Wolf Reade and his notorious outlaw band capture Jim to torture him into disclosing the location of the mine.
Tombstone, Jim’s pal, cleverly rescues Jim and they escape, pursued by Wolf and his pack.
The bandits’ gunfire stampedes a herd of wild horses. Jim and Tombstone, fleeing from their pursuers through a deep cut, come face to face with the thundering herd and…
…lose to Marshall University by a final score of 28-7. (Little “thundering herd” joke for all your M.U. alums out there. Oh, and by the way: “pursued by Wolf and his pack”—that will never get old.)
Well, after a week’s hiatus we find Death Valley Rider Jim Benton (Dick Foran) right where we left him last…smack dab in the middle of a stampeding stallion magilla. While Benton lays on the ground praying that the tradition of “a horse will never step on a fallen rider” isn’t some old cowboy wives’ tale, Tombstone (Buck Jones) finds a place inside the cut to escape the charging equines. Wolf Reade (Charles Bickford), accompanied by henchmen Butch (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and Rusty (Ethan Laidlaw), rides up a short distance away and, satisfied that Benton has met his end underneath scared horsies, rides off to join the rest of his pack.
BUTCH: Goin’ back?
WOLF: What for? He’s no good to me dead…
BUTCH: Well, whatcha aimin’ to do?
WOLF: Try to find out where his riders are camped…Butch, you take Pete and scout the country north of Immigrant Cut…I’ll scout the country south…
BUTCH: Well, what do we do if we locate them?
WOLF: Report to me at the hideout… (Butch nods assent) Get movin’…
The bandits separate, and we head back to where Tombstone has been patiently waiting for the horses to charge by. Jim, unscathed by last week’s cliffhanger, gets to his feet and brushes himself off as Tomb rides up to deliver the first of many witticisms in this chapter.
TOMBSTONE: Well, if you’d tighten up on that cinch, maybe you’d get along better with that bronc you’re ridin’…
JIM: When have I had any time to tighten up a cinch?
TOMBSTONE: Well, gather your caque up…let’s round that horse up…by the way—there’s a lady waitin’ in Soda Springs…she’s lookin’ for a gold mine…she can’t find it without you and that map you’re carryin’…
So Jim had the map on his person the entire time! Way to take a chance there, big guy! There’s a brief transitional cut to Jim and Tombstone on their horses (letting the audience know Benton located his steed) and then a screen wipe finds henchman Dirk (Roy Barcroft) riding up to Wolf and another of his thugs, Trigger (Jack Rockwell). I have developed a theory as to why they’ve allotted Wolf so many henchies—if one of them gets lost in the shuffle, the audience isn’t likely to notice. Case in point: earlier, we saw henchman Rusty with the group but he seems to have been replaced by Trigger, who wasn’t with Wolf and his men at the start of this chapter. No explanation for this, and there’s no clarification as to where Rusty has now gone. (Perhaps he went by a 7-11 for snacks and a 12-pack.)
DIRK: I just saw Benton and Tombstone ridin’ over the ridge…
WOLF: You saw who? You’re loco…
DIRK: Well, I may be…but I’m not blind…I saw ‘em, I tell ya!
Awful nice of Dirk to confirm that while he’s lost touch with sanity his eyesight is still 20/20.
WOLF: That hombre’s got more lives than a cat…
And you’ve got more clichés than Carter has little liver pills.
WOLF: Which way were they headin’?
DIRK: Toward Immigrant Cut…
WOLF: Butch and the others ought to be north of there by now…if we move fast we can bottle them up!
When you say, “Butch and the others”…don’t you really mean “Butch and Pete”? Because you’re missing a henchman, dude. Be that as it may, Wolf has no time for simple arithmetic…he and his men commence to gallopin’, and the scene shifts to Butch ridin’ by his lonesome until “the others” ride up to him.
PETE: Benton and Tombstone are comin’ through the cut!
BUTCH: Aw, you’re gettin’ spooky, Pete…Benton’s dead!
PETE: You might think so…but he don’t know anything about it!
Pete points off into the distance…and sure enough, the two of them see Jim and Tombstone a-ridin’…the rumors of Benton’s death have been greatly exaggerated. “Come on,” snarls Butch as the two men ride back in search of Wolf and “the others.”
Let me take a moment to more fully acknowledge character actor Richard Alexander, who plays Pete in this serial because…well, it’s beginning to look more and more like studio rules at Universal mandated that at least one henchman be known as “Pete.” Dick Alexander appeared in a metric ton of serials and B-westerns throughout his movie career despite the fact that early on he had substantial roles in movies like The Docks of New York (1928) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). His best known serial gigs are that of Prince Barin in the cliffhanger classic Flash Gordon (1936) and the sequel Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938), the unbelievably nasty El Lobo in Zorro Rides Again (1937)…and my personal favorite, the hulking menace known as Thorg in S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937).
Another screen wipe brings us back to Jim and Tombstone, who observe a cloud of dust off into the distance. It’s not the fiery horse Silver (Tombstone’s riding him), by the way; Jim speculates that it might be the other Benton Riders looking for him and Tomb.
The two of them ride on, blissfully unaware that Butch and Pete have staked out a position among the rocks in the cut and are apparently planning to mow them down like stubborn crabgrass. “It’s Benton, all right,” observes Butch as he cocks his rifle.
JIM: Those riders must have taken to cover…
TOMBSTONE: Well, they disappeared mighty sudden…
(As they watch from the rocks)
PETE: Don’t forget…Wolf wants Benton alive…
BUTCH (as he gets Jim in his sights): This is one time I’m forgettin’ orders…
Did Wolf really issue an order to these mooks not to kill Jim? I don’t remember him doing so, particularly since he didn’t seem to express too much sorrow when he thought Benton had been killed in the horse stampede. Oh, well…
PETE: Are you gonna plug him?
BUTCH: Sure…that hombre’s given us too much trouble already…we’ll call this…an accident…
Or…you could plead self-defense under Stand Your Ground. Whatever works for you, big fella. Butch no sooner has a bead on Jim when our hero spots the sun bouncing off of his weaponry.
JIM: Hey, Tomb…
TOMBSTONE: What?
JIM: Look—the sun’s shining on something in those rocks…it might be a rifle…
TOMBSTONE: It’s not an umbrella!
Which is a shame, because that would mean that Steed and Mrs. Peel have wandered into the serial…and that would not be a bad thing. Jim and Tombstone duck for cover as both Butch and Pete fire on them, and then make their way up the cut until they locate a rock to take shelter behind. There is a furious exchange of gunfire.
JIM: Can you figure how many there are?
TOMBSTONE: Well, when you get through loadin’ there…you start shootin’ and I’ll count ‘em when they jump…
Smartass. As the gunfire exchange continues, Wolf, Dirk and Trigger ride up to see—yes, I’m going there—what all the shooting’s about. “That firin’s in Immigrant Cut,” observes Wolf. “Butch must have headed them off.” Wolf and his goombahs ride toward the direction of the gunplay just as Tombstone decides to wander off.
“Where are you going?” asks his partner. “Got a hunch,” Tomb replies. (It suits you.) He makes his way behind Jim and on the other side of the rocks spots Wolf and his team riding up in the distance.
JIM: Was your hunch right?
TOMBSTONE: Yeah…the horses have taken a vacation, and…Wolf and his gang of little Wolflets are gonna sneak up and bite us right from behind…
JIM: What are you waitin’ for?
TOMBSTONE: I think you got something there…
I’m not entirely sure what Tombstone is planning to do as he disappears toward the back of the rocks…but then it really doesn’t matter, because Pete and Butch have spotted the pack as they approach.
BUTCH: Hey, Pete…there’s somebody comin’ through the cut behind ‘em…
PETE: Yeah…I hope it’s Wolf…
BUTCH: It’s bound to be…he was south of here, and heard the shootin’…shoot low and keep ‘em busy…
More gunfire continues, and Tombstone—on the other side of the rocks—spots Wolf and his men, and he takes off his hat and waves it at them. (What a pistol!) “That’s Tombstone,” snarls Wolf. “We’re gettin’ close.” Indeed you are, for Tombstone grabs his rifle and fires off a few rounds in their direction, causing them to dismount ever more quickly and head for cover. Grinning, he reconnoiters with Jim.
JIM: How’d you make out?
TOMBSTONE: I sent ‘em for cover but I think the horned toad’s got us trapped…
JIM: Not yet…you keep this outfit busy…
Tombstone continues to trade rounds with Butch and Pete while Jim makes his way down to lower ground, and he starts to gather up brush and bushes in a pile. “Hey—what are you doin’?” his pal asks. “You gonna bed down for the night?” Meanwhile, Wolf, Dirk and Trigger start to inch their way toward where Tombstone is stationed, and Dirk is a mite anxious to fill Tomb with lead: “Let’s rush ‘em!”
“I’ll tell you what to do—and when to do it!” Wolf barks, because it’s important to keep these guys in line. By this time, Jim has set his brush pile ablaze.
DIRK: Benton’s started a fire!
WOLF: There’s nothin’ wrong with my eyes…one of his smart tricks…
Indeed it is, because once Jim has made his way back up to where Tombstone is stationed, he tells his partner that they have to be a-moseyin’. (Tomb is disappointed: “Aw…just one more shot, Jim!”) They maneuver over to a spot where they’re directly over the bonfire Jim made by rubbing two sticks together, and Benton pulls out a bandanna from his back pocket.
JIM: Gimme all the shells you can spare…
TOMBSTONE: Oh…I get it! Awful dirty trick to play on those fellas, you know…
JIM (grinning): Yeah, too bad…
“I really suck, no doubt about it.” Gathering up Tomb’s spare ammo and stuffing it in the kerchief, Jim drops it into the bonfire, where the heat will set off the shells at random and fool the bad guys into thinking the two men are still in their position, firing away. Our two heroes successfully slink away, though Tombstone pauses momentarily…
JIM: Hey—where are you going?
TOMBSTONE: I wanna see them birds battle a bonfire…
Oh, Tombie. You’re incorrigible.
JIM: We’ll be in the clear before Wolf gets wise…
TOMBSTONE: Yeah…without horses…
JIM: You still got your health…haven’t you?
Suffice it to say, Wolf and his men don’t get wise until there’s a five-minute lull since there was gunfire coming from Jim and Tomb’s hidey-hole. The five bandits make their way down and find the bonfire, still spitting out a random shell or two.
BUTCH: Why…I thought I got him, Wolf!
WOLF: No…they’re too smart for us…they pulled the old scout trick…
“Well, that explains it then…I was drummed out of the Boy Scouts when I was eight…”
BUTCH: Well, I could have plugged Benton when I first saw him—but you said you wanted…
WOLF (interrupting): Cut your gab…I’ll get him… (Looking off into the distance) The only way he could have gone is along that ledge…get your horses…
Jim and Tombstone find themselves escaping their nemeses on foot…but they won’t have to for long. They spot in the distance the rest of their team: Pancho (Leo Carrillo), Borax Bill (Guinn “Big Boy” Williams), Smokey (Noah Beery, Jr.) and Tex (Glenn Strange)…who have also fortuitously collected the men’s mounts.
PANCHO (laughing); We was worry when you find your horses and there was nobody in them!
JIM: We were worried when we lost them!
TOMBSTONE: Yeah, and I was worrying ‘cause he was worrying…
PANCHO: Yeah, he was worrying ‘cause I was worrying…
BORAX: Aw, break it up! Let’s go…
JIM: Yeah, let’s get back to camp…
PANCHO: Let’s went!
Funny little Pancho and his broken English. The scene fades as they ride off, and we find Wolf tending to a shoe on his horse outside their hideout as Butch laconically looks on. Don’t worry—it’s merely a stone, but a man rides up to where the two men are…and it’s Rusty, back from his beer run.
RUSTY: We’ve located Benton’s camp…
WOLF: Where is it?
RUSTY: At Soda Springs, on the trail to Jack Hole Lake…
BUTCH: That’ll take ‘em right through the pass!
WOLF: Couldn’t ask for a better place to jump ‘em…all right, boys…come on…
“Go do…that voodoo…that you do…sooooo weeeeellllll!” The six of them mount up—let’s just hope we don’t lose a guy along the way.
Outside Soda Springs, Benton and his riders get situated as Mary Morgan—daughter of Chuckawalla Charlie—has some concerns that need expressed:
MARY: You know, Jim…I’m getting awfully suspicious of that Davis fellow…he’s showing a little too much concern in Chuckawalla’s mine…
JIM: You’re right, Mary…but we’ll take care of him when the time comes… (To the others) All right, gang…roll ‘em!
My concern—that seems to have gone unnoticed—is who exactly stayed behind to protect Mary from that rotter Rance Davis (Monte Blue) when the others rode off in search of Jim and Tombstone. I’ll bet that must have been awkward. (“So, Mary—have you ever foreclosed on a mortgage?”) As the caravan makes its way toward its destination, Wolf and his men ride up in the distance, and Wolf lays out the game plan:
WOLF: All right, boys…we’ll ambush ‘em here…we’ll fan out through those rocks…remember, you hammerheads…I want Benton and the girl alive…
“Uh, Mr. Wolf? I think it would be neat if we all got jackets…with ‘Hammerheads’ emblazoned on the back of them!”
RUSTY: That ain’t as easy as it seems!
WOLF: Cripple ‘em if you have to but take ‘em alive…come on!
“I don’t mind a little kicking in the groin…but there better not be any killing!” Well, the ambush gets underway, forcing the Benton caravan to start hauling ass…and to be honest, I’m not so certain it’s not a good idea for these people to maybe have put numbers on their backs because it’s a little hard to tell who’s who what with all the action and stirred-up dust. Also—what is Davis’ role in all this? I mean, he’s going along with the group as the representative to skeevy villain Joseph Kirby (James Blaine)—but does he get any sort of special dispensation? What happens if he accidentally gets killed in this melee? (“Sorry, Rance old man…couldn’t tell it was you what with the dust and all…”)
The remaining three minutes of the serial is mostly hard action, with Benton and the gang being chased by the Wolfpack; there is much shooting and stunt riding going on in the process. At one point, Mary is forced to jump from her horse to Jim’s, who then deposits her on the wagon being driven by Borax…
…then that wagon later loses its cover when it’s sheared off by a low hanging cactus…
Tombstone, Jim’s pal, cleverly rescues Jim and they escape, pursued by Wolf and his pack.
The bandits’ gunfire stampedes a herd of wild horses. Jim and Tombstone, fleeing from their pursuers through a deep cut, come face to face with the thundering herd and…
…lose to Marshall University by a final score of 28-7. (Little “thundering herd” joke for all your M.U. alums out there. Oh, and by the way: “pursued by Wolf and his pack”—that will never get old.)
Well, after a week’s hiatus we find Death Valley Rider Jim Benton (Dick Foran) right where we left him last…smack dab in the middle of a stampeding stallion magilla. While Benton lays on the ground praying that the tradition of “a horse will never step on a fallen rider” isn’t some old cowboy wives’ tale, Tombstone (Buck Jones) finds a place inside the cut to escape the charging equines. Wolf Reade (Charles Bickford), accompanied by henchmen Butch (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and Rusty (Ethan Laidlaw), rides up a short distance away and, satisfied that Benton has met his end underneath scared horsies, rides off to join the rest of his pack.
WOLF: What for? He’s no good to me dead…
BUTCH: Well, whatcha aimin’ to do?
WOLF: Try to find out where his riders are camped…Butch, you take Pete and scout the country north of Immigrant Cut…I’ll scout the country south…
BUTCH: Well, what do we do if we locate them?
WOLF: Report to me at the hideout… (Butch nods assent) Get movin’…
The bandits separate, and we head back to where Tombstone has been patiently waiting for the horses to charge by. Jim, unscathed by last week’s cliffhanger, gets to his feet and brushes himself off as Tomb rides up to deliver the first of many witticisms in this chapter.
JIM: When have I had any time to tighten up a cinch?
TOMBSTONE: Well, gather your caque up…let’s round that horse up…by the way—there’s a lady waitin’ in Soda Springs…she’s lookin’ for a gold mine…she can’t find it without you and that map you’re carryin’…
So Jim had the map on his person the entire time! Way to take a chance there, big guy! There’s a brief transitional cut to Jim and Tombstone on their horses (letting the audience know Benton located his steed) and then a screen wipe finds henchman Dirk (Roy Barcroft) riding up to Wolf and another of his thugs, Trigger (Jack Rockwell). I have developed a theory as to why they’ve allotted Wolf so many henchies—if one of them gets lost in the shuffle, the audience isn’t likely to notice. Case in point: earlier, we saw henchman Rusty with the group but he seems to have been replaced by Trigger, who wasn’t with Wolf and his men at the start of this chapter. No explanation for this, and there’s no clarification as to where Rusty has now gone. (Perhaps he went by a 7-11 for snacks and a 12-pack.)
WOLF: You saw who? You’re loco…
DIRK: Well, I may be…but I’m not blind…I saw ‘em, I tell ya!
Awful nice of Dirk to confirm that while he’s lost touch with sanity his eyesight is still 20/20.
WOLF: That hombre’s got more lives than a cat…
And you’ve got more clichés than Carter has little liver pills.
WOLF: Which way were they headin’?
DIRK: Toward Immigrant Cut…
WOLF: Butch and the others ought to be north of there by now…if we move fast we can bottle them up!
When you say, “Butch and the others”…don’t you really mean “Butch and Pete”? Because you’re missing a henchman, dude. Be that as it may, Wolf has no time for simple arithmetic…he and his men commence to gallopin’, and the scene shifts to Butch ridin’ by his lonesome until “the others” ride up to him.
BUTCH: Aw, you’re gettin’ spooky, Pete…Benton’s dead!
PETE: You might think so…but he don’t know anything about it!
Pete points off into the distance…and sure enough, the two of them see Jim and Tombstone a-ridin’…the rumors of Benton’s death have been greatly exaggerated. “Come on,” snarls Butch as the two men ride back in search of Wolf and “the others.”
Let me take a moment to more fully acknowledge character actor Richard Alexander, who plays Pete in this serial because…well, it’s beginning to look more and more like studio rules at Universal mandated that at least one henchman be known as “Pete.” Dick Alexander appeared in a metric ton of serials and B-westerns throughout his movie career despite the fact that early on he had substantial roles in movies like The Docks of New York (1928) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). His best known serial gigs are that of Prince Barin in the cliffhanger classic Flash Gordon (1936) and the sequel Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938), the unbelievably nasty El Lobo in Zorro Rides Again (1937)…and my personal favorite, the hulking menace known as Thorg in S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937).
Another screen wipe brings us back to Jim and Tombstone, who observe a cloud of dust off into the distance. It’s not the fiery horse Silver (Tombstone’s riding him), by the way; Jim speculates that it might be the other Benton Riders looking for him and Tomb.
The two of them ride on, blissfully unaware that Butch and Pete have staked out a position among the rocks in the cut and are apparently planning to mow them down like stubborn crabgrass. “It’s Benton, all right,” observes Butch as he cocks his rifle.
TOMBSTONE: Well, they disappeared mighty sudden…
(As they watch from the rocks)
PETE: Don’t forget…Wolf wants Benton alive…
BUTCH (as he gets Jim in his sights): This is one time I’m forgettin’ orders…
Did Wolf really issue an order to these mooks not to kill Jim? I don’t remember him doing so, particularly since he didn’t seem to express too much sorrow when he thought Benton had been killed in the horse stampede. Oh, well…
PETE: Are you gonna plug him?
BUTCH: Sure…that hombre’s given us too much trouble already…we’ll call this…an accident…
Or…you could plead self-defense under Stand Your Ground. Whatever works for you, big fella. Butch no sooner has a bead on Jim when our hero spots the sun bouncing off of his weaponry.
JIM: Hey, Tomb…
TOMBSTONE: What?
JIM: Look—the sun’s shining on something in those rocks…it might be a rifle…
TOMBSTONE: It’s not an umbrella!
Which is a shame, because that would mean that Steed and Mrs. Peel have wandered into the serial…and that would not be a bad thing. Jim and Tombstone duck for cover as both Butch and Pete fire on them, and then make their way up the cut until they locate a rock to take shelter behind. There is a furious exchange of gunfire.
TOMBSTONE: Well, when you get through loadin’ there…you start shootin’ and I’ll count ‘em when they jump…
Smartass. As the gunfire exchange continues, Wolf, Dirk and Trigger ride up to see—yes, I’m going there—what all the shooting’s about. “That firin’s in Immigrant Cut,” observes Wolf. “Butch must have headed them off.” Wolf and his goombahs ride toward the direction of the gunplay just as Tombstone decides to wander off.
“Where are you going?” asks his partner. “Got a hunch,” Tomb replies. (It suits you.) He makes his way behind Jim and on the other side of the rocks spots Wolf and his team riding up in the distance.
JIM: Was your hunch right?
TOMBSTONE: Yeah…the horses have taken a vacation, and…Wolf and his gang of little Wolflets are gonna sneak up and bite us right from behind…
JIM: What are you waitin’ for?
TOMBSTONE: I think you got something there…
I’m not entirely sure what Tombstone is planning to do as he disappears toward the back of the rocks…but then it really doesn’t matter, because Pete and Butch have spotted the pack as they approach.
BUTCH: Hey, Pete…there’s somebody comin’ through the cut behind ‘em…
PETE: Yeah…I hope it’s Wolf…
BUTCH: It’s bound to be…he was south of here, and heard the shootin’…shoot low and keep ‘em busy…
JIM: How’d you make out?
TOMBSTONE: I sent ‘em for cover but I think the horned toad’s got us trapped…
JIM: Not yet…you keep this outfit busy…
“I’ll tell you what to do—and when to do it!” Wolf barks, because it’s important to keep these guys in line. By this time, Jim has set his brush pile ablaze.
DIRK: Benton’s started a fire!
WOLF: There’s nothin’ wrong with my eyes…one of his smart tricks…
Indeed it is, because once Jim has made his way back up to where Tombstone is stationed, he tells his partner that they have to be a-moseyin’. (Tomb is disappointed: “Aw…just one more shot, Jim!”) They maneuver over to a spot where they’re directly over the bonfire Jim made by rubbing two sticks together, and Benton pulls out a bandanna from his back pocket.
JIM: Gimme all the shells you can spare…
TOMBSTONE: Oh…I get it! Awful dirty trick to play on those fellas, you know…
JIM (grinning): Yeah, too bad…
“I really suck, no doubt about it.” Gathering up Tomb’s spare ammo and stuffing it in the kerchief, Jim drops it into the bonfire, where the heat will set off the shells at random and fool the bad guys into thinking the two men are still in their position, firing away. Our two heroes successfully slink away, though Tombstone pauses momentarily…
JIM: Hey—where are you going?
TOMBSTONE: I wanna see them birds battle a bonfire…
Oh, Tombie. You’re incorrigible.
JIM: We’ll be in the clear before Wolf gets wise…
TOMBSTONE: Yeah…without horses…
JIM: You still got your health…haven’t you?
Suffice it to say, Wolf and his men don’t get wise until there’s a five-minute lull since there was gunfire coming from Jim and Tomb’s hidey-hole. The five bandits make their way down and find the bonfire, still spitting out a random shell or two.
WOLF: No…they’re too smart for us…they pulled the old scout trick…
“Well, that explains it then…I was drummed out of the Boy Scouts when I was eight…”
BUTCH: Well, I could have plugged Benton when I first saw him—but you said you wanted…
WOLF (interrupting): Cut your gab…I’ll get him… (Looking off into the distance) The only way he could have gone is along that ledge…get your horses…
Jim and Tombstone find themselves escaping their nemeses on foot…but they won’t have to for long. They spot in the distance the rest of their team: Pancho (Leo Carrillo), Borax Bill (Guinn “Big Boy” Williams), Smokey (Noah Beery, Jr.) and Tex (Glenn Strange)…who have also fortuitously collected the men’s mounts.
PANCHO (laughing); We was worry when you find your horses and there was nobody in them!
JIM: We were worried when we lost them!
TOMBSTONE: Yeah, and I was worrying ‘cause he was worrying…
PANCHO: Yeah, he was worrying ‘cause I was worrying…
BORAX: Aw, break it up! Let’s go…
JIM: Yeah, let’s get back to camp…
PANCHO: Let’s went!
Funny little Pancho and his broken English. The scene fades as they ride off, and we find Wolf tending to a shoe on his horse outside their hideout as Butch laconically looks on. Don’t worry—it’s merely a stone, but a man rides up to where the two men are…and it’s Rusty, back from his beer run.
WOLF: Where is it?
RUSTY: At Soda Springs, on the trail to Jack Hole Lake…
BUTCH: That’ll take ‘em right through the pass!
WOLF: Couldn’t ask for a better place to jump ‘em…all right, boys…come on…
“Go do…that voodoo…that you do…sooooo weeeeellllll!” The six of them mount up—let’s just hope we don’t lose a guy along the way.
Outside Soda Springs, Benton and his riders get situated as Mary Morgan—daughter of Chuckawalla Charlie—has some concerns that need expressed:
JIM: You’re right, Mary…but we’ll take care of him when the time comes… (To the others) All right, gang…roll ‘em!
My concern—that seems to have gone unnoticed—is who exactly stayed behind to protect Mary from that rotter Rance Davis (Monte Blue) when the others rode off in search of Jim and Tombstone. I’ll bet that must have been awkward. (“So, Mary—have you ever foreclosed on a mortgage?”) As the caravan makes its way toward its destination, Wolf and his men ride up in the distance, and Wolf lays out the game plan:
“Uh, Mr. Wolf? I think it would be neat if we all got jackets…with ‘Hammerheads’ emblazoned on the back of them!”
RUSTY: That ain’t as easy as it seems!
WOLF: Cripple ‘em if you have to but take ‘em alive…come on!
“I don’t mind a little kicking in the groin…but there better not be any killing!” Well, the ambush gets underway, forcing the Benton caravan to start hauling ass…and to be honest, I’m not so certain it’s not a good idea for these people to maybe have put numbers on their backs because it’s a little hard to tell who’s who what with all the action and stirred-up dust. Also—what is Davis’ role in all this? I mean, he’s going along with the group as the representative to skeevy villain Joseph Kirby (James Blaine)—but does he get any sort of special dispensation? What happens if he accidentally gets killed in this melee? (“Sorry, Rance old man…couldn’t tell it was you what with the dust and all…”)
The remaining three minutes of the serial is mostly hard action, with Benton and the gang being chased by the Wolfpack; there is much shooting and stunt riding going on in the process. At one point, Mary is forced to jump from her horse to Jim’s, who then deposits her on the wagon being driven by Borax…
…then that wagon later loses its cover when it’s sheared off by a low hanging cactus…
At various points in the action, the wagon is besieged by henchmen Trigger and Rusty; Rusty falls off the wagon fighting Borax while Jim wrestles with Trigger in the back of the wagon…Trigger is eventually knocked off…the team of horses and the wagon are separated…and if you paid attention to the title of this week’s chapter you can pretty much guess what’s next…
“Got a hunch,” Tomb replies. (It suits you.)
ReplyDeleteHa!
I wonder how far back the tradition of using as many henchpersons as you can so when one of them scarpers in the middle of a scene no one will notice goes? At least to Phantom Creeps, probably earlier.
Also, I really thought the low-hanging cactus bit was a joke, but the screencaps prove you right. Wow.
Riders of Death Valley has some impressive font fu.