Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Last of the Clintons (1935)

Not the most exciting Western in the world though with an interesting twist.

Trigger Carson (Harry Carey) is enlisted by the sheriff (Slim Whitaker) to infiltrate the cattle rustling gang of Luke Todd (Tom London). He is helped by gold prospector Jed Clinton (Victor Potel) and manages to join the gang. However, Trigger is given the task to kidnap the sheriff's daughter Edith (Betty Mack) who is romantically involved with Todd's younger brother Marty (Del Gordon), who ends up in the jail. Jed meanwhile has captured a rattlesnake, which he threatens to turn into a stew but really it becomes the film's most notable plot device...

A decent if not unspectacular Western, the leads pull off a reasonable job. Aside from the initial gunfight there isn't a lot of action though there is some humour. Interestingly this was the first ever film shown on British TV by the BBC in 1937. The next day it also became the first ever film to be shown on British TV twice!