Whistlin' Dan

Interesting western offering a villain named Karloff. You heard me . ..Karloff! Ken Maynard is the hero, a man trying to make his ranch a success when his best friend is kidnapped for ransom by a bandit boss named Count Sergei Karloff (Georges Renevant)! The count brands all of his henchmen with the letter K and they identify themselves by saying "I'm a Karloff man!" Ken goes to mortgage his ranch to get the money to ransom his pal but the banker refuses him the loan so he does just what you or I would do in a similar situation . . .he robs the bank! His good, if misguided, intentions are too late and by the time he gets to Mexico his buddy has been executed. Now a fugitive on both sides of the border Ken decides to join Karloff's gang and get his revenge from the inside! A well done western with lots of action and suspence. The plot is never too incredible to be believed and Ken's actions have a ring of truth to them; just what a real life person might have done to save his best friend in those days. Actor George Renevant appeared opposite the real Karloff, Boris that is, in the 1936 movie THE INVISIBLE RAY. I wonder if Georges mentioned this film to Boris? No, probably not.

A re-make of the Buck Jones vehicle, "Border Law" which was released less than six months previously, "Whistlin' Dan" is nonetheless one of Ken Maynard's best features, not only because of its lively action and its often pellmell direction, but because of its outstanding support cast. Even the small roles are all scripted and played with both credibility and charisma. Ken himself shines in a difficult role (even if obviously doubled in his fistfight showdown and wall-climbing bit).

First off, we have Georges Renavent, the perennial head waiter in scores of "A" productions, here making the most of a really colorful but thoroughly nasty villain; secondly, a heroine who actually has not only an important part to play in the action but a specialty of her own (namely, two torrid dance sequences); thirdly, a sympathetic victim, who is extremely well characterized by normally lackluster Don Terry; fourthly, an obligatory pal for our hero, but on this occasion acted by Harlan Knight with far more vigor and insight than the usual sidekick.

Phil Rosen's direction seems a bit rough in one or two of the many action sequences, but with location shooting and running inserts galore, I'm not complaining.

Ken Maynard plays the title role of Whistlin' Dan who is riding to take down the outlaw who kidnapped his pal Don Terry and held him for ransom. In the year of the Lindbergh kidnapping Hollywood did lots of kidnapping stories including westerns of which this is one.

Georges Renevant who usually played silky smooth head waiters plays a head bandit in this one, a charming and deadly killer. He kidnaps Maynard's partner Don Terry when he hears Terry might have $5000.00 on him. But when Terry turns up empty, Renevant holds him for ransom and when its not paid in time, Renevent kills Terry.

Since Maynard robbed a bank to get the money for the ransom, he's wanted too along with sidekick Harlan Knight. Which turns out to be a lucky break since he falls in with one of Renevant's gang.

As Poverty Row B westerns, Whistlin' Dan is not a bad one. And Renevant steals the film with his most charming villain.

This Ken Maynard picture is obviously operating on a tight budget, but the grim story, nicely paced as it is, and the carefully acted scenes combine to make it very worthy of watching. Mr. Maynard gives a quite serious portrayal with little time for levity. He definitely plays a heroic figure, one who has to do a lot of planning and quick thinking along the way. He even gets to have some outdoor fun with a seniorita, although the action is masked from our view by tall trees and bushes! And then there is Georges Renavent, who chillingly and convincingly plays a truly evil villain with a strong measure of charm. In fact, the movie's reason for action rests on one of movie history's more sadistic depictions, all at the seemingly gleeful order of Mr. Renavent. The sets and locales are appropriately bare, dusty, and gritty; especially enjoyed were the cantina's rough-cut stone staircase and the large curved bar. Outdoors we had the added bonus of Los Angeles County's Vasquez Rocks Park being the scene of some of the frenzied chase action. This is a serious and good B-western from Ken Maynard, but don't expect a kiddie show.

If you get a chance, you might want to read what IMDB's biography and trivia say about Ken Maynard. Although he starred in quite a few B-westerns for some tiny studios, he wasn't much of a human being. Despite this, my review isn't about his life or the way he treated others but for "Whislin' Dan", a movie from Amity Pictures that demonstrates by Maynard never became a top-tier western star.

When the story begins, Dan and his partner have just completed a successful cattle drive and they just got paid. But they owe the nasty Judge the money and he soon takes it...after threating to arrest them. Soon after, however, a gang run by the dreaded Karloff (not Boris...the guy's name is Karloff in the film) kidnap Dan's partner and threaten to kill him unless Dan brings them $5000! So Dan goes to see the Judge to explain the situation...and the man couldn't care less if he's killed! In desperation, Dan pulls out his gun and takes back the money...only to arrive AFTER his friend has been murdered. He then returns the money to the Judge...and the nasty old Judge insists that the sheriff arrest Dan! What's next? See the film.

While the summary of the first portion of the film looks interesting as you read, it just isn't. Maynard's performance is sluggish and uninteresting and the film just isn't made very well nor keeps your interest. In fact, I kept finding myself falling asleep as I watched, which at least means it's good as an antidote for insomnia!