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Really Surprised!

Pretty Good

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Wild Bill Elliott whose later westerns for Republic were pretty good does another fine one in The Savage Horde. He plays one of two brothers, a gunfighter named Ringo who shot an army captain and the army in the person of Colonel Douglass Dumbrille wants him. And charged with bringing him in is Lieutenant Jim Davis who is Elliott's younger brother. Escaping the army's clutches, Elliott arrives in the town of Gunlock which is in the midst of a range war started by the local Ponderosa owner Grant Withers who's backed by his tough foreman Roy Barcroft and a murderous gunslinger in Bob Steele. He's also got the local judge Will Wright in his pocket and he's courting Wright's daughter Barbara Fuller who is also being courted by young Noah Beery, Jr., the leader of the small ranchers. Seems that Withers thinks that government land and open range are his exclusively.Naturally Elliott sides with the little guys, but he's a fugitive and of course that is always in the back of his mind. But even fugitives are entitled to some romance and he has it with hash house owner Lorna Gray.As you can see there are a lot of plot elements, but they're woven nicely into a tight no frills story that doesn't waste a minute of film frame. Pay attention to Wright as a troubled figure and Withers who is a bit more complex than most standard B western villains are.Most of all there's Bob Steele who in my book was always better as a villain than a cowboy hero. His gunslinger Dancer ranks right up there with the villain roles he did in The Big Sleep, The Enforcer and South Of St. Louis. He's one murderous punk in this one. I would strongly urge anyone who is a western fan to check out this and other westerns done by Bill Elliott after he stopped being Red Ryder.

Continuing to review movies and/or TV appearances of the original "Dallas" cast, regular or recurring, either previously or during or after the show, in chronological order, we're still in 1950 when Jim Davis is still at Republic once again teaming with leading man William Elliott from Hellfire and director Joseph Kane from Brimstone. Unlike in those last two pictures, here he's a good guy, a Lt. Mike Baker of the calvary, who's in pursuit of his outlaw brother, Elliott, who's killed a captain in his troop in self defense though only he knows it. I'll stop there and just say this was another rousing western from what would be referred to as the good ol' days that had plenty of great action and some good singing too from one of the supporting players, a Stuart Hamblen who later wrote "Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)" which I remember as a child hearing from some other kids not to mention Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm on "The Flintstones". And there's also a couple of fine lookin' ladies to also root for, too! Really, all I'll say is if you're in the mood for some old-fashioned oaters, The Savage Horde should be right up your alley!

"The Savage Horde," a somewhat generic title unless the viewer considers Wade Proctor (Grant Withers) and his henchmen to be a horde, is a top notch Wild Bill Elliott oater with some of the best acting to be seen in a B western. The Standout performance from a fine cast belongs to former cowboy star Bob Steele as Dancer, proctor's aloof paid gunman who gets pleasure from shooting men down in cold blood. He reminds one of a similar character, Jack Wilson (Jack Palance), in the classic "Shane" a few years later. Keeping up with the likes of Noah Beery Jr., Douglass Dumbrille, Roy Barcroft, and Jim Davis is country western songwriter and balladeer Stuart Hamblen who wrote such standards as "It Is No Secret" and "This Ole House." He plays a clownish role with a tragic twist at the end. Lorna Gray and Barbra Fuller do well portraying frontier women in a man's world.The cast consists of a gallery of Republic support players with faces easy to recognize, though the names such as Bud Osborne, George Chesebro, Marshall Reed, and Wally Wales, aka Hal Taliaferro, may not register at first. Former cowboy star Kermit Maynard, brother to the famous Ken Maynard, plays one of the ranchers. He was also a noted stuntman by this time. Character actor Earle Hodgins, noted for his medicine show con artist pitch, has a small but telling role. He is not as obnoxious as usual, actually turning in a fairly restrained performance.The story is a familiar one about two brothers, one good (Lt. Mike Baker played by Davis) and one bad (John Baker, aka Ringo, played by Wild Bill Elliott). This time the "bad" one with a price on his head killed in self-defense but only his brother, the cavalry officer who has been assigned to track him down, believes his story. Ringo is determined to see an old flame to try to rekindle their romance and in the process gets caught in the middle of a range feud between cattlemen and homesteaders. The familiar plot has a few novel winds and turns before the final shootout involving plenty of action directed by B western master Joseph Kane. It is a Republic film so expect to watch the best stunt work around. The crisp black and white photography rests easy on the eyes and adds to the overall effect of the picture.

Well above average western from Republic Studios. Elliott is 'Ringo', on the run and Davis is his brother, in charge of a cavalry command chasing him. Ringo stops to visit old girl friend, and becomes embroiled in a range war. Withers portrayal of a psychopathic mogul is convincing. Great supporting cast-Noah Beery Noah Jr. is the 'Kid' and Hamblin provides some enjoyable tunes along the way. Supposedly the title "Savage Horde" was a tribute, by director Kane, to actor Grant Withers, who appeared in "the Fighting Marines", a serial, containing a chapter titled "The Savage Horde." Unexpected climax can leave you wondering. A good western.