Western Mail (1942) User Reviews

Very familiar

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 18 January 2019]

"Western Mail" is a competent film, though it's also quite predictable since so many other films were very similar. Specifically, Tim McCoy made several such films in the 1930s....so it was predictable as a result.

When the story begins, a crook is being chased by the law out west. However, when they catch the guy, a stranger in town, Tom Allen (Tom Keene), vouches for the baddie...insisting they were together all the time and he couldn't have committed the crime! Yes, Tom is lying....but why? Through the course of the film you learn why...and Tom obviously has ulterior motives!

Keene was fine....the script was okay. It's not a bad B at all...except that it's so very familiar and predictable. If you are a fan of B-westerns, you'll see nothing new here.

Alibis his way into the gang

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 22 April 2015]

Tom Keene and sidekick Frank Yaconelli get into an gang by providing an alibi for gang member Fred Kohler, Jr. who sheriff Glenn Strange is chasing after a stagecoach robbery. That was the general idea because Keene and Yaconelli want to find out who's behind these robberies. Since these robberies are of the US mail it's their federal jurisdiction.

A word to the wise is always stay away any crimes involving the mails because that's federal and there's no place to run to. But here the villains are targeting the mails for a specific purpose in mind for the boss.

This is a Monogram Picture so don't expect too much. But Keene as western hero is easy to take and Yaconelli is a funny guy.

Western Mail review

[JoeytheBrit · 3/10 · 24 April 2020]

Tom Keene makes an amiable leading man in this otherwise turgid mess of a movie in which characters repeatedly ask stupid questions so that the plot can be clearly explained to slower members of the audience. Among a cast of inadequate actors Jean Trent stands out as positively the worst - even the monkey does better.

One of the better program westerns I've run across

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 24 August 2009]

Young man connected with a mail robbery ring has second thoughts. When he's given an alibi regarding a one crime by a mysterious stranger (our hero named Tom Allen). In order to make the alibi stick Allen is given a job at the ranch. Unknown to anyone, Allen is actually looking into the robberies. This is a very good little western. It moves along at a good clip. I like the film and I'm finding that I'm really enjoying the westerns that were made with star Tom Keene. I don't think there is anything special about the films themselves, I think its Keene who's personality seems to make everything better. I liked this film a great deal. Its actually the sort of thing that I think I'll watch again- which when it comes to program westerns is saying more than I liked it.

Usual good acting and directing

[morrisonhimself · 9/10 · 26 March 2015]

Tom Keene was an especially likable actor, and his westerns are especially likable, very much because of him, but also because the production values are usually quite high.

Early on, in a chase scene, two bad guys are also likable, for bad guys, but they show some personality as well as athletic ability, somewhat unusual for low-budget movies -- which this is, yes, but what money was spent was well spent.

"Western Mail" stands out for several reasons, one being that the great Glenn Strange gets to play a sheriff and not a villain, for a change. And he shines. Mr. Strange was a good actor, and showed it often, not even counting his performance in TV's "Gunsmoke."

Definitely another reason this stands out is a good script. The many "minor" characters seem awfully real and believable, and add a dimension to this movie missing from so many other low-budget films.

That they are played by talented and veteran actors is, of course, one more reason this is such a good movie.

In that chase scene mentioned above, there are two director errors I hated to see, because they were obvious and really shouldn't have happened. But, I realize, they honestly don't matter.

This is a darn good movie, an excellent B western, and I am grateful I found it on YouTube. I highly recommend "Western Mail."