In 1943, following eight months without a release, the William Boyd-starring Hopalong Cassidy Western series moves to United Artists, a company devoid of those productions required to satisfy contractual conditions. U.A. signs a pact with Paramount wherein over twenty films in the can and ready for theatre showings were transferred from the latter studio to United Artists, these including the Cassidy pictures, such as this one, LEATHER BURNERS, that failed to gain widespread audience approval, principally due to a scattershot screenplay that is bogged down with unsympathetic plotting twists. A well-worn Western genre theme subject: cattle rustling, becomes a keynote for this work that is nicely detailed during its first half, largely due to the able direction of veteran of silents Joseph E. Henabery, at the helm for his sole sound feature, shot at and near Lone Pine, California, (especially in the adjacent Alabama Hills region for the many outdoor action sequences), as well as in Hollywood's Bronson Cave. Hoppy's latest protégé is Johnny Travers, former ranch hand at Cassidy's Bar 20 spread, and it is Johnny, played by Jay Kirby, who calls for Cassidy and his saddle pard California Carlson (Andy Clyde) to aid him with the mentioned rustling predicament. Hopalong and California pretend to work for Dan Slack (Victor Jory) as a ploy intended to discover a mastermind behind the illegal goings-on, but there are too many plot line threads for even this dauntless pair to effectively tackle, and this surfeit, in addition to a skimpy budget, sinks the piece during its second half. Nevertheless, some interesting elements appear during the course of this essentially basic Western programmer: it marks the third appearance in a Hopalong Cassidy film for each of two young players beginning their careers, Robert Mitchum and George Reeves; it profits additionally from the final score composed for a feature motion picture by Samuel Kaylin. Jory handily garners acting laurels for his smooth performance as a leading representative of the Forces of Evil.
7 Reviews
Quite an operation
bkoganbing19 July 2014
Answering a call from Jay Kirby who has settled in a nearby area with a ranch and along with others is having his cattle systematically stolen with no trace, Hoppy and California come from the Bar 20 when summoned.
As part of his plan Hoppy and California go to work for Victor Jory whom we know right away as a villain. But Jory is only part of the picture.
Jory has got quite an operation going with a whole gang of cattle rustlers among them future screen legend Robert Mitchum. It all involved a spy among the ranchers and a played out old gold mine.
Best in this Hoppy feature is George Givot who normally is in lighter roles on the screen. He plays a miner long thought to be dead, but actually living as a hermit in his old mine and gone stark crazy with the loneliness and the dark.
Definitely one of the better Hopalong Cassidy films.
As part of his plan Hoppy and California go to work for Victor Jory whom we know right away as a villain. But Jory is only part of the picture.
Jory has got quite an operation going with a whole gang of cattle rustlers among them future screen legend Robert Mitchum. It all involved a spy among the ranchers and a played out old gold mine.
Best in this Hoppy feature is George Givot who normally is in lighter roles on the screen. He plays a miner long thought to be dead, but actually living as a hermit in his old mine and gone stark crazy with the loneliness and the dark.
Definitely one of the better Hopalong Cassidy films.
"If you ask me, it's about time we had a little necktie party."
classicsoncall22 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I just picked up a very cool Christmas present for myself - a seven disc, thirty five Western movie collection featuring Hopalong Cassidy. If you're reading this any time close to when I posted this review, you might want to head over to your local Wal-Mart; that's where I got my set. Best part about the whole deal - ten bucks for all those great Hoppy flicks!
This is only the second one I've seen so far, so I don't know if I'll run into this again, but this movie starts out exactly the same as "In Old Colorado" with riders on horses in a series of scenes dashing back and forth. Once the story actually settles in, we see Hoppy and sidekick California Carlson (Andy Clyde) arriving in an unnamed town, having been summoned by a former cowhand of the Bar-20 named Johnny (Jay Kirby). As head of the local Cattlemens Association, Johnny asks Hoppy to investigate cattle rustling in the territory. Town boss Dan Slack (Victor Jory), aware of Hoppy's reputation, figures he'll ingratiate himself with the newcomer and offer him a job as well.
The set up for the Slack/Hoppy scenario is rather curious. Slack has one of his henchmen take a phony pot-shot at him, and when Hoppy comes to his aid, Slack pulls out his pocket watch with a scrap of lead in the shattered glass face. Hoppy notes that the bullet is a plant because it's not even warm, so decides to take up Slack's job offer to get on the inside of his operation. As a precaution, Hoppy wires a marshal in Salt Lake City inquiring about Slack, but it's intercepted by another henchman named Lafe (Hal Taliaferro). Confronting Lafe, Hoppy and California lock him in a stable knowing full well he'll make a getaway as soon as he can. When he does, and this was quite baffling to me, Hoppy and California follow him in broad daylight on horseback to Slack's hideout near the Buckskin Mine. To my thinking, Slack would have had Lafe put away for this indiscretion, but he needn't have bothered - Lafe's horse threw him over a cliff!
When the town sheriff comes out to arrest Hoppy for Lafe's murder, Hoppy simply blows him off and basically tells him to pound sand. At this point I'm really scratching my head, but hey, this is Hoppy's movie. To speed things up a bit, Hoppy and California find the secret entrance to the back of the tapped out Buckskin Mine, and upon further investigation, find a herd of stolen cattle hidden inside the mine. By this time Slack comes on the scene, and is eventually waylaid by crazy old hermit Sam Bucktoe (George Givot) who lives in the mine. In turn, Bucktoe releases the cattle, they stampede, and Buctoe is killed by a cave-in caused by the rumbling cattle.
All of this nonsense made it just way too easy and convenient for Hoppy to solve the mystery of the rustled cattle and earn back the trust of the cattle folks. But if you can overlook the lack of credibility in the story line, you might enjoy catching George Reeves a decade before he put on the tights as Superman. He's town attorney Harrison Brooke who has villain Slack pegged to a tee. And then, don't blink, because Robert Mitchum makes a quick appearance as another Slack henchman, but he flashes by so quickly you'll wonder who he was the rest of the movie after you recognized the familiar face.
This is only the second one I've seen so far, so I don't know if I'll run into this again, but this movie starts out exactly the same as "In Old Colorado" with riders on horses in a series of scenes dashing back and forth. Once the story actually settles in, we see Hoppy and sidekick California Carlson (Andy Clyde) arriving in an unnamed town, having been summoned by a former cowhand of the Bar-20 named Johnny (Jay Kirby). As head of the local Cattlemens Association, Johnny asks Hoppy to investigate cattle rustling in the territory. Town boss Dan Slack (Victor Jory), aware of Hoppy's reputation, figures he'll ingratiate himself with the newcomer and offer him a job as well.
The set up for the Slack/Hoppy scenario is rather curious. Slack has one of his henchmen take a phony pot-shot at him, and when Hoppy comes to his aid, Slack pulls out his pocket watch with a scrap of lead in the shattered glass face. Hoppy notes that the bullet is a plant because it's not even warm, so decides to take up Slack's job offer to get on the inside of his operation. As a precaution, Hoppy wires a marshal in Salt Lake City inquiring about Slack, but it's intercepted by another henchman named Lafe (Hal Taliaferro). Confronting Lafe, Hoppy and California lock him in a stable knowing full well he'll make a getaway as soon as he can. When he does, and this was quite baffling to me, Hoppy and California follow him in broad daylight on horseback to Slack's hideout near the Buckskin Mine. To my thinking, Slack would have had Lafe put away for this indiscretion, but he needn't have bothered - Lafe's horse threw him over a cliff!
When the town sheriff comes out to arrest Hoppy for Lafe's murder, Hoppy simply blows him off and basically tells him to pound sand. At this point I'm really scratching my head, but hey, this is Hoppy's movie. To speed things up a bit, Hoppy and California find the secret entrance to the back of the tapped out Buckskin Mine, and upon further investigation, find a herd of stolen cattle hidden inside the mine. By this time Slack comes on the scene, and is eventually waylaid by crazy old hermit Sam Bucktoe (George Givot) who lives in the mine. In turn, Bucktoe releases the cattle, they stampede, and Buctoe is killed by a cave-in caused by the rumbling cattle.
All of this nonsense made it just way too easy and convenient for Hoppy to solve the mystery of the rustled cattle and earn back the trust of the cattle folks. But if you can overlook the lack of credibility in the story line, you might enjoy catching George Reeves a decade before he put on the tights as Superman. He's town attorney Harrison Brooke who has villain Slack pegged to a tee. And then, don't blink, because Robert Mitchum makes a quick appearance as another Slack henchman, but he flashes by so quickly you'll wonder who he was the rest of the movie after you recognized the familiar face.
Decent but unremarkable.
planktonrules26 September 2020
The baddies in this Hopalong Cassidy film are an unusual and distinguished group...including George Reeves, Robert Mitchum an Victor Jory. This is why I decided to score this otherwise unremarkable film a 6 instead of a 5.
When Hoppy and California (Andy Clyde) arrive in town, Hoppy sees a man seemingly saved through a remarkable bit of luck. But Hopalong is no dummy...and quickly realizes that Dan Slack (Jory) is a fraud. But why? Why would he do this? And, what does this fraud have to do with their friend, Johnny (Jay Kirby) and the missing cattle from his ranch? And, if cattle are being stolen, where have they disappeared to, as the canyon seemed to only have one exit...and it was blocked?
This is an okay Hopalong Cassidy film....not bad but also very familiar and with a cute kid...something I actually hate in old B-westerns as they are quite the cliche.
When Hoppy and California (Andy Clyde) arrive in town, Hoppy sees a man seemingly saved through a remarkable bit of luck. But Hopalong is no dummy...and quickly realizes that Dan Slack (Jory) is a fraud. But why? Why would he do this? And, what does this fraud have to do with their friend, Johnny (Jay Kirby) and the missing cattle from his ranch? And, if cattle are being stolen, where have they disappeared to, as the canyon seemed to only have one exit...and it was blocked?
This is an okay Hopalong Cassidy film....not bad but also very familiar and with a cute kid...something I actually hate in old B-westerns as they are quite the cliche.
Of great curiosity value!
JohnHowardReid7 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The Leather Burners. United Artists, 28 May 1943, Joseph Henabery.
CAST: William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, Victor Jory, George Givot, Shelley Spencer, Bobby Larson, George Reeves, Hal Taliaferro, Forbes Murray, Robert Mitchum, Bob Kortman, Art Mix. 58 minutes. (Available on an excellent Platinum Disc DVD).
COMMENT: For this pocket-sized (58 minutes) entry, our trio is reduced to a duo (or at most a two and a half, if you count eager beaver Bobby Larson) as Jay Kirby has a very minor role and doesn't ride with Bill and Andy at all. Despite a promising line-up of heavies led by Victor Jory, nothing much is made of them either. It's left to Hal Taliaferro to make the running and for a while there it looks like we're going to have some railroad action but this also comes to absolutely nothing, However, the movie is of great curiosity value as it is one of only three or four sound feature films directed by silent era veteran Joseph Henabery who managed to antagonize both M-G-M boss Louis B. Mayer and Paramount's Adolph Zukor who both requested other studios to blackball him. Nevertheless, Columbia's Harry Cohn liked Henabery's spirit and persuaded Jack Warner to hide him away by hiring him to direct Vitaphone short subjects. Henabery was at liberty when his contract ran out at the end of 1939, but only Harry Sherman in 1943 and the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1947 picked up his services. To judge by this effort, Henabery was competent enough, but lacked the ability to pace a story and bring its climaxes to a punchy close.
CAST: William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, Victor Jory, George Givot, Shelley Spencer, Bobby Larson, George Reeves, Hal Taliaferro, Forbes Murray, Robert Mitchum, Bob Kortman, Art Mix. 58 minutes. (Available on an excellent Platinum Disc DVD).
COMMENT: For this pocket-sized (58 minutes) entry, our trio is reduced to a duo (or at most a two and a half, if you count eager beaver Bobby Larson) as Jay Kirby has a very minor role and doesn't ride with Bill and Andy at all. Despite a promising line-up of heavies led by Victor Jory, nothing much is made of them either. It's left to Hal Taliaferro to make the running and for a while there it looks like we're going to have some railroad action but this also comes to absolutely nothing, However, the movie is of great curiosity value as it is one of only three or four sound feature films directed by silent era veteran Joseph Henabery who managed to antagonize both M-G-M boss Louis B. Mayer and Paramount's Adolph Zukor who both requested other studios to blackball him. Nevertheless, Columbia's Harry Cohn liked Henabery's spirit and persuaded Jack Warner to hide him away by hiring him to direct Vitaphone short subjects. Henabery was at liberty when his contract ran out at the end of 1939, but only Harry Sherman in 1943 and the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1947 picked up his services. To judge by this effort, Henabery was competent enough, but lacked the ability to pace a story and bring its climaxes to a punchy close.
The Leather burners
coltras352 March 2022
As rustled cattle have mysteriously disappeared, Johnny sends for his friend Hoppy, Hoppy arrives and immediately suspects Dan Slack. Realizing his telegram about Slack was intercepted, he locks up the operator Lafe knowing he can escape. Tailing Lafe he finds a secret entrance to a mine and inside finds the missing cattle. But Slack's men also find him just as the cattle are stampeded through the mine shaft.
Decent Hoppy western, though it meanders a little and is slightly lesser in quality to the ones I have seen, but it's got Victor Jory as the slimy villain, a role he could do in his sleep, some great rugged scenery and action; the cattle stampede in a mine is quite unusual. It's very hard not to like a Hoppy western.
Decent Hoppy western, though it meanders a little and is slightly lesser in quality to the ones I have seen, but it's got Victor Jory as the slimy villain, a role he could do in his sleep, some great rugged scenery and action; the cattle stampede in a mine is quite unusual. It's very hard not to like a Hoppy western.
Hoppy Enters The Twilight Zone
dougdoepke19 February 2023
Hoppy's called in to help buddy Johnny stop rustlers from grabbing his herd which then mysteriously
vanish. Then too, what the heck's with that weird abandoned gold mine near Johnny's ranch. Things do seem strange.
It's an unusual Hoppy that breaks ranks with traditional oaters. There's a ton of imagination in that creepy mine-shaft showdown, enough to make it and the flick itself memorable. And whoever came up with the weird character and scary looks of Bucktoe (Givot) deserves a Bela Lugosi Oscar. In fact, Bucktoe's wild face and angry demeanor is enough to keep me awake at night with a six-gun cap-pistol at my side. On top of this are a number of plot twists and turns that kept me guessing, marking a real departure from the usual oater as good as they might be.
Nonetheless, Hoppy and California (Clyde) are there to keep the format familiar, if not the various twists. There's plenty of hard-riding and fast-shooting but no flying-fists, and that's along with some great rocky scenery. Then too, catch Bob Mitchum in an early role as a henchman baddie - he even gets a few spoken lines. And guess who gets the one girl in the cast - they didn't call him Superman for nothing (Reeves).
Anyway, don't let this one slip by, especially if you like imaginative departures as variation on the familiar.
It's an unusual Hoppy that breaks ranks with traditional oaters. There's a ton of imagination in that creepy mine-shaft showdown, enough to make it and the flick itself memorable. And whoever came up with the weird character and scary looks of Bucktoe (Givot) deserves a Bela Lugosi Oscar. In fact, Bucktoe's wild face and angry demeanor is enough to keep me awake at night with a six-gun cap-pistol at my side. On top of this are a number of plot twists and turns that kept me guessing, marking a real departure from the usual oater as good as they might be.
Nonetheless, Hoppy and California (Clyde) are there to keep the format familiar, if not the various twists. There's plenty of hard-riding and fast-shooting but no flying-fists, and that's along with some great rocky scenery. Then too, catch Bob Mitchum in an early role as a henchman baddie - he even gets a few spoken lines. And guess who gets the one girl in the cast - they didn't call him Superman for nothing (Reeves).
Anyway, don't let this one slip by, especially if you like imaginative departures as variation on the familiar.
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