Mantenho a Ordem

In Hoppy Serves A Writ Hopalong Cassidy is a sheriff and serving writs is certainly part of those duties. But when you're a Texas lawman and the outlaws are fleeing to Oklahoma Territory that becomes a problem. The outlaws are not only are fleeing to Oklahoma, but they're taking a large amount of rustled cattle there.

In real life this would have been a joint operation between the Texas sheriff and some federal marshals for the Territory. But this is a Hollywood western and a Hopalong Cassidy western and Hoppy settles his own problems albeit with a little incognito spy work. And these are all purpose outlaws that Victor Jory heads they don't specialize.

Hoppy's sidekicks are a little more useless than usual Andy Clyde especially. Though when the outlaws capture he doesn't crack under their brutality. Eventually its California who serves the writ and he does make a botch of it in his inimitable fashion.

Victor Jory is always a nasty and snarling villain and Jory did many a Hoppy film. So did future television Superman George Reeves who plays Jory's younger brother. Further down the cast list and making his film debut is Robert Mitchum definitely the most famous actor to ever appear in Hopalong Cassidy films. Mitchum is one of Jory's henchmen and he did several Cassidy films usually as an outlaw.

Not one of the better Hoppy films, but the film is the birth of the a screen legend.

Sheriff Hoppy has to find a way to bring the bad guys, headed by Tom Jordan, to justice in the Lone Star state. The problem is that they are hiding out beyond his jurisdiction, in Oklahoma.

Sufficiently entertaining Hoppy western that is sparse in action but has some good chase sequences and a good pace, plus the cast - Victor Jory, Robert Mitchum, Earl Hodgkins, George Reeves and of course our three protagonists- make this watchable. Watch out for that rough and tumble fight between Boyd and Jory in the saloon -one real wild fight.

I find this an excellent departure from the usual Hoppy routine. The dialog when Hoppy is checking into the hotel is worth the price of admission. Maybe it's just me but I find it side splitting, and a tad more adult than you'd expect from either a Hoppy movie or any movie made in 1943. William Boyd's personality is as winning as ever. Seeing Robert Mitchum's first film appearance is a hoot and George Reeves inclusion is welcome, as always. Both Mitchum and Reeves would be regulars in the Hoppy films for several years, alternating between the bad guy and the good guy. That's all I've got to say on this subject. I have to add some lines to get this to be accepted by IMDb.

This traditional "Hoppy" adventure was never meant to be any kind of classic, but mainly functions as Saturday Matinée fare, a pitting of the good guys against the bad guys with plenty of horse chases and gun-play to keep the kids in their seats and wanting to come back for more.

Having grown up in the 1940's, I watch the old Westerns today for reasons other than a gripping plot about which the outcome is clearly foretold. The photography in this one, for example, is exceptional, with cinematographer Russell Harlan going beyond the usual camera set-ups to capture the beauty of location shooting in Lone Pine, California-- the desert-like conditions shot against mountain vistas, the beauty of rustling sycamores framing the action, and exceptional long shots giving us such keen perspectives as robbing of the Well's Fargo Stage from several angles (Harlan, incidentally, went on to film the indelible images of To Kill A Mockingbird). FYI, an unsolicited commercial: Platinum Productions (though Echo Bridge) has released the Cassidy adventures in multiples for very little money, and the transfers are remarkable!

Another incidental pleasure of Hoppy Serves A Writ is Hoppy himself, of course, a cool character who always seems a little above the chaos around him: William Boyd, a leading man from the 1930's found his niche in these Westerns--and we don't have to listen to him sing! Frequently pointed out is Robert Mitchum's first major appearance in a film: a performance at the edge of narcolepsy, but Mitchum actually saddles up a few times and rides; future Superman George Reeves has a meatier role as a dude with attitude, attempting to romance the sole female on the film, but losing her to Hoppy's cute, mild-mannered assistant. And for those with an eye for familiar character actors, the laconic Byron Foulger serves as a shopkeeper; Victor Jory, so often a villain in both Westerns and crime films, sports a nasty scar on his cheek that marks him as the one to hiss.

In all, this is 64 minutes of matinée fun, perfect for a Saturday afternoon with a bowl of popcorn and all your memories of time well spent with your Hollywood pals.

The 26 year old Robert Mitchum made his screen debut in this film. I'm not too sure how good an actor he really is because he always seems to sound the same. The true test is when you compare him acting as an antagonist as opposed to a protagonist. He's a better protagonist because he's the consistent broad shouldered, tall American.