Not copyright by Big Productions Film Corp. U.S. release through Syndicate Pictures: April 1930. Los Angeles opening: 23 May 1930. 5 reels. 4,853 feet. Original running time: 57 minutes. Kodascope cutdown runs 55 minutes, a result achieved simply by shortening the credit titles.
SYNOPSIS: The villain, Nate Spitzer, wants to buy the ranch leased by Ace Stockdale to the Gordons who are behind in their rent. To make sure his plans succeed, he orders his henchmen to kill Dad Gordon and steal the money he has raised to pay his overdue rent.
COMMENT: Even the minor films directed by J.P. McGowan are worth seeing, and this one is no exception. Despite its routine plot, the story has a number of original touches and is particularly well acted. Admittedly, our diminutive hero, Bob Steele, seems a little unsure how to handle his dialogue and is further handicapped in the early scenes by over-emphatic lip make-up, but all the other players really excel, particularly Clark Comstock and Thomas G. Lingham, both of whom were usually wasted in minor roles. True, director J.P. McGowan obviously gave these men a lot of attention. Perhaps he originally had designs on playing "Ace" himself, but that plan had to be abandoned to accommodate the movie's limited shooting schedule. But at least he was able to shoot the opening reel – featuring a minor railroad stop – on a fascinating real location. The movie was superbly photographed by Herb Kirkpatrick. Available in a beautiful, tinted Kodascope version on a Grapevine DVD.
SYNOPSIS: The villain, Nate Spitzer, wants to buy the ranch leased by Ace Stockdale to the Gordons who are behind in their rent. To make sure his plans succeed, he orders his henchmen to kill Dad Gordon and steal the money he has raised to pay his overdue rent.
COMMENT: Even the minor films directed by J.P. McGowan are worth seeing, and this one is no exception. Despite its routine plot, the story has a number of original touches and is particularly well acted. Admittedly, our diminutive hero, Bob Steele, seems a little unsure how to handle his dialogue and is further handicapped in the early scenes by over-emphatic lip make-up, but all the other players really excel, particularly Clark Comstock and Thomas G. Lingham, both of whom were usually wasted in minor roles. True, director J.P. McGowan obviously gave these men a lot of attention. Perhaps he originally had designs on playing "Ace" himself, but that plan had to be abandoned to accommodate the movie's limited shooting schedule. But at least he was able to shoot the opening reel – featuring a minor railroad stop – on a fascinating real location. The movie was superbly photographed by Herb Kirkpatrick. Available in a beautiful, tinted Kodascope version on a Grapevine DVD.
