Richard Chatten
SPOILER WARNING: No such scene as described in the title appears in this movie (probably just as well considering the speculation it might have prompted!); which sums up the casual attitude the whole film takes to sustaining a plausible narrative. A fresh-faced young Tex Ritter improbably claims to be a geologist while going undercover to track down dapper gang boss Forrest Stanley, who shocks even his henchman when he shoots a boy scout in the back, but otherwise does a pretty sloppy job as an arch-villain. Tex likewise carelessly drops a vital letter in the street enabling Stanley to pick it up and examine it.Considering the zero budget this film must have had, it doesn't stint on frequent elegant optical wipes of the sort that I wish modern filmmakers would rediscover.
JohnHowardReid
"Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts", alas, is another mixture of good and very bad. Directed by Ray Taylor on a miniscule budget, it's further burdened by labored comic relief (Snub Pollard), a Chinese caricature (Philip Ahn), plus a lot of preachy stock footage and another big minus in minimal action. As usual, the lovely heroine (super-attractive Lynn Reynolds) has naught to do than decorate a few shots here and there. But fortunately, Charles King is on hand as a bad guy, so maybe this entry's not all that bad after all. With a fair amount of judicious trimming, we could cut those pesky scouts right out of the action. Maybe? (Available on a Mill Creek DVD).
FightingWesterner
A fairly silly plot has Tex Ritter joining forces with a troop of apparently unchaperoned Boy Scouts who are looking for a dangerous gang of train robbers, something that I don't think would ever happen in real life!Not really one of his best adventures, Tex Rides With The Boy Scouts is pretty inoffensive (unless you're Chinese) and mildly interesting, as long as you don't think about it too much.There just wasn't enough action or memorable songs (with the exception of Tex's rendition of The Girl I Left Behind Me) this go-around, to satisfy.However, Ritter is good as always, the leading lady is quite attractive, and the kiddie audiences of the day probably loved it, especially the real-life scouts.
John W Chance
The film begins with stock footage of a National Scout Jamboree in Washington, D.C. as both a lengthy introduction to and promotion of the "Worldwide Boy Scout Movement" and the film's dedication.Tex Collins (Tex Ritter) and his two side kicks Pee-Wee (Snub Pollard) and Stubby (Horace Murphy) are really agents from the Department of Justice on the trail of a million dollar gold heist from a train. There are clues throughout the film to help you guess their lawman identity-- it's not a 'surprise' at the end as it was in so many other early westerns of the decade.The film has a large cast, and tries to integrate a Boy Scout troupe into the key action, but that attempt is a weak part of the film. In fact, not much is really distinctive in it. Despite the presence of Charles King (who has the best lines) and underused Forrest Taylor as the villains, and the glorious Texas accent of Tex, they all don't get enough screen time. Marjorie Reynolds, who was famous as Riley's wife Peg on the TV 'Life of Riley' (1953-1958) has only a couple of scenes with Tex as the 'love interest,' but their relationship never really gets anywhere.The side kicks antics are not funny and time consuming. The best part of the movie is Tex singing "The Girl I Left Behind Me" with the 'Beverly Hill Billies' at a barn dance. Other than that, this one is not worth much. Tex's first film, 'Song of the Gringo' (1936), with a smaller cast and more character development, is better.
AD
