The Showdown (1940) - Movie Review

Описание: #hopalongCassidy #Hop-A-Long

William Boyd is back as Hopalong Cassidy, along with Russell Hayden as Lucky Jenkins and Britt Wood as Speedy McGinnis. Alas, no Gabby Hayes this time, but Britt Wood is fine as the comic relief here. He was in Stagecoach War as well.
So the film opens with Lucky and Speedy arriving in town. Britt is all dressed up fancy to meet with Baron Rendor.
and he gets laughed at by everyone, poor guy. Britt Wood, who I don't think I've seen in a Hopalong film yet, sort of resembles Shemp Howard - maybe it's just me
The teasing leads to a big fistfight, right around the time that Hoppalong arrives in town.
Well the baron arrives and is greeted by a big crowd, including Lucky, Speedy, and Hoppy. Speedy, of course, messes up his greeting, but it's all good. The Baron is played by Morris Ankrum, who was a baddie in another Hopalong films as well. He's got the monacle and the goatee so of course, he looks like a Baron.
Anyhow, soon after, there's what appears to be a boy hitching a ride on a train, hanging on to the edge and screaming for help. Hoppy comes to the rescue, and discovers its actually a girl, Sue Willard, played by Jan Clayton. He helps her get a ride to see the Colonel with Lucky. Hoppy is there as well to talk to the Colonel about his horses.
The Baron shows up around the same time, and Hoppy is suspicious.
This Baron wants to buy racehorses from the old Colonel in order to race them.
He splits, and Hoppy reintroduces the Colonel with his niece (the girl from the train earlier)
The baron, meanwhile, watches one of the Colonel's horses race and he and his buddy conspire about buying it and racing it as their own.
Hoppy is still suspicious, and at the telegraph office asks if any foreign messages have been sent out. 'Not in 30 years" says the old guy working there. Hmmm, what's going on here?
The Baron and his buddies are at a saloon and they invite Hopalong to play "the American game poker" with them.
You don't mess with Hoppy at cards, and he manages to not only clean up, but suspects some cheatin' goin' on too with the cards.
Lucky and Jan go horse riding, the sweet music plays, and you get the impression he's fallen in love again, as happens in every one of these.
Well, the Baron's pesky bandits hold up Hoppy and take his money, but as he and Speedy leave he just laughs. He's got plan.
Then it's time for a musical number from the Kings Men as Lucky looks lovingly in the window at Sue Willard.
Next day the Colonel gets a letter about how Sue Willard is actually the legal owner of the ranch.
He's really annoyed, thinking that Sue is an imposter, so he summons the Marshall. Hoppy meets with the Colonel and tries to make sense of things, as something seems fishy to him. The Colonel has a stroke or something, as he's not doing well. Whil Hoppy gives him a drink, the Baron shows up, and Hoppy tricks him into offering money up front to pay for the Colonel's horses.
Ah-ha, it's Hoppy's marked money! The games afoot! Hoppy slugs the imposter and tells him to get out of town (we the viewer know that baddies never heed the "get out of town" instruction in these films, not with 15 minutes of film left...)
Oh, and the Colonel falls over dead.

Hoppy heads to town to meet with the Marshall and talks with him and has Sue Willard released. They head back, and oh, that goofy Speedy, he mistakenly thinks Hoppy is in love with her and storms off. What a character.
Lucky heads to the saloon and offers to take a job with the evil Baron guy, but Windy is there to talk some sense into Lucky.
Back at the stables the Baron shows up and tries to talk Lucky into helping him again. When he puts bad ideas into his head and he leaves, this leaves the Baron and his baddies to get the jump on Cassidy, and tie him up and leave him in a burning barn!
Uh oh! Is this the end for Hopalong?

No spoilers, but I will say that you can anticipate a gun fight, Lucky getting yet another arm injury, and a very exciting conclusion involving a shootout and a wagon chase. All of the elements you come to expect from a Hopalong film.
I always enjoy these Hopalong movies, that are like western comic books with a larger than life hero - he's clever, a quick draw, a poker playing pro, and bulletproof as well. Great stuff. The Showdown from 1940 is a Hopalong Cassidy film worth checking out.