Tombstone Canyon (1932)

In Tombstone Canyon, orphaned cowboy Ken Maynard comes to town to find out about past and tangles with a nasty group of thug cowboys and the disfigured Phantom, a black robed fiend who scares the hell out of all who enter the canyon, a sort of western version of the Phantom Of The Opera mixed with a bit of Batman, who at that time was still a few years off.This has excellent cinematography, good earthy performances by Maynard and the rest of the cast, and lines like "Turn around hombre! I'm a gonna' drill you right between the eyes!", that are pulp western gold.There's a thrilling climax atop some giant rocks and an ending that appears to have anticipated Return Of The Jedi by fifty years!Great stuff.

The plot is set in motion from the time the studio logo disappears from the screen and nary a second is wasted on anything but advancing the plot over the film's sixty minutes. No atmosphere, no characterization; all action, almost like a TV episode. The story concerns one man's search for his unknown identity and the apparent ranch war he walks into on his quest. There are some quaint old timey quirks like every horse ride and fist fight running in double speed, and the word "fellas" is used a good thirty times, but even someone like myself who wasn't born until forty years after this picture was made found it to be consistently entertaining.

Although many Ken Maynard features are noted for their lack of believability in the story telling, there was something about his on screen presence that makes us watch him -- he just comes off as the 'real thing.' You could see it in the way he would instinctively pat or interact with his horse(!!) and delivering such dialog to the heroine as, "Miss Jenny, you spill a kinda mean loop yourself. You've got me just as good as throwed and hog tied already." To which Jenny replies, "That makes me awfully happy, Ken." Woo! they don't make movies like this any more!This one is thoroughly enjoyable and has a touch of mysterious creepiness. "The Phantom," dressed all in black with a bat-like cape, inhabits Tombstone Canyon, where he picks off with a shotgun various hands of the Lazy S ranch. Ken shows up there on his way to find out the identity of his father, but gets involved with Jenny Lee (Cecelia Parker) at her father's ranch branding and 'dehorning' cattle. For more of Cecelia before her Andy Hardy movies, check out the serial "The Lost Jungle" (1934) and the John Wayne "Riders of Destiny" (1933).The Western elements all build quickly; in fact, it begins with Ken being ambushed in the Canyon by an unknown gang. Then we swiftly get fist fights, the romance ("Let's go get the ring!"), Ken being framed and jailed for murder, and shoot outs in Tombstone Canyon. There's one too many visits to Tombstone Canyon, and the final hunt down for Ken there goes too slowly. But then we have a great action finale with 'The Phantom,' Alf Sykes, his son and Ken all fighting or hanging off the highest cliff while Jenny and her father's men speed to the rescue with Ken's horse 'Tarzan.'A good 1930s western, mainly because of Ken Maynard.

"Tombstone Canyon" (1932) combines an above average story with Ken Maynard (the all- time best movie cowboy) and Cecilia Parker (Andy Hardy's blonde sister). Plus it was filmed in California's spectacular Red Rock Canyon State Park (Canti, CA.) which was to become the scene of countless western movies and many of the 1950's western television series. All these factors make for an excellent combination as this early sound film is a very entertaining feature of slightly less than 60 minutes. The film begins with a wrangler with only the first name Ken (Maynard) fighting off ambushers in Tombstone Canyon. Ken gets unexpected assistance from a cowgirl named Jenny Lee (Parker). Jenny rode out to meet him at the request of the man who requested that Ken come to the area for some information about his identity. Ken does not know who his parents were and has never adopted a last name. Tombstone Canyon is a spooky place that most of the locals avoid because they fear a spectral figure called The Black Phantom. The Phantom was been systematically killing cowboys from the Lazy S. ranch, and frightening everyone else with his banshee like scream.Ken and Jenny must contend with the owner of the Lazy S who wants him dead for some reason; and tries several times to frame him for murder. The town's sympathetic marshal refuses to arrest Ken, believing in his innocence and reasoning that the best way to solve the mystery is by giving Ken a free hand to investigate. One thing to avoid is the 1990 VHS version being distributed by MNTEX Entertainment and titled "Classic Westerns". This is the one with a pair of Tombstones on the cover. They used a truly horrible print of the film and most scenes are so dark it is difficult to follow them, let alone pick out many of the details. Probably the worst commercially released print I have ever run across. Hopefully the other versions and the DVD are better.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.