JohnHowardReid Copyright 3 May 1943 by United Artists Productions, Inc. Presented by Harry Sherman. A film of Harry Sherman Productions, released through United Artists. New York opening at the Rialto: 30 September 1943. U.S. release: 10 September 1943. Australian release: 31 March 1944. 7,149 feet. 79½ minutes. SYNOPSIS: Stranger who reluctantly accepts job as town marshal finds himself being used as a catspaw by local land baron.COMMENT: "Pop" Sherman took time off from "Hoppy" to produce this extraordinarily lavish "B" western, featuring an elaborately destructive saloon brannigan and a multi-stranded chase/shoot-out/dynamite-explosive/hard-riding/siege climax which must rank as one of the most chock-full of action ever!As if its many action highlights were not recommendation enough, Shumate has fashioned a script which allows for some meaty characterizations as well. The villains are particularly colorful: Dekker is in his element as a shady banker, while Victor Jory has one of the finest roles of his career - which he plays with such tremendous panache and style as to usurp Dix's forefrontage as the nominal hero! In fact, Jory's engagingly ambivalent Jeff becomes such a charismatic focus of our attention, the author has no option but to have him perform a Sydney Carton before the fade-out!On the other side of the fence, Jane Wyatt makes a pretty but somewhat colorless heroine. Also surprisingly bland are Eugene Pallette and Robert Armstrong - both on the right side of the law for once. Ranged against them are some splendidly venal, subsidiary, whitecollar villains (Cavanaugh, Baldwin) and thugs (McDonald, Fowley). Stereotyped Willie Best is along for a bit of outrageously offensive comic relief, while Beryl Wallace contributes lively singing to a couple of rousing production numbers including an attractively period-costumed and choreo¬graphed "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again".The Kansan packs a lot of entertainment into 79 minutes. Classy photography and extensive sets too. A pity the direction rarely rises above the merely competent and that Dix is forced into a hokey romance ("Say, are you always so pretty this early in the morning?"). But you can't have everything.

MartinHafer This is a decent and generally unremarkable western. But, because it stars Richard Dix, it comes off a bit better. While not a household name, Dix was a very fine actor--mostly because he played a great 'everyman'--a believable and rugged guy who was no pretty-boy. Solid, dependable and making the most of his material, he pretty much makes this film worth watching.The film begins well, as it's pretty creative. Dix is a stranger in a new town and soon after arriving, there's a bank robbery. He happens to be in the right place at the time and is able to thwart the robbers. He gets them but is injured in the process. Here's the twist--when he awakens, he hears the crowd outside his window celebrating the election of a new sheriff...and that sheriff turns out to be HIM! Too good to be true? Yep. That's because a powerful rich guy has his own reasons for having the stranger become sheriff. Fortunately, Dix's character is on dummy. What's next? See this one yourself.Overall, not a bad little film. Despite a VERY familiar plot, Dix and some decent baddies (Victor Jory and Albert Dekker) are able to elevate this one to more than just another time-passer.

jetan This probably doesn't deserve the "B Movie" sobriquet. The production values are pretty high and it is quite heavy on the movie stars. This looks to me like it would have taken the A spot on a bill. Dix is good but Victor Jory nearly steals the show. The high point is likely one of the most over-the-top barroom brawls I've ever seen on celluloid. The script is also fine, although nothing too original. The low point in the movie....aside from a really unfortunate racial caricature.... is probably represented by a really ghastly World War II style showgirl routine based around "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". All in all, a satisfying show.

FightingWesterner Bystander Richard Dix stops a bank robbery by the James gang. Badly injured, he awakens to find himself unwittingly elected the town's new marshal, at the behest of local bank president Albert Dekker, who turns out to be a tyrant who wants Dix firmly under his thumb, a position the marshal has no plans to assume.The best things about this are the presence of Dix and Dekker, as well as a rowdy saloon fight that has people swinging from chandeliers and rioting uncontrollably. Everything else is too derivative and too mediocre to be memorable.Look fast for George Reeves as Jesse James.