Wildcat

News of an oil strike stirs trouble in a western town.

Flat broke, Richard Arlen (as Johnny Maverick) drives west, picking up, and partnering up, with prospecting hitch-hiker Elisha Cook Jr. (as "Chicopee"). Almost immediately, the two discover oil, on land owned by the country bumpkin "Smithers" family. Mr. Arlen writes John and Martha Smithers a check, to buy their oil-rich land, then schemes to cover its cost. But, old enemy Buster Crabbe (as Mike Rawlins) isn't about to let Arlen strike it rich without a fight. Additional arrivals provide further intrigue (William Frawley) and love interest (Arline Judge).

While "Wildcat" Arlen and many of the supporting cast are pleasant, this is an mostly dull story. An exciting scene occurs early on, which prematurely kills off the film's most endearing, up to that point, character. The tragedy is necessary for subsequent plot developments, which are anticlimactic.

Wildcat is a typical B-movie of the 40's. The plot is straight forward and largely predictable. For those not familiar with the term, wildcat refers to someone taking the risk of drilling for oil in unproven areas.

While there are no major stars here, there are some recognizable faces. Richard Arlen made a career of B-movies and plays the lead here as an endearing hustler. His main antagonist is Buster Crabbe of Flash Gordon fame. William Frawley (Fred Mertz of I Love Lucy) plays an unscrupulous card shark, that eventually shows some heart. Toss in character actor Arthur Hunnicutt, who is best known as a crotchety old-timer from westerns and 50's TV. Overall, a decent cast that does a fine, if unspectacular job of delivering the goods.

The dialogue is snappy in parts, but also lame in places. There are enough conflicts and action sequences to keep the story moving without bogging down. The characters cover a wide range. There is the flawed hero lead, the conniving femme fatale, a naive youth, a cold-hearted antagonist and loyal associates.

While this movie is mildly entertaining, there is nothing spectacular here. While the movie is shot in the present (1942,) it has a western flavor to it. So if you enjoy any of the actors or just want to see a "modern" western, it's not a bad way to spend 70 minutes.

Paramount really did this B movie right. The script was well-thought out and the acting was, for the most part, terrific. The lone exception was Arline Judge, who seemed to be walking through her part with her jaw partially wired shut. Comic relief was amply supplied by William Frawley, John Dilson and, especially, Arthur Hunnicutt. Richard Arlen seemed to be inspired in this movie and Buster Crabbe was convincing as the bad guy. What a wonderful surprise this movie turned out to be.

The good cast is one of the main pluses in this entertaining B-feature. It features a good role for Richard Arlen as the main character, and he is given good support by the likes of Elisha Cook, Jr., Buster Crabbe, and William Frawley. The story is rather formulaic, but the oilfield setting is used for some action and suspense sequences that work pretty well.

Arlen plays an ambitious would-be oilman who hopes to use a combination of leadership, hard work, and financial trickery to come out ahead in his rivalry with another driller played by Crabbe. Cook is quite good (and well cast) as Arlen's jittery but loyal partner, while Frawley and Arline Judge play a couple of confidence operators who get tangled up in the oil rivalry, making the plot a little more interesting.

The finale is an extended firefighting scene that works all right considering the low production values. Along the way, Arthur Hunnicutt and Ralph Sanford provide some comic relief that includes an occasional thoughtful moment. It's a solid combination, and while there's nothing that special about it, it provides some solid entertainment for a little over an hour or so.

Seasoned con-man Arlen teams up with the diminutive Cook and the two inadvertently discover black gold then trade their discovery for mining rights in the hope of making it rich. Meanwhile, card shark (Frawley) and his partner (Judge) roll into town and see an opportunity to swindle Arlen out of his fortune, but Judge begins to waver with respect for the labours of Arlen and his crew, and the budding romance that evolves.

Strictly B-grade fare is entertaining enough to pass the time, and the 68 minutes it takes to tell the story is ample. Arlen is a charismatic and professional leading man, Judge a feisty brunette and the supporting cast includes Buster Crabbe (no disrespect to Mr. Crabbe but watch for the scene in which he has fisticuffs with Arlen and takes a dive minus the punch) as a competing interest for the oil deposit and wily Arthur Hunnicutt as Arlen's trusted foreman.

There's a reasonably exciting climax and generally the film is well paced. Not too heavy, not too light, a reasonable prospecting tale with some likable characters and mild excitement.