The Arizona Kid

The Arizona Kid (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Good "B" Western takes place in Missouri, 1861 as Roy Rogers and George "Gabby" Hayes head home and encounter a renegade soldier named MacBride (Stuart Hamblen). Soon MacBride is recruiting men to join his renegade posse who are stealing from people and giving a bad name to the South. THE ARIZONA KID doesn't last an hour but it contains some pretty good action, a nice story, a good villain and of course Rogers and Hayes are always up to their standards. For such a low-budget film I was really surprised at how good the atmosphere was as you really do get the feel as if you're at the start of the Civil War as families are being torn apart and the stuff dealing with the renegade soldiers robbing was very well handled and made for some nice drama. Another good sub-plot deals with Roy getting caught up with an old flame (Sally March) and an old friend who ends up joining the bad guy's troops. These two stories aren't the best written in Western history but they're both above average and makes for some entertainment. As you'd expect, Rogers is in good form as he has no problems fitting into the role of the hero. The screenplay also allows him to sing three good numbers (It's Home Sweet Home, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Lazy Old Moon) that are well shot and performed. Hayes adds his typically nice humor and Hamblen makes for a good villain. There are a couple good shoot-outs and a few explosions as well to cover the action. All in all, if you're a fan of these "B" Westerns then you should be entertained by this one. If these type of things aren't your cup of tea then it's doubtful this one here will change your opinion.