The Last Horseman

OK, so this is not "Red River," and the plot has been used so many times that even one of Russell Hayden's saddle pals in the movie makes a derogatory remark about it. Still you not only have one of the few authentic cowboys in western movies, Russell Hayden, who could really ride, rope, and shoot, but you also have the best western swing band in the business led by the legendary Bob Wills himself. True, the Bob Wills tunes are not among his best, but any Bob Wills song is better than the best music Dimitri Tiomkin could concoct. As an extra added feature you get Dub Taylor, who was a wonderful comic and yes he could really play the xylophone. An unexpected bonus is an array of the ugliest bad guys I have ever seen in any movie. One of them makes Boris Karloff look like Cary Grant. So stop griping about the hackneyed script. Sit back and enjoy the action, the music, and the clowning.

Comic Dub Taylor, one of the best and most underrated of sidekicks and real-life father of Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien) of Gunsmoke fame, and known to 70's movie goers from Bonnie and Clyde, really added to any film he was in back in the B western days. And add the fine western swing of Bob wills and his Texas Playboys and I say, also, the heck with the story; this was a B Western and not a John Wayne epic. you can only have so many plots in westerns anyway. I'd never seen any of these Bob Wills westerns until starting to watch Encore Westerns. Seems a lot of these weren't released to early television like the Bob Steele, Ken Maynard and Three Mesquiteers westerns and this viewer is thoroughly enjoying these great B westerns.

The storyline is a typical "B" western storyline, but what carries the movie is the extraordinary music provided by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

Having grown up in and around Tulsa, I cut my teeth on Bob's music. Many of today's Country Music stars cite Bob as one of their influences, these include Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard, and George Strait to name a few. For those who aren't familiar with Bob and the boys, and even for those who are familiar with them, this movie provides an excellent opportunity to see the "King of Western Swing" in action.

Granted, it's not one of the movies that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but rather it's one that you sit back and enjoy, savoring the great music. Who knows, you might even get a chuckle or two from the cornball humor as well.

I just saw this movie on one of the premium channels and was totally disappointed but not surprised. It was the same story that I had seen over and over again in other "B" westerns of that time. I watched this as I am a fan of Russell Hayden but he should have stayed a sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy as those were well done and had somewhat original stories. This is the last one for me.