Tonight's Movie: Blazing Sixes (1937) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

I've been watching quite a bit of Johnny Mack Brown, Bill Elliott, Buck Jones, and George O'Brien in recent weeks, so tonight I returned to the Warner Archive's Dick Foran Western Collection.

I've previously seen half a dozen films from this 12-movie set and found them enjoyable entertainment. The Foran films aren't on the same level as O'Brien and Jones, in particular, whose films tend to have more compelling, energetic storytelling, but I've found them good standard-issue "B" Western entertainment. BLAZING SIXES was more of the same.

Foran is introduced at the end of the opening credits singing a few lines of "The Prairie is My Home," which I suppose could be considered his theme music, given how often the song appears in these films. It's a pleasing tune which shows off his fine voice to good effect, so I'm always happy to hear it again!

Foran plays Red Barton, who is working undercover with his partner, Peewee Jones (Glenn Strange), to discover who's behind a string of stagecoach robberies. It's a plot that's been done time and again, but the particular fun here is seeing perennial Western villain Strange on the side of justice for a change. Strange, incidentally, is billed as Glen rather than the usual Glenn in the opening credits.

There's a pretty gal named Barbara who's new in town, played by Helen Valkis, who was billed as Joan Valerie later in her career. Barbara likes Red but is concerned when the real villain, Jim (John Merton), suggests Red might be the bad guy. Barbara's aunt (Mira McKinney), meanwhile, seems to be sweet on Peewee.

Needless to say, all is resolved satisfactorily in the movie's brisk 54-minute running time.

BLAZING SIXES was directed by Noel M. Smith. It was filmed in black and white by Ted D. McCord.

Previous reviews of films from this set: MOONLIGHT ON THE PRAIRIE (1935), CALIFORNIA MAIL (1936), TRAILIN' WEST (1936), THE CHEROKEE STRIP (1937), GUNS OF THE PECOS (1937), and LAND BEYOND THE LAW (1937).

BLAZING SIXES is a good print, and the trailer is included.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD collection. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop.