hoffmanaz

All of the reviews seem to be about Elizabeth Taylor, but very little mention about George Murphy and Mary Astor. Murphy almost sleepwalks his way through the film. Sixteen years as a clerk in a hardware store without a raise? Really? Where's the gumption, the backbone in the character. Is Napoleon so small a town that he can't find a better job somewhere else? A better actor would have shown some bitterness as being denied the opportunity to become a doctor. Mary Astor was going to be a concert pianist. Surely these failures of ambition can't simply be blamed on the sickly child that was born to them.

At 14 minutes into the film Gabby Hayes is bragging about his piano-playing talent, but he is challenged to prove it by playing "The Wearing of the Green," as demanded by Bull O'Hara. This scene was a set-up that surprises the viewer as Hayes shows he can play the piano, and everyone in the saloon--cowboys, dance-hall girls, good guys and bad guys, not only dance to the tune, but they sing it as well. Clearly, everybody has fun in this four-minute sequence. Later on, starting around 18 minutes, another song and dance takes place with "When Irish Eyes are Smiling," a number that makes Bull O'Hara weep. Incredibly, everyone in the saloon seems to be Irish!

I don't think these sequences detract from the film, they enhance it and elevate the movie from the usual Hoppy film into something stronger, helped by the performance of Faro Annie and Hoppy. This is one of the best of the Hopalong Cassidy films made in the 1930s and if it's not on the Cable Channel again, it's on Youtube.