CRASHIN' BROADWAY

Rex Bell

CRASHIN' BROADWAY (1933). Director: John P. McCarthy.

In 1902 Tad Wallace (Rex Bell of The Tonto Kid) is a cowboy who has come east to try his hand at a Broadway career even though he can neither sing nor dance. He hooks up with Sally Sunshine (Doris Hill), but even as a couple they get booted off the stage. They decide to join with the other actors and hoofers at the boarding house run by the formidable Mrs. MacTavish (Anne Howard) and head west where they somehow have an engagement near Kansas City as the Bon Ton Players. The money for their fare is given to Sally by a man named Jeffries (Charles King of Jungle Raiders).  Unfortunately when they arrive the theater's owner, Griswold, has some bad news for them, and the cause of his problems seems to be their benefactor, Jeffries. Shakespearean actor J. Talbot Thorndyke may have to use all of his thespian skills to bring the bad guys to heel. 

Gabby Hayes and Vane Calvert

It is no surprise that in Crashin' Broadway handsome star Rex Bell has charm to spare and gives quite a good performance. What is a surprise is that both Griswold and Thorndyke -- who impersonates Griswold at one point -- are both played by Gabby Hayes [Romance on the Range]! Playing Roy Rogers' rather irritating sidekick for so many years hid the fact that Hayes was actually a very gifted and very versatile actor who was apparently not given nearly enough opportunities to show what he could really do. Other notable cast members, besides those already mentioned, include Vane Calvert as a kindly rancher lady, and Lewis Sargent as Griswold's son, Billy. In the amusing ending the participants in a double-wedding ceremony look anything but happy! The movie is an amiable look at old-time theater troupes, but one wishes it had been better directed. 

Verdict: Bell's charming appeal, and Hayes' versatility, lift up this minor but likable old movie. **3/4. 

THE TONTO KID

Rex Bell as the Tonto Kid

THE TONTO KID (1934). Director: Harry L. Fraser. 

Old Rance Cartwright (Joseph W. Girard of The Spider Returns), who owns a ranch, feels that his time is nearly up, and wants his lawyer, Creech (Theodore Lorch) to find his granddaughter, Edna May. and make her an heiress. Cartwright originally hoped to send his former employee, Skeets Slawson, aka the Tonto Kid (Rex Bell) -- whom he fired for insubordination --  to find the granddaughter, but Skeets has other plans. Creech discovers that the long-lost granddaughter may be dead, so with millions at stake he enlists a friend of hers, Nancy (Ruth Mix), to pose as her. Creech's plans take an even darker turn when he kidnaps the real Edna May (Barbara Roberts) with the help of confused Wesley (Buzz Barton). After saving Creech and Nancy from highway robbers, Skeets and Nancy form a bond, which may come in handy when Creech frames the Tonto Kid for murder. 

Rex Bell with Theodore Lorch

Rex Bell, the handsome husband of "It" girl Clara Bow, was a likable and charismatic western cowboy star. The Tonto Kid, although a mediocre flick, illustrates his considerable, rakish appeal. Skeets is no Roy Rogers -- he's a bit of a rapscallion and most people seem to think he's an actual criminal -- although he's ultimately on the side of the angels. Ruth Mix is the child of Tom Mix, and while no beauty, she isn't a bad actress. The Tonto Kid initially has an interesting premise, but then it goes in too many directions. There are a couple of exciting moments, however.  The ending, in which Skeets is sort of roped into a very sudden marriage without even a proposal, is funny and a little scary! Harry L. Fraser also directed The White Gorilla.

Verdict: Rex Bell is the only reason to watch this. **. 

SADDLE ACES OF THE CINEMA

SADDLE ACES OF THE CINEMA. Buck Rainey. A. S. Barnes; 1980.

In this very interesting volume, Rainey looks back at the cowboy heroes of yesteryear, from the silent era to the mid-fifties when television took over from the B movie westerns that proliferated before the "boob tube" became ascendant. The book is much more interesting than I first imagined, because Rainey's prose is quite good and he unearths a lot of interesting information on these mostly forgotten movie stars. The names of Tom Mix and Gene Autry [The Phantom Empire]  and a couple of others may be familiar to the casual reader, and we've also got the likes of Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Rex Bell, Harry Carey [The Vanishing Legion], Buck Jones, Jack Holt [Holt of the Secret Service] and others. Many of these gentlemen went on to successful careers as character actors in westerns, serials and other genres. The book is packed with black and white illustrations, a complete list of each actor's film credits, as well as lots of biographical information. If nothing else the book makes it clear how fleeting fame can be, but each man had many, many devoted fans in their day.

Verdict: For western fans and film enthusiasts. ***. 

FROM BROADWAY TO CHEYENNE

FROM BROADWAY TO CHEYENNE (aka Broadway to Cheyenne/1932). Director: Larry L. Fraser.

Jimmy Kildare (Rex Bell) is a New York City detective who goes out west for a vacation and discovers some familiar crooks are operating a protection racket in town. Oddball mix of western and crime drama is fairly forgettable but it does have some good fisticuffs and a fast enough pace. Bell is a likable, cheery hero -- his nickname is "Breezy" -- and Gwen Lee and George (Gabby) Hayes are also in the cast. From Monogram pictures and it looks it.

Verdict: You can miss it. **.