An enjoyable entry in the series, however I never quite enjoy Hoppy as much when he sheds the black outfit, although I admit he does look good in the checked shirt in the later scene in this film. I agree totally with an earlier reviewer in that the youth of the world could do with a role model like Hoppy these days more than ever, he was mine, and I think Hopalong Cassidy probably was responsible for turning more kids into decent law abiding citizens that any other screen character, and for that alone America owes William Boyd a debt of gratitude! I'm 76 now, and still get more enjoyment out of watching a Hopalong Cassidy movie than most of the clap trap that's on screen today, no matter how expensive and spectacular it's said to be!
8 Reviews
"Never Sell Texas Short"
bkoganbing2 January 2014
Texas Masquerade calls for William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy to masquerade as tenderfoot from Boston. He takes the place of a lawyer who is coming to visit relatives and take possession of half a ranch that is in his name.
Some night riders have been trying to scare all the ranchers out of a certain Texas valley. Kindly old Russell Simpson has been lending folks money and then collecting on their properties when they can't pay back. Of course Simpson's behind it all, but the question is why he wants this land so badly.
Hopalong Cassidy fans will enjoy Hoppy's time as an eastern dude and he's even got a knowledge of the law that fools Simpson for a bit. Of course in the end the bad guys are rounded up western style.
Some night riders have been trying to scare all the ranchers out of a certain Texas valley. Kindly old Russell Simpson has been lending folks money and then collecting on their properties when they can't pay back. Of course Simpson's behind it all, but the question is why he wants this land so badly.
Hopalong Cassidy fans will enjoy Hoppy's time as an eastern dude and he's even got a knowledge of the law that fools Simpson for a bit. Of course in the end the bad guys are rounded up western style.
Boyd Gets to Do Some Acting in Another Good Hopalong Cassidy
boblipton14 October 2006
A gang of outlaws is burning out ranchers and then their front man is buying out the settlers at bargain prices. But when a pal of Hopalong's is killed, Cassidy goes to investigate, disguising himself as foppish, milk-drinking Bostonian to do so in an amusing comic turn.
Boyd, a capable but bland actor was made for this sort of western, and given the series' start at Paramount, it had a level of gloss, both in the writing and production that almost all B westerns lacked. Veteran George Archimbaud directs and the cast includes the always excellent Andy Clyde, Russel Simpson as the lead villain, the almost forgotten J. Farrel MacDonald, and Mady Correll as the female lead -- not the love interest, since Hopalong never smoked, drank or paid attention to women. A pleasant way to kill an hour.
Boyd, a capable but bland actor was made for this sort of western, and given the series' start at Paramount, it had a level of gloss, both in the writing and production that almost all B westerns lacked. Veteran George Archimbaud directs and the cast includes the always excellent Andy Clyde, Russel Simpson as the lead villain, the almost forgotten J. Farrel MacDonald, and Mady Correll as the female lead -- not the love interest, since Hopalong never smoked, drank or paid attention to women. A pleasant way to kill an hour.
Kids used to adore Hoppy
zotch4020 June 2014
I see reviews of Hopalong Cassidy movies that denigrate them and refer to them as "average" and "another oater." well, to the kids that sat in the movies on Saturday afternoons and ate salty popcorn, they were great entertainment. They saw Hoppy travel to the mountains of South Texas and never gave a thought to the fact there are no mountains in South Texas. It's as flat as a pancake. The cactus and mesquite trees abound there and not the Joshua trees from California such as you see in Texas Masquerade. None of that mattered to us. We saw a straight arrow hero who didn't even kiss a girl. Too mushy for us kids. He stood for what is right and we looked up to him. We need another Hoppy to ride into the lives of today's kids. Too bad those kind of heroes have vanished from the movies.
What a kindly old....dirtbag!
planktonrules10 October 2020
When the story begins, Hoppy and his pals come upon a guy who has been shot and his attacker is about to finish him off once and for all. Fortunately, Hoppy stops this and arrests the would-be killer.
In the following scene, Hoppy has traveled to Texas and has assumed the identity of the injured man. After all, he wants to figure out why someone was trying to kill him....why preventing him from going to his new ranch was so important. There, Hoppy pretends to be an Eastern dude...and anything but the tough Hopalong Cassidy we all love. So who is behind the attack and why?
William Boyd (Cassidy) posed as an Eastern dude in a few other films....and these were among my favorite roles he played, since his character seemed so wimpy and harmless. It's the closest thing you have to comedy in these films....and make for a nice B-western. Well made and fun.
In the following scene, Hoppy has traveled to Texas and has assumed the identity of the injured man. After all, he wants to figure out why someone was trying to kill him....why preventing him from going to his new ranch was so important. There, Hoppy pretends to be an Eastern dude...and anything but the tough Hopalong Cassidy we all love. So who is behind the attack and why?
William Boyd (Cassidy) posed as an Eastern dude in a few other films....and these were among my favorite roles he played, since his character seemed so wimpy and harmless. It's the closest thing you have to comedy in these films....and make for a nice B-western. Well made and fun.
"Then you're Hopalong Cassidy. Oh, everybody's heard of you!"
classicsoncall9 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
You didn't have many B movie cowboy heroes ever appear in a suit and tie. John Wayne did it in the following year's picture "Dakota", where it suited his profession as a gambler and businessman. William Boyd looks quite dapper in his well tailored suit and tie in this one, until he falls into that oil slick posing as a mud hole. You have to give the guy credit for taking that dive, he sure came out a mess.
All in service to the story of course, in which Hoppy poses as an East Coast Boston attorney who was ambushed in the opening sequence. Hoppy and his pals Jimmy (Jimmy Rogers) and California (Andy Clyde) ride in to make the save, but not before attorney James Corwin (Nelson Leigh) got shot for his trouble by bad guy Sam Miller (Frances McDonald). Unless my hearing is worse than I thought, it sounded to me like Sam's last name was Miller, but in the credits he's listed as 'Nolan'. You can judge for yourself.
The story is a typical one for Westerns of the era. Greedy town attorney (are there any other kind?) J.K. Trimble (Russell Simpson) is calling in loans on local ranchers and repossessing their properties when they fail to make a payment. The primary reason, as mentioned above, is the fact that most of the land around contains oil deposits, which the astute Hopalong Cassidy recognizes as the mineral resource that's making John D. Rockefeller a wealthy man. Trimble's principal henchman is Ace Maxson (Don Costello), who gets his due in the showdown shootout between Hoppy's good guys and the larcenous Trimble bunch. As for Trimble, well, let's just say he provided new meaning to the term 'oily' businessman.
The action takes place in and around the Virginia Curtis (Mady Correll) Ranch in Glenby, Texas, but here's what I don't understand about the story. James Corwin was her cousin from Boston, and half owner of the ranch with Virginia. When he heard from Virginia about Trimble buying up the properties around her under suspicious circumstances, he decided to head West to help her out. My question is - why would he overshoot Texas and wind up near Prescott, Arizona, home of Hoppy's Bar-20 Ranch? The map of the trail Hoppy and his pals took traversed Arizona, New Mexico and Texas before ever arriving in Glenby!
All in service to the story of course, in which Hoppy poses as an East Coast Boston attorney who was ambushed in the opening sequence. Hoppy and his pals Jimmy (Jimmy Rogers) and California (Andy Clyde) ride in to make the save, but not before attorney James Corwin (Nelson Leigh) got shot for his trouble by bad guy Sam Miller (Frances McDonald). Unless my hearing is worse than I thought, it sounded to me like Sam's last name was Miller, but in the credits he's listed as 'Nolan'. You can judge for yourself.
The story is a typical one for Westerns of the era. Greedy town attorney (are there any other kind?) J.K. Trimble (Russell Simpson) is calling in loans on local ranchers and repossessing their properties when they fail to make a payment. The primary reason, as mentioned above, is the fact that most of the land around contains oil deposits, which the astute Hopalong Cassidy recognizes as the mineral resource that's making John D. Rockefeller a wealthy man. Trimble's principal henchman is Ace Maxson (Don Costello), who gets his due in the showdown shootout between Hoppy's good guys and the larcenous Trimble bunch. As for Trimble, well, let's just say he provided new meaning to the term 'oily' businessman.
The action takes place in and around the Virginia Curtis (Mady Correll) Ranch in Glenby, Texas, but here's what I don't understand about the story. James Corwin was her cousin from Boston, and half owner of the ranch with Virginia. When he heard from Virginia about Trimble buying up the properties around her under suspicious circumstances, he decided to head West to help her out. My question is - why would he overshoot Texas and wind up near Prescott, Arizona, home of Hoppy's Bar-20 Ranch? The map of the trail Hoppy and his pals took traversed Arizona, New Mexico and Texas before ever arriving in Glenby!
A really fun Hoppy film
awiener128 August 2021
I love this Hopalong Cassidy film if only to see Bill Boyd enjoying himself enormously by posing as an eastern lawyer dude, dressed to the nines, and speaking in sophisticated English, even incorporating some legaleze! The cast, as usual, is stellar, including Don Costello as an obnoxious and brutal crime boss. It's not giving anything away to say that, as in many Hoppys, he and his pals are drawn into an adventure that has them helping strangers simply because they need the help.
Texas Masquerade
coltras353 March 2022
A gang of outlaws are using force to become possessors of every ranch in the area. Hoppy, of course, is out to stop them in what is an adequate Hoppy western punctuated with some good action - for example, the shootout in the cactus area - and a very good performance by William Boyd, who acts as a greenhorn easterner. His acting is really good, and makes this entry fairly watchable.
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