Cassidy of Bar 20 (1938)

Sadly Over-hyped

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Attractively photographed (Russell Harlan) but lifeless Hopalong Cassidy. All the action occurs in the space of two or three minutes at the finale. Not that it's over-exciting anyway! The rest of the film is very, very dull. At least Cassidy of Bar 20, unimpressive as the feature itself might be, made a fine trailer. Running a mere 137 feet (that's exactly 1½ minutes), this preview is much the usual "thriller", containing plenty of action - fast-riding cowboys, gun-play, comedy and romance. To quote Paramount publicity: "Opens with thrilling scene of cowboys riding across the range... amusing scene as Cassidy and Darien are held up by Margaret Marquis... dramatic scene between Nora Lane and Boyd... thrilling interlude as Boyd threatens men in store... cowboys riding to the round-up of killers... introduction of all players in characteristic poses... and many other exciting scenes."Oh, yeah? Well where are these "many exciting scenes"! On the cutting-room floor or simply in the press book editor's imagination?

This is one of the worst Hoppy films. The plot was unbelievable and weak. The comic sidekick (Frank Darien as Pappy) was also among the worst in the series. ***Spoliers.*** Hoppy is out to help his girl friend whose ranch is being rustled and preyed upon by local rustlers-land grabbers, led by Clay Allison. For no good workable reason (from my viewpoint) Hoppy lets himself get arrested and imprisoned for trespassing (or whatever), and then he convinces Allison to put Hoppy on parole and work his time out at Allison's ranch. In short order, Hoppy sees Allison's men maybe rustling Nora's cattle. So Hoppy rides off to see Nora. (What about his parole agreement?) Meanwhile, Fred is the only witness to see Allison shoot Nora's partner (or foreman) dead. For no real good reason that I could see, Fred's mom suspects her son as involved in the murder and has the son placed in jail! None of this really matters because Allison finally decides to have his gang descend on Hoppy and everyone else at Nora's ranch, but they are beaten back and Allison is killed.Not much of a good plot.

Not the greatest Hopalong Cassidy movie, but not a bad effort. After a hard roundup the men of the Bar 20 head into town for some fun. That is all except "Hoppy" (he tells the rest of the boys "I'll see you back here in two weeks, and be practically sober!") and "Pappy" (enjoyingly played by Frank Darien in his only appearance in the Cassidy series). Later joined by "Lucky" the trio have a series of adventures which commence with their being arrested by a crooked landowner. Also prominent is an unusual love story, a curmudgeonly storekeeper, and of course the usual romance involving "Lucky" (Charles Hayden) which ends in plenty of action. Light-hearted and fast-moving throughout.

I picked up a few of the Image Entertainment "Hopalong Cassidy" DVDs owing to a friend's research for a magazine article...I had seen numerous examples of Boyd's excellent acting and wanted to see if watching whole "Hopalong" features would be rewarding. As I had hoped, the features are very good.One expects a certain level of acting in B movies...better than a high-school stage play, but less depth than major movie characters. B movie performances usually have enough personality to explain what a character is doing at the time...but not enough to account for what the character is like, off-screen. It's one of the excellences of Boyd's acting; you feel that he is just as honest and competent and well-meaning before the movie starts, and in scenes where he does not appear. Most of the other characters are not so well-written or well-played, that one considers their backstory.The exception in this movie is Gertrude Hoffman as Ma Caffrey, a crusty old general-store manager. At first she appears to be a typical comic-relief gun-totin' old lady, who thinks one of Hoppy's partners looks like her dead husband. Later she talks to that partner, who's been ordered by the court to help around the store. She says:"Jeff's a good boy. Ain't scared to stand behind a gun and shoot for what's right. Jeff's pa was a Federal Marshal; got killed fightin' for the gov'ment. Yep, fell dead right where you're standing. I've tried to learn Jeff right from wrong. Clay Allison wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for my Jeff. Allison's round-up crew'll be here today. Fightin' men from the border; they're a bad lot; al's bring trouble." ...and in that brief minute or so you COMPLETELY believe her and her grief for her husband and her disappointment in her son, working for Mr. Allison (who's the villain of the film). It's an A-picture performance...the sort of thing that wins "Best Supporting Actress" nominations if the movie is "respectable" enough. It's plain the actress thought the part through; her every line implies her past and her ongoing relationship with her townspeople and her son.Is this worthwhile if a person doesn't care for the Western genre? Not really. Is it worth showing to young actors as an example of doing a lot with a small part? Yes, certainly! Does it demonstrate once again that not all low-budget movies have second-rate casts? Sure!