Arizona Bound

Watching this first of the Rough Rider series of B westerns for Monogram it occurred to me that someone in that studio thought it would be a good idea to team three veteran cowboys. No love interest for these guys. They're about business always.

Tim McCoy, Buck Jones, and Raymond Hatton all have careers dating back to the silent era. Hatton in fact was in some of the earliest films made in Hollywood. I'm sure the front row Saturday matinee kids liked them. But this was a trio that their parents might appreciate.

These three are all doing separate things but they answer a call from a US Marshal friends who says that in a certain Arizona town the gold miners are being systematically robbed when they ship with Luana Walters stagecoach line. All three drift in separately and pretend not to know each other. Do you doubt they get the job done?

This was a good beginning to the series.

Retired marshal Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) has left law enforcement and is enjoying life on his northern Arizona ranch when he receives a telegram from Marshal Bat Madison (Jay Wilsey) requesting his aid in stopping a rash of stagecoach robberies near villain invested Mesa City, and off he goes as a fast-paced Rough Riders (Jones, Tim McCoy, Raymond Hatton) adventure begins. Representing the forces of good against the forces of evil in this Monogram series, the three stalwarts have arrived separately and apparently unknown to each other into the plagued town, Roberts as a cattle buyer, Hatton as Sandy Hopkins, a cattle dealer, and McCoy as Parson McCall, an itinerant preacher, and quickly come up against Steve Taggart (Tristram Coffin), the ringleader of the bandit gang they seek. Roberts volunteers as a stage driver for the company owned by Ruth Masters (Luana Walters), but is framed with the responsibility for the holdups transferred to him and it falls to the other two Riders to rescue their jailed comrade, giving Jones, aboard his splendid steed Silver, an opportunity to display his riding and stunt ability in one of his final appearances before his untimely death in Boston's Cocoanut Grove fire the following year. Although this film does not receive strong direction, the cast and crew perform their duties very well indeed, with Slim Whitaker in his accustomed role as evil henchman, and the rugged Jones and hard-eyed McCoy as usual seem more than capable of handling any adverse situation which might present itself.

Buck Jones (as Buck Roberts), Tim McCoy (as Tim McCall), and Raymond Hatton (as Sandy Hopkins) marshal their forces as "The Rough Riders". Their first mission is to help pretty Luana Walters (as Ruth Masters); the family's "Master's Stage Line" is being robbed by wicked Tris Coffin (as Steve Taggert) and his gang. Also, Ms. Masters' father has been killed by the gang.

The quick drawing folks at the Monogram studio took a look at rival Republic's unprecedented success with their "The Three Mesquiteers" series of films and took action, producing a couple of "Threesomes" of their own. From the "Top 10 Western Box Office Star" lists, Monogram employed Mr. Jones, Mr. McCoy, and "Mesquiteer" Raymond Hatton as "The Rough Riders". Given the western star power, "Arizona Bound" is surprisingly dull.

Three heroes Buck Roberts, Tim McCall and Sandy Hopkins are undercover Marshals out to stop villains who seek to destroy a stage line. The owner has been killed and his daughter Ruth Masters has taken over in her dads place running the coaches. Tristram Coffin stars as the dastardly Steve Taggert who will stop at nothing to ruin the Masters Stage company business.

Ok western starring Tim McCoy, Buck Jones and Raymond Hatton, but it's familiar and an ordinary, only the stars and the action keep it afloat. The finale is quite thrilling, though.

Former lawman Buck Jones is called to Mesa City, Arizona in order to get to the bottom of the constant stagecoach and gold-shipment robberies. Framed for the hold-ups, Jones teams up with "preacher" Tim McCoy and good-old-boy Raymond Hatton to uncover the real culprits.

The first in Monogram Pictures' Rough Riders series, this is mostly by-the-numbers, with little action. However, it's redeemed somewhat by an exciting, action-packed climax and an inspired performance by McCoy, who's flamboyant character introduction, where he refuses to "dance" to a blazing six-gun before turning the tables and forcing the whole saloon to sing "Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie", is the film's highlight.