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Raiders of Sunset Pass
USA 1943
produced by Republic
directed by John English
starring Eddie Dew, Smiley Burnette, Jennifer Holt, LeRoy Mason, Roy Barcroft, Charles Miller, Maxine Doyle, Mozelle Cravens, Nancy Worth, Kenne Duncan, Jack Kirk, Isabel La Mal, Jack Rockwell, Budd Buster, Dorothy Andre, Hank Bell, Fred Burns, Kansas Moehring, Jack Ingram, Frank McCarroll, Al Taylor
written by John K. Butler, music by Mort Glickman
John Paul Revere, John Paul Revere (Eddie Dew), American World War II Propaganda
review by Mike Haberfelner
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It's World War II, and with most young and able men sent to the
frontline, Dad Mathews (Charles Miller) has porblems finding good
cowhands, so pretty much everyone who can keep in the saddle will do. And
it's not that these substitute cowhands aren't motivated - after all, Dad
Mathews has a gouvernment contracts, and they're all fine patriots who
take joy in supporting their country's war efforts in whatever modest way
they can. But they're no match for the rustlers roaming the neighbourhood
and pretty much stealing Mathews' cattle from right under his cowhands'
noses, and that way endangering his gouvernment contract. The gouvernment
sends two agents, Johnny Revere (Eddie Dew) and Frog Millhouse (Smiley
Burnette), but at first they're stumped, just lacking the manpower to
track down the rustlers - until Mathews' daughter Betty (Jennifer Holt)
makes the suggestion of hiring the young women of town to patrol the land.
Revere thinks it's a good idea, but the locals are against it, so Betty
and her woman army have to promise to not engage in confrontations and
merely radio in what they observe by walkie talkie. This goes amazingly
well, and soon the rustlers are on the verge of losing their business -
when they learn about the patrol women. So they, led by "honest
businessman" Judson (LeRoy Mason), see that the girls have
"accidents" ever so often, just to make everybody believe going
on patrol is not a woman's job. Revere though grows wise to these acts of
sabotage, and catches one of them, Lefty (Roy Bancroft), red-handed. But
Mathews lets him slip because he himself has a past as an outlaw who once
killed a sheepherder, and Lefty threatens to expose him. Revere knows
there's something fishy, so he has Frog follow Lefty - and Frog soon
observes Lefty meeting up with Judson. But he's captured by Judson't men.
But somehow, he can turn on his walkie talkie, and by singing one of the
irreverent songs he has become known for filled with actual intel, he can
give away the rustlers' plans to Revere, and he, together with Betty's
squad of patrolwomen, can round up the rustlers. And ultimately, Lefty
even clears Dad Mathews name in regards to the death of the sheepherder
... From nowaday's point of view, the ever so slightly
"feminist" message sure feels ridiculously old-fashioned - but
one has to see movies, B-movies probably even more so, as mirrors of their
time, and in the 1940s, to even have women in westerns that are more than
the hero's sweetheart and occasional damsel in distress was ... maybe not
super progressive, just still a rarity. That aside, Raiders of Sunset
Pass is sure nothing special but a fun piece of entertainment that
moves along nicely enough, and that actually gives Smiley Burnette more to
do than just being daft - how he uses his signature song to radio a
message to Revere is actually a quite clever plot device. Now of course,
not a film that'll stick with you for long, but it's almost sure to
entertain you while it lasts.
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