Sky High Corral (1926)

Starring: Art Acord

Director: Clifford Smith

Studio: Universal Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY:

At the Sky High ranch, "Wild" Bill Hayden (Thomas G. Lingham) has grown tired of interference of his livelihood by the U.S. Forest Rangers, in particular Ranger Burns (Jack Mower) who is after Hayden to clear out after a herd of Hayden's cattle go missing. Hayden blames the rustling on Burns and wields bitterness towards the Rangers. He sends for a gunman named Jack McCabe (Art Acord) who, unbeknownst to Hayden, is a Ranger himself. Unbeknownst to Hayden and his beautiful niece Shasta (Marguerite Clayton), the real rustlers are comprised of grisly Whitey Durke (Duke R. Lee) and his gang. It is up to McCabe to smooth things over between Hayden and the Rangers and bring Durke to justice.

FILM REVIEW:

Sky High Corral is an absolute underrated, and sadly little known, gem. This was a wildly entertaining, captivating and even suspenseful slice of "B" western thrills. It is such a shame that this appears to be the only extant feature length western Art Acord produced for Universal as, if Sky High Corral is any indication, we "B" western fans are missing out on some phenomenal action thrillers from the man who once rode notorious bucking bronco "Steamboat." 

Clifford Smith's expert direction creates a movie that never wears out its welcome and the film is beautifully photographed by Edward Linden, capturing vast vistas and rolling countryside hills. Acord, not yet beaten and relegated to working with lower echelon producers like Robert J. Horner, is in top form as the charismatic McCabe and displays sublime horsemanship as he gallops his way to victory atop his noble horse Raven. Even the fighting between Acord and the absolutely repulsive looking Duke R. Lee, as primitive as it is, still makes for rousing entertainment with the two engaging in an outright professional wrestling match in Lee's cabin, complete with monkey-flips. There is even some level of progressivism with Marguerite Clayton's Shasta taking charge of the operation to bring Lee down. She even has a standoff with the brute before being disarmed by the bandit.

If there is anything negative to say about the film, it's the unfortunate politically incorrect humor at the expense of Floyd Shackleford's character. Indeed, it appears that Acord's horse is a racist devil who tries at every opportunity to kick the life out of Shackleford, leading the black man to don whiteface to get around the creature. However, this is only a minor subplot and shouldn't detract too much from the overall fun of the picture. In fact, it was quite refreshing in a film of this vintage to see Acord be chummy with Shackleford.

Overall, Sky High Corral is an absolute corker from start to finish and a prime example of how good silent "B" westerns could be if placed in the right hands. Everyone involved gives their absolute best, with Acord in his prime. If you've only seen his later westerns directed by Horner, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful a film Sky High Corral is. The film has been wonderfully preserved by the fine folks at the Indiana University Moving Image Archive, from the collection of David Bradley and is well worth the time to check out. I cannot recommend it highly enough. As far as silent "B" westerns go, you can't go wrong with Sky High Corral. I've uploaded the film, which looks to be sadly missing some footage, to my YouTube channel and it can be viewed here.

Until next time, pardners!