Ghost Patrol

Thanks to RETRO TV for bringing this camp sci fi western back. A favorite in the early days of tv, where stations bought blocks of B films and flooded the airwaves. No cable back then. Put up an antenna on your roof and this is what ya got!

For an indie western, there's a nostalgic charm to it, starring famous cowboy Colonel Tim McCoy. Had to be a big name to draw audiences in at the time, and no doubt the film made some money. Tim versus no-account Walter Miller (whose career began in silent films), forcing a scientist (Lloyd Ingraham) to turn his revolutionary ray beam on airplanes transporting cash. They crash and Miller rides off into the sunset with the loot.

Key-western Question; One head scratcher. What are the chances a plane would crash and not burst into flames, thus destroying the money? Poetic license vigorously applied, which again only adds to the camp element. Directed by Sam Newfield, who cranked out tons of films like this, later head of PRC Pictures, famous (or infamous) factory of low, low budget productions.

Pretty Claudia Dell, originally a Broadway showgirl, plays the damsel in distress, often in B films, though a very good actress. Ingraham, like Miller, was another veteran of silent films, who Newfield gave a job to, obviously for experience and not having to pay large salaries. Most of the money went to McCoy.

Witten by the original guru of serials and adventures, Wyndham Gittens (whose name was more famous than him), soon to write FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS. Filmed at the sprawling Brandeis Ranch (owned by the department store heir), hotspot for westerns during the 30s and 40s, based in Chatsworth, CA. Brandeis put so much money into the property, it even boasted a tennis court.

Best dvd by Alpha Video. Released 2004 with a cool sci fi lab cover.

I actually like Westerns set in contemporary times and find the added science fiction elements kinda interesting. While I consider Tim McCoy to be a somewhat lackluster personality, this outing was good enough that I watched it to the end. When movies include newspaper shots, I always quickly scan adjoining articles just for the fun of it. I was thus intrigued when the kidnapped scientist Professor Brant's daughter compares two newspaper articles, the articles were on screen for so long, that it was possible to scan other article headlines, one of which had the title "100,000 Chinese live in trees after flood." Just out of curiosity, I did a quick search and learned that there was indeed a major flood of the Yangtze River in 1935. There were a number of major floods in China in the early 30s so it's not unlikely that sadly someone was having a bit of fun with the "living in trees" business. The best thing about watching this movie was then being able to understand how funny the review of the movie by Spuzzlightyear was – I shall long remember "Will McCoy ever aim his gun"?

When a woman finds out that a plane which has crashed in the forests in Shiloh, she immediately pulls out another clipping about her father inventing a new ray (but not a new Bob) and immediately, not really too sure how, puts the two together that they're related. And she's right! Bag guys have kidnapped her father so that the ray machine (which makes a LOT of noise) can bring planes carrying loot down from the sky (you know this is happening when the plane sound effects go off and on). FORTUNATELY, Tim Mccoy, still wearing the biggest cowboy hat ever known to man, is also going to Shiloh to check things out! Will they figure out the mystery of why planes are going down in the area before the plane full of G.I.'s to help Mccoy in the mystery is affected by the ray? (why would they take a plane in the first place?), will Dad and Daughter reunite? Will Mccoy ever aim his gun? Tune in to find out. Well, you don't have to. It's not much of a movie, lots of implausibilities. Fortunately, Mccoy is always a hoot, and the hybrid of Western / Sci Fi is always interesting.

The previous year saw the "Phantom Empire" serial. Though it is all but forgotten now, it had a profound effect on movies. It mixed cowboys, radium, planes, scientists. It also had an underground civilization. In short order, studios produced a slew of cowboy science fiction movies, many with titles that copied "phantom" in some way. Most omitted the underground part.

This is one of them, and not particularly bad by the standards of the time. It ends with our cowboy hero and the presumably beautiful and plucky daughter of the just-saved scientist. She doesn't know who he is and says "can you give me your name," which he turns into a proposal.

I watched it only to see the effect of "Phantom." Otherwise, it isn't much of interest.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Tim McCoy is a government agent looking into how various mail planes are being knocked out of the sky. Pretending to be an outlaw, he and his buddy end up battling crooks with a spectacular ray that shorts out engines.

This brief little western is an okay time killer. It would be better if it didn't have as many stretches of watching the planes falter in the air or guys riding horses. Its an odd mix of "now" and old west with radios, planes, and the typical western stuff so that it some who seems anachronistic. The acting is good, especially when it comes to Tim Mc Coy's hat which is so huge that it borders on parody (If most hats are ten gallon, this is 100). Actually the cast is pretty good since its packed with character actors from top to bottom.

If you run across I'd give it a shot on a slow night. If nothing else its a movie to pick apart for numerous continuity errors and weird shifts in logic.(for example- why do they keep flying over the same place when planes are always crashing there?)

And while you're at it see if you can make sense of the title when compared to the actual content of the film.