Byrdz I was a bit apprehensive about my movie player when the first few minutes seemed to be a silent movie with no dialogue or even western background music. Then Rex Leach turned up and things began to move right along with a brief side trip to a couple of songs being sung and yodeled. I admit to never having even heard of Rex but he did quite well with what he was given. Co-star Rin-tin-tin, Jr. barked on cue but looked a little camera shy and apprehensive on occasion. The villain and henchmen were pretty much fine ... except that when anyone had to pretend never to have heard of the missing character they ALL got this shifty look and turned their heads ... and yet the hero never noticed.He did notice (eventually) the pretty girl... dressed in modern (for the times) clothes despite the fact that all of the other characters seemed to be living in another time period.It's a 1937 B Western and as such it's OK. Once they get to the story and you ignore the plot holes and silly dialogue. Don't go nuts trying to find a copy is all.

mark.waltz The old west has gone to the dogs, and that dog is on a dime in this fast-moving western where man's best friend knows right from wrong and helps the hero not only defeat the villains but win the girl as well. Here, the story surrounds a crooked mining town where the villains knock off those lucky to strike it rich and the good guy (Rex Lease) who, aided by Rin Tin Tin Jr., exposes their racket and helps the heroine (Mary Russell) get her rightful share of a claim that cost her father his life. In just under an hour, there's enough adventure, romance and a heart-warming relationship growing between man and dog to keep the audience interested. Another factor of this film that makes it highly recommendable is the fact that the villains are not the usual mustache-twirling, one-dimensional slimeballs, but cunning and even charming as they passively aggressively hide their motivations behind a helpful attitude, sort of like real- life big business villains we read about in the paper every day. There's a great scene where Lease teaches one of the villains about the evils of animal abuse, turning the tables on him by forcing him to watch as Rin Jr. eats a steak that Lease forces the villain to pay for. Russell isn't one of those namby-pamby western heroines who runs from danger; She's pretty much in on the action as well, initially seen as the attempted robber of a stagecoach. However, she's not a variation of Margaret Lockwood's "The Wicked Lady"; There's a major reason behind her criminal behavior that helps guide the plot along to its speedy conclusion.

sol1218 **SPOILERS** When Cowboy Bob Crandell got word from his friend Larry Moore that he struck it rich in his Nevada silver mine "The Two Friends" he shot right down to the Bonanza Territory to get himself a piece of the action. Since it's Bob who's the #2 Friend, after Larry Moore, that the mine is named after.After stopping a stage coach robbery on his way to Two Friends Bob finds out that the attempted crook is Molly Allen the private secretary of Bonanza Properties CEO Frank Sheridan. It takes a while for Bob to realize that Sheridan is using Bonanza Properties as a dummy front for his mining conglomerate Triangle Mines. Triangle Mines is secretly being used by Sheridan to not only grab all the gold and silver mines in the territory but murder those who have claims on them! Like what turned out to be prospectors like Bob's murdered friend Larry Moore!****SPOILER ALERT*** There's of course Larry's dog Rinty, or Rin Tin Tin Jr, who after becoming homeless when his master Larry was murdered, by Sheridan's thugs, has drawn a bead on Sheridan & Co. Rinty together with undercover, as the town weirdo, US government G-Man Looney end up getting the goods on Sheridan and his criminal empire. Bob with the help of Molly Allen who it turns out is actually Molly Weilborn who's dad was a victim of Sheridan greed,in his attempt to corner the Nevada gold & silver market, ends up breaking up his sleazy and criminal operation but only with the help from both Looney & Rinty in doing it.You have to say one thing about Bob Crandell, or actor Rex Lease who plays him, in that he's very convincing riding a horse as well as putting together straight rights and left jabs when he's slugging it out with Sheridan and his gang. Despite the movies by the numbers storyline the both horse riding and fight scenes, that Lease seemed to do without the use of a double or stunt man, are as good as any you'll see in a top John Wayne or Gary Cooper Western of the period: The late 1930's.There's also the added attraction in the film, besides Rinty who was barley in it, of Bob's amazing as well as laid back singing cowboy and guitar playing brother Hank. Hank sung two tunes including his signature song "Lonesome Cowboy" but it wasn't Hank's singing, or guitar playing, that really caught the audiences eye it was his skillful and garaging like, with Listerine, yodeling. I had a very strong feeling that the great vine swinging movie ape-man Johnny Weissmuller took yodeling lessons from Hank to prefect his famous Tarzan jungle call.

Spuzzlightyear Another B western that takes forever to get going on the plot, and then abandon sub-plots and characters to get to it's wishy washy conclusion. When the partner of Bob Crandall is missing after he finds a gold claim, Crandall goes to look for him (but not before hearing a few country songs). After getting no help from the city planners, Bob looks into it himself. Of course, since the planners have mustaches, they can't be trusted, and it turns out that they have stolen the claim! Luckily a plucky gal and a helpful dog are there to help Bob, and the usual "I'm not who you think I am" character that seems to arrive out of nowhere in desperate westerns such as this. Rex Lease is not a bad cowboy, he just needs a good script. The dog, who seemed to have a central part in the script, sort of disappears ¾ of the way through, and we never did find out what happens to Bob Crandall's partner. It all adds up to a sort of blah night at the movies.