Forgotten Reels: Speed Spook (1924)

Posted on July 25, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to another Forgotten Reels, my update series that celebrates the Silent Films from our cinematic past as well as that amazing snack food known as potato chips. This update is the 1924 Comedy film The Speed Spook, a goofy movie that brought belly laughs to moviegoers as well as brought The Speed Spook driverless car to the big screens that blew the mind of moviegoers. And the chips we have at the snack bar are from Route 11 and you will have to wait until a little later to see what flavor they are. So let’s head on into the Rotten Ink Theater and find our seats as I think it’s time we chat about Silent Films.

The Speed Spook was released on August 30, 1924 and was distributed by East Coast Productions and was directed by Charles Hines with this film being his second feature film. Charles Hines was the brother of actor Johnny Hines who was also in this film as he played the lead character “Blue Streak” Billings. Other actors that made up the cast include Faire Binney, Frank Losee, Edmund Breese and Warner Richmond. The film was a comedy that had a hint of horror to it. When released, it was met with pretty good fanfare and reviews and over the years the film has sadly semi faded into obscurity. Even when it was released on DVD by Alpha Video, the film seems to have not gotten attention. The one thing that does get talked about in this film is the fact that the Ghost Car was being driven by a driver that was out of sight and was super close to the burning hot engine, and car lovers have always seemed to enjoy this modified race car as its very classic. The Speed Spook is a great example of a Horror themed movie that was turned into a comedy as cinema owners as well as studios just didn’t have faith that the scares of the screen would not get push back from moviegoers who back in the 20’s were a little more easy to shock and offend. Another reason that many Silent Film fans say that The Speed Spook is not as remembered as other films from 1924 is that Johnny Hines, who was a comedian was not an innovator but a duplicator and that his gags had been done better by many before and after him, making him lost in the shuffle of the emerging comedian film actor shuffle. But I myself find Johnny Hines to be a pretty funny guy who added his own style to the classic gags of the early vaudeville and talkie films.

The chips for this update was selected by Juliet just for this update as with this film being about a “haunted” car she thought what better chips then one from company Route 11 and we picked the “Sour Cream and Chives” kettle cooked chips to be the ones to go along with this spooky silly silent flick. Route 11 is a company out of Virginia and is a pretty well respected chip company that offers a variety of flavors. Check out the picture below to see the chips in the freshly opened bag.

I am looking forward to watching The Speed Spook as this will be a first time viewing for me, and I would love to see just how funny this film is. And remember I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films only and of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab yourself some tasty chips and a soda and let’s head to the world of a haunted race car with Alpha Video.

The Speed Spook
Starring: Johnny Hines and Faire Binney Directed: Charles Hines
Not Rated 1924 90min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

The stands are packed at a motorway as a car race is going on and in the race is “Blue Streak” Billings and he has his fans as they cheer him on to try and win the race, and he does! Chuck Brady is the mechanic and the guy who takes care of the race car and he is happy to see Blue Streak cross the line and get the fanfare and watches as Blue Streak is invited to a big banquet, and Blue Streak lets them know that he and Chuck will not be there as they are leaving for the city of Westwood a place that loves cars and is also the town of his lady. Once in Westwood, the townspeople are very happy to see Blue and Chuck and everyone rushes to shake their hands, and this makes them feel very welcomed and they shake the hands of almost everyone in town! Finally Blue and Chuck make it to Comet Six, the car sales business owned by Betty West and her father is the Sheriff who is running for re-election.

Inside Comet Six Blue is waiting for Betty who has rushed off to change out of her oil covered coveralls and while waiting around Blue finds the shops record keeping book and sees that they are in bad debit! Once Betty comes out of the backroom looking all nice in her dress the pair shyly chat with each other. Blue makes the mistake of asking how business is and after Betty tries to downplay how hard times have been, Blue talks about the dollar being what matters and this upsets her. He then asks how he and Chuck can help as they know cars, she says she has only sold one car and that it keeps breaking down on the main street and how people laugh at the owner for his broken car. And as they are talking Hiram Smith the man Sheriff West is against for the election and the man who bought the lemon of a car is outside and he is not happy. Blue goes outside and looks at the engine of Hiram’s car, he then drives it around the town and as people watch the car has issues and they all laugh at him. And as Hiram leaves Blue lets Betty know that he thinks that Hiram is doing something to the car to make it act up and that he is doing so to ruin Comet Six.

Judd Skerrit is a fellow car salesman and he sees what has happed and the spectacle that Hiram has caused, and he tries his best to block Blue from talking to Betty as it is clear he is also sweet on her. And Blue is able to sneak and ask Betty for a date that night, and she agrees. Late that night Judd dresses up in fancy clothes and heads to the West home himself as young kid buys itching powder that he uses on a cop, and when the cop gives chase the youth slips the package of powder into the pocket of Judd, who arrives to with it still in his pocket, and just on time Blue as well shows up at the West house ready for his date. Judd finds the itching powder in his pocket and sprinkles some on the seat and sticks around as Blue sits on the powder and as Judd talks to Betty, Blue starts itching really bad. And while sitting on the porch Betty brings out a radio and the three listen to some music, as Sheriff West asks for a cushion and Blue gives him his and he as well starts itching and all he wanted to do was read the paper. Sheriff West gives up and gets up as the family dog jumps on the cushion and as well starts itching. And as the night goes on, Judd offers Blue a ride back to his hotel, but Blue tricks Judd by acting like he got into the car and stays to be alone with Betty, Blue promises her that he will put over the Comet Cars in the town. Blue gives Betty a kiss goodnight and he meets back up with Chuck and tells him he is in love and that he has an idea to help get the Comet cars over that will turn the town into a circus.

Two weeks pass and Westwood is being shaken by a driverless car they have called The Speed Spook that has been zipping around town and scaring people. As Speed Spook drives through the townspeople gather around and watch it speed around and Sheriff West is worked up as he wants to stop the car as it’s breaking all types of road rules and speed limits. And many of the townspeople jump into their cars and go after Speed Spook and that includes Judd and the Sheriff who is in a side cart on a motorcycle holding a shotgun. And the chase starts as Speed Spook is zooming around and the others are hot on its heels. But we see that Chuck opens a hidden door that is covered by leaves and plants, and Speed Spook pulls in and looks like it vanished into thin air. And in the hideout we see that the driver of Speed Spook is really Blue as he and Chuck modified the car in order to pull of this hoax. And once they fully hide the car away Chuck gives Blue a ride to the home of Hiram who is hosting a pool party for all the rich and to do people of the town.

At Hiram’s house there is dancing, swimming and everyone is having a great time and Blue is goofily walking around shaking hands and being splashed by water. And Blue hits on an old lady that he mistakes for a younger woman and even passes out and falls into the pool. And once in the pool Blue just swims around and is a announce to many as he just splashes around and ruins many of peoples good time. And even the bratty kid with the itching powder returns and starts shooting his BB Gun and popping peoples pool tubes. While inside Judd is upset that Blue is there and is told to be nice as they need him if Hiram is going to win the election, and the rich old man confirms that he has indeed messed with the car he bought from Betty in order to boost the sells of Judd’s business. While Blue is out of the pool the bratty kid starts shooting him in the butt with the BB Gun and he thinks it’s a young lady by the pool smacking him on the butt, and after the ladies boyfriend gets involved a mishap has them all falling into the pool. Once back out and now inside Judd and Hiram are treating Blue like an old friend offering him drinks and cigars. And when Blue finds out that they want him to help Hiram become the towns new Sheriff he rejects there gifts and pledges his loyalty to Betty and Sheriff West and he storms out of the house. Meanwhile Judd and Hiram are upset but also are coming up with a plan that will help lock Hiram in as the winner of the election as Judd owns a printing press and claims he can just cheat and print out ballots that will have Hiram as the winner. The rich man says let him think it over.

Hiram Smith is starting his Campaign and holds a town meeting the night before election to talk to the towns people and even throw a little party to help push them to vote for him and its packed with people who are supporting Hiram. Meanwhile Blue and Chuck so up to the meeting with mischief on their minds as they use Hiram’s vote for plaques as cheese as they switch them out with the blind sandwich maker so people will eat these disgusting things and blame Hiram. They also use a monkey puppet to distract the man who is running the slide show for Hiram and replace them with slides of cartoons that are making fun of him. Blue then gets the towns people to go outside for real tasty sandwiches brought to them by Sheriff West and as the people head out Hiram gives Judd the green light to rig the election in his favor. As Judd and one of his men race off to the printing press, Blue gets into the Speed Spook and lets out flyers that challenges Sheriff West and the town’s people to try and catch him tomorrow at 3pm!

Judd and his henchman arrive at the printing press and they get to work on trying to print out fake ballots. Meanwhile The Speed Spook pulls up and as Blue looks out of his hidden hatch and notices Judd’s car parked at an old warehouse and gets puzzled and rushes off to change clothes and get his normal car in order to investigate as Blue knows something is not right. When Blue gets their he climbs a tree to open a hatch on the top floor and watches as Judd and his friend are cleaning the print plates, and by accident he drops the challenge flyer for the catch the Speed Spook and Judd reads it and sends his friend outside to look around, and as he leaves Blue drops down from the roof inside and gets into a fist fight with Judd. As the two are wrestling around Judd falls into the press and Blue sees that fake ballot printed on his back, and knows that they are truly up to no good. The henchman runs back in and clubs Blue upside the head and while he is knocked out they tie him up. And Judd and his friend continue to print out the fake ballots.

The next morning Judd has the ballots fixed and tells his friend that while the town is chasing the Speed Spook he will switch the ballots out and then will be the one to capture the driverless car. As they leave they make sure the ropes are still tight on Blue and then they lock him in the warehouse. Once they are gone Blue wiggles around and finds a magnifying glass and uses it and the sun rays to burn the ropes and set himself free, but can not find a way out of the warehouse yet. While in town it’s the final moments of the election and almost all the town has turned out for it, and besides voting they are also all worked up about the chase to capture Speed Spook. Meanwhile back at the warehouse Blue is looking for a way to escape and finds an old army tank and gets it up and running and even takes the printing plate with him to show that Judd was cheating to get Hiram to get elected. And with the tank Blue busts through a bricked wall and sets himself free and starts making his way towards town. Meanwhile Judd’s friend sneaks in and changes out the voting box at the poll while people are outside awaiting the arrival of the Speed Spook. Blue makes it to Chuck and tells him of the plot that’s at play with fake ballots, and then Blue gets into the Speed Spook and says first he has to let Betty West be the one to capture him so that her car sales will go up. As Chuck heads to town in order to alert people of the fraud, Speed Spook as well starts his quest to be caught.

Speed Spook arrives in town with its horn blaring and it’s Betty plus her father in one car given chase, and the other car is being driven by Judd who is working on ways to cheat to catch the car as well as dump the real ballot box. And the chase is going on at high speed and finally Betty is able to force Speed Spook to pullover and both she and her father are shocked when they find that Blue was the driver of the car that was made to look driverless. Blue tells Sheriff West that Judd has the real ballot box in his car and that the one at the poll has been rigged for Hiram to win and they all agree that the road he turned off on must mean he is dumping it into the river to get ride of the evidence. Blue in Speed Spook drives along the railroad tracks to cut off Judd as Sheriff West and Betty wait at the crossroads, and Blue takes a pair of handcuffs with him. Judd makes it to the river and tosses the ballot box in, Blue is able to get ahead of Judd and climb a tree and drop into his car and knock him out with a serious of punches. Blue handcuffs him and wakes Judd up and makes him sit in the driver seat of Speed Spook as he gets into the hidden driver seat and delivers him to the Sheriff.

Back in town Chuck is trying to tell all the towns people of the cheating plan of Judd and Hiram, just then Betty West in her car as well as Speed Spook with Sheriff West and Judd aboard comes pulling in and the townspeople flock to them. Sheriff West then tells the people of Westwood that the real driver of the Speed Spook has done them all a favor by exposing voter fraud, and that all his speed charges have been forgiven. West also makes sure to say that it was his daughter’s car that caught the speedster. He then shows the town that Blue Streak Billings was the driver and the hero of this election. Blue and Judd argue over the charges as the accused says he was framed and never did any of this that he is being accused of. But Blue outsmarts him and rips off Judd’s jacket and shows the ballot that was printed on his shirt when the two fought in the warehouse and this shows the town that Judd was a conman! And all ends well as Blue and Betty in the street next to the Speed Spook share a kiss as a random storm comes rolling in, and then the two get into the speedster and drive off in the rain.

Review: Speed Spook is one of those films that had a very interesting idea back in the golden age of cinema that sadly was not executed as well as the creators wanted it to be. Now let me explain film is named after the driverless car The Speed Spook that is really a hoax that is being pulled off by auto race car driver Blue Steal Billings and oddly enough The Speed Spook element takes a backseat to the over all story as the car rarely shows up in the film, and it’s mostly about Blue Streaks feud with Judd Skerrit who is a sleazy car dealer who is cheating and also going for the same lovely lady as Blue. The Speed Spook car is really cool and the design and look of the car is very neat and is the type of car that classic car lovers will very much enjoy. The story is a little weak and drags in spots as many moments are wasted on long drawn out comedy bits that add nothing to the story, and much time is also spent on the cars just driving around the roads and kicking up dust. With that said some of the comedy bits are funny and Blue Streak is a likable hero who while a goofball is also a slugger who fists fights, drives and out smarts the films baddies. Judd is a creep who tries to not only steal an election and the towns auto sales he also is trying the creep on our heroes lady! And when Judd gets punched in the head several times by Blue after dumping the ballot box in the river had me cheering. Betty West and her father are also good side characters and while they are not flushed out fully they do their part for the film as does Chuck and Hiram. The horror aspect of this film is a sand pebble and it’s mostly a comedy film that turns into an action film as at a certain point the slap stick comedy disappears from the film and it starts taking its self a little more serious. Johnny Hines who plays Blue Streak Billings does a great job and he does some good silly faces and some of his physical comedy is well done with his best bit being the stuff at the pool party. The thing about Speed Spook while it is entertaining and has moments that are great silent cinema stuff, it just kind of is middle of the road and the comedy bits are part of what slows the pace down as an example the bit of Blue shaking hands of everyone in the town of Westwood goes on way to long and even for that time the humor of the wacky handshake was dated and when done so many times in a row the charm it did have wears thin and the comedy aspect flees. I should also note that I like the friendship of Blue and Chuck as they are racetrack teammates and clearly also best friends. The Alpha Video DVD print of this film is pretty good and while it has scratches and such it’s a normal silent film print that has not been digitally remastered. Over all Speed Spook is a good film but not a great silent film that is filled with a cool car, cheesy classic comedy and a sand grain of horror and while over long it still brought the entertainment and laughs.

The Route 11 Sour Cream & Chives are just okay as the chip itself has a good texture and crunch, but the flavor of the sour cream and chives is very light and didn’t pack a huge punch. But with that said sometimes its nice to have a chip that is not just covered with the flavor powder making it all you taste. And to be honest the more of them you eat, the more of the flavor does start to pop out and cover your taste buds. Route 11 is a good chip company and while this is not their best flavor I have had it was still an enjoyable one that made for a tasty movie-watching snack.

Movie: **1/2
Chips: **1/2

I love silent films and after watching Speed Spook for the first time I will say that while it’s a middle of the road film that is not a must see film it really is an interesting film of early car chase cinema. And also when you think about it the film even has elements of crime as the main plot is to stop voter fraud, and also has elements of early haunted object as people of the town of Westwood think that the car is driving on its own or is being driven by a ghost. And while the comedy of the film was your normal slapstick and nothing new, it still packed some humorous moments and I will say I am a fan of the film overall. The Route 11 Sour Cream & Chives potato chips as well were good and not great but was a tasty treat that made for a great snack attack eat. Well the lights are coming on here at the Rotten In Theater as Speed Spook is over and that’s our cue to head out and as we make our way out I would like to inform you all that our next update will be about the classic sitcom Horror Host known as Zombo! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Silent Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! And make sure for the next update to bring a box of Crumble Creature Crackers and some milk.

Wild West Round Up: War Of The Range (1933)

Posted on March 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome to the first ever “Wild West Round Up” update. Now I am sure many of you are wondering what the heck have you gotten yourself into and what this update is all about…well let me tell you what this new themed update is all about! First thing, these updates will be a way to celebrate classic Western films of the past and I will be taking a look at films from the 1920’s through early 1970’s, and will only be covering films that are released by Alpha Video as I feel they are a company that holds the charm of the films that I want to cover, plus I am a fan of Alpha Video as they have released many amazing Silent Horror Films that other companies have ignored. I am sure many of you friends and readers did not know that I am a big fan of old western films and this is my way of sharing my love for this classic film genre. Each update will only have one film that I will breakdown and talk about the plot of the film and will also use pictures to do so. I will also very quickly talk about the films production as well as the lead star of the film, and sometimes even the director, as they are very important to the film as well. Also for these updates I will find a chili recipe online and cook up a batch and watch the movie while eating a bowl or two…and the chili and the film will be graded on a 1-4 star scale! This should be a fun time as Rotten Ink Ranch has been kind enough to allow us to sit around a campfire and cook some chili and chat about good old western films. So if you are ready, let’s start this first ever Wild West Round Up themed update and take a look at the film War On The Range. Also want to thank my friend Jason Young for the logo that will be used on all the Wild West Round Up updates.

War Of The Range was created in 1933 and was a B-Movie that was quickly made by Producer Burton King and Monarch Film Corporation in order to cash in on the American Western boom with the birth of talkie films. Director J.P. McGowan was brought in after a very long history of directing western films and was selected cause he knew how to make a film on a budget and make them entertaining. The leading man for the film was Tom Tyler who was a super popular western superstar who thrilled audience in the silent era and was still a draw in the world of talkies. And let’s take a moment to talk about Tom Tyler who really was a very iconic actor! Tom Tyler’s real name is Vincent Markowski and was born in Port Henry, New York on August 9, 1903 and had many amazing jobs in his life time from as he was a seaman, a coal miner, lumberjack, prizefighter, amateur weightlifter and finally landed on being a actor! Some of his none western roles that have made an impact in Hollywood are “Adventures Of Captain Marvel” as he played Captain Marvel, “The Phantom” as he played The Phantom and the Universal Monster movie “The Mummy’s Hand” where he played The Mummy! Tom passed away from complications of scleroderma and heart failure on May 3, 1954 at the age of 50. Other actors brought into the film included Charles K. French, Ted Adams, Caryl Lincoln, Lane Chandler, Slim Whitaker and Lafe Mckee to name a few. The film when released was a minor hit, but sadly over time it has been mostly forgotten and even has fallen into the Public Domain and has a middle of the road user rating on IMDB.

For this first Wild West Round Up review I looked for a film that I have never seen and one that had a star that I have heard of and enjoyed in other films and that’s why War Of The Range was selected! And for the first meal of chili we decided on “Creamy Italian Sausage Chili” a recipe by Emily Walker that sounded oh so fantastic! So I am going to eat a bowl of this chili and watch this classic western film and after talking about the films plot I will of course give both the film and the chili star ratings! But before we start the review I would first like to show you all what the Creamy Italian Sausage Chili looks like in a bowl with some cheese on top with a dash of sour cream.

This is going to be so much fun and something I have been thinking about doing for a few years now! And I will be grading both the film and the chili on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for this era of classic westerns. So pull up a rock and gather by the campfire as its time to eat some home cooked chili and watch a western flick brought to us from the folks at Alpha Video.

War Of The Range
Starring: Tom Tyler and Caryl Lincoln Directed: J.P. McGowan
Not Rated 1933 58min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

Tom Bradley and Tony head to the end of the ranch and see a group of workers putting up a fence, and Tom goes down to question them why they are doing so and is told that is own father Duke gave the orders. He is not happy with this and heads to Box Ranch to talk to his dad as he is upset that by putting the fence up it will hurt other ranchers who need to move their herd as it keeps them away from water and makes them go a longer route. Tom also says this could start the War Of The Range again as Bull Harris a fellow rancher is itching to go to war with the Bradley family. Duke yells at his son to go back to work and Tom and Tony ride off, just as this happens from the other side of the ranch comes Bull Harris and several of his men, and they are not happy and Bull threatens Duke with death, the only witness is James Warren who is a worker of Dukes…but when Duke walks away we find out that Bull really works for James and they are stealing cattle!

Tom and Tony while working the ranch see Bull and his men trying to steal the cattle and some of Bull’s men open fire on them! Tom tells Tony to head to the ranch and warn his father as he goes after them. Tony ends up capturing one of the thieves who before he can tell Tom who the leader of the gang is takes a bullet from Bull who is hiding up on a hill and does not what the secret out. Tom in turn opens fire and kills Bull’s horse who is forced to run away on foot, but Tom does not get a look at Bull so the mystery of who is stealing the cattle is unsolved. They are able to save the heard, run off the thieves and turn the cows over to the Cartwright Packing Company. They also get news that nesters have taken shelter on the old ranch house on the land and Duke sends Tom and others to run them off, Tom does not like this but does what his Dad tells him and rides off to the old ranch house.

The Carlysle family (Father George, Daughter Grace and son Jimmy) with a wagon full of stuff is at the old ranch home at Bradley Pass as the Box Ranch hands show up they tell the family they are no welcome and start bulling them as well as knocking around their belongings. Grace tries her best to stand her ground as she tells them that they now own this ranch house, but they men get them on a wagon and send them packing as the wagon is out of control, due to the men scaring the horses. Tom sees the wagon out of control and leaps from his horse onto the wagon and is able to bring it to a stop. Grace then shows Tom the deed to the house and land as his father Duke was not the owner of that land and it’s now the Carlysle family. Tom takes the family back to their home and tells his fathers men that this family is here to stay and to tell his father they own the land proper. As the men leave Tom stays to help the family move in, and Grace is shocked that he went against the wishes of his own father. Later in the day Duke shows up at the Carlysle home and he and Tom scuffle and Duke even punches his son in the face as the ranch hands watch on, and James is loving every second of this family meltdown. Tom shows his Dad the legal papers and this angers Duke so much that he threatens his son that he will find a way to get the land and run the Carlysle Family and Tom out of the state! He disowns his son in front of everyone and Grace is upset that her family has causes such a rift. And Tom is happy to see that Tony has decided to stay and help the family as well as he and Tom are friends. James on the way back to the Box Ranch questions Duke about if he is wrong on owning the land, and Duke says he is never wrong and tells James to go get the sheriff as he thinks the law might be able to fix this mess and get “his” land back.

Back at the Carlysle house Tony is trying to teach Jimmy how to mount a horse fast, and is goofily failing at his task. While Tom is also helping with chores around the house and its clear that love is blooming between he and Grace as they share glances and smiles. Bull Harris then shows up and talks with Grace and George and says he is there to give them a big welcome to the area as well as give them a proposition. Tom and Tony head to the house to see what’s going on, while inside Bulls deal is that he will give the family a herd of cattle if they do not allow other ranchers to move cattle through the area unless they get permission from Bull. And just before George signs the agreement Tom enters and punches Bull out the door and by gunpoint Tony runs him off the property. And Grace says she trusts the word of Tom who wants to alert all ranchers that they have permission to use the land when moving their cattle, and wants to also try and patch things up with his father with this news. And Tom takes young Jimmy with him to deliver the news.

Duke has just got paid for his shipment of cattle and James watches were he hides the money, as Tom and Jimmy show up to the ranch its untrustworthy James who informs Duke they are coming. Once inside Duke does not want to hear the deal that could end this war on the range as James has his ear and yells at his son. Tom and Jimmy head to a room to rest for a moment as well as gather Tom’s stuff, but Tom has faith in his father and Jimmy thinks Duke is a hardass. As Tom is getting his stuff the Sheriff shows up and Duke goes outside to explain the situation of the land deed, as James rushes to steal the hidden money he is caught red handed by Jimmy! James knocks out Jimmy and then as Tom comes in looking for his young friend James grabs him from behind and screams for help and acts as if Tom was going to steal the money! James acts as if Tom had Jimmy run away with the cash and now Tom is under arrest but breaks free and gets to his horse and rides away and the law is on his trail. Duke is heart broken over this all and once back inside hears the moans of the injured Jimmy and finds him and takes him to a room to get better, as he thinks the youngster can tell him the truth of what happened to his money and who is the thief, James agrees and is also very worried.

Tom has a good lead on the law that is tracking him for the crime he did not commit, he jumps from his horse and hides in a tree as the officers ride past him and follow the tracks of his horse. He does how ever drop down on the last lawman and knocks him from his horse and then punches him out, steals his horse and heads back to his dad’s ranch. Meanwhile back at the ranch Duke is sitting with the knocked out Jimmy, and is feeling bad for the youngster as well as is making him think of his own son Tom. James is peeking in on them and pulls his gun out and takes aim as he is going to clearly kill the youngster as well as his boss to get away with the crime, but he is stopped by Tom who has arrived just in time, but James is able to smash Tom with a chair and then escape. James meets up with Bull Harris and his men and alerts them they are all heading north and that they need to steal all of Duke’s cattle as they leave.

The Sheriff and his lawman give up the chase on Tom, as James leads his men into the pasture to start stealing the herd and lucky for Duke the Sheriff takes notice of them doing so and head back to get Duke and his men to stop the steal. Meanwhile at the Box Ranch Jimmy is awake and tells Duke that it was James who stole the cash and with that Duke has a change of heart about the Carlysle Family as well as his son as they patch things up. The Sheriff arrives and Duke goes to get his men as Tom heads to the Carlysle house as its in the path of the cattle rustlers and he has to make sure Grace is alright and unharmed. While at the Carlysle house Bull and one other man arrive and Bull enters the home and roughs up Tony as well as George, but Tony tries to fight back against Bull and by accident Bull even knocks out his own man! As Tom arrives Bull tries to shoot him, but Tony is able to yank the rug from under Bull’s feet and causes his aim to be off. Tom and Bull exchanged punches as the Tom finally knocks out Bull and Grace, George and Tony tie the knocked out bandits up Tom heads out to meet up with his dad to stop the rest.

James has his men take down the newly built barbwire fence so they can sneak the cattle out and across the Carlysle land, but James sees the posse lead by Duke is coming and they try and get away, but the posse does not stop the chase even with the cattle safe. Both sides have a shoot out in a wooded area, and The Sheriff is hit by a bullet and is injured badly. James’s men are loosing the gunfight and he gets on a horse and tries to run away, but Tom sees him and gets his horse and gives chase. Tom and James meet near a cliff and have a fight still while on horseback, and James ends up falling over the cliff to his death. Later at the Box Ranch Jimmy is still injured in bed and is visited by Tom, Duke, Grace, George, The Sheriff and Tony and they declare this is the end of the Range War. In the end its shown that Tom and Grace are getting married and that Duke has truly grown to love the Carlysle family like they are his own.

Review: War Of The Range is a good very cheaply and poorly shot western that uses an epic sounding title that promises big gun fights between feuding ranches but delivers a way slower paced story that is about a father and sons differences on how to protect their ranch and how to treat strangers. I really enjoyed the film over all and feel that while it was not very action packed the story was a familiar tale of bad guys never win and you are never to old to change. Tom Tyler does a great job in the role of Tom Bradley who is a good hearted man who just wants to be fair and do the right thing for all, its crazy to think this smiling cowboy would be wrapped up and play the Mummy for Universal seven years later. I was also a little puzzled by some of the camera angles used in the film as at times they are wide shots that just look awkward and lack the impact that they intended. It’s also very clear that the film had a very low budget as much of the film is shot outside and many sets that are used are clearly on sound stages. The worst part of this film has to be Tony the Box Ranch hand and close friend of Tom’s who was played by Billy Franey as this old man character is just so bad and brings comedy elements to the film that fall flat and most of his dialogue is just him saying “Not So Good” and that’s how I would sum up him in the film. But while that character was bad I did find Jim Warren to be a great cheesy classic western bad guy who smirked and hammed up the screen whenever he was on and Ted Adam was a perfect casting for that role. Caryl Lincoln who was the actress that played Grace Carlysle was also a prefect casting as she is super cute and plays the sweet girl next door who is also strong willed. I also love the over sold fist fights in this film that at times are so over done that it looks like when two friends are fake fighting in a combat sports event for the camera. Over all I have to say this is a good 30’s western film that is nothing special but does a good job of delivering an entertaining simple watch that has some fist fights, gun fights and has some really bad cowboy slapstick jokes. I should also note that the Alpha Video print is not great and has many flaws to it, but I loved it as the flaws brought back many memories of watching these type of western films at my Grandparents house growing up. Also the cover has Tom Bradley with a rifle and that never happens at all in this film.

Now lets talk about The Creamy Italian Sausage Chili and my thoughts on it! Making of the chili was easy and took Juliet 15 minutes of prep time and around 45 minutes of cook time! And first impression of the Creamy Italian Sausage Chili once cooked was that it looked really tasty and it smelled really good. And when adding some cheese and a little sour cream it looked even more tasty! When sitting down to watch the movie and I took the first bite of the chili it was a good creamy taste and the sausage really popped with the cream cheese flavor. And after eating a few more spoonful’s the flavor really kicked in and I found that I really liked the chili! It was not overly spicy nor hot and almost to be honest would have been a great dip for tortilla chips or even corn chips. In fact when we make this chili again as yes I would make another batch I might try it with corn chips. And the weather outside the day we ate this chili was slightly chilly and this chili was a great way to warm up and was a great meal to watch a western to.

Movie: **1/2

Chili: ***1/2

Well I hope you enjoyed this first ever “Wild West Round Up” update as it was really fun as well as tasty to do for me as not only did I get to watch a classic western film, but I also got to eat a bowl of chili that was a great meal. While War On The Range was not an amazing film I also really did enjoy it as well and to be honest while I was really hard on the Tony character in the review, he did serve a purpose in the film and his friendship with Tom was well done as the two were loyal to watching out for one another. And to be honest I am looking forward to doing another of these updates that I will say should happen sometime in 2023! So lets put out the old campfire and cover up the chili pot as the sun is setting here at Rotten Ink Ranch and it’s time for us to turn in for the night, but before we do I would like to tell you that the next update will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update and will be about 2001 film The Mummy Returns! So until next time read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a horror filled adventure.