Flaming Bullets

"Flaming Bullets" was the last and one of the best entries in the Texas Rangers series, PRC's version of Republic's Three Mesquiteers and Monogram's Rough Riders and Range Busters. The Texas Rangers at first consisted of Jim Newill, Dave "Tex" O'Brien, and Guy Wilkerson. Tex Ritter replaced Newill for the last eight films. What a combination! This new trio was successful partly because each member was so versatile. Tex Ritter was no ordinary Hollywood singing cowboy. He was the real thing. Rather than Hollywood ditties, Tex usually sang authentic songs of the Old West. He was a college-educated folklorist with depth and character. Dave "Tex" O'Brien started out as a song-and-dance man then made many B movies, his most successful being the lead role in the serial "Captain Midnight." With him in the serial was Guy Wilkerson. Dave went on to be a popular writer and actor in the Pete Smith specials. Then he won an Emmy for his writing contributions to the Red Skelton TV show! Added to this was an assortment of the meanest bad guys in the movies. Since The Texas Rangers series was very low budget, plenty of ridin', fightin', and shootin' was thrown in which provided lots of action. Though Tex Ritter hung up his guns after this movie, he went on to become a successful country and western singer and a grand ole man of Nashville, second only to Roy Acuff. He died a noble death, bailing a friend out of jail.

"Flaming Bullets" has a good story too. Outlaws are busting prisoners with prices on their heads out of jail, shooting them dead during the escape, then collecting the reward money. The Texas Rangers are determined to put a stop to this. Dave poses as a most wanted fugitive lookalike to flush the bad guys out. Patricia Knox has a good role as a dance hall gal who tries to help Dave, thinking he is her outlaw lover.

Not only do you get two Tex's in this flick but you also get two comical sidekicks. Guy Wilkerson (Panhandle Perkins) teams with the indomitable Charles King (Porky Smith) in sort of a two stooges combination (like say Moe and Larry). Porky is supposed to get in a fight with potential customers for Panhandle, who is plying his trade as a dentist, and knock them into his dentist chair. Porky is unsuccessful when he is knocked into the chair. Toward the end of the movie the entire cast, even the outlaws, get involved in a comic routine when laughing gas is released during a fight.

I enjoy the Tex Ritter films for several reasons but one is on a personal note. When I was about six years old I saw Tex perform in person. He put on an entertaining show. He sang with a full band and then had his horse, White Flash, brought up on stage to do tricks. The real White Flash would have been too old to perform at this time so I'm sure it was another trained horse. Tex also involved the audience. His most requested song was "Rye Whiskey."

In the last of the Texas Rangers series, we have a non-standard Western plot I've only seen a few times. A gang is getting their hands on wanted men, killing them and collecting the rewards. This upsets the Texas Rangers, so they send Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, and a briefly glimpsed Guy Wilkerson in to deal with the situation. Good thing O'Brien looks and sounds exactly like a man with $10,000 on his head!

Since they chose Harry Fraser to direct, there are the usual idiocies. He still insists on showing you people riding in from infinity, although he now moves the camera back and forth to let you see them riding in, and Lee Zahler's score seems to be inserted far too early and go on for too long; there's a moment when the men are looking at a wanted poster and the stings for desperate action play. However, Ritter sings a couple of times, and there's a fight at the end under the influence of laughing gas to brighten things up a touch.

Except for the imaginative plot—bad guys collecting rewards on other bad guys—it's a pretty standard matinée oater. Some good hard-riding, but through non-scenic San Fernando Valley locations; some good flying fists, especially the laughing gas battle; not much fast shooting, however. O'Brien looks good in his cowboy finery, especially the big white hat, (no doubt who the good guy is). Still, I could have used more of Ritter's wonderful crooning, but I guess he's too busy on the trail of the bad guys. Then too, I'm used to seeing the rotund Charles King as a premier bad guy. Here, however, he's teamed with Wilkerson in comedy relief, which, surprise, surprise, he's good at. Anyway, the storyline gets a little ragged at times even for an oater, but there's still enough to please a Front Row kid like this geezer.

(In passing—I could be wrong, but as an LA resident, the town exteriors look a lot like the old Spahn Ranch outdoor set, where Charles Manson, of all people, hung out with his "family", a short time before the Sharon Tate killings!)