy (no Fuzzy yet) have a special reason
for wishing to defeat the gang. They killed Tex's brother, the swine.
There is a lot of early
rodeo stock footage, including tribes of Indians in full regalia, some Roman
riding like Ben Johnson and Harry Carey in Rio Grande and a rather
groovy stagecoach race. Yakima Canutt (as henchman Squint Parker) got third
billing, after Tex and Rita, so had full scope for stunts. Earl Dwire, standard
Ritter-movie heavy/sheriff and my hero, plays the arch-baddy Barker. That’s why the
movie got a two-revolver rating. White Flash, Tex’s horse, gets star billing
too, although he doesn’t do much. He’s no Trigger.
La Cansino is decorative,
although one heavy says, “We don’t want no dames working with this outfit” and
many of the junior male audience probably agreed. But it was not surprising that
Rita was so sensational because Ms. Cansino was in fact Rita Hayworth in an
early incarnation. This was long before The Lady from Shanghai or The
Loves of Carmen but Rita was shaping up just fine. It is entirely possible
that Hayworth was the most glittering Hollywood star of all and the most
beautiful woman there has ever been (pace Ingrid Bergman) and she is sure wasted on Tex in this
clunker.
Slightly cheating poster because she wasn't using that name yet
Tex’s make-up is applied
with a trowel and his hair is extremely 1930s. He sings lustily with his decent
tenor voice but can’t act for toffee. Robert N Bradbury, veteran of all those Lone Star
1930s John Wayne pictures, directed and it was the last full year he worked. He
had been directing one- and two-reelers since 1918. Robert Emmett wrote it and
he was also very experienced in formula Westerns. The movie races along with no
surprises but plenty of action, so it probably does deserve its two revolvers
in fact. Yak does a good stunt at the end with the runaway wagon loaded with
dynamite (though he didn’t bother to have the same costume as Tex so you can
tell it’s not the hero).
Anyway, Tex certainly made
worse Westerns than this (some real turkeys in fact, like Arizona Days the same year) but Trouble in Texas is still
just about watchable after all these years. And you get to see Earl Dwire.
Looks interesting, ill be sure to check it out. Cheltenham tips
ReplyDeleteGive my love to Rita.
ReplyDeleteJeff