Customer Reviews

Arizona Raiders [VHS]

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"The Arizona Raiders" (1936) is what I call an "uneven film". They took a pretty good Zane Grey story and then assembled an excellent ensemble of actors; but Paramount Pictures tried to bring the thing in on a shoestring. Even by the low budget standards of the one-hour "B" westerns of its day this one stands out as a cheap production. Lots of lame stock footage poorly matched with studio close-ups and coupled with clumsily staged action sequences made even weaker by having key portions of the action happening off screen.

Fortunately there are enough good performances that overall the film ranks pretty high on the pecking order of these Saturday matinée features. Larry "Buster" Crabbe of Olympic swimming and "Flash Gordon" fame plays the standard wondering cowpoke western hero. Like a lot of famous non-actors who got work in the movies he pretty much plays himself in every part, but he has a nice relaxed screen presence that fits this particular character especially well. Character actor and Johnny Mack Brown sidekick Raymond Hatton provides a lot of comic relief as Buster's sidekick (what a surprise) who is a weird combination of Doc Holiday and Uncle Joe from "Petticoat Junction". And Johnny Downs nicely underplays one of his earnest young men characters; named Alonzo "Lonesome" Mulhall.

The prize of the cast is a very young Marsha Hunt in one of her first roles. Hunt was the Janet Leigh of her era; there is quite a physical resemblance in addition to which both actresses were a little too intelligent looking for the movie business. Which did have the advantage of giving almost all the characters they played a subtle kind of dimensionality. The film would have benefited from a few more shots of Marsha (especially some better close-ups) but she is in enough scenes and there is enough excellent acting demonstrated to make the film mandatory viewing for her fans.

The three male stars are essentially a mismatched version of the "Three Mesquiteers" who assist the female owner of the Spanish Peaks Ranch to foil a plot to steal her herd of horses. The film gets unintentionally hilarious in its climatic stampede scene as the stock foot projection transforms a modest size herd into enough horses to outfit a dozen regiments of cavalry.

The Lions Gate DVD is not an especially good print but its Special Features are a real treasure. These include two documentary style films made by Zane Grey and a third documentary about the author himself who was a very interesting character.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

VCI Entertainment and Paramount Pictures present "Arizona Raiders" (1936) (Dolby

digitally remastered)...relive those thrilling days from the early '30s and '40s

when Buster Crabbe took us down the dusty trails and the plains to exciting

adventures....some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee

Screen...just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye

with excitement...don't miss any of the Buster Crabbe features loaded with action that will leave

you wanting more of his B-Western adventures

Under director James Hogan, producer A.M. Botsford, original story by Zane Grey, screenplay by John Krafft and Robert Yost...the cast include Larry 'Buster' Crabbe ('Laramie' Nelson), Raymond Hatton ('Tracks' Williams), Marsha Hunt (Harriett Lindsay), Betty Jane Rhodes (Lenta Lindsay), Johnny Downs ('Lonesome' Alonzo Mulhall), Grant Withers (Monroe Adams), Don Rowan (Luke Arledge), Arthur Aylesworth (Andy Winthrop), Richard Carle (Boswell Albernathy), Petra Silva ('Tiny'),Augie Gomez (Cowboy), Ken Cooper (Cowboy), Spike Spackman (Cowboy). . . . . our story opens as our hero Larry 'Buster' Crabbe has a rope around his neck, but never fear he's not done for yet...now enters our favorite sidekick Raymond Hatton who has the same affliction for the rope around his neck, but never fear Crabbe has the situation under control...is Grant Withers and Don Rowan the villains of this oater, what about our heroine Marsha Hunt whose horses seem to be the plot of this Paramount saga...are the two love birds Johnny Downs and Betty Jane Rhodes ever going to tie the knot...the comedy between the trio Crabbe, Hatton and Downs is side splitting...an above average story and great acting from an outstanding cast. . . . . B-Western footnote, one of my favorite character actors was Raymond Hatton (1887-1971) who worked with Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Johnny Mack Brown as Marshall Sandy Hopkins appeared from 1943 and made 45 films for Monogram Pictures...Hatton who first appeared on film in "Tragic Love" (1909-Silent/unconfirmed), "Oliver Twist" (1917), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), "The Squaw Man" (1931), "Law and Order" (1932)...during the '30s & '40s he played the comical sidekick for Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Livingston...went on to join Buck Jones and Tim McCoy in the "Rough Riders" series...Hatton worked right up to his last film "In Cold Blood" (1967). . . ...check out this and more in a new book "Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks" by David Rothel, available from Amazon and Empire Publishing. . . pick up your copy today.........another great B-Western for Buster Crabbe under the Paramount Pictures banner, proves to be one of his most exciting performances.

Special footnote, actor Buster Crabbe graduated from the University of Southern California and won the 400 meter freestyle in which he medaled in the 1932 Olympics, went to work for Paramount in "King of the Jungle" (1933), next role was "Tarzan the Fearless (1933), Crabbe returned to Paramount Pictures was featured in Zane Grey Westerns which were well received, then came the roles that made him a household word "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rogers" at Universal Picture Serials (1936-1940), meanwhile PRC Studios was looking for a leading hero "Billy the Kid" and "Billy Carson" in the 1940's B-Western series and ran its course for six years, later made several televison appearances and appeared in a series "Captain Gallant and the Foreign Legion" (1955-1957).....

SPECIAL FEATURES:

BIOS:

1. Buster Crabbe (aka: Clarence Linden Crabbe II)

Birth Date: 2/17/1907 - Oakland California

Died: 4/23/1983 - Scottsdale, Arizona

2. Raymond William Hatton

Birth Date: 7/07/1887 - Red Oak, Iowa

Died: 10/21/1971 - Palmdale, California (heart attack)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features with Bob Steele:

BUSTER CRABBE WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:

1. Vol. 1 - Western Cyclone/Sheriff of Sage Valley (1942-43) (VCI #7213) (DVD)

2. Vol. 2 - Fugitive of the Plains/Fuzzy Settles Down (1943-44) (VCI #7299) (DVD)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above Buster Crabbe titles

if they are not available as of yet...you can order

and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Arizona Raiders" (1936), the

digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more

high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and

B-Westerns...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there

are plenty of copies available on DVD and VHS, stay tuned once again for top

notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just

the way we like 'em

Total Time: 54 min on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment #6762 ~ (11/20/1997)