SYNOPSIS:
While on his way to help out his mining partner Sam Trotter, Brit Marshall [Tim Holt] runs in to a band of murderous rogues whom claim to be working for Trotter. Unbeknownst to Marshall and his sidekick Ike [Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards], these men not only stole the gold shipment they claim they were delivering to the Gold Ace, Trotter’s ranch, but also shot and killed Trotter in cold blood. After a gunfight, Marshall and Ike are taken prisoner by the local sheriff [Edward Cassidy].
Meanwhile, Hewitt City’s corrupt banker and mayor W.J Grayson [Davison Clarke] has promised the bandits whom stole Trotter’s gold, worth over $25,000, that he’ll store it in his bank, giving each of them a torn piece of a playing card as an IOU. Marshall and Ike escape jail and head off to Hewitt.
Both Marshall and Ike assume different identities so the authorities won’t arrest them. Soon they head out on the trail of the bandits whom murdered Trotter. Two of the bandits do themselves in after a card game goes awry and Marshall and Ike give chase when they see a third nearby the local sheriff’s office. The sheriff of Hewitt [Karl Hackett] catches up with the three men, shoots Wade [Bud Osborne] and Marshall and Ike escape.
They catch up with the final bandit and manage to put all of the pieces of the card together, that is all but one, which Grayson has locked up in his safe. Grayson double crosses the last man as Marshall and Ike come upon the bank, the sheriff arrests Marshall and Ike and yet again they have to plot their escape. The two heroes escape jail just as Grayson is leaving with the gold.
REVIEW:
“The Avenging Rider” made for fun and action-packed viewing. This tightly plotted western from RKO Radio pictures features enough action and delightful comedy to entertain even the most casual of “B” western fans, the leads are likable, and the action is fast and executed marvelously.
This was one of forty-six western films that Tim Holt produced for RKO Radio and is a great starting point for anyone interested in his career. Holt, the son of actor Jack Holt, had a four-decade career in Hollywood that not only included the aforementioned “B” product for RKO, but also well received films such as Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942, RKO) and John Huston’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948, Warner Bros.). Most importantly, Holt was a decorated war hero, earning a Purple Heart as a B-29 bombardier and was also a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Holt died in 1973 of bone cancer.
Holt is ably assisted by the charismatic Cliff Edwards, whom served as his sidekick in a handful of films. Edwards, nicknamed “Ukulele Ike” for his most famous instrument and also due to early theater owners inability to remember his name, was a veteran performer at the time of “The Avenging Rider,” in which he performs the amusing number “Minnie, My Mountain Moocher.” Edwards had a hit with his 1929 recording of “Singin’ in the Rain,” and also was responsible for more sales of ukuleles than any other performer at the time. However, most modern audiences would be more familiar with his voice than his expert ukulele playing. In 1940, Edwards lent his voice to Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio” as the title character’s conscience, Jiminy Cricket, singing one of Disney’s most popular songs, “When You Wish Upon a Star” and reprised the role in the anthology feature “Fun and Fancy Free.” He can also be heard as Jim Crow in Disney’s Dumbo. A lifelong smoker, alcoholic and drug addict, Edwards died virtually penniless in 1971.
“The Avenging Rider” is an entertaining western and well worth your time.