Between Fighting Men (1932)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

RELEASE INFORMATION: Copyright 16 October 1932 by World Wide Pictures, Inc. No recorded New York opening. Los Angeles opening: 14 October 1932. U.S. release: 16 October 1932. 62 minutes. Available on a reasonably good DVD running 55 minutes from Alpha. This DVD doesn't do justice to McCord's outstanding photography and is also cut by at least 5 minutes, but it will have to do until a superior print becomes available. Incidentally, although prominently billed on Alpha's beautiful reproduction of the film's original poster, "Tarzan" has a nothing role.SYNOPSIS: A pretty shepherdess comes between two pals.COMMENT: This top-notch Ken Maynard vehicle boasts an interesting screenplay that successfully combines elements of slapstick comedy, suspenseful western action and true romance. Ken delivers his usual ingratiatingly virile performance and receives solid support all the way down the line, particularly from Ruth Hall's attractive heroine, Josephine Dunn's pugnacious flapper, Walter Law's importunate cattle baron and Albert J. Smith's too opportunistic villain. Even that perennial western foil, the stuttering ranch-hand, is given agreeable life here by James Bradbury, Jr. And for once the saloon owner, nicely played by Jack Curtis, is not the bad guy but a goodie two-shoes! Forrest Sheldon's direction is never less than highly competent and the picture is beautifully photographed by Ted McCord.

I have only recently become a fan of the B movie genre and even more recently become a fan of the old b westerns. I enjoy them very much and its easy to do so. Admittedly, their charm often doesn't include much in originality or good writing. Basically you have a hero, a pretty girl, some bad guys and they spend their time chasing each other on horseback with six guns blazing. It sounds simple but it definitely works. However, you occasionally run across one that rises above and entertains with the usual elements plus gives you something extra. Sometimes its a really exceptional cast, maybe taunt direction, especially well staged action scenes...whatever. This one stands out because it has the usual elements plus outstanding writing. This is a very well plotted movie and the cast seems game to do the material proud. I really like this one and Ken Maynard has not been high on my lists of favorite cowboys before now.You get a really nice love triangle wrapped around some well conceived humor and the usual action. This is a story worth telling and told well. In my opinion this a true Hollywood near classic and a genre gem.

Between Fighting Men is one of those B westerns that had it gotten produced at a major studio with decent production values and an A list cast this could have been a classic western. At 20th Century Fox for instance I could easily have seen Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda as the two brothers as they were in Jesse James. As it is Ken Maynard and Wallace MacDonald aren't that bad as feuding brothers.Brothers occasionally will fight and these two have a good natured history of it. But the real fighting in their part of the west is going to happen when the government says that land the cattlemen have been grazing on is open range and anyone can settle and claim it. The sheepmen intend to do just that. Which means range war.But it means more than that when Ruth Hall and her father Buck Connors move in with their sheep. When the two of them start courting her and forget the range war, others haven't. When Butch Martin kills Connors and he's been hired by Maynard and MacDonald's father Walter Law as a range detective strong arm guy, it all hits the fan.Between Fighting Men is a pretty good product coming from a Poverty Row studio with little production values. Definitely shows cowboy star Ken Maynard off to his best advantage.

Between Fighting Men is a good place to start if you want to learn about Ken Maynard. He always came across as a great guy in all of his westerns. Maynard may have been a jerk in real life, but you would never know it from watching him. In this movie he was still trim and doing a lot of action. He was the perfect cowboy star at the time this movie was made.A war between cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers is always a fun plot element. Add to that a beautiful daughter of the sheep man to lure the affection of the sons of a cattle man and you have a standard, but great, plot for a B western. Ken and Wally cleverly try to best one another for the attention of Judy. Regarless of the western setting, the lengths they go to in their efforts would make any movie from the thirties entertaining.There is no shortage of cowboy action in this movie. Pick it up if you can.