Customer Reviews

Hopalong Cassidy, Vol. 5

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The most outstanding series of westerns began in 1935 from Paramount Pictures under the guiding hand of producer Harry "Pop" Sherman...continued well into the '40s proved to be the most successful 'B' Westerns ever made...based on Clarence E. Mulford's stories, they strived in changing Cassidy's image, which was both original and influential...the hero, played by William Lawrence Boyd, was mature and generally rather inactive, and the plots also tended to inactivity until a sudden burst of climactic action in the last reel, usually a frantic chase backed by tension-building music.

In all, Boyd made sixty-six Hopalong Cassidy Westerns, early films included Uncle Ben and Windy Halliday, both played by veteran actor George "Gabby" Hayes...was a steady favorite as a hitchrack, was chosen five years in succession as one of the 10 best money-making Western sidekick stars...like most western comics, had his share of narrow escapes being thrown from his horse, burned by blanks...but that was all in a days work...his one-liners will never be forgotten..."You're dern tootin'"..."Never trust a female, they're pure poyzin"...or my all-time favorite ~ "Persnickgordy Women"...this crusty old-timer stole many a scene from John Wayne, Randolph Scott and yes even William Boyd.

In this Volume 5 we have five films of the following:

UNDERCOVER MAN (1942/68 mins/B&W)
Boyd (Hoppy), Andy Clyde (California Jack Carlson), Jay Kirby (Breezy Travers), Antonio Moreno, Jack Rockwell, Nora Lane
Hoppy is sent for to see if he can find the outlaw gang working both sides of the border..each side suspecting the other...romance this time is provided by California...spanish actors have excellent roles in this film...good mystery as you're guessing till the very end.

THREE MEN FROM TEXAS (1940/76 mins/B&W)
Boyd (Hoppy), Andy Clyde (California Jack Carlson), Russell Hayden (Lucky Jenkins), Morris Ankrum, Dick Curtis, Glenn Strange, Esther Estrella.
Excellent B western...more serious than most and one of the very best...Hoppy and his sidekick are two Texas Rangers who leave the service and take up ranching on the Bar 20...Hoppy unites the caballeros and town folk together to fight the gang and bring law and order to the town...another winner for the Hopalong Cassidy series.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS (1941/63 mins/B&W)
Boyd (Hoppy), Andy Clyde (California Jack Carlson), Brad King (Johnny Nelson), Jennifer Holt, Dick Curtis, Tom London, Jimmy Wakely (song & entertainment)
A former Bar 20 cowhand is now a cattle rancher and having trouble with rustlers. once again Hoppy takes on a disguise as a dude gambler...and the Bar 20 gang ride in and surround the the bad guys...another victory for Hoppy and the Bar 20.

THE DEAD DON'T DREAM (1948/62 mins/B&W)
Boyd (Hoppy), Andy Clyde (California Jack Carlson), Rand Brooks (Lucky Jenkins), Francis McDonald, John Parrish, Don Haggerty.
The three Bar 20 boys arrive for Lucky's wedding only to find it called off as Lucky's fiancee's uncle is found murdered...on each of the next two nights a man is found missing the next morning...Hoppy has many suspects and announces the murderer is right here among them...Hoppy takes that same room for the night hoping to flush out the murderer...can he do it, will Hoppy once again prevail...stayed tuned and find out.

COLT COMRADES (1943/67 mins/B&W)
Boyd (Hoppy), Andy Clyde (California Jack Carlson), Jay Kirby (Johnny Travers), Robert Mitchum, Earl Hodgins, Victor Jory, George Reeves, Douglas Fawley
Cassidy and his Bar 20 comrades buy half interest in a ranch...Hoppy is framed for cattle rustling...and California and Wildcat Kelly strike oil, as they were drilling for water...that's just the tip of the iceberg of the adventure that is in store for Hoppy & California,

Hoppy's interaction with California Carlson (Andy Clyde) is always a shot in the arm with his down-to-earth humor and sentimentality, theses scenes are pure Americana! Boyd, with his silver hair, black clothes and white horse (Topper) rode into our lives and we've never been the same since...your children and grandchildren will enjoy this clean wholesome entertainment...Hoppy always wore two silver white handle six shooters, never drank or smoked, when the good guys always won and the moral to the story was fair-play...outstanding role model...gotta love it!

Another pick for "Pop" Sherman was a new sidekick for the Cassidy films...a newcomer Lucky Jenkins, played by Russell Hayden had his job cut out for him, with Boyd (as the hero) and Andy Clyde (California Carlson) for comedy, left the field of romance and action wide open, Hayden filled those "boots" perfectly.

William Boyd was my hero, this collection of five films are perfect, clear and give me hope for the future. Our youth should have such a hero to look up to today. Must mention the fact that I still miss one of my all-time-favorite sidekicks though, George "Gabby" Hayes, you're durn tootin'!

Paramount and Clarence E. Mulford's fictional western character Hopalong Cassidy comes to life through William Boyd as Hoppy and Andy Clyde as California with films from the '40s...horse operas directed by Lesley Selander and George Archainbaud...some of the best hard riding and smokin' gunplay that ever came across the big screen from the Bar 20 boys...just the way we like 'em.

Total Time: 340 mins (5 films) DVD ~ Platinum 21129 ~ (8/31/2004)

Volume 5 marks the new set of the Hopalong Cassidy series from Platinum. Volumes 1-4 were released a couple of months earlier. The 40 episodes in volumes 1-8 (5 episodes per volume) of circa early to late 40's Hoppies and the 20 episodes from Image (2 episodes per set) from the 30's provide the Hoppy film buffs with the essential collection for the genre. Hoppy westerns are B westerns with high production values (especially the 30's episodes). That makes them very pleasing to watch. Hoppy westerns are westerns, with no time-warping distortions where you see planes, cars, telephones, Nazis, etc., in an environment of tough cowboys packing pistols. Such are common with the Gene Autry and Roy Rogers fare of later years. As a young kid then, I was already discerning enough to know that cars, planes and gun toting cowboys don't mix. I know westerns require a suspension of reality to be enjoyable but mixing them with modern day apparatus make whole deal unbelievable and preposterous. Happily that is not the way with Hoppy westerns.

My first introduction to Hoppy was the 30 minute show with specially made for TV episodes (40 new episodes and some 12 movies cannibalized to fit the 30 minute format). I was not hot on Hoppy then for the TV shows were somewhat tepid. Also, Boyd then was somewhat aged for an action cowboy hero. His white hair didn't help any. Boyd started the series in the mid 30's at forty years of age. Is it any wonder then that new episodes canned in the 1951-53 make him appear as a "granpa" cowboy hero? It was only later in my maturity when I discovered the 30's and 40's Hoppy to realize these earlier features were A-1 quality westerns. The films are categorized as B westerns because they were a continuing series and the actors are B players. Other than that, the films are well made. The fact that there are many of them (66 to be exact) makes watching NOT not a boring endeavor.

If Platinum (ARE YOU READING THIS?) comes up with the 52 Hoppy 1950 specially made for TV episodes, I will also CONSUME THEM and SAVOR THEM. Well Platinum, do it now!!!

These discs contain the last 40 Hopalong Cassidy movies (5 films per disc)and are issued by Platinum Disc Co. A number of the earlier films were issued by Image Entertainment at two films per disc.
They are all official releases, have been remastered for sound and vision and are the full length uncut versions.Overall quality is excellent.
Although 'B'westerns the production values on the Cassidys was superior to most of the similar product of the time and it shows.
If you like Hoppy or 'B' westerns in general you will enjoy these and at the price is a real bargain.
Highly recommended

What you have to remember is that the Paramount films from the 1930s and 40s were superb in every detail, but the earliest were already released through Image Entertainment as double features (those are also on Amazon for purchase). These are the second best, ignoring the last twelve that William Boyd produced himself, which drag and are very slooowww. So slow in fact that when he edited them into TV features in the 1950s, they work better as 25 minute episodes. But overall, the picture quality is superb and so is the sound. These used to sell on VHS as single features at $14.95 each so five of them for a little more than a buck a piece is a bargain and worth the price. This company released eight DVDs, by the way, for a total of 40 of the 66 movies. I recommend you buy all eight of them.

For anyone who has not seen any of Hopalong Cassidy's movies:
Beware: You may be addicted...that is, if you like westerns, cowboys, horses, etc...I do.

I'm only going to take the time to address one of the films from this great series. In his book "Hollywood Corral," author Don Miller refers to "Three Men From Texas" as possibly the best Hoppy ever made. I go one further and say that it is the best of the near perfect Hopalong Cassidy series. The story is solid and told in the style of a Victorian romance, in the truest sense of the word. There is also the sweeping grandeur of a great silent western about it. The outlaw gang is particularly vicious, led by one of the series' great interpreters of villainy Morris Ankrum. "Three Men From Texas" introduces Andy Clyde as series regular California Carlson. He's a perfect addition with the weight to carry his part the way George Hayes did with Windy Halliday. Aside from the richness of action, there is wonderful humor as well as very moving moments throughout the screenplay. With the usual superb Cassidy locations, "Three Men From Texas" also has a terrific musical score. The film reminds me very much of Zane Grey and can stand apart from the series as a single entry western classic.
I have all the Hoppies, restored and on dvd. This entry was from Platinum. Critics Choice and Image Entertainment are the other two labels
who put out the rest of the series on dvd. Between the 3 labels, there is no overlapping of titles. All are restored and from the same source, U.S. Television Office, Inc.

This item arrived quickly and in good condition. The good guys always win and ride off into the sunset. Thanks to whoever restored these movies.

The quality is so good that you will think you are watching brand new prints in the best theater on Main Street in the 1940s. Actually it's probably better than that. The intro says these digital re-masters were done by a company named "US Television Office, Inc.". For goodness sake, every person or studio who has old prints TAKE THEM TO "US TELEVISION OFFICE, INC." AND GET THEM RE-MASTERED. Platinum has released 8 volumes of these Hoppy feature films and I own all 8. But for some strange reason, probably only known to some "power lunch" executive, they did not number the volumes...so you will just have to tell the difference by the numbers Amazon gives them. They are worth twice or 3 times the price. There were 66 Hopalong Cassidy films made starring William Boyd, and you can own 40 of them with these 8 volumes at a slim price.

Clarity and sound are excellent. Was one of my favorites as a kid. The stories are good and many have different themes from most of your western movies. Hoppy was more of a detective than a cowboy. Enjoyed both greatly and am in the process of watching for a second time.