The Boiling Point (1932)

Starring: Hoot Gibson

Director: George Melford

Studio: Allied Pictures Corporation

PLOT SUMMARY:

Jimmy Duncan (Hoot Gibson) is a cowboy with a horrendous temper. One night, after engaging in a destructive barroom brawl, Duncan's uncle George (George "Gabby" Hayes) sends the angry young lad to work on Tom Kirk's (Lafe McKee) ranch. While there, Duncan falls for Kirk's beautiful daughter Laura (Helen Foster). Unfortunately for Duncan, Laura is engaged to slimy bank cashier Holt Norbo (Wheeler Oakman) who, unbeknownst to the Kirks, is the ringleader of a gang robbing the bank. Duncan wants to exact his revenge upon Norbo, but knows if he loses his temper he will lose his ranch. Duncan must find a way to unmask Norbo without fighting him in the process.

FILM REVIEW:

As with many of Hoot Gibson's Allied Pictures productions, The Boiling Point is a lot of fun. Hoot is in his prime here, displaying his raw charisma that made him so beloved by audiences. There are many clever bits of business throughout the film including the sequence where Hoot uses a stick to get the drop on Wheeler Oakman's gang. This is one of those Hoot Gibson pictures where Hoot must be a pacifist until the very end of the picture, much like the previous year's The Hard Hombre, another Gibson Allied production.

Hoot and leading lady Helen Foster also exude great chemistry together and are delightful to watch. One of my favorite sequences in the film is when Wheeler Oakman is trying to woo Foster in the backyard of the Kirk ranch, Hoot keeps interrupting them by tussling with a bull who broke loose. There is also a great sequence where Hoot saves his friend Stubby, portrayed by the multitalented Billy Bletcher, from falling off a cliff. Wheeler Oakman is perfectly scummy as the villain of the piece and it's always delightful to see Lafe McKee pop up, especially in these early pictures. It's also cool to see a pre-Gabby George Hayes portraying the Hooter's uncle!

Overall, I recommend The Boiling Point. Sure, the plot is a tired one you've seen countless times before, but Hoot's special brand of humor and charm is what makes this film so fun. In other hands, this would be a lesser film but every Hoot Gibson Allied I've seen has been tremendous fun. Heavily enjoyed The Boiling Point, not one of Hoot's best but certainly better than later pictures like Frontier Justice, previously reviewed on this blog.

Until next time, pardners!

Smoking Guns (1934)

Starring: Ken Maynard

Director: Alan James

Studio: Universal Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY:

Ken Masters (Ken Maynard) tracks down Silas Stone (William Gould) who allegedly had Ken's father committed to a sanitarium. Ken nearly gets the drop on Stone, when his son Hank (Harold Goodwin) accidentally kills his father. Hank frames Ken for the murder, but Ken escapes. Three years later, Ken is found in the jungle by Ranger Dick Evans (Walter Miller) and is promptly captured. Unfortunately, while paddling to Evans' cabin, both Evans and Ken are surrounded by crocodiles who devour Evans' leg. Not wanting to suffer from gangrene, Evans kills himself. Ken then assumes the identity of Evans and heads back to town to track down Hank Stone. As it turns out, Stone and his henchmen are holding Ken's father (Ed Coxen) hostage in his own home. This is because Silas Stone wanted the elder Masters' house for the rich gold mine contained underneath it. With the help of his faithful butler Cinders (Martin Turner) and Alice Adams (Gloria Shea), Ken plots to capture Stone and clear his name once and for all!

FILM REVIEW:

Many times during my viewing of Smoking Guns, I asked myself "What even is this movie?" Here you have one of the screen's best western stars fighting crocodiles with a blonde wig and beard on. Who thought this was a good idea? Apparently, Ken Maynard himself. Maynard is credited with the story and it makes one ponder as to why a cowboy would somehow wind up in the jungle of all places? The whole jungle sequence just feels out of place in what should be a conventional western. More unnerving is Ken's appearance during these scenes, complete with an obvious hairpiece and fake beard, it is all just mind-numbingly bad. By the time we get back to town and a somewhat more conventional western ensues, we are already exhausted with the movie and just wish for it to end. 

Indeed, the whole haunted mine section of the film, which is far more interesting, takes up even less screen time. The whole film is a jumbled mess and is one of those legendarily bad 1930's films in a class with such lowlights as Reefer Madness, Maniac and Down to Their Last Yacht! This turkey is possibly the worst "B" western released by a major studio, at least that I've seen. I'd really like to know what Maynard's thought process was here? What inspired this drivel? Did Maynard have a boyhood dream of fighting crocodiles in the jungle and saw this as an excuse to live out that dream? I'm still relatively new to the genre, having discovered the cheapie western over five years ago, but I doubt very many of them ventured outside the typical western setting in such a way as this film does.

I can totally understand why old man Laemmle gave Maynard the boot after this film, it is absolutely atrocious and lives up to its reputation. It reminded me of the Billy Squier music video for "Rock Me Tonite." It's not inherently bad for what it is but because of who the participants are. The America of 1984 was not prepared to see rock idol Billy Squier prancing around a bedroom with silky sheets and I doubt the America of 1934 was prepared to see a blonde, bearded Ken Maynard fighting crocodiles. In anyone else's hands this may not have been so egregiously bad, but the fact that it's Ken Maynard of all people makes it so.

In my review of Wheels of Destiny, I said that if Maynard had been left to his own devices then he could churn out a great movie. This, I believe to still be true, but with the caveat that Maynard be reeled in whenever his ideas bordered on the ridiculous. Smoking Guns is yet another bad vanity project, much like Tommy Wiseau's The Room, but unlike the former feature, Wiseau's film is at least entertaining, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

Suffice it to say, I do not recommend Smoking Guns, a product of the insane category. Even the film's posters don't allude to how convoluted the proceedings are. 

Until next time, pardners!

Wheels of Destiny (1934)

Starring: Ken Maynard

Director: Alan James

Studio: Universal Pictures

PLOT SUMMARY:

Bill (Jay Wilsey a.k.a Buffalo Bill, Jr.) returns home from California to inform his fellow countrymen of the gold contained within those hills. Bill convinces the townsfolk to head west with him, so they can all strike it rich. Overhearing this conversation is shady Red (Fred MacKaye) who presents himself as friend to Bill and his sister Mary (Dorothy Dix). Unbeknownst to Bill and Mary, Red is in cahoots with outlaw Rocky (Philo McCullough) who wishes to steal Bill's claim. Rocky's gang attempt to steal Bill's claim map but are quickly thwarted by Ken Manning (Ken Maynard) and his sidekick Pinwheel (Frank Rice). Ken decides to go along with the townsfolk and leads them on the wagon trail out west. This trail leads through Indian territory, led by Chief War Eagle (Big Tree) who Ken approaches peacefully. After Rocky and his gang stampede War Eagle's herd of buffalo, the Indians declare Ken and the townspeople as traitors. A battle ensues between the Indians and Ken's wagon train, leading to Ken and his comrades burning brush to create a wall of fire to prevent any further attacks by War Eagle and his posse. The trail leads Ken and gang through watery terrain until the bright lights of California beckon to them!

FILM REVIEW:

One can tell right away that a considerable amount of money was spent on Wheels of Destiny, one of Ken Maynard's productions made for Universal Pictures between 1933 and 1934. This series of films are noted for their better-than-average production values and exciting action sequences. Wheels of Destiny is considered the best of the bunch and it's not difficult to see why. The film contains enough action to satisfy the fan of the cheap western while integrating elements of the more polished and sophisticated "A" western. Indeed, this epic is a far cry from the impoverished productions Maynard had produced just a few years prior for studios like World Wide Pictures and Tiffany Productions which, while still fun films in their own right, are obviously "B" productions. 

Wheels of Destiny is among the best westerns of its type that I have seen. Ken Maynard, one of my personal favorite western stars, is at the height of his powers here. Old Carl Laemmle gave Maynard the keys to the mint and allowed Ken more creative freedom than Maynard had ever been given and this shows in the grand scale production. There are dozens of extras and bit players, hordes of horses and other wildlife, a far more intriguing story than usual and Ken takes center stage as the commanding leader of the wagon train. Modern viewers may take issue with the representation of the Indians in this film, but it does not detract from the overall fun and excitement of the picture which takes Ken and gang through numerous trials and tribulations. The sequence with the wagon train treading over water is quite impressive, even in this considerably darker print. This truly is an epic film, of the sort the great William S. Hart had been making just a decade prior.

This is truly a must-see if you are at all a fan of the genre. An impressive piece of work with one of the screen's greatest western attractions in fine form, with his equally impressive palomino Tarzan in tow. One need go no further than Wheels of Destiny to discover why Ken Maynard is on my Mount Rushmore of western stars. Ken's personal life aside, he was a great horseman who possessed great looks, an intense stare and was adept at stuntwork. I cannot adequately express how much I love Maynard and his body of work. Even his later, lesser films made for studios like Grand National and Colony Pictures are fun because he elevates the material.

I am truly of the opinion that, if he was left alone, Ken Maynard could produce a western epic with the best of them and could have easily competed with the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and even John Wayne. It is a grand shame that Maynard, after this series of films, never again was allowed full creative control and his later films suffer for it. Wheels of Destiny prove what a screen master Maynard was and what he could have continued being had it not been for his final, egregious Universal effort, the notorious Smoking Guns. But, more on that later. 

Wheels of Destiny is highly recommended and deserves a restoration!

Until next time, pardners!