Cavalcade of the West (1936)

By CinemaSerf

When their wagon train is ambushed, two young brothers are left at the mercy of their attackers. “Asa” (Rex Lease) is adopted by the gang’s leader and matures into a bit of an hooligan. The other, “Clint” (Hoot Gibson) manages to make it to safety with their mother and he grows up to become a Pony Express rider - much to the chagrin of his unawares sibling who is now called “Ace”. It’s when this latter man robs another stagecoach, one that is carrying “Mary” (Marion Shilling) - who just happened to be the love of “Clint” - that things start to hot up. Determined to free his gal and ensure that “Ace” pays for his crimes, the question is: will the two ever realise just whom the other is, and might they ever manage to reconcile with each other and their elderly mother (Nina Guilbert)? No, jeopardy isn’t high in the list of priorities as this procedural western kills an hour, and the standard of production is static with some pretty brutal editing, too. That said, there is plenty of gun-toting and action and though the romantic scenes are cringeworthy, it’s still got a little of the pioneering spirit to it. It’s not a film you’ll ever remember watching; the acting does little to change that as it remains uncomfortably tethered to it’s silent film roots.