The Kansan

This probably doesn't deserve the "B Movie" sobriquet. The production values are pretty high and it is quite heavy on the movie stars. This looks to me like it would have taken the A spot on a bill. Dix is good but Victor Jory nearly steals the show. The high point is likely one of the most over-the-top barroom brawls I've ever seen on celluloid. The script is also fine, although nothing too original. The low point in the movie....aside from a really unfortunate racial caricature.... is probably represented by a really ghastly World War II style showgirl routine based around "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". All in all, a satisfying show.

In Broken Lance, Kansas, John Bonniwell averts the Jesse James gang from holding up the town bank, but is severely wounded in the process. When he awakes in the hospital, he finds that he has been elected town marshall, with high recommendations from the bank owner and leading citizen, Steve Barat. Bonniwell accepts the job (especially after getting an eyeful of the hotel owner Eleanor Sager) even though he knows that he was only appointed to become a pawn in Barat's scheme to bleed Broken Lance, and the Kansas, dry. Bonniwell's position is put to the test when Barat sues Bonniwell's friend Waggoner for running his cattle without paying the $1 a head toll enforced by Barat. When he sees that Bonniwell isn't going to be controlled so easily, Barat has Bonniwell's enemies go after him followed by an attempt by Barat's gambling brother, Jeff (who seems to be playing both sides of the standoff, while in love with Eleanor). Bonniwell then starts to rid Broken Lance of Barat's influence without losing his life, or anyone else's, in the process. Very good western with an excellent script, direction, characterization, and performances by everyone. Dix is right at home as Bonniwell, even though he seems awkward at times. Jory gives one of his best performances as Jeff, and his characterization is very surprising and different from others in the genre. The movie also contains one of the biggest barroom free for alls in any western, with everyone getting into the fracas. Only flaw was the climax was not as action packed as other sequences in the movie, but still a winner all the way. Rating, based on B westerns (this may count as a B+ however), 9.

This is a decent and generally unremarkable western. But, because it stars Richard Dix, it comes off a bit better. While not a household name, Dix was a very fine actor--mostly because he played a great 'everyman'--a believable and rugged guy who was no pretty-boy. Solid, dependable and making the most of his material, he pretty much makes this film worth watching.

The film begins well, as it's pretty creative. Dix is a stranger in a new town and soon after arriving, there's a bank robbery. He happens to be in the right place at the time and is able to thwart the robbers. He gets them but is injured in the process. Here's the twist--when he awakens, he hears the crowd outside his window celebrating the election of a new sheriff...and that sheriff turns out to be HIM! Too good to be true? Yep. That's because a powerful rich guy has his own reasons for having the stranger become sheriff. Fortunately, Dix's character is on dummy. What's next? See this one yourself.

Overall, not a bad little film. Despite a VERY familiar plot, Dix and some decent baddies (Victor Jory and Albert Dekker) are able to elevate this one to more than just another time-passer.

After a twenty year career that dated back to the silent era, Richard Dix has the good fortune to find the landlady at the hotel where he's staying is the charming young Jane Wyatt; who doubles up as the main attraction at the local saloon.

Veteran western cameraman Russell Harlan gets maximum value out pretty basic sets which don't last long during a furious punch-up.

Albert Dekker and Victor Jory make an unlikely pair of siblings. Eugene Pallette does his usual imitation of a bullfrog. The single most sour note, however, has to be Willie Best rolling his eyes in the sort of stereotypical role that reminds you that the film is over eighty years old.

Wild Pacing with a lot of Western Movie Ingredients Paraded out for WWII Movie Audiences. Explosives, Gun Battles with many Shooters On both sides, a Sprawling Saloon Brawl that is a Stuntman's Showcase, Cattle Stampede, and more Outlandish Outdoor Shenanigans.

The Wartime Audiences sure got Their Money's Worth with this one. An Aging Richard Dix Shows Heroics, Honor, and Precise Marksmanship, although He is Nicked by incoming Bullets at least Five Times. Albert Dekker is a Dandy Villain and Victor Jory is on hand as an Ambiguous Mysterious Player in all the doings. It's Never Certain where He Stands and that Adds a bit of Intrigue.

Jane Wyatt just Sparkles on screen and is Cute. Overall, a Rousing, Never Boring, Wide Open Western that is Entertaining. Willie Best will Certainly get Noticed as a Racial Stereotype and Comedy Relief, but is shown Respect by the "Good Guys".

Note...There is a Propaganda insertion ("When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again") as WWII was raging on, to boost morale. A musical number that was popular during the Civil War it is here delivered by leggy George Cohan types.

Note 2…The Print shown on TCM in 2015 was washed out and pretty shoddy. One assumes it is the best available. There is no contrast and it has a white-washed look. If it is the best out there, Film-Restorists-Archivists should be on the look out for better source material.