Borderland (1937)

Copyright 26 February 1937 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. No recorded New York showcase. U.S. release: 26 February 1937. 9 reels. Yes, 9 reels - the Mulford novel runs over 300 pages. 82 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Hoppy goes undercover as an outlaw. His quarry: a murderous border gang, led by Morris Ankrum (also playing a pretend role as a harmless half-wit). NOTES: Don Miller says this one holds the record as the longest "B" series western ever made. Number 9 of the 66-picture series. COMMENT: Solely of curiosity value, this early Hopalong Cassidy has little to recommend it save some nice exterior photography by Archie Stout. The film is poorly directed by Nate Watt and the action sequences are some of the wettest we've seen (though the climax with Hoppy holding a bleeding gun-wound in his leg has a certain novelty value). Screenplay by Harrison Jacobs does a disservice to Clarence E. Mulford's novel.OTHER VIEWS: Borderland had a strong plot, a strong villain (Morris Ankrum again) and was strung out to 82 minutes, longest of all series Westerns. It was also the last appearance by Ellison as Johnny Nelson. He had been getting a buildup of sorts, including the role of Buffalo Bill in DeMille's The Plainsman. Don Miller.

Borderland finds Hoppy on assignment from both the Texas Rangers and the Mexican Rurales headed by Earl Hodgins and Trevor Bardette respectively. He has to locate and destroy the Mexican outlaw known only as 'The Fox'. The problem here is that no one knows what he looks like. In order to that Hoppy has to shed his good guy image and become a real louse. Part of the cover is to not tell both Gabby Hayes and Jimmy Ellison and make them think he's gone bad. The better to infiltrate the Fox's gang.The Fox is one clever and ruthless villain. He literally hides in plain sight. So does Trevor Bardette as Hoppy's contact.Borderland is a well done Hopalong Cassidy western with Bill Boyd facing a very determined foe.

What is this movie about? It is about how law enforcement lacks the resources to combat crime and as a result needs to enlist the support of the private citizens who may or may not be willing to help. This movie is also about how people are willing to do thankless jobs and also how a criminal element can cleverly infiltrate itself into the fabric of a community. The movie is also about the extraordinary measures that must be taken to weed out corruption. In this movie Hopalong Cassidy is a private citizen who is asked to engage in highly risky work for the good of his community. The implications are obvious -law enforcement itself cannot deal with the problem which suggests a community that is at risk of being overwhelmed by crime and collapsing. This movie was made in the 1930s when the viability of the economic and political system of the United States was being put to the test. The message of this movie is obvious - the country needs an army of Hopalong Cassidys to save it. The criminal element in this movie - a gang of cattle rustlers - are portrayed as being well organized with a system of informants, led by a man who one would not suspect was the head of a crime syndicate. His resourcefulness is impressive and further reinforces the need for radical action to defeat him and his plans. The actual star of this movie is not Hoppy but the bad guy who is able to organize an entire gang that successfully eludes law enforcement until its leader is tricked, which shows that no criminal is ever so smart that they can evade the law. William Boyd of course plays Hopalong Cassidy with much bravado, and Morris Anktrum plays Cassidy's nemesis. Both actors are excellent. Charlene Wyatt plays the little girl who is a symbol of innocence and reason why the community must be preserved.

Unlike most Hopalong Cassidy movies, Borderland shows how well William Boyd can act. The same also goes for Gabby Hayes. In the movie, Hoppy attempts to infiltrate a gang of cattle rustlers whose leader, Fox (appropriately named), has been able to escape detection or capture. Hoppy has been "hired" by the Texas Rangers to track down this gang and its leader. In order to make himself credible to the gang, Hoppy acts and behaves as miserably as he can. Even with close friends such as Jimmy Ellison and Gabby Hayes, he appears very crusty and obnoxious, all in an attempt to appear convincing to the local townsfolk, some of whom are members of the Fox gang. Even with a very friendly woman and her young daughter, Hoppy is quite miserable. What is interesting about the movie is how close Boyd comes to destroying a very popular figure during the 1930s. One can imagine tears flowing from the young audiences of that day because of the reaction of the main characters to Hoppy's demeanor as well as being shocked at the contrast in character to the one William Boyd had cultivated over the years. Another interesting sidelite to viewers, but probably unnoticed by the moviegowers of the day is the leg brace worn by the little girl in the movie. No mention of her handicap is mentioned in the movie, so I concluded that the girl had had polio, a common affliction at that time.If you want to see a completly different Hopalong Cassidy movie, check this one out.