Copyright 1 October 1949 by Lippert Productions, Inc. Released in the U.S. through Screen Guild Productions: 12 August 1949. No recorded New York opening. U.K. release through Falcon-Exclusive: 26 February 1951. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 18 January 1952 (sic). 65 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: A muleteer is promoted to leading man in a Poverty Row movie allegedly shooting in Arizona's Grand Canyon.
NOTES: Original theatrical prints were released in sepia.
COMMENT: Although it will not be apparent to the viewers who sit through this adventure/romance/comedy with a moving picture background, this film is something of an oddity. The company around which the fictitious story is framed happens to be Lippert itself. Much is made of the notion that the picture's limited shooting schedule, constrained budget and poor production values, require the enhancement of actual location shooting. But in point of fact, of course, the real main unit never strays far from the home studio and the adjacent Hollywood hills. True, we do see a bit of the Grand Canyon, but mainly through stock and 2nd unit shots, as well as the ever-ready back projection.
In order to forestall this sort of criticism, Lippert's publicity department actually put out a story that the film was made mostly in the studio because bad weather forced the location company's premature return from the real Grand Canyon. Marvelous what alibis these guys can think up!
Okay, so we see very little of the real Grand Canyon after all. This would be okay, if we saw and heard a reasonably sharp and punchy satire. But we don't. The script comes over like unflavored ice cream, depending a great deal on the charisma of the players to give it taste and appeal. Which, fortunately, they usually do manage to accomplish.
Our main entertainment problems arise when the script detours into forced comedy. Arlen's two verbose sidekicks, Olin Howland (or Howlin, if you like) and Grady Sutton are especially wearisome. Joyce Compton is also forced to act the comic stooge. And a long scene with a potential Shirley Temple in the person of Anna May Slaughter is also allowed to drag.
Flat-footed direction must also be blamed for the film's very middling success, despite the promise of its central idea. It's indeed fortunate that the photography is so attractive, that Arlen is such a personable hero, that Mary Beth Hughes is one of our favorite "B" heroines, that Reed Hadley has such an entrancing voice, that James Millican makes such a delightfully surly villain, and that one of our top character actors, Charles Williams, has such a fairly sizable role as the assistant director.
SYNOPSIS: A muleteer is promoted to leading man in a Poverty Row movie allegedly shooting in Arizona's Grand Canyon.
NOTES: Original theatrical prints were released in sepia.
COMMENT: Although it will not be apparent to the viewers who sit through this adventure/romance/comedy with a moving picture background, this film is something of an oddity. The company around which the fictitious story is framed happens to be Lippert itself. Much is made of the notion that the picture's limited shooting schedule, constrained budget and poor production values, require the enhancement of actual location shooting. But in point of fact, of course, the real main unit never strays far from the home studio and the adjacent Hollywood hills. True, we do see a bit of the Grand Canyon, but mainly through stock and 2nd unit shots, as well as the ever-ready back projection.
In order to forestall this sort of criticism, Lippert's publicity department actually put out a story that the film was made mostly in the studio because bad weather forced the location company's premature return from the real Grand Canyon. Marvelous what alibis these guys can think up!
Okay, so we see very little of the real Grand Canyon after all. This would be okay, if we saw and heard a reasonably sharp and punchy satire. But we don't. The script comes over like unflavored ice cream, depending a great deal on the charisma of the players to give it taste and appeal. Which, fortunately, they usually do manage to accomplish.
Our main entertainment problems arise when the script detours into forced comedy. Arlen's two verbose sidekicks, Olin Howland (or Howlin, if you like) and Grady Sutton are especially wearisome. Joyce Compton is also forced to act the comic stooge. And a long scene with a potential Shirley Temple in the person of Anna May Slaughter is also allowed to drag.
Flat-footed direction must also be blamed for the film's very middling success, despite the promise of its central idea. It's indeed fortunate that the photography is so attractive, that Arlen is such a personable hero, that Mary Beth Hughes is one of our favorite "B" heroines, that Reed Hadley has such an entrancing voice, that James Millican makes such a delightfully surly villain, and that one of our top character actors, Charles Williams, has such a fairly sizable role as the assistant director.
