Calling Wild Bill Elliott (1943) User Reviews (4)

The cavalry comes to the rescue and the heroes ride off into the sunset

[krorie · 6/10 · 23 November 2005]

This action-packed Republic oater is exciting but filled with just about all the cowboy clichés imaginable. The two that stand out and have been parodied over and over ad nauseum are the U.S. cavalry coming to the rescue and the hero riding off into the sunset for more adventures. In this one Wild Bill even takes his comical sidekick, Gabby Hayes, with him. A cowboy hero just never knows who he'll pick up along the way. Why would he choose the cantankerous Gabby over the beautiful Anne Jeffreys? Well, now...

The story isn't bad but the viewer does have to suspend his/her belief in a few places. It seems the only law and order in the territory is that of a self-appointed governor (how does that work?) and his assistant in crime, the meanie Roy Barcroft. To make matters worse for the local ranchers, the governor is using his law to take their land. The Culver family decides to stand up to the legal outlaws. In the process Grandpa Culver is murdered and Wild Bill is blamed. The honest federal judge for the territory is called in and just happens to bring his pretty daughter with him, played with charm and gusto by the talented actress Ann Jeffreys. Why has Ann Jeffreys not received her due in Hollywood? Until now her main claim to fame has been playing a ghost on television's "Topper." The Judge is killed and Wild Bill gets blamed for his murder too. Trying to prove his innocence plus getting the goods on the corrupt governor and his henchmen fill the remainder of the film. Be aware that not long after the movie begins there is a somewhat sadistic part that could possibly upset kids where a drunk tries to burn a parrot in a cage and then the youngster Buzzy with a lit cigarette until Wild Bill intercedes.

Wild Bill Elliott's career was at its peak when this movie was made. He represents the trend in Hollywood during the war years and the post war years of the non-singing Saturday matinée cowboy more like the ever-popular Hopalong Cassidy where action is emphasized. Even the old policy of having a western swing band perform in cowboy movies when the hero was not a singer began to fade. Sometimes a singing cowboy would co-star with a non-singing cowboy. Wild Bill was first teamed with singing cowboy Tex Ritter. This ploy also began to phase itself out.

Wild Bill got his moniker from playing Wild Bill Hickok in a popular serial. His comical sidekick became Gabby Hayes, possibly the best one around. This plus the talents of Ann Jeffreys made the Wild Bill Elliot Republic movies among the best of the day. Usually Gabby, as in "Calling Wild Bill Elliott," would claim to know Wild Bill as a pal in the saddle. Gabby tells the youngster Buzzy, "Why I was so close to Wild Bill that we wore the same hat." When the real Wild Bill shows up, Gabby doesn't know him until Wild Bill gets the drift and puts his arm around Gabby as if the two were old saddle mates. As Wild Bill fans know one of his trademarks was wearing his pistols backwards butts front in his holsters. When he drew he would draw in the normal way and flip the guns around with a twist of his wrist. Especially for the kids, this made Wild Bill special and different from other action heroes of the day.

This is one of Wild Bill's better westerns, with plenty of ridin', ropin', and shootin', plus Gabby Hayes' humor and tall tales are always fun.

Wild Bill Rides to the Rescue!!!

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 7 July 2014]

"Calling Wild Bill Elliot" opens with the preamble: "In that era when the west was still the last frontier, whole territories were sometimes left to govern themselves as best they could." Moments afterward, another forward appears: "Then it was that might made right, and men of power often seized the reins of government . . . denying the people—justice." Basically, what we have here is a variation on self-rule imposed by a single authority figure who sets himself as a Judge Roy Bean type. Unlike the historic judge, this fascist villain rules with an iron fist. This tyrannical individual, Governor Steve Nichols (Herbert Heyes of "Gambling in Souls"), commands a militia that dress like storm troopers in black. Nichols changes rules on a whim. Instead of giving ranchers 30 days to pay their taxes, he enforces a new rule that allows them only three days. He encounters trouble when he tries to take the Culver ranch away from its owners. Ranch owner John Culver ('Buzz' Henry) refuses to fold under pressure, like his feisty father, Cactus Jim Culver (Burr Caruth), and their Uncle Gabby (George 'Gabby' Hayes), especially after they rough up Culver's son Jimmy John (Fred Kohler) during a confrontation that ignites the action.

Grandpa advises his young grandson that the only way to do any job is the right way, and you should never commence anything you cannot finish. Captain Carson (Roy Barcroft of "Ghost of Zorro") and his men show up and serve notice on the Culvers to pay the taxes. Gabby gets the drop on Carson and his henchmen. "Anybody that would beat up a kid and an old man aren't to be trusted," Gabby complains as he removes the bullets from their revolvers before he returns them their shooting irons. "Now crawl out of here you rattlesnakes," Gabby orders. Grandpa is surprised his son is going to thwart Nichols' plan. Gabby stands up for John in front of his family. "Sure he is. John wouldn't miss no chance for trouble. Why went it comes to fighting, he is worse than Will Bill Elliot." John's son Jimmy John cannot believe Gabby knows Wild Bill. "Know him!" Gabby exclaims, "Bill and me was so close we just wore one hat for the two of us." Meantime, John says he wants to assemble a gang of vigilantes to prey on Nichols' rabble. Grandpa argues they need more law & order than bloodshed. The grandfather knows a Federal judge, Judge Richards (Forbes Murray) due to arrive in Eagle City. Cactus, his grandson, and Gabby travel by stagecoach to meet him. The joke is that Gabby and Wild Bill don't know each other until they meet in Eagle City. Nichols dispatches Carson and his minions to keep the elder Culver from contacting Richards. "How you do it is up to you," Nichols tells Carson.

Carson and his men are waiting for Gabby and the Culvers when they arrive in Eagle City. Jimmy Johnny meets Wild Bill (Wild Bill Elliot) after he tries to stop a potbellied drunk from torturing a bird with a smoldering cigar. The drunk assures Jimmy John that the bird will feel nothing and offers to give him a little demonstration. Wild Bill intervenes, and the drunk scrams. Meantime, Gabby gets sidetracked gambling, and our hero has to shoot up the place to get them out of trouble with Carson's henchmen. Gabby and Wild Bill act like they really know each other when this is the first time they have met. Cactus explains to Bill that he wants to straighten things up with the judge so Nichols cannot force them to sell their ranch. Carson runs off all the horses around the hotel, luring everybody outside, so he can break into Cactus's second-story room. Carson eludes Bill, but the so-called authorities discover a knife in Cactus' corpse and accuse Bill of stabbing him.

Later, Bill pays Nichols a visit, but he gets nowhere. Nichols accuses Bill of killing Cactus, and they put him in jail. Nichols plans to fuel John's wrath by letting it be known he has Cactus' murderer locked up. Ironically, John breaks Bill out after dark, but he doesn't get a chance to hang him. Bill escapes, but John catches up with him during a brief horse chase. Coincidentally, the stagecoach carrying Gabby and Jimmy John shows up, and Jimmy clears Bill of Cactus' murder. Meantime, Nichols meets Judge Richards (Forbes Murray) and his daughter Edith (Anne Jeffreys). Nichols tells the judge his services aren't needed. Later, Wild Bill slips into the Judge's room. "Governor Nichols is running this territory like a bandit," Bill explains, "he is not only taxing the people to ruin, he's also stealing their land. He has even turned the militia into his own gang of gunmen and killers."

While Bill is enlightening Judge Richards about the treacherous governor, Nichols opens a sally port in the door and shoots the Judge. This puts Wild Bill in a tight spot that he won't get out of. Later, John Culver assures Edith that Wild Bill didn't shoot the judge. Of course, Wild Bill cannot turn himself in to the authorities. They arrest John and hold him for the judge's murder. Wild Bill saves the day when the villainous Nichols tries to hang John Culver with Culver's wife watching. Our hero swings into action like a swashbuckler and disrupts the hanging.

"Calling Wild Bill Elliot" qualifies as a brisk, snappy little oater with above-average production values and a cavalry rides to the rescue finale with every guy slinging lead with his six-shooter! This marked the first time that Wild Bill and Gabby collaborated in a film.

Peaceable man gets hostile

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 1 January 2013]

Naturally in Calling Wild Bill Elliott its himself that plays the title role. I was a bit dubious about this film and normally I like Wild Bill Elliott films, but the idea of a self appointed territorial governor as villain and played by Herbert Heyes was a bit much to swallow.

Yet that's what we have here as Heyes sets himself up in some unnamed part of the Old West. Heyes is bleeding the settlers dry and has folks like Roy Barcroft as part of his army of state militia to do it.

When he messes with Fred Kohler Jr.'s family that's when Elliott who as always is a peaceable man gets into the mix. After the deaths of Kohler's father and a federal judge. the latter with the blame thrown on Wild Bill. Elliott gets downright hostile.

Lots of shooting and fisticuffs to satisfy the Saturday Matinée kid in any of us. Pretend your 10 year old and the film might pass muster.

A Gabby Showcase

[dougdoepke · 14 August 2014]

A Gabby showcase, with a rather affable Wild Bill. Seems the territorial governor is using his powers to drive ranchers off their land, that is, until the upright Culver family resists. Good thing Wild Bill and Gabby are there to help out. Sure, the plot is just a variation on the standard theme of baddies cheating regular folks. But it works here mainly because of good acting, especially from veteran baddie Roy Barcroft (Captain Carson), and Herbert Heyes as the irascible governor. Gabby's also at his best lending his inimitable brand of gruff humor, and, crucially, without being clownish. Little Buzz Henry (John Jr.) is also likable, and I expect the envy of every kid in the theater audience. Too bad Anne Jeffries (Edith) doesn't do much but stand around and look pretty, which she does well. Anyway, there's a lot of action, which is essential to these oaters. Still, I wish Wild Bill would at least look like he's aiming before he fires his six-gun. Nonetheless, I give the 60-minutes a "7" on the matinée scale, thanks to a good mix of action, acting, and likability.