Wide Open Town

"Wide Open Town" is a basic but descriptive title for a remaking of the earlier-done "Hopalong Cassidy Returns" (1936). The original is often considered a more substantial work, but on its own it is still highly entertaining and is around fifteen minutes longer than a typical B-western. But this is not just a B-western, as its production values really place it a tick higher, maybe at a B+. It very much puts the Alabama Hills around Lone Pine, CA. on display, with many vistas of the snow-clad Sierra Nevada Range and king hill Mt. Whitney to be had. The snow level looks to be down to the 6,000-foot level in some of the scenes so filming must have been done in the winter or spring. The many action scenes take full advantage of the local outdoor beauty.

The cast is deep with many western veterans doing their thing. William Boyd shows himself once again to be a good actor with a strong, handsome presence. He even gets to have the love interest (such as it is) in this one. One of America's true acting legends, Evelyn Brent, has a strong female role in this one, a bad girl at that, and the esteemed Victor Jory gives this film an A-level acting presence. The town sets, including the complex saloon and hotel, are strong and used effectively. The musical score gets a little exuberant in this one, but overall this is a well put-together film with a good story that western film fans will appreciate. The only things really that differentiate this one from an A-level film are the less developed romantic story line and the lack of self-reflection moments. I would suggest viewing "Wide Open Town" first and then look at how the story was filmed five years earlier in Hopalong Cassidy Returns."