Michael Morrison Ollie Drake was one of the great B Western writers, but as a director? Based on this sample, not so much.Sunset Carson was a very likable man (and I met him in person quite a while after this movie and he was still very likable), but he was never known as a good actor. Well, in this movie, he was almost the best in the cast.He was a tall and good-looking man, and apparently very strong. In one scene, he has to pick up another actor and, holding him on his shoulder, he mounts his horse! Most other actors would have had to drape the other over the horse then mount. Quite a feat.Standing out in the acting category was veteran villain John Cason, for some reason billed here as Bob Cason. He had a couple scenes where he had to take off his shirt and he showed he was a well-built and athletic-looking guy.Female lead was Pat Starling. Almost nothing is known about her except that she has 15 credits. She was a beautiful woman, and with a better director could have been seen as a very good actress.Providing music was one of the best Western bands I've seen and heard, The Rodeo Revelers seem to have made only this movie but the apparent leader, Buddy McDowell, was in two. He was quite a good fiddler.In one song, they sounded a bit like the Sons of the Pioneers, but in others they had their own sound, which was a good one. No credits are given, but at least one song sounds like the work of Oliver Drake.There is a pretty good print at YouTube. It's not great movie-making, but it has Sunset Carson and that's enough reason to watch.

bkoganbing At one time Sunset Carson was one of Republic Pictures stable of cowboy heroes. He went off on his own to films independently and that seems to have been a big mistake if Sunset Carson Rides Again is an example.Other than it being done in color this one was a real cheapie with a rather silly plot that would have us believe that a fatally shot man wrote a letter while dying naming his murderer. Worse than that, he wrote an earlier letter that alluded to the fact that Carson was the one who did the foul deed. What Sunset has on his mind was raising funds for a new school house and toward that end he's putting on a prize fight. But his partner John Cason has in mind to steal the funds raised and a horse being put up for the prize. He cripples the fighter Carson brought in and young Al Terry who has the mistaken grudge against Sunset substitutes because he boxed some in college.I'm sure Terry fought someone in his weight class as Cason makes chopped liver of him in the ring. That was truly rather stupid.The whole thing is a shoddy mess and I hope the others of Carsons post Republic films aren't as bad.

classicsoncall The color format could have been good for bonus points but alas, the story is fairly typical for a B Western that almost tries to cram in too many plot elements for it's own good. Sunset Carson is intent on raising money to build a school for the local kids (funny, there wasn't one to be found throughout the story), while Eastern dude Bob Ward (Al Terry) has it in for Sunset for killing his father. Part of Sunset's fund raising plan was to promote a boxing match against Slugger Appolodamus (Bill Vall), but when the Slugger gets roughed up by henchman Murdock (Stephen Keyes), he trains young Ward to take his place.I got a kick out of Sunset's appearance when he entered the bunkhouse after saving Ward from a poisoned spring on the trail. He was so tall compared to the other players that his head was out of the frame. Shorty McDuff (Joe Hiser) sure lived up to his name as he almost looked like a midget next to the towering Carson. Earlier, when Sunset hoisted Ward over his shoulder for the ride back home, he mounted his horse without the slightest strain, which gives you a pretty good idea how strong he had to be to pull that off.On the flip side though, Carson exhibited a rather awkward fighting style each time he took up with the fisticuffs himself. His punches were generally wild and not well choreographed, seemingly out of character with someone who otherwise seemed athletic enough. Even so, I didn't understand why he didn't take part in the boxing match he promoted since he was the star of the show.Of course this won't be the first (or last) time you'll see the hero set up for robbing the locals, as chief villain Sam Webster (Bob Cason) sends his boys to waylay Sunset on the trail. Sunset's eventually cleared by a second letter Bob Ward has from his father, the first one implicating Carson in the elder Ward's murder. That whole business with the letters was just too clumsily written and managed to bother me throughout the story. Even with his instructions, why wouldn't Ward just open the second letter right away? It would have saved him a lot of grief.

rsoonsa A staggeringly corny work made with a miniscule budget, this is one of four westerns produced by deservedly little-known Yucca Pictures, and features glyphic Sunset Carson playing himself in his customary fashion, i.e., a discomposed delivery of dialogue when not sitting atop a horse - which he does with surety - the plot presenting Al Terry as Bob Ward (listed as Wade in the titular credits) seeking to avenge the murder of his father, apparently the work of the eponymous hero. Filmed in colour, uncommon for the period and genre, the movie is cumbered by pitiable production values, as well as possibly the most embarrassingly poor stunt work to be found in a professional effort, yet includes in its cast some capable character actors, including a winsome Pat Starling whose clear soprano graces a duet with Terry, and a viewer must be glad indeed that several musical novelty numbers are presented featuring gifted fiddler Buddy McDowell.