Son of the Border (1933)

Son of the Border: Directed by Lloyd Nosler. With Tom Keene, Julie Haydon, Edgar Kennedy, David Durand. Tom Owens, forced to shoot his outlaw friend, wants to make it up to the man’s kid brother…but the dead man’s girl has other ideas.

“The premise of the plot starts out with great potential . Tom Owens ( Tom Keene ) tries to get his friend Jack Breen ( Creighton Chaney ,Jr. ) to leave town as Tom knows he is tied up with the crooks. Their deep friendship allows for Tom to sacrifice his sense of right for his friend to leave and make a new start . But just one last job is the order of the day . In the chase , it is Keene who kills his friend . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBreenu0026#39;s brother comes to town looking for answers . Being a teenager with no family and ridden by guilt , Keene takes him in . He wants the best for him . But Doris , Breenu0026#39;s girl friend also has an interest in the boy. He reminds her of Jack and he is Jacku0026#39;s brother . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter Keene shot Breen , Doris made a threat , u0026quot; One day , I will hurt you like you hurt me u0026quot;. Here is where the tension could have been exploited through the remainder of the film . I realize that time was a limit in these u0026#39;Bu0026#39; films but a few scenes could have done the trick . Instead this choice angle just dangles . What a dimension this could have been if properly handled .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt is interesting that there is little doubt about Dorisu0026#39; profession . That is not your usual u0026#39;Bu0026#39; ploy . Usually the female lead is working at the saloon as an undercover agent or was forced to by an uncle , etc. Then at the end , Keene announces that they will raise the boy together . Wow ! This was an adult theme and not for the little shavers . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is what I like about early u0026#39;Bu0026#39; westerns, the Indies of this period and even the silents . They took chances with plots . They never fit the cookie cutter mold with their stories even when they flopped badly . Here is a plot you never saw in u0026#39;Bu0026#39; westerns and I have seen a ton . Just the story line alone is worth a look at this film .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI like Keeneu0026#39;s early work especially his RKO work . His laugh was intolerable , but he had a charisma . The RKOu0026#39;s have the look of the Hoppy Paramounts . There is some real depth to the photography . The exteriors are sublime in their presentation almost like Star Wars or a John Ford . The story lines are above average and not the mundane . So this was an above average series . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCreighton Chaney Jr. just never had that spark on screen that marks a star . Without the Wolfman , he would be remembered as a good character actor . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEdgar Kennedy had some redeeming features as a sidekick . He didnu0026#39;t seem real comfortable in this role . You get the feeling he woke up with a burr under his saddle . There was no real chemistry between him and Keene . Durand definitely needed some more acting lessons and experience . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere is very little action until the end , but it was enough to qualify as a western . If youu0026#39;re only familiar with Keeneu0026#39;s Monogram work , this film and other RKOs will give you a whole new perspective of him and his persona. Worth viewing ( at least once ).”