JohnHowardReid United Artists, released 18 June 1943, directed by Lesley Selander.CAST: William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, George Reeves, Gayle Lord, Earle Hodgins, Victor Jory, Douglas Fowley, Herb Rawlinson, Bob Mitchum. 67 minutes. (Available on an Echo Bridge DVD). This one starts most excitingly with a splendid chase after bad man, Bob Mitchum. After he's gunned down, however, the pace slackens considerably, only to pick up again for a spectacularly photographed chase climax. Gayle Lord makes the first of only two on-camera appearances. A small role followed in The Woman of the Town (also produced by her dad, Pop Sherman) in which she went by the name, Teddi Sherman - the handle she used (her real name was Theodora) for writing five or six movies and around forty or fifty TV eps for shows like The Rough Riders and Sea Hunt. Alas, Teddi has the femme lead in this one - and she is a most untalented actress. Were it not for her presence, Colt Comrades would be right up there with the best of the series. As it is, it's still must viewing for Mitchum fans!

classicsoncall This is probably Robert Mitchum's most visible role in a Hopalong Cassidy film, and he's only on screen for about six minutes! In that time, he gets to shoot a mail clerk, gets the brush off from his boss Jeb Hardin (Victor Jory), gets arrested by Hoppy (William Boyd), and gets shot by Hardin's henchman Joe Brass (Douglas Fowley). Whew! I guess it all worked out for Mitchum, he wound up being one of my favorite actors.Jory and Mitchum aren't the only Hollywood heavyweights to appear in this Western flick. Future TV Superman George Reeves shows up as ranch owner Lin Whitlock, as he and sister Lucy (Lois Sherman) have just about gone bust on their cattle spread. They and other local ranchers are at the mercy of Hardin who owns the only available water supply, with the intention of forcing them out if they can't pay his price for the necessary commodity.Andy Clyde has a more leisurely role as California Carlson this time out. He spends most of his time in a hammock after getting scammed out of five hundred dollars by a schemer named by Wildcat Willie (Earle Hodgins). California has Willie drilling for oil at the point of a gun as punishment for tricking him with a phony oil deal. Those scenes of Willie operating a pump and maneuvering pipe by hand is something you don't think about regarding the early history of well drilling. That must have been awful hard work.It wasn't surprising that the oil well ruse was going to be a bust, but the good news is that the well wound up producing a welcome gusher of water that would wind up saving the Whitlocks and the other local ranchers. Having to think quick on his feet, villain Hardin decided to frame Hoppy for cattle rustling, but you had to know that that idea wasn't going anywhere. Recalling the stolen mail pouch that opened the story, Hoppy, California and Johnny Travers (Jay Kirby) raided Hardin's office to retrieve the incriminating evidence against him. Following your standard shootout between the good guys and the bad guys, Hardin and his gang are finally put out of commission.As for Hoppy and the boys, well you really didn't think they'd stick around, did you? Even though they had a monetary interest in the Whitlock ranch, there's no doubt they would ride into the sunset at the end of this story. They didn't even seem to care about getting any of their money back!

bkoganbing Colt Comrades was one of the Hopalong Cassidy films where Robert Mitchum got his start. But Mitchum's part here is brief as he's killed while in the custody of US Marshal Cassidy. That was to silence him from telling what he knew about the Ben Cartwright of the area Victor Jory.Jory's got the biggest ranch but he wants it all and he's got the water rights for the whole valley with how he's dammed up the only stream. He's squeezing all the other ranches including the one where Hoppy, Johnny Travers and California are now partners. Earle Hodgins plays one of his rustic conman types when swindles California out of money for oil rights. He always adds something to any film he's in. Ironically the work that California and Hodgins do in drilling for oil starts the tables turning on Jory.A good film for both Robert Mitchum completists and the legion of old little partners that followed Hopalong Cassidy.

wrbtu Of all the 66 Hopalong Cassidy films made, this one is probably the most common & easily available, especially before the US Television Office bought the rights to the films. You could find this one at K-Mart, drugstores, Amazon.com, everywhere. Why was this one so much more common that the other 65? Was it the best? Certainly not, it's probably around the middle of the group. The reason was undoubtedly its cast. Robert Mitchum (who got his start in Hoppy films & made seven of them, all in 1943) had probably his meatiest role here as a baddie. In addition, TV's Superman, George Reeves, also had a significant role in this film; he made four Hoppy films, all also in 1943). Then, for a little icing on the cake, you get Victor Jory (coming off his starring role as the title characters in the serials "The Green Archer" & "The Shadow") as a villain. The female "love interest" in this film, Lois Sherman (AKA "Teddi"), was not as pretty as most, & what acting ability she had was overshadowed by her squeaky voice (kind of like today's Rosie Perez). But it didn't matter, because she was producer Harry "Pop" Sherman's daughter. There's enough action to keep it interesting, & a plot that turns a couple of times. Jay Kirby, while not the best of the "Johnny/Lucky" sidekicks, could certainly act circles around Jimmy Rogers, who was to follow him in that sidekick role. Andy Clyde, as California, actually has a more significant role than usual, & his comedy doesn't get in the way of the plot (his character's actions actually fit in quite nicely). For readers who've followed my other Hoppy reviews on this website, the wardrobe forecast: good! (Hoppy wears his black outfit throughout this film). I rate it 7/10.