JohnHowardReid
Tom Keene (Jerry Long/Jerry Long impersonating Jerry Long), Merna Kennedy (Jane Worth), Kate Campbell (Aunt Susan), Mitchell Harris (Judge Drake), Ted Adams (Mr Gordon), Harry Bowen (Marty), Harry Semels (Pawnee, the servant), George "Gabby" Hayes (Dave, owner of the Congress Café), Tom London (Red, leader of the gang), William McCall (sheriff), Buck Moulton (Deputy Buck), Al Taylor, Charles Slim Whitaker (henchmen), Jack Kirk (blacksmith), Billy Franey (Scrubby Watson), Ernie Adams (café customer), Yakima Canutt (stunt double).Director: FRED ALLEN. Original screenplay: Adele S. Buffington. Photography: Ted McCord. Film editor: William Clemens. Art director: Carroll Clark. Music director: Max Steiner. Assistant director: Dave Lewis. Sound recording: Earl A. Wolcott. RCA Victor Sound System. Associate producer: Harry Joe Brown. Copyright 13 May 1932 by RKO Pathé Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 12 August 1932. No recorded New York opening. 54 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Crooked judge tries to persuade the heirs to a derelict ghost town to sell out to him. He knows where gold can still be found. COMMENT: This fast-moving Tom Keene western is sometimes too lively for its own good. So much hard riding is packed into the story that there's little time to draw breath. The stunt-work on the ore carrier is a real bobby-dazzler. When he has a chance to act instead of ride and run, Tom Keene emerges as a most personable hero. Miss Kennedy is pretty enough for the heroine, whilst Harry Bowen and Kate Campbell contribute a few hearty chuckles as comic sidekick and spinsterish aunt, respectively. Despite their ghostly antics, the villains are not too villainous (in fact, the spook angle is mostly played for laughs), though its nice to see Tom London as the leader of the underground crew. Fans will also take note of George Hayes in an unusual part as owner of the café which hero and villain take apart in a spectacular fight. Production values are heightened by location lensing in a real ghost town. Ted McCord's cinematography is a stand-out (though some day-for- night shots have been incorrectly processed in the current DVD).
Jim Tritten
Interesting but not very technically sophisticated haunted house-comedy-western set in what appears to be a genuine abandoned town in the American West. Some great riding by hero Tom Keene, good action shots involving an ore cart swung over a canyon. The scenes shot in the ghost town are rather revealing as is the mix between traditional cowboys and modern (1932) automobiles. Probably the most surprising linkage in this movie is when Tom Keene uses a cap to hide his identity when trying to foil to bad guys. I knew that I had seen the technique before -- quite frankly I think it would be a bit absurd to try to walk around or ride a horse with your left hand holding a black cape in front of your face. Then I remembered "Plan Nine From Outer Space" and Bela Lugosi's double doing just that. Would you believe that "Plan Nine" was Tom Keene's last movie! Maybe he shared that technique with Lugosi's double who finished Lugosi's role using the exact same technique. Look for Gabby Hayes (sans bead and with teeth) as the cafe owner. Not a bad story, good action, would have been better probably if made a few years later with better equipment. Recommended.
