User Reviews

From All American to leading man in such films as "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928) and "Coquette" (1929), Johnny Mack Brown always felt more at home in Westerns. "Between Men" seemed to have a more complicated plot and better production vales than many of these western oaters.

Wellington (William Farnum) is trying to bring up his little boy alone. When a fight breaks out among some cowboys, his little boy is shot. He, thinking his son is dead, kills the shooter and goes on the run. The son, Johnny, (Johnny Mack Brown) is not dead and takes on his father's blacksmith shop. He has been bought up by Sir George (Lloyd Ingraham), whose daughter eloped the same day

as Johnny was shot. Johnny overhears a conversation. Lawyer Wyndham

is disputing Sir George's decision to leave everything to Johnny.

He feels an effort should be made to find the missing grand-daughter, Gail. Johnny vows to go to New Mexico and leave no stone unturned in his effort to find her.

Gail (Beth Marion) and her father live in the desert and are terrorized by Frank, a rogue cowboy, who works for Rand. When Gail's father is killed, Rand (Wellington has a new name and he is now a rancher) vows to teach Frank a lesson. Johnny who has arrived long enough for a shoot-out between himself and the cowboys, rides off with Rand, promising Gail to look out for him. Gail and Johnny fall in love but Rand is not happy. He wants to send her to school, so she can have a better chance in life. Johnny then realizes Gail is the grand-daughter of his guardian.

It is really action packed - there are several fight scenes and a chase involving a runaway wagon that ends in a gunfight along a mountain top. During the fight Rand realises that Johnny is his son (Johnny has a burn mark on his chest) and so sacrifices himself so his son can start a new life with Gail.

William Farnum has such a commanding presence - even though he chews up the scenery, you can't take your eyes from him.

Recommended.

The hook for this 'B' Western is that most of the principal characters wind up with different names about half way through, so if you don't pay attention, it's pretty easy to get lost. There's also a twist to the ending in that John Wellington Jr. (Johnny Mack Brown) never gets to find out that the man he has a brawl with earlier in the picture is actually his father. Rand/Wellington Sr.(William Farnum) high tailed it in the opening set up when he killed a man after thinking his young son was murdered by a stray bullet. The recognition of the grown son occurs when a horseshoe shaped scar is revealed on the son's chest during said brawl.

Fans of the genre who have seen more than a handful of these oaters will easily recognize the behind the scenes talent of stunt coordinator Yakima Canutt. His 'under the buckboard drag' is a signature move, and done here with incredible finesse. There's no way to be certain about this, but I wouldn't be surprised either if that 'buckboard over the cliff' maneuver was used elsewhere as a chapter ending finale to one of the era's ubiquitous Western serials.

For this viewer, seeing Johnny Mack Brown at this point in his career was like watching John Wayne during one of his own Robert North Bradbury directed Lone Star Westerns from the same year. Both actors were still quite young in their film careers, with only a casual resemblance to their older selves. And like John Wayne, this Johnny was able to close out the picture with the sweetheart he had his eye on throughout the story.

"Between Men" was originally released back in 1935.

Anyway - As the story goes - A man's son is shot and the father kills the man responsible for it. Believing his son the be dead, the father heads off as a wanted man for killing the shooter. The son survives his wounds and is raised by another man. After reaching manhood, the son heads off in search of his missing father and the granddaughter of the man who raised him.

Done for Poverty Row Supreme Pictures this Johnny Mack Brown film is more soap opera than horse opera. Between Men has Brown's father killing a man he thought had killed his little boy. The father runs off and becomes a notorious outlaw. The kid who grows up to be Johnny Mack Brown is raied by a rich man who has a granddaughter both estranged and missing.

Cowboy hero Brown won't hear of disinheriting the girl so he goes west to find Gail Marion. And he finds his own dad there as well.

It's a decently acted if cheap western. William Farnum and Earl Dwire acquit themselves well as the father and another outlaw leader whois Farnum'sd rival.

This could have been done as a radio serial though.

The sins of one generation will not fall onto the sins of another. That is the theme of this B western where the ward of a wealthy man goes out to search for the rightful heir to the estate that he has been promised, and finds his own heritage. Johnny Mack Brown risks everything but wins it all by proving his integrity. His father ran off, being accused of a vile murder, and the wealthy patriarch of the community takes him in, having just rejected his own daughter for marrying against his will. He knows that he has a granddaughter somewhere, and Brown intends to reconcile them. When he gets too close, he is accused by the girl's own ward (William Farnum) of being a member of a group of bandits, and after only much violence occurs is he able to prove his innocence. Ironic coincidences occur, and wrongs are righted. Interesting for having a stronger story than normal, and in spite of minuscule budgeting, it comes off pretty well. Beth Marion is a decent heroine, but it is Farnum and Lloyd Ibgraham as the gruff but kindly grandfather/mentor who win acting honors.