"Arizona Bound" is memorable for the teaming of veteran "B" western stars Buck Jones and Tim McCoy. They were joined by veteran sidekick Raymond Hatton. All had begun their careers in the early silent pictures and had continued working regularly into the 1930s in a assorted series for a variety of companies,
With the popularity of Republic's Three Mesquiteer series, other "B" studios began to want to get on the band wagon. Monogram had started with the Range Buster series with Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max Terhune. Then someone had the idea of teaming Jones and McCoy, both of whom had seen their careers decline by the end of the 30s, in a series. What resulted was "The Rough Riders". Jones, McCoy and Hatton played undercover marshals who were called in to settle a situation at the beginning of each film.
Jones played Buck Roberts who usually posed as an outlaw. McCoy played Tim McCall who usually posed as a parson and Hopkins played Sandy Hopkins a grizzled old timer who often acted as a go between between Roberts and McCall.
In this first of eight Rough Rider films, the boys are called in to help save heroine Ruth Masters (Luana Walters) stage line. Ruth, in true "B" western fashion tries to carry on after her father has been murdered. Trying to gain control of the line is villain Steve Taggert (Tristram Coffin) and his henchman Red (Slim Whitaker). Dennis Moore plays Walters love interest.
Devoid of the usual bar room brawls and with less action than most, the Rough Rider series was nevertheless lifted above the average through the presence of its three stars. All three had been in the business for many years and their collective experience made this a memorable series.
At the end of each film the three would ride off in different directions, Jones to Arizona, McCoy to Wyoming and Hatton to Texas. The producers had planned to continue the series into a second season but fate intervened.
With the US entry into WWII, McCoy, a reserve Colonel, was called back into service. He left the series after the seventh film. Jones made the last one with Hatton and Rex Bell. Following the completion of "Dawn On the Great Divide" in 1942, Jones died tragically in a fire in Boston. The next season, Raymond Hatton took his Sandy Hopkins character to a new series with Johnny Mack Brown. Evidently, scripts intended for the Rough Rider series were utilized in the Brown/Hatton series.
At any rate the Rough Rider series allowed veteran cowpokes Jones and McCoy to ride off into the sunset one last time with their heads held high.
Watch for fellow "B" hero Bob Baker in a cameo as Marshal Bat Madison near the end of the film.
