Hoppy Serves a Writ

The 26 year old Robert Mitchum made his screen debut in this film. I'm not too sure how good an actor he really is because he always seems to sound the same. The true test is when you compare him acting as an antagonist as opposed to a protagonist. He's a better protagonist because he's the consistent broad shouldered, tall American.

In Hoppy Serves A Writ Hopalong Cassidy is a sheriff and serving writs is certainly part of those duties. But when you're a Texas lawman and the outlaws are fleeing to Oklahoma Territory that becomes a problem. The outlaws are not only are fleeing to Oklahoma, but they're taking a large amount of rustled cattle there.

In real life this would have been a joint operation between the Texas sheriff and some federal marshals for the Territory. But this is a Hollywood western and a Hopalong Cassidy western and Hoppy settles his own problems albeit with a little incognito spy work. And these are all purpose outlaws that Victor Jory heads they don't specialize.

Hoppy's sidekicks are a little more useless than usual Andy Clyde especially. Though when the outlaws capture he doesn't crack under their brutality. Eventually its California who serves the writ and he does make a botch of it in his inimitable fashion.

Victor Jory is always a nasty and snarling villain and Jory did many a Hoppy film. So did future television Superman George Reeves who plays Jory's younger brother. Further down the cast list and making his film debut is Robert Mitchum definitely the most famous actor to ever appear in Hopalong Cassidy films. Mitchum is one of Jory's henchmen and he did several Cassidy films usually as an outlaw.

Not one of the better Hoppy films, but the film is the birth of the a screen legend.

"Hoppy Serves a Writ" is an interesting Hopalong Cassidy film because of its cast. Victor Jory, George Reeves and Robert Mitchum all star as members of a gang of crooks...though, sadly, Mitchum (in his first film) has barely a line of dialog.

This version of "Hoppy Serves a Writ" is a nice because it's 65 minutes and isn't one of those chopped down to about 54 minutes back in the 1950s. This was done to allow the film to be shown in a one hour time slot back in the day. But apparently, the excised portions of Hopalong Cassidy's films were saved and were recently restored. These nice restored prints recently showed up on YouTube...and are well worth seeing. Unlike many B cowboys, Cassidy is no pretty boy nor is her a singer...just a hard-fighting do-gooer.

The film begins with a stage coach being robbed in Texas. However, the baddies run off to the Oklahoma Territory...out of the jurisdiction of Texas authorities. So, Hoppy and his sidekicks, Johnny and California, head there and go undercover. They need to find the loot and the crooks that stole it...but it doesn't look very easy in this lawless land.

This is pretty much a standard sort of Hopalong Cassidy film...well made and enjoyable.

By the way, in one scene Hoppy has a brutal fight with Tom Jordan (Victor Jory). In real life, Jory probably would have won that one as he used to be the champion wrestler and boxer in the Coast Guard.

Everybody mentions Robert Mitchum in this movie, but if you coughed at the right time, you miss his entire dialog. George Reeves had the meatier part and looked Superman-ish in it. Victor Jory was a well known actor who did a lot more than cowboy baddies. Two others stood out for me. One was Earl Hudgins, the barkeep, a solid character actor who had a long list of movie credits, usually as some kind of con artist. The other was Roy Barcroft, a competent heavy in many TV cowboy shows of the 50s. In this, he had a minor part as a rancher with a complaint. There was plenty of action in this Hoppy flick if you count all the endless horse riding and the several long gunfights. The one nothing part was the lone female who gave up acting after this, her first and last job in Hollywood.

Unlike the later Hoppy films, this one doesn't follow a mystery outline. We know who the baddie is from pretty near the beginning, & it's just a matter of catching him. Victor Jory (who had already starred in "The Shadow" & "The Green Archer" serials), is featured in this film. George Reeves (later TV's "Superman") has a small part. And Robert Mitchum has a short line. Jan Christy (the heroine) is prettier than most of the Hoppy heroines. Andy Clyde (as "California") gets a serious beating, & "Johnny" (Jay Kirby) doesn't act as silly as other Johnnies in this series. Sounds like it has a lot going for it, doesn't it? Not so, because there's little action aside from a couple of good fight scenes & about three gunfights. The plot is weak, & it's not helped by the fact that there's no mystery involved. Hoppy wears all black at the beginning & end of the film, & wears his rancher's outfit in the middle. It doesn't even have the usual dose of humor for a Hoppy film. I rate it only 5/10.