Three Men from Texas

The banker, Davison Clark wants something to be done about the lawlessness in town "Seth Pritchard was the 3rd Marshall to be buried in Boot Hill in the last 7 months." Texas Ranger Captain Andrews (Morgan Wallace) wants the best man for the job but Hopolong Cassidy (William Boyd) refuses. No fear, Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) to the rescue. Hoppy runs into some problems of his own and hooks up with California Carlson (Andy Clyde). The Three Texans meet up at the Mexican border town of Santa Carmen. Morris Ankrum as Bruce Morgan is the head land grabber who's terrorizing California ranchers. He's got the best henchmen in the business with Glenn Strange and Dick Curtis. Lucky is lucky in finding beautiful senorita Paquita Serrano (Esther Estrella) and gives him extra motivation to help her father (Thornton Edwards). Three Men From Texas has a top notch cast, a great story and comic relief at the right time. This was the best of the Hopolong Cassidy movies and a must see for any true western fan.

All those Hopalong Cassidy films! And the only ways anyone can ever see them in the UK is if they buy imported DVD's or download off the internet, because they're never on TV. This is mainly because these type of Hollywood b Westerns are considered derisory by the suits – I got news for them: it's current TV programming that is derisory, no one will watch any of it in 70 years time like HC still is.

Be warned: the IMDb plot summary gives out the entire story, but basically after receiving a call for help from California Texas Rangers Hoppy & Lucky are up against a tough gang of land grabbers. To the background sound of clinking spurs we're treated as usual to plenty of chases, wonderful scenery, gunfights, a brief romance for Lucky, a neck-tie party, comedy this time coming from Andy Clyde joining the team. William Boyd and Russell Haydon put in their usual good performances as the unflappable Cassidy and young sidekick Lucky. Favourite bit: California winging one of the baddies, then shooting him dead. Hoppy reproaches in jest "You ought to be ashamed of yourself shooting at a cripple" – "I was only trying to be humane" – swift justice indeed!

I think I've probably seen about a bar-20 of these films but it looks par for the course, a well made programmer with so-so acting and plot but mainly for the kids and people like me. Don't bother if you're a serious type.

Hoppy and new sidekick California Carlson head to California to help out Lucky Jenkins in this action-packed Hopalong that has a nice plot and a good emotional drive. Also it's probably the most hard-hitting Hoppy I have seen in terms of action. There's a grim necktie scene where boots of the dead bad hombres are seen. So more effective than seeing the whole thing. Also there's a tragic ending one of the goodies dying. It's a really good Hoppy film.

Hoppy was always my favorite western hero and all of his films were a cut above the Autry-Rogers films, which were fun but which I regard as more juvenile. Hoppy is an older, wiser, more cynical guy who sees through people pretty quickly. The stories always tried to be more serious as well, while maintaining some humor and excitement. This is one of my two favorite Hoppy films, the other being "The Eagle's Brood." They were clearly not intended for children and contain some disturbing, but realistic scenes and fleshed-out characters. I'm sorry that the IMDB synopsis basically tells you the entire story in detail and is thus full of spoilers, even though IMDB are sticklers for labeling spoilers. The story involves Hoppy being called to California to help put down a gang of thugs and land thieves. Among the more realistic elements is the outright theft of land from original Mexican owners by whites in California, something way ahead of its time. Andy Clyde joins the series as California Carlson and fits in perfectly. He provides comic relief but also comes through in the end at Hoppy's side. See the movie yourself and I think you'll agree it is far more like an A picture than a routine B western. It's Hoppy and his friends at their best, taking risks to help other people.

Three Men From Texas has so many positive elements that it must qualify for inclusion among the very 'best' b-westerns. Among those attributes are a stellar ensemble cast, superb photography, including panoramic running shots, an intriguing plot, compelling original music and beautiful location.