Empty Holsters

Who knew those cowboys were such singers on the trail ? another western that opens with a group of singing cowboys. It's a lovers triangle.. both Clay (Nick Foran) and Ace (Emmet Vogan) are sniffin around Miss Judy (Pat Walthall). She works at her father's bank, and the wagon has been robbed! and Clay is blamed once again. This is a warner brothers western from 1937. Not a lot of info about Walthall... looks like she only has four credits to her name. sadly, no filming locations shown... would be interesting to know where it was made, even if it's only a short "B" film. it appears to be the iverson ranch, or maybe the corriganville ranch in north LA. SO much time spent on Clay singing, while his horse gallops towards him. time which could have been spent on more of a (better) story....sigh. it's very "okay". Directed by Breezy Eason, who had a reputation as a ruthless director, not concerned with damage to horses or actors during the film shoot. only 52 ratings on imdb so far...

This is another Classic Western with the Singing Cowboy, Dick Foran,(Clay Brent),"The Big Night",'60, who gets a bum rap and has to do time in jail for something he got framed for. The real bad guy is Emmett Vogan,(Ace Cain),"How To Marry A Millionaire",'53, who just can't seem to keep his eyes off the pretty bank teller, Patricia Walthall (Judy Ware)," Alcatraz Island",'37,(uncredited). Judy does everything she can to let Ace Cain know that she loves and wants to be with Clay Brent. Ace Cain makes certain that Clay is put out of circulation for a few years. Glenn Strange, (Tex Roberts),"Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein",'48 gave a good supporting role. If you like Classic Westerns and a singing Cowboy, catch this film on TV sometime!!

Dick Foran could have been better served with some better editing and script in Empty Holsters. Only briefly does Foran have Empty Holsters, most of the time he goes around weaponless because he's on parole from the territorial prison.

Things at one time were pretty rosy for Foran, he's an amiable sort of cowboy hero with a good baritone, one that served him well in film musicals, as a singing cowboy, and in a revival of A Connecticut Yankee on Broadway. He and Patricia Walthall, daughter of the bank president are in love and the future seems rosy.

But they don't reckon with Emmet Vogan a villain in the Snidely Whiplash tradition who has designs on Walthall. He frames Foran for a stagecoach holdup and Foran goes to prison. Not helping is the fact that the sheriff's brother was killed in said holdup. After he's paroled, Foran as all parolees can't carry weapons.

Glenn Strange is on hand, usually a villain in these horse operas, but here he's the hero's pal. Empty Holsters was good for Saturday matinée crowd for whom this was good fare. It doesn't wear well though.