Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas (1951) User Reviews

The unlikeliest of western heroes could save the west.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 5 October 2023]

Back in the golden age of B westerns, teenagers (mainly boys) were the target audience for these low budget outdoor films, so why not have a few that focused on teenagers? Young Michael Chapin is upset when his father (Steve Pendleton) is injured while trying to stop an illegal land grab and ends up with amnesia. With the help of sheriff grandfather James Bell, pal Hugh O'Brien and the pesky but well meaning Eilene Janssen, they set to bring down the bad guys who holds Chapin and Janssen hostage but underestimate the young kid's smarts.

I enjoyed the two others (out of four) in this brief Republic series which easily have moved to TV. It's predictable fun, with some truly rotten bad guys, Tristram Coffin and William Haade (even the actor's names suggest villainy), light moments of comedy (Janssen pestering Chapin in a flirtatious manner) and intense action make this a fun hour, reminding the viewer never to underestimate the smarts of kids.

Low Budget Moppet Western

[kapecki · 2/10 · 2 April 2003]

OK, so there's nothing objectively good to say about this basement budget kiddie oater from Republic, the first in a series of four featuring young'ins as the titular heroes. But when I was a city kid in the 50s, this was the sort of thing I'd eagerly plunk down my ten cents to see on Saturday afternoon. It had a boy my age who roped, rode, and packed a six-shooter (not that he ever shot anything with it). The story features your standard land-grabbing evil doer riding roughshod over a community, most of whose men are off fighting the Civil War. Featuring early roles by Hugh O'Brien (good guy)and Tristram Coffin (bad guy). Minimal production values and a scant sixty minutes run time, but, hey, we didn't notice. All that's missing are the ten color cartoons and a serial chapter for nostalgia's sake.