SYNOPSIS:
Tioga City and its bank president James Kerrigan [Jack Holt] are plagued by a deadly masked bullwhip carrying bandit named “El Azote” (The Scourge) who is robbing stagecoaches and banks across the territory of their gold and cash. Kerrigan decides it is time for action and calls in two men to act as marshal and deputy to drive out the marauder, those two men being Lash LaRue and his bearded sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones [Al St. John]. The two arrive in town with the townsfolk suspicious that LaRue, the master of the bullwhip, is the evil masked robber.
Initially, LaRue and Fuzzy don’t let on their true identities, leading unscrupulous saloon owner Benson [Tom Neal] to offer them a proposition, LaRue proceeds to masquerade as El Azote and enacts similar robberies hoping to trap the real bandit. LaRue and Jones are then exposed by Benson and are captured. Benson is double crossed by his men, whom proceed to rob the Tioga City bank. Lash and Fuzzy escape and stop the holdup. El Azote enters the bank, makes off with the cash with Lash giving chase leading to a duel of whips between the two men.
REVIEW:
“King of the Bullwhip” is a masterclass in B-Western filmmaking. The movie features the right balance of comedy and action, with some great physical and verbal comedy delivered by veteran silent film comic St. John, whom is underrated as a B-Western sidekick. Much has been discussed of the other sagebrush sidekicks, George “Gabby” Hayes and Smiley Burnette but I believe a case can certainly be made for St. John, whom not only served as right-hand for Lash LaRue, but a great number of the movie cowboys, including Bob Steele and Buster Crabbe in the Billy the Kid series for Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), which St. John refers to in this film. An amusing fourth wall break.
In addition to the comedy, the film features expertly executed action including a sublime saloon brawl, LaRue’s battle with “Detour” star Tom Neal, some brilliant riding and of course, LaRue’s patented bullwhipping to bring down the baddies.
LaRue, who was once rejected by Warner Brothers for too closely resembling Humphrey Bogart, was already a veteran screen cowboy by the time “King of the Bullwhip” was made. LaRue initially appeared in an Eddie Dean film as “The Cheyenne Kid,” which paved the way for an eight-picture deal with PRC playing the character. Unlike many western heroes of his time, LaRue dressed in all black, a color usually reserved for the villains of these pictures. For producer Ron Ormond and his Western Adventure Productions, he made a staggering eleven pictures between 1948 and 1951. LaRue also spawned an imitator, Whip Wilson.
The climactic duel of whips in this film is delightful to watch as LaRue and El Azote do battle, a battle that is all but ruined by its playing under the opening credits of the film. It is a lot of fun watching LaRue not only whip the gun out of the bandit’s hand but also the cape off his back.
It is also great seeing LaRue toy with the bandit and not only battle him physically but psychologically as well. It is not difficult to see where directors like Steven Spielberg drew inspiration when creating their own silver screen superheroes, one doesn’t have to look any further than LaRue to see where Indiana Jones came from.
My reason for composing this review is two-fold: not only did I immensely enjoy this picture, but also there is a new Blu-Ray of this film on pre-order from independent video label Gold Ninja Video. The new set, with a 2K scan from a theatrical print, promises to be a love letter to B-Western fans and includes some fantastic bonus features as well including a full-length audio commentary by Will Sloan and Justin Delcoux and LaRue’s first PRC feature “Law of the Lash” (1947). This edition costs $20 and is well worth the purchase, judging from the brand’s past releases.
You may pre-order the new Blu-Ray edition , but you best hurry as there will only be 800 copies printed.