Copyright 29 July 1943 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 29 July 1943. Australian release: 2 November 1944. 6 reels. 5,185 feet. 57 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Homesteaders battle the railroad company.
NOTES: Starrett's 58th western. Although Starrett starred in The Durango Kid back in 1940, the follow-up movie (and the start of the official Durango series) did not eventuate until The Return of the Durango Kid in 1945.
COMMENT: If you're used to Starrett as the Durango Kid, this movie is a bit of a revelation. The budget, though still firmly in the "B" range, is noticeably higher, and William Berke's direction is a cut above such Durango stalwarts as Ray Nazarro and Derwin Abrahams.
There's some marvelous photography in this one too, including a number of beautiful outdoor shots and a scene where the camera tracks from the exterior to the interior of a bar, pans to the left, and then reverses.
Betty Burbridge's script, however, with its batman-like bandit, its stilted dialogue and its lack of a romantic interest (the heroine is the hero's sister) is strictly for six-year-olds. However, there are some pleasant songs.
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