Wild West (1946) watch online HD

Western fans well know that among the B cowboys, Republic stands at the top as far as great entertainment and production values. Just a notch below was Monogram. At the bottom of the heap was PRC, barely a step (if that) above those Grade Z fly-by-night studios always dissolving into bankruptcy. PRC product can generally be readily recognized for aspects such as heroes faced with gangs that did not exactly present overwhelming odds (casting budgets, ya know), screens often filled more with leisure than action, second-rate musical scores, etc. and other shortcomings that made PRC's stars struggle to rise above the material.

That being said, the thing most striking about the opening "Prairie Outlaws" (the version I recently viewed on Encore Western Channel) is a list of acting credits that seems to go on forever. PRC apparently expanded its budget for casting this baby, and these actors seem to respond with greater effort than usual. Even this somewhat mutilated version (color changed to B & W, running length cuts) can't quite hide the charms of the "Wild West" original.

This is about the only movie you'll see both Eddie Dean's warbling tonsils and LaRue's snapping lash in the same picture. That alone would be worth seeing, but the funny thing is that things don't slow down a bit during extended sequences when both are off screen. Roscoe Ates is in the thick of the action instead of merely being there for hijinks (though there's one explosive bit of business at the very end!), and there's other supporting actors who really do provide a lot of support. Yes, the hero being lured out of retirement to avenge an old friend is an old B-western cliché, but in this case it is well utilized to provide some winsome characters in the dead lawman's family, who do plenty on their own account to push the plot forward at crucial moments. The plot is fairly straightforward (outlaws try to stop telegraph and railroad from bringing civilization and law and order to their territory) and moves briskly to the denouement. That denouement is a long and rousing battle scene that even Republic would have been proud off; as Dean, LaRue, Ates and their telegraph operator friend fight it out with the outlaws; while the fallen lawman's family labor mightily to get out a message in time for Rangers to ride to the rescue.

I would have to rate this as the greatest Eddie Dean western I have ever seen, and though LaRue would go on to make his own series of Westerns that had its own share of keepers, this has to rate among his best work as well. Fans of the B western genre should find this highly satisfying.

Some background for Western movie fans before I get to the review. Edgar Dillard Glosup was born in 1907 and became a radio singer in the early Thirties. He appeared in bit parts and supporting roles in movie Westerns until he got his break in 1945 with a series of five color pictures with Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). In that respect he beat cowboy stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers to the draw; there were other Westerns done in color before, but never a series. Al LaRue appeared in three of them with Eddie Dean, this was before he became Lash, and before his last name was separated and spelled La Rue.

The first of these color flicks went by the title "Song of Old Wyoming", filmed in 1945. "Wild West" came out in 1946, and after the Cinecolor films were finished, PRC edited down "Wild West" and turned it into a black and white picture, and so we have "Prairie Outlaws", which is the version I just watched. This may explain why some of you may be wondering (like I was) why the Banister sisters Florabelle and Mollie (Louise Currie and Jean Carlin) just sat there like lumps throughout their limited screen time without saying a word. In the original picture, there was some good natured rivalry between our heroes over Florabelle, but she obviously preferred Dean. The romantic interludes were removed from "Prairie Outlaws" and that left LaRue simply closing out the picture promising to return for the Saturday night dance with tomboy Mollie.

One thing about Eddie Dean, he wasn't afraid to share the spotlight with fellow actors and he was one who liked to take chances. You get a good taste of that here, as partner Stormy Day (LaRue) gets to speak a lot in his scenes with Dean. I can't say for sure, but this would also have to be one of the first pictures in which LaRue gets to use his bull-whip in a couple of different situations quite effectively. Following his pictures with Dean, La Rue would get his own series of films with PRC billed as 'Lash'.

Now don't let me forget Roscoe 'Soapy Jones' Ates in this picture, who's here as the third member of a cowboy trio in the tradition of the Three Mesquiteers and the Range Busters. The running gimmick used by the cowboys has Eddie and Stormy interrupting Soapy every time he winds up to tell some tall tale. It's not over done and comes across fairly comical each time it happens.

As far as the story goes, Eddie, Stormy and Soapy foil town boss Judge Templeton (Warner Richmond) who's defying the westward expansion of the railroad and telegraph by inciting the local Indians and ordering his henchmen to rustle cattle and cause general mayhem. Fortunately, Eddie has an in with Chief Black Fox (Chief Yowlachie), who's willing to bide his time while Eddie and his partners get the goods on the bad guys. A former friend of Dean's, father of Florabelle and Mollie, was murdered and one of his guns was traced back to a Templeton henchman.

"Prairie Outlaws" comes in at under an hour, trimmed by about sixteen minutes from the original "Wild West". You have your standard horse chase scenes and shootouts, and in an early gunfight scene it was somewhat comical to see the outlaws stand right out in the open in front of their cabin as the good guys hid behind trees and boulders returning fire. The picture winds down with another wild brawl and shootout, as if to lend support to a comment made by Eddie to his partners earlier in the picture - "Where there's so much stew, there's bound to be a little gravy."

Ceteris paribus, what'cha see is what'cha get. My "10" rating is relative, believe me! "B" Western fans watch these movies for a whole 'nother reason, so no sense in giving a Kael revue to this thing. This movie is almost a PRC "Gone With the Wind" if you consider the production values compared to most PRC efforts filled with ghost towns or towns with 4 citizens and a budget of 60 bullets. At times you can easily tell the stock footage from PRC efforts. Haven't seen, to my knowledge, the other segments of this PRC trilogy but the main thing that caught my attention is how Eddie (or someone) allows Lash to dominate many of the scenes in which they both appear, whereas in most of the Eddie efforts he is pictured as Superman on a horse. Eddie is off warbling to the trees while Lash is takin' care of bid'nes. If you're a "B" fan, you'll like this'un.

Wild West finds B movie cowboys Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue teaming up as Texas Rangers to find out who's been sabotaging the construction of the railroad and the telegraph. Roscoe Ates is along as a sidekick to both as the film takes on a Three Mesquiteer look.

It gets real personal for the guys when a friend is killed trying to stop these outlaws. As if the villainy isn't bad enough this bunch is also stirring up the Indians as well.

Behind it all is Warner Richmond as self appointed Roy Bean like judge who likes the wide open town he's got with all the payoffs from the various outlaws who frequent his town. Believe me this judge makes Bean look like a doctor of jurisprudence.

With a song of two from Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue doing a few tricks with the bullwhip all kinds of devotees of the B western should like this one. I will say the version I saw was cut by a bout a quarter so you'll have to fill in the blanks.

"Retired" lawmen return to service (after they said they wouldn't but are then convinced because one of their friends died) to stop bandits who are teaming up with a corrupt judge and manipulated indians to stop the coming of the telegraph so they can hold on to their lucrative lawbreaking activities.

40's B-western is formulaic and has some major contrivance; nevertheless is relativly watchable. Shortness helps too.

4/10