Across the Plains (1939)

Simply A Masterpiece

Just perfect...

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A Masterpiece!

This is the first Jack Randall western I've seen, and I must say I'm impressed. You learn not to expect too much from a Monogram picture--and that's usually what you get--but this one is different. Randall had an easy-going manner and wasn't a bad actor at all. He was a good rider and handled action well. In this above-average Monogram oater, he's a trail scout named Cherokee who was adopted by Indians as a child after his parents were killed by a bandit gang in an attack on a wagon train. His little brother (Dennis Moore) was taken by the bandits and raised as one of them, and they told him it was Indians who had killed his parents. Years later the two brothers run into each other but don't know they're brothers. Director Spencer Gordon Bennet keeps things moving swiftly, and there's some really good use made of locations at Lone Pine, California, that give the picture a very sweeping and expensive look, something you don't often see in your run-of-the-mill "B" western. Addison carries the picture well, Moore has a meatier role than he often got and does well with it, Joyce Bryant is pretty to look at, veterans Bud Osborne and Glenn Strange are around for authenticity, and there's a good gun battle at the end with somewhat of an ingenious little twist. All in all, a very pleasant and pleasing little B from Monogram. Check it out.

Jack Randall probably could have become a bigger star, judging by his performance here, if he had had more experience and more exposure.His director in "Across the Plains" was one of the all-time greats, Spencer Gordon Bennett, who did some wonderful work as far back as the silent days.I remember watching a serial at the lamented Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax in Los Angeles and just marveling at the attention to detail Bennett paid. I sat in absolute awe then and at his later pictures.Bennett, Randall, and the cast had a good story, one that got used in many variations and by many production companies, but the low budget got in the way.For example, the fight scenes were really lame. No Yakima Canutt or David Sharpe was present to get that wild action that highlighted, for example, John Wayne and Republic pictures battles.But there were superior players to make up for those lacks. Frank Yaconelli was one of the best "Mexicans" Hollywood ever had, and Joyce Bryant was lovely, although she didn't get to do much besides look good.Dennis Moore has always impressed me, partly because of his great voice, but he's usually more than adequate in even the small roles he had. He too is someone I think should have become a star.Glenn Strange is always good to see, and he had a different role here, a somewhat understated good guy. Remember Glenn Strange was so often so evil, why, once he even shot Charlie King in the back! Now that's low.Bud Osborne got a meaty part, and, as usual, he handled it beautifully. He was always dependable and frequently a better actor than others in whatever cast he was in."Across the Plains" is available on Westerns on the Web, one of the greatest innovations since Algore invented the Internet. I recommend it, even though it's not the greatest western I've seen, not even seen this week. But it was my first chance to see Jack Randall, and now I'm going to look for more of his films.

Warning.....spoilers ahead.....I really liked this movie, mostly because I'm a big, big fan of Dennis Moore (Denny Meadows). He's great here, as the Kansas Kid. This is a step above the usual "B" westerns of the time in that it features a nice story (touching at times) about brothers reunited later in life. One had turned out bad, the other good. The story plays out well and believable, for the most part. A case in point is near the end when Buff shoots young Jimmy. He grabs his shoulder and falls. After the bad guys have been taken care of, Jack asks his brother where he's been hit and he moans "all over". Huh? Did I miss something? Last I saw, he didn't have a fatal wound. That said, this is a good film, with good acting, good direction, and exciting action. Well worth watching. I just wish I could get all of Denny's movies on DVD.john-boy

I had this one since a while in my collection. Several years. And I discover it only now. Such a shame. It is directed by the young Spencer Gordon Bennet, who later will make dozens of serials for Republic and Columbia Pictures. This little western is very rare. It is shot in locations, somewhere in Arizona. This flick is fast paced, the actors pretty good, and the story enjoyable. Even also predictable.But we can't ask for everything...I won't resume the topic, it is already explained in the Tagline and Plot page, on IMDb. It would be interesting to watch many more of these early westerns. I know they are easily available, from the thirties and forties, but perhaps not all interesting. And it may be boring to watch one hundred of them in order to catch only one good...Isn't it?