Valley of Terror

Even though this movie was a bit rough, it still made for an entertaining watch. This western is fast paced and the viewer does not have much time before leaving one action scene till another arrives. Kermit Maynard seemed stiff throughout most of the movie but near the end Maynard shows his skill by jumping (with help from a spring pad cleverly hidden by some small hay bales) Maynard jumps across a fence and lands straddled on his horse Rocky. Oh what a jump! Even with typical 1930's B westerns poor situations like; odd music playing in the background, a side-kick that always makes mistakes, the lead actor always getting away from the henchmen and film being sped up during fight scenes- there was actually some good moments. Harley Wood , playing the female part, and John Merton, playing the villain, played there part so well they looked kind of out-of-place next to the others actors. This is nowhere close to being a hidden gem but it did keep the viewer on their toes the full hour.

Kermit Maynard starts out in jail and needs some slick subterfuge from his sidekick Spud Hayes (Jack Ingrahm). Flemming (John Merton) wants to keep him there so he can swindle the lovely and talented Harley Wood out of her ranch. The vaudevillian actor Hal Price is a geologist who's in on the fix and so is the bartender (Blackie Whiteford) for reasons unknown. Henchman Dick Curtis shows why he's a top talent in the fight scenes with Maynard and everyone loves the west's favorite sheriff Hank 'Handlebar' Bell. Great action and stunts throughout especially when Maynard leaps about 30 feet onto his horse in pursuit of Flemming.

Regardless of the title, this is a tight, fast-moving Western. How many Westerns do you see with Potash as the prized mineral everybody wants, a heroine who can actually act (Harlene Wood), two of the best bad-guys in the business (John Merton and Dick Curtis) and reverse psychology as a major plot point? This film has all of that plus the stoic Kermit Maynard as the hero, Jack Ingram as a funny but intelligent sidekick, and plenty of chases and other action scenes. Recommended for fans of the genre.