This B-western stars Rex Bell--a man who made quite a few Bs and also married silent star, Clara Bow. For a very interesting account of this woman's life and her marriage to Bell, try reading "Clara Bow: Running Wild"--a very interesting biography.
Now to the story. Like so many B-westerns of the era, this one is an odd combination of the old and new. The film is set in the present time and is about gangsters and the like in New York. When the mob tries to kill Breezy Kildaire (Bell), he hightails it back to his family ranch out west. From here on, the film is filled with cowboys and the like--things you'd expect to be seeing around the latter portion of the 19th century. This odd juxtaposition of the old and new is not uncommon in B-westerns. Heck, I remember seeing a Gene Autry film chock full of cowboys chasing pickup trucks on their horses as well as making phone calls! Odd, but not all that uncommon. It is also odd that these cowboys in "Broadway to Cheyenne" drink beer--it IS during prohibition. Talk about anachronistic! Once out west, Breezy learns of a 'protective association'--a group of mobsters selling 'protection'. In other words, if you don't pay them, then you can expect to have a life-threatening accident or have your cattle machine gunned!! This is all very modern and odd in such a western setting--and something you might expect to see in a Jimmy Cagney or Edward G. Robinson flick. I know I sure felt a might confused! So is the film worth seeing? Well, considering Hollywood made 1472950823 B-westerns, I don't think it's particularly good--especially for the casual viewer. Now if you are a huge B-western fan, it is probably worth seeing--even if Bell has a very stiff persona and the film has little to distinguish it from the crowd. Watchable but not particularly inspired or interesting.
By the way, you may or may not recognize Gabby Hays in this film. In the early portion of the 1930s, he still hadn't perfected his old coot sidekick persona--and here he looks a bit like this guy but not quite as he's sporting a mustache instead of his usual beard. In fact, Hays played many different types of roles during this time in westerns--erudite gentlemen, crazy old coots, villains or whatever else was needed in the movies. Regardless, he's the best thing about this film--and is quite good in his small role.
