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5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Durango Kid B-Western Series ... Law of the Canyon (1947) ... Columbia Pictures", December 21, 2006
This review is from: Law of the Canyon [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Columbia Pictures present "LAW OF THE CANYON" (1947) (56 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Charles Starrett as the black masked Durango Kid of '40s and '50s B-Western trail, he became as synonymous with the character as Clayton Moore was with the Lone Ranger and William Boyd was to Hopalong Cassidy ... The Durango Kid was an immediate hit with Saturday matinee crowd and a decision was made to continue the character, which Columbia did for an unprecedented 64 series westerns over the next seven years ... when Starrett portrayed the black clad and masked Durango Kid, he rode an Arabian white steed named "Raider" ... don't miss any of the Durango Kid features loaded with action that will leave you wanting more of his B-Western adventures.
UnderRay Nazarro (Director), Colbert Clark (Producer), Eileen Gary (Screenwriter), George F. Kelley (Cinematographer), Burton Kramer (Editor) ------ the cast includes Charles Starrett (Steve Langtry/The Durango Kid), Smiley Burnette (Smiley), Nancy Saunders (Mary Coleman), Robert 'Buzz' Henry (Spike Coleman ), Texas Jim Lewis (Band Leader (as Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys), The Lone Star Cowboys (Band Members (as Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys), George Chesebro (Sheriff Coleman), Edmund Cobb (T.D. Wilson), Jack Kirk (Ben (Wagon Driver), Frank LaRue (Dr. D. Kay (dentist), Frank Marlo (Henchman Blackie), Zon Murray (Henchman Fletcher), Stanley Price (Henchman lying in road), Fred F. Sears (Dr. Middleton), Robert J. Wilke (Knife-throwing Henchman ), Jock Mahoney (stunt double for Charle Starrett as Durango Kid) ------ our story has just about every veteran B-Western actor in this Charles Starrett as Durango Kid sagebrush plot line ... it looks like the villain Frank LaRue has given the Sheriff George Chesbro a mickey ... has Smiley accidentally replaced the drug with plain water ... our heroine in this oater is the pretty Nancy Saunders who believes like the rest of the cast that Starrett is a coward ... Smiley Burnette once again provides the comedy relief with songs "Huntin' Trouble" and "With My Luck", just a sample of the hundreds he composed over his career with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers ... watch the final scenes when our masked hero comes to the aid of the innocent to punish the guilty ---- they just don't make 'em like this anymore and Columbia Pictures was one of the leaders of exciting B-Westerns and Serials.
Special Footnote, Charles Starrett was an American actor best known for his starring role in the "Durango Kid" Columbia Pictures western series ... In 1933 he was one of the people who helped organize the Screen Actors Guild, and in 1936 signed with Columbia Pictures to become one of the top ten western stars, starring in 115 movies the following 16 years ... in playing assorted sheriff and rangers roles, Starrett gained notoriety for his role as the "Durango Kid", the first film in which he played his famous alter-ego character was known as "The Durango Kid", which was released in 1940, but for some reason, Columbia did not see fit to continue with the series at that time ... the character was revived in 1944 and lasted through 1952. Dub Taylor, as "Cannonball", worked with Starrett until 1946 ... at that time, Smiley Burnette, who had been a very popular sidekick to Gene Autry, was brought in to replace Taylor. Burnette, appropriately enough, played a character called Smiley Burnette ... "The Durango Kid" series combined vigorous action sequences - often with speeded up camera work and spectacular stunts performed by Jock Mahoney - and western music ... each film featured a singing group, and many gave free rein to Burnette's singing and playing ... Starrett, who was independently wealthy, ended his acting career at 48 age when the "Durango Kid" series ceased production.
BIOS:
1. Charles Starrett
Date of birth: 28 March 1903 - Athol, Massachusetts,
Date of death: 22 March 1986 - Borrego Springs, California
Great job releasing "Law of the Canyon" (1947) - Charles Starrett as The Durango Kid, 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 where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials ---Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 56 min on VHS ~ Sony Video ~ (2/11/1997)
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