The Dude Ranger

Although containing less heated "action" than most B-westerns, "The Dude Ranger" is a sensitive but yet swiftly-moving film with well-acted roles and direction that reflects predetermined camera angles and logical call-and-response sequencing. Irene Hervey, appearing here as a loaner in only her second year under contract with MGM, is handed a role that demands more than most B-western heroines are asked to provide. She does a real nice job as a modern woman, at once haughty and seemingly so self-assured in her "lack of competition" femininity, who has found herself immersed in an abundance of Old West masculinity. Although surrounded by all sort of male characters, she needs a "realized" man to enter her life, and guess what...? Ms. Hervey is photographed beautifully in this picture and handles her acting duties very well, communicating plenty of varied and nuanced emotion. George O'Brien is his old reliable self, mostly easy-going but heroic when need be. They also came up with a unique signature behavior for Syd Saylor's nicely-played sidekick role. The entire cast is sharp. Then there is the location scenery... definitely a cut above, with backdrops that include locales well-known to visitors of national parks and monuments in Arizona and Utah. The well-attended barn dance is notable in that the music played there is surprisingly "uptown hot" for 1934, a musical style that was just beginning to legitimize itself in New York and Chicago at that time, certainly not one anticipated to be provided for a remote Arizona ranch dance... but oh well. This film also includes a score of sorts, especially in the latter half, that is not intrusively overdone; one could argue it actually enhances the impact of the closing scene. In summary, one will find in this picture a well-executed adult film treatment of the cowboy genre', longer on romance than most films of the day, and a little shorter on guns, fights, and chases. Satisfying for sure!

George O'Brien wants to sell the ranch he's just inherited, but the lawyer tells him that he can't get a good price for it. Five thousand head of cattle have disappeared. When he goes to the ranch to make enquiries, everyone assumes he's another saddle tramp who has fallen in love at first sight with the manager's daughter, Irene Hervey, so they give him a job and make fun of him.

This B western is something special. Under the direction of comedy specialist Eddie Cline, the performers get to act with great charm, and the tricks that are played on O'Brien are deadly -- and funny. Sid Saylor plays the comic sidekick, but he's not simply another clown, but a smart, tough cowboy with a strong goofy streak. There is plenty of good location shooting, with a beautiful long shot for the final confrontation. For a B western, this is as good as it gets.

After inheriting a ranch full of mysteriously vanishing cows, Ernest "Dude" Selby secretly signs on as a hired hand at his own ranch to discover who's stealing them and suspects the culprit may be wheelchair-bound ranch boss Sam Hepburn, father of the beautiful Ann.

George O' Brien is his usual smiling self as an easterner who is curious of who is stealing the cows from his land and when he gets employed as a cowhand he investigates but not without a little playful and light interaction with the ranch boss' daughter. O' Brien plays hard to get which is odd as it's usually the leading actresses who do that. The leading actress here is more forthcoming and flirty, much to LeMason Roy's dismay. He's at his usual villainous self. But don't expect any gunplay - it's more of a mix of humour, a little intrigue and some romance. Maybe a little melodrama. The dialogue is quite snappy and there's witty one liners.

Easterner George O'Brien inherits his uncle's half of a ranch and goes undercover as a hired-hand in order to find out exactly who has been rustling his livestock. He soon discovers that his uncle's invalid partner isn't crippled after all and is apparently behind the thefts. Complicating things is O'Brien's crush on the old man's daughter.

You really can't go wrong with any of the Zane Grey pictures from the 1930's. They have some of the healthiest budgets and best writing of all the era's B-westerns, making them a cut above the average poverty-row programmer.

This may not have Randolph Scott and John Wayne, some of the stars from Paramount's Zane Grey series. However, The Dude Ranger features some great photography, three-dimensional characters, and some genuine suspense, as well as a few twists near the end that I didn't see coming.

Leading lady Irene Hervey is quite beautiful too.

Ernest Selby (George O'Brien) is an Easterner who has traveled west to take possession of a ranch he inherited. However, before arriving, he learns that about half is cattle have disappeared! But instead of sending in the sheriff to investigate, Selby decides to go undercover himself to see if he can learn the truth. He approaches the man running the ranch, Hepburn, and gets a job as a hired hand...telling no one about his real identity. Soon Hepburn's daughter begins showing a ton of interest in him....which could be a problem if Hepburn himself is stealing the cattle. What's next? See the film.

In many ways, this B-western is better than average. The locations for the shoot were amazing--incorporating many of the greatest spots in the American Southwest, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Bryce National Park. It's just gorgeous because of this. Additionally, O'Brien is quite nice as the hero....very enjoyable and a good western actor. The only negatives are the use of a few of the usual cliches and a somewhat weak ending where the villain sure was stupid and sloppy! Still, the good outwieghs the bad and this one is worth seeing.