SYNOPSIS:
Lawman Billy Carson [Buster Crabbe] orchestrates a plan that sees a band of prisoners, led by Link Daggett [Kermit Maynard] and Tom Hanlon [Robert Meredith], to escape from their confinement in search of a sizable amount of money, stolen from Piedmont County ranchers, they’ve hidden away. Hanlon has second thoughts about escaping with Daggett and his gang and starts to head back to prison only to be shot in the back by Daggett.
Hanlon inches away and stumbles upon Fuzzy Q. Jones [Al “Fuzzy” St. John] cooking his evening meal. Fuzzy patches up the weary Hanlon, who begs Fuzzy to preach to him. Carson arrives in time to witness Hanlon pass away. Fuzzy vows vengeance against the Daggett gang and Carson hires him on as his right hand.
Billy and Fuzzy find Daggett and his gang and trail them from sunup to sundown until they stop at the abandoned Wild Horse Mine, where Daggett and his men have hidden the money. The two heroes explore the darkened mine and discover their hideout. Billy and Fuzzy find the ruthless gang excavating the mine to uncover their ill-gotten gains. Suddenly, the bandits and our heroes hear a loud, maniacal cackling which scares the gang until they discover Billy and Fuzzy and take them prisoner.
Daggett and his gang interrogate Billy and Fuzzy, but the two heroes don’t say much to help the marauders. Just as the gang are about to take Fuzzy and Billy with them to find the missing money, a wily old prospector shoots a lantern, laughs madly, scaring the gang once more. While the gang is away, Billy and Fuzzy writhe to untie themselves, when a mysterious figure cuts Fuzzy’s hands free, allowing him to free his friend.
Billy and Fuzzy pretend to retie themselves up as Daggett and his gang return, they proceed to go off in search of the money leaving their henchman Lucas [John Cason, credited as “Bob Cason”] to watch the two heroes. Billy and Fuzzy manipulate the henchman in to letting them go so they can show Lucas where the money is hidden. Unbeknownst to Lucas, Billy and Fuzzy haven’t the foggiest idea where the fortune has been buried and are using it as a ruse. Billy breaks free and scraps with Lucas, while Fuzzy frees himself. Billy charges Fuzzy with the task of watching Lucas while he searches for Daggett and company.
However, Billy is distracted by the sight of the mysterious prospector stalking the caves and trails him instead. Billy follows the man back to his home but is held up by Marian Garnet [Janet Warren]. As it turns out, the mysterious man is Ed Garnet [Budd Buster], a rancher severely in debt who is beholden to crooked banker Cliff Walters [Hal Price]. Garnet is the owner of the derelict mine, which Marian reveals is a source of bad luck.
Marian and Billy eavesdrop on a conversation between Walters and Garnet, with Walters demanding possession of the mine. Billy trails along with rancher Jim Brooks [Reed Howes] into town, looking to speak with Walters. Walters has none of what Billy is trying to sell to him, a plan to help the ranchers out of debt.
Meanwhile back at the mine, Fuzzy has tied up Lucas and the two hear inhuman yowling. This frightens Lucas who pleads with Fuzzy to release him. Fuzzy has none of it and goes to investigate. Fuzzy soon discovers the source of the screaming, a gigantic bat who swoops in and wrestles Fuzzy to the ground, leading to Fuzzy battling the monster. Fuzzy frees himself by biting the bat, while Lucas escapes. Fuzzy storms out of the mine, chased by the bat and bumps into Billy. Billy coerces Fuzzy back into the mine as Garnet also enters.
Billy and Fuzzy accidentally split up and Fuzzy discovers Lucas’ corpse near the mine entrance. Fuzzy runs like the wind, picks up an ax and starts picking at a wall and discovers the stolen money. Garnet discovers Fuzzy who promptly drops the cash and runs off, bumping into Billy.
Billy and Fuzzy discover Daggett and his gang investigating Lucas’ death, prompting one of the gang to turn on Daggett leading Daggett to shoot him. Billy and Fuzzy rush them and Daggett runs off. Billy and Callen [Frank Ellis], Daggett’s wounded henchman pursue Daggett through the mine. Billy and Daggett fight outside while Callen creeps up behind and shoots Daggett. Both men die as Fuzzy leads out the last member of the gang, Moffett [Frank McCarroll].
Billy catches up to Garnet, who holds Billy at gunpoint. Bill bravely stands off with Garnet and demands Garnet relinquish the money. Billy retrieves the money and rides like the wind to Piedmont Bank to deliver it the Walters.
REVIEW:
By the time my readers see this review, Halloween will have come and gone. However, I could not resist reviewing a horror-themed western for my column and PRC’s Wild Horse Phantom did not disappoint. PRC (Producers’ Releasing Corporation), one of poverty row’s lower-end studios, have created superbly spooky atmosphere with very little.
The sequences in the cavernous mine are brilliantly produced with enough suspense to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Not only do Billy Carson and Fuzzy Q. Jones have to contend with dangerous bandits but they must also deal with the gigantic bat which stalks them throughout. The massive bat prop is actually a leftover from PRC’s stellar 1940 horror film “The Devil Bat” starring Bela Lugosi.
Actors St. John and Crabbe make for a likable duo and St. John in particular, does exceptionally well acting frightened out of his wits. St. John was a gifted comic from the silent era and often received opportunities to go back to his slapstick roots when he became a western sidekick. Crabbe also presents himself nicely as the brave hero, non-intimidated by all the dangers around him. It was also nice to see one-time western hero Kermit Maynard, brother of the popular cowboy star Ken Maynard, take his turn as lead villain. This review is also a bit of a homecoming, of sorts, for me as the very first “B” western I ever watched was a PRC film with Crabbe and St. John as Billy and Fuzzy.
The Billy Carson series of films at PRC began life as a series of films centered around real-life outlaw turned anti-hero, Billy The Kid. Popular western star Bob Steele portrayed Billy The Kid in the first six entries but left due to more promising offers at Republic Pictures. The role was recast with serial star Buster Crabbe.
Crabbe, born Clarence Linden Crabbe II and billed early on as Larry “Buster” Crabbe, was a screen veteran and an established matinee idol by the time Wild Horse Phantom was released, appropriately in October of 1944. Crabbe was a two-time Olympic swimmer and won the 1932 gold medal for the 400-meter freestyle swimming event. This victory caused Crabbe to become a silver screen sensation, the Michael Phelps of his time, if you will. Crabbe went on to star as every screen hero imaginable, including a memorable turn as Flash Gordon in a series of three serials in 1936, 1938 and 1940. Additionally Crabbe portrayed Buck Rogers, Tarzan and Red Barry.
Crabbe signed on to the Billy The Kid series in 1941 and became just as memorable of a cowboy hero as he was a comic book superstar. Eventually, the Billy The Kid series was reformatted and the character was renamed Billy Carson, the reason given was that film exhibitors had their hesitations of showing films glorifying the notorious outlaw William H. Bonney, also known as Billy The Kid.
After Crabbe’s initial 13 Billy The Kid films, the name change was made official starting with 1943’s “Devil Riders.” All told, there were an impressive 42 films produced for the series between 1940 and 1946. It is worth noting that each picture was shot in 10-12 days with a budget of $25,000 per film. PRC would be absorbed into British-based Eagle-Lion Films the same year the Billy The Kid/Billy Carson series came to an end. Buster Crabbe would go on to have a career in television, memorably portraying the title character in “Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion” which co-starred his real-life son Cullen. Crabbe passed away in 1983. One of his last films was another horror-themed western, Fred Olen Ray’s “Alien Dead” (1980).
I wholeheartedly recommend “Wild Horse Phantom” for anyone in search of a spooky western or something to pop on around the Halloween season. It was a delightful watch and a great entry in a wonderful, but forgotten, western film series.