The Hawk of Wild River

The Durango Kid is sent to recover stolen gold from an outlaw gang headed by The Hawk who likes to skewer his enemies with a bow and arrow.

A conventional matinée western, "Hawk" had the misfortune of bad timing. It came right at the end of the genre's popularity, when TV was taking over kids viewing. Actually, the movie signals the transition with future TV cowboys Mahoney (The Range Rider) 1953, and Moore (The Lone Ranger) 1949-1957 taking over from Starrett who was rooted in the matinée, this being one of his last films. Thus, it's a kind of look at two entertainment eras. Of course, there's also Autry favorite Smiley Burnette unfortunately appearing in one of his last movie roles.

Actually, it's a decent matinée entry, with enough intrigue and action to keep fans like myself interested. Also, Burnette gets some extended comedic routines that are pretty funny. Too bad his antics often overshadowed what a hugely talented man he was. Maybe most unusual about the entry is the absence of a leading lady. In fact, there are almost no women at all. Frankly, I missed the eye candy. Anyway, the movie can be taken as part of an "adios" to that favorite of several generations-- the matinée western.