SYNOPSIS:
A small herd of cattle from the West Cooley range has stampeded in to the Bar 20, which is led by Red Connors [Frank McGlynn, Jr.], feisty old Uncle Ben [George Hayes] and punchy, trigger-happy Johnny Nelson [Jimmy Ellison]. Jimmy charges himself with the task of charging the herd back on their own range, while Buck Peters [Charles Middleton] speaks to Jim Meeker [Robert Warwick], owner of the Cooley range.
While Johnny stampedes the cattle, Mary Meeker [Paula Stone] catches him and confronts him, this leads ranch foreman Jack Anthony [Kenneth Thomson] to shoot at Nelson’s horse causing him to fall. Nelson and Anthony get ready to fight when Bill “Hopalong” Cassidy [William Boyd] enters and puts a stop to the riff-raff.
Cassidy receives a hero’s welcome when he and Nelson return to the Bar 20, where Cassidy gifts Ben with a new pipe. While Johnny and the boys share a song, Cassidy calls Buck over and the two reminisce over old times when Buck propositions Cassidy to be the new line foreman of the Bar 20, Cassidy enthusiastically accepts.
Meanwhile, a group of badmen, led by Anthony, conspire to rustle and sell off the Bar 20’s cattle. Later that day, Anthony sets the plan in motion and while stampeding the stolen cattle, Cooley ranch hand Riley [Franklyn Farnum] is shot in the shoulder. Anthony convinces Meeker that the Bar 20 was responsible and Meeker promises to seek vengeance.
Cassidy rides the range and hears a gunshot, rides out to investigate and is immediately blamed for a ranch hand’s death by Meeker. Meeker and his posse are about to get the drop on Cassidy when they hear Johnny’s distant warbling.
Later that night, the Meekers hold a party for the community, excluding the Bar 20. Knowing this but not caring, Johnny heads to the Meeker ranch, with Cassidy and gang pursuing him. At the party, Johnny sees Anthony removing bullets from his gun, Johnny promptly decks the badman and the two engage in a brawl.
Meeker and his guests decide to hang Johnny when Cassidy and friends swoop in to save the day but not without Cassidy getting injured for his trouble. Uncle Ben nurses the newly christened “Hopalong Cassidy” when Buck rides in to fill the gang in on Meeker’s latest scheme which resulted in a head of cattle drowning.
Hoppy meets up with Johnny who is also aware of the scheme, they see a bunch of Meeker’s men stampeding their cattle and send two warning shots their way. Anthony, fed up with Cassidy’s tampering with his plans, convinces Meeker that it’s time to act.
Mary volunteers to trick Johnny into leaving the shack he was entrusted to watch. She stabs her horse with her spur, causing her to fall off. Johnny goes to rescue her only to find two badmen holdup in the shack. Johnny takes the feisty female along for a ride. Meanwhile, Hoppy and Buck find one of their calves dead with a Meeker branding.
Hoppy catches Johnny with a captured Mary and expresses his disappointment. Hoppy tells Johnny to release her and gets an uppercut for his trouble. Hoppy orders Mary return home while Johnny is remorseful for his actions.
Uncle Ben returns to the Bar 20 with a cowhide with the branding “HQQ.” Hoppy deduces that this branding is an alteration of both the Bar 20 and Meeker’s brandings. Hoppy orders Buck to have a meeting with Meeker while he sets off to trail the rustlers.
Buck shows Meeker the branding, which leads Meeker to discovering the scheme. Anthony is in full view of this and goes out in search of Uncle Ben. Ben catches on to where the rustlers hang out and Anthony kills Ben. Hoppy discovers Ben’s body and also a note written in the sand revealing the rustler’s hideout. Hoppy clings to his old friend as he vows vengeance.
Hoppy and gang have enough and ambush the rustlers at their hideout. Hoppy ambushes the rustler’s shack to be told that it was Anthony who gunned down his friend. Hoppy and pals bring the rustlers to justice and find Anthony dead, trying to escape justice.
REVIEW:
“Hop-Along Cassidy” (reissued as “Hopalong Cassidy Enters”) was a fun and surprising western that has much to recommend. This was the first film based on Clarence E. Mulford’s Hopalong Cassidy character to star actor William Boyd and hereafter, Boyd would become synonymous with the dark-clothed cowboy as he would go on to star in 65 more films as Cassidy. Boyd is immediately likable in his first outing and it is easy to see why he is still well remembered today, 51 years after his death. He displays an infectious charisma and has a presence that makes him stand out from many of the other “B” level cowboys.
As stated in a previous Hopalong Cassidy review I’ve written for Cinema Crazed (“The Devil’s Playground,” 1946), Boyd’s incarnation of Hoppy is vastly different from the grizzled, ornery codger of Mulford’s text. Instead, Boyd imbues Cassidy with warmth and kindness, while still possessing the sharpness and steadfast personality of his textual counterpart. While some would clamor for a Cassidy closer to the books, I, personally love Boyd’s interpretation and do not think it can be played any other way.
This initial entry is also recommended viewing so that audiences can witness the evolution of George “Gabby” Hayes old codger character. Already in this film, we see all the rich elements of what would become so intrinsic to his “Gabby” character; the voice, the beard, the facial expressions as well as his catchphrases. It is interesting to note that during this era of the Hopalong Cassidy series, those films released through Paramount Pictures, that Hayes would become Boyd’s right hand “Windy” Halliday. Modern viewers would use the expression that Windy walked so Gabby could run and that is quite true. Hayes portrayed Halliday from 1935 to 1939 after which he left the series to go to Republic Pictures and star alongside Roy Rogers and the rest is history.
Jimmy Ellison has a great singing voice, but his tempestuous nature and impulsivity can be grating on audiences, especially considering he is responsible for Cassidy’s getting shot in the leg and other incidents throughout the film. He doesn’t really redeem himself until the picture is almost over and by then it is too little too late, I never warmed up to him no matter how many times Bill Boyd said, “You’re okay, kid.” Cassidy has far more patience and tolerance than I’d have in the same situation and that is what separates Hoppy from the rest of us. It was also nice to see meanie Charles Middleton, forever remembered as Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials, play a sympathetic role for a change. The rest of the players play their part well if not necessarily remarkable.
There are also some great moments of pathos in the film, which both surprised and delighted me greatly. Aside from the action sequence at the end of the film, my favorite sequence has to be when Cassidy discovers Uncle Ben’s corpse, it is a touching and sombering sequence and Bill Boyd sells it beautifully, you truly believe he lost a father figure, a friend and a ranch brother. It’s quite an emotional scene that makes you forget you’re watching a “B” western. Not many of the “B” level cowboys could pull-off a dramatic scene like this, but Boyd neither underplays it or hams it up, emoting beautifully and perfectly.
All in all, “Hop-Along Cassidy” is highly recommended viewing and a good starting point for anyone wishing to invest in the Hopalong Cassidy series. William Boyd is great, the action superb with people falling off cliffs and George Hayes playing proto-Gabby makes this worthwhile. Definitely give it a look. It can be found on disc twelve of Echo Bridges expansive ultimate Hopalong Cassidy collection DVD set, where they have maddeningly decided to present the films out of order across the fourteen or so discs that encapsulate the theatrical run of films. I take exception to this and take Echo Bridge to task for their carelessness with this package, if you’re going to release a film franchise in one complete set, at least do it right and present the films chronologically. However, sadly this is the best way to own the Cassidy films at the moment, so film snobs like myself will just have to settle with it.