Under Texas Skies (1930)

Starring: Bob Custer, Bill Cody

Director: J.P. McGowan

Studio: Syndicate Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY:

The American Army is interested in purchasing Joan Prescott's (Natalie Kingston) horses from her Circle "A" Ranch. In gallops Captain Jack Hartford (Bill Cody), who is promptly captured by a band of horse thieves wanting to make it across the border with Miss Prescott's horses. Hartford is brought to a shack, where he is kept under the surveillance of an ape-like man, simply known as "The Dummy" (Bob Roper). The head of the horse thieves (Tom London) poses as Hartford in order to acquire Prescott's horses. It is up to the combined forces of the real Jack Hartford, Bob Bainbridge (Bob Custer) and "Singer" Martin (Lane Chandler) to stop the sale before it is too late.

FILM REVIEW:

As you will note above, I just summarized the plot of Under Texas Skies, a "B" western produced for Syndicate Pictures by the notorious J.P. McGowan. This was no easy task considering how convoluted the film's story is. You have characters posing as other characters and the barely discernible soundtrack makes following along that much more difficult. This is easily the worst "B" western I've ever seen. Not even the notorious The Border Menace (1935, Aywon) is as dreadful as this sorry excuse for a movie.

While not containing any politically incorrect elements, the film is still an awkward watch. The direction choices by McGowan are strange, with bizarre camera movements, close-ups and the all-together roughshod photography by Otto Himm compounds matters that much more. The most bizarre element of the whole film is Bob Roper's ape-like "Dummy" character who is certainly the most gruesome henchman this side of Jaws in the James Bond franchise. Roper constantly lumbers into the camera's lens as if he's never seen one before. The more I think about him, the more I'm thinking that professional wrestler George "The Animal" Steele stole his gimmick from this guy. Roper doesn't speak at all during the film, not even a grunt, which makes his character quite disturbing. 

Equally disturbing is the absolutely atrocious acting from everyone involved. Even a high school play comprised of inexperienced teenagers could pull off something better than this. Awkward line deliveries abound and why was the decision made to have Lane Chandler sing? He is obviously dubbed from a mystery performer ala John Wayne's later attempt at being a singing cowboy. The whole film feels off. Like something is not right here, whoever made this had no idea as to how to create even basic cinema. 

I can usually forgive acting and directorial decisions but Under Texas Skies is so absolutely bonkers in its ineptitude that I cannot just sweep it under the rug. Robert J. Horner has directed better sound films than this and, while I usually find the ineptitudes of these films to be charming, there is nothing at all charming about Under Texas Skies. On paper, a "B" western with the combined talents of Bob Custer, Bill Cody and Lane Chandler seems interesting to those of us rabid fans of these creaky, musty antiques, the execution is so bad that the brief fifty one minute runtime feels like an eternity. This is during that brief era, as described in Don Miller's Hollywood Corral, of the independent studios trying to throw all of their second-third tier cowboy stars into one movie. These were interesting experiments, I reviewed one awhile back (Westward Bound, also 1930, Syndicate), but when the actors have no chemistry as evident in Under Texas Skies, the experiment fails.

If the sound films of Robert J. Horner are considered trash, then Under Texas Skies must be the absolute stinkiest of cow droppings. Indeed, if one ever needed soil for their garden, they should just use a 16MM print of Under Texas Skies to help their flowers bloom. The absolute poorest excuse of a movie I've ever seen. Definitely not recommended.

Until next time, pardners!