Truly Dreadful Film

Overrated and overhyped

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Copyright 3 December 1950 by Western Adventure Productions, Inc. U.S. release: 25 February 1950. No recorded New York opening. U.K. release through Grand National: 20 September 1952 (sic). Never theatrically released in Australia. Copyright length: 77 minutes. U.K. release length: 74 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Lash and Fuzzy unmask a scheme by the Daltons to rob a local bank.COMMENT: Back in those halcyon days in the 1950s and 1960s when I was reviewing films for a weekly newspaper, it was sometimes physically impossible to see all the films that debuted that particular week. As my editor rightly insisted on completeness, it became necessary on occasion to write up a review, sight unseen. A Press Book not only often served as a handy guide but even supplied a choice of reviews. Alas, however, there were times, when my only guides were the cinemas' advertisements. And we all know that advertising copy either exaggerates virtues at best, or completely misleads at worst. In the week that The Daltons' Women first saw the light of a British projector lamp, the other first releases were the famous French film La Ronde, Lure of the Wilderness in Technicolor from 20th Century- Fox, The Brigand in Technicolor from Columbia, The Pride of St Louis from Fox with Dan Dailey, Lovely To Look At in Technicolor from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, a New Zealand feature Broken Barrier, My Death Is a Mockery with Donald Houston and the super-talented Kathleen Byron. So, guess which movie missed out?I had no cast list or press sheet. All I had to illuminate my review was an advertising mat. Nevertheless, my copy on The Daltons' Women not only mentioned the women of the title at length, but described (in vague terms, of course) how Lash and Fuzzy brought them to justice.Now, more than 50 years later, I've actually seen the movie. No women! The title is a complete misnomer. There are no Dalton women in the movie at all. In fact, the Daltons don't even come into the movie by name until the climax. Admittedly, their leader is on hand all the time, masquerading as someone else. It's possible that one of his brothers is also hovering around. The movie is directed in such an eclectic fashion, it's difficult to tell.In fact the script seems to have been put together on the run. Or rather, two runs. All the songs, for example, were obviously filmed by a different unit, possibly at a different studio. And there are lots of them, including two numbers by Miss Fontaine (who also figures in an unwholesome fight scene with an unknown member of the cast. Oddly, Miss Fontaine is the only player in what I'll dub the stage sequences to receive any credit, even though there are many other candidates. Perhaps the stage scenes were filmed later and then cut into the main movie to augment its running time, using one or two of the credited cast members like Cliff Taylor to butt the scenes together).Anyway, aside from the musical interludes (and the Destry- inspired fight), this is pretty much a standard "B" western fare, whose chief joys come from watching familiar players like Jack Holt, Raymond Hatton and Tom Tyler (whose part is small, alas) go through their paces. Miss Blake, as usual, makes a lithe heroine, and it's nice to see Bud Osborne in a sizable role for once.

Attempt to do more with the Lash La Rue and Fuzzy series goes kind of sideways as we get a plot heavy film with more talk and music than action.The plot of the film has Lash and Fuzzy going undercover to try and find the Dalton gang who have moved west and taken up new identities. The pair tracks the bad guys to a saloon where they spend a great deal of time trying to get evidence.While I applaud the boost in budget but I'm not too sure about the rest. Running about a half an hour longer than most other Lash La Rue films. If there was more action I'd be all for it but instead this one full of music and novelty acts on the saloon stage. Okay yes there is a lengthy battle between singers, but that, like the songs is just filler.I'm mixed on the film which certainly looks good but never generates much real interest.By the time the film cuts loose in the last 20 minutes I kind of lost interest even with Jack Holt as lead bad guy.

An ambitious effort to produce a feature length film within the confines of a "B" western series. Running at a lengthy 77 minutes (the norm for a series western is usually one hour or less) it is a better than average Lash LaRue western. Unfortunately the copy I viewed, contained in the Lash LaRue collector's edition released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, has two of the key sequences edited out of sequence.At first we are watching Lash in a poker game, then it jumps over the bank robbery scenes to Lash following the bad guy after the robbery and the townspeople confronting the bad guy...then returning to the poker game and back to the post robbery scenes.Once I straightened the story line out it turned out to be a not bad western. Bolstered by a strong supporting cast of familiar faces it also has, in my view, some entertaining musical numbers performed on the tight little saloon stage. There is a chanteuse by the name of Jacqueline Fontaine who also manages to get into a cat fight with another saloon gal.The basic story line has Lash and his sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John on the trail of the notorious Dalton gang who are in town working under aliases.The supporting cast is one of the best ever assembled for a "B" western. Jack Holt, Terry Frost, Stanley Price, Tom Tyler, Raymond Hatton and Bud Osborne (playing a stage driver yet again) are on the wrong side of the law and an under utilized Tom Neal, Lyle Talbot and J. Francis MacDonald play the concerned townsfolk. Pamela Blake and the afore-mentioned Ms. Fontaine are the female contributions to the action.It should be pointed out that although the film's title is "The Daltons' Women" there are NO Dalton Women in evidence. As often happened with "B" series westerns, the title had little or nothing to due with the plot.Still and all, the film is entertaining and a cut above the usual 55 minute Lash LaRue westerns.

Marshal Lash LaRue and his hirsute sidekick Fuzzy are on the trail of the legendary Dalton gang in this action-filled B-western. With the help of his usual snooping and detective work, the whip-slinging lawman eventually saves the day, corrals the villains and rides into the sunset ......This film is better scripted and produced than many of the low-budgeted Lash films. Lash LaRue was limited in his range as an actor, but to a generation of youngsters in the south he was the #1 Cowboy. His films , like this one, were predictable yet fun. I enjoyed this one.Fuzzy St. John was good in this one, using his decades of clowning experience to illicit quite a few chuckles here.One of Lash's better films.