It's kind of amusing that here we are, 3/4 century after this throw-away B-western was filmed, not only sitting through it, but writing serious, heartfelt reviews. I'm sure the folks at Lone Star would have been amused. So a couple of quick reactions: I'm kind of surprised to read that some of us think this is perhaps the best of Wayne's '30s westerns. I hope that's not true. I have seen two Mascot serials and found them both quite a bit better than this - esp The Hurricane Express. Like reviewer Dan Phillips, I couldn't make sense out of the beginning either. I read it the same way Dan did and came away wondering what I had missed. I guess 12 year olds in 1934 had a sharper eye than either of us. I love it when characters are given the actor's name. Yak is the most obvious one here, but not the only one. Just how typical was that? As some of you pointed out, the movie's name had no bearing on the plot. Truth is, it's just a great name with no utility beyond that. That hardly makes it unique. Think about Republic serials. Remember Zombies of the Stratosphere? Not a zombie to be seen. Just a killer title. It's pretty well established that the guys who named these things were not necessarily the ones who wrote them. I, too, love the ending. We go from a chaste "relationship" (if it was that) between Wayne and the actress to marriage and parenting! Another vote for immaculate conception. Then again, it meant the 12 year olds didn't have to sit through any of that mushy stuff. Ugh! Available in a Wayne collection (including the serials) and a Western collection from Millcreek Ent.
Review of The Star Packer
