Big Boy Rides Again (1935)

Admirable film.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Tom's father is served dinner by the cook, Sing Fat, who has poisoned the meal, especially the pudding. The father is reluctant to eat the food, although he does not know Sing Fat poisoned it. After much encouragement by Sing Fat to eat the pudding, after Sing Fat leaves the room, the father gives the pudding to the dog, which eats it as the father decides to eat some of the other food. Suddenly, the dog dies, the father grabs his heart as though he is dying from the poisoned food too, and a masked person dressed in black enters and shoot the old man as he appears to be dying already from the poisoned food. Eventually, the shooter is unmasked after he is killed and is labeled as the murderer, but no one seems to be interested in the role that the cook played in the death of the father. A question of law: Would the father have died of poison but for the shot fired the masked killer?

Not copyrighted 1935 by Beacon Productions, inc. No New York opening. U.S. release through First Division. Release dates and original running time unknown. About 55 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A crippled rancher sends for his ne'er-do-well son when he finds himself hemmed in by "enemies", including a sinister Chinese cook who poisons his dog, "Rusty". COMMENT: A substantial improvement over "Cowboy Holiday", this entry has a superior script. In fact, it's not actually a western at all, despite obligatory buck-jumping (via obvious stock shots) and a saloon fight (interspersed with myriads of odd close-ups) sequences.This movie is actually a suspenseful mystery thriller, using (by M. & A. Alexander standards) some extraordinarily large indoor sets, plus some fast chase action and stunt-work in real but most effective locations. The identity of the killer came as a real surprise to me. Acting level is high. Williams is reasonably personable, the heroine is most attractive, whilst Lafe McKee and Bud Osborne turn in their usual ultra-reliable portrayals of neighboring rancher and hero's sidekick, respectively. The director makes the most of Harry Forbes' moody photography with lots of menacing shots of the cloaked killer in the rain.

Big Boy Williams goes home to find his dad murdered and tries to uncover who killed him. A low budget western mainly set indoors. The plot is ropey and contrived with cartoon villains at every turn. Big Boy Williams character doesn't come across as the smartest tool in the box. His acting, in this anyway, is average at best, though he does at least live up to his nickname. There isn't much action or acting on show here though I'm pretty sure the film must hold the world record for the number of scenes of doors being opened and walked through. The one good thing about the film is the reveal of the killer who I didn't guess.Even for a minor western this isn't very good. Even at the time I'm sure the lack of action would have meant this wasn't high on anyone's favourite film list.

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams returns home to his estranged father's ranch to find the old man murdered by any one of several potential villains. It seems he was killed over a substantial amount of cash he'd hidden somewhere in the house, but didn't get around to disclosing the whereabouts of.It's interesting to see character actor and sometimes sidekick Williams in a starring role. However, despite a few good action scenes, the picture's way too slow, with not enough of the good stuff in the first half. Still, it's hard to entirely dislike an old movie with secret passages and a masked killer creeping around, waiting to get people.Big Boy is likable enough and an adequate hero. He should have picked a better starring vehicle though.