This is yet another B-western from John Wayne--who made a ton of these sort of films during the 1920s. What makes this one a bit different is the running time. At 52 minutes, this makes this one of his shortest--and oddly, the version I downloaded from the IMDb link was only 47--way too short even for a B-movie (which usually run from 55-65 minutes in length). I assume that some portion of the movie I saw was missing.
John Wayne does what he always does in these films--he wanders into a new town and soon lands right in the middle of some evil gang activity. And, like most of these films, he teams up with good 'ol Gabby Hayes along the way. And, like many of his and Gene Autry's films, the time period in which this film is set is very ambiguous. While most ride around on horses, Hayes rides a Model T Ford and his daughter wears dresses circa 1930! Though anachronistic, this is not too unusual.
Wayne ALWAYS plays a good guy and this time he's an undercover investigator sent by the governor. He's to figure out why there has been such a long delay in getting the road built to Rainbow Valley. Apparently, there is a gang involved and it's up to our hero to infiltrate the gang, get the road completed AND get the girl--all within 47 compact minutes.
I'd give this one a 4, as it's not quite as good as Wayne's other films--mostly because it lacks plot development due to its odd run-time. Pleasant but certainly one of his lesser Bs.
John Wayne does what he always does in these films--he wanders into a new town and soon lands right in the middle of some evil gang activity. And, like most of these films, he teams up with good 'ol Gabby Hayes along the way. And, like many of his and Gene Autry's films, the time period in which this film is set is very ambiguous. While most ride around on horses, Hayes rides a Model T Ford and his daughter wears dresses circa 1930! Though anachronistic, this is not too unusual.
Wayne ALWAYS plays a good guy and this time he's an undercover investigator sent by the governor. He's to figure out why there has been such a long delay in getting the road built to Rainbow Valley. Apparently, there is a gang involved and it's up to our hero to infiltrate the gang, get the road completed AND get the girl--all within 47 compact minutes.
I'd give this one a 4, as it's not quite as good as Wayne's other films--mostly because it lacks plot development due to its odd run-time. Pleasant but certainly one of his lesser Bs.