Saddle Legion (1951) User Reviews

Sick cattle racket

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 10 August 2018]

Tim Holt and Richard Martin roaming the range again come upon a rustling racket with a twist. A phony doctor says the steers are infected with 'blackleg'. Find one the whole herd has to be destroyed. The tearful owner says get it done and the rustlers take them and no one the wiser to this con.

Our guys help stop a stampede and then take the place of a drunken cowboy who shoots owner Cliff Clark when he tries to fire him. Of course the polluted one is part of the rustlers.

Tim and Chito are aided and abetted by lady doctor Dorothy Malone in one of early roles. Malone did about 10 years worth of mostly colorless parts until she started getting some real challenging parts like Written On The Wind which got her her Oscar. Nice to see her in her salad days.

Fans of the Tim Holt series will be pleased.

"Work? I'm still tired from my last job!"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 10 August 2016]

Every once in a while you're liable to catch a Tim Holt flick in which the entire name of his partner Chito is revealed - Chito Jose Gonzalez Bustamante Rafferty. Chito always has an eye for the ladies, is always ready for a good feedbag, and has this recurring tendency to avoid work. That's his statement above to Dave Saunders (Holt) as they head to Oro City in this Western adventure.

Probably the best recommendation to see this one is to get a look at Dorothy Malone in her second billed role as Dr. Ann Rollins. I always get a kick out of catching leading ladies like Malone, Rita Hayworth and Ann Sheridan in throwaway roles like this one in my favorite movie genre. I became a Malone fan right after watching her in a double entendre filled conversation with Bogie during a brief scene in "The Big Sleep". You really have to catch that one.

In this story, Tim Holt's character is hot on the trail of a villain who's scheme involves making it look like local cattle rancher herds are 'affected' by a disease called blackleg. It sounded like the film makers made that name up for the story, but it turns out that blackleg is everything Doctor Rollins explains it to be, right down to the scientific term determined to be it's cause - 'Clostridium chauvoei', an infectious bacterium. The way the bad guys simulated the disease was almost too simple; they tied a string of horsehair tightly around a calf's leg so it swelled up for lack of circulation!

The action takes place back and forth across the Mexican border with the villains maintaining the upper hand for most of the story until the deal with the phony cattle inspector is discovered. Proving that there's no honor among thieves, Ace Kelso (Mauritz Hugo) shoots his main henchman Gabe (James Bush) in front of plenty of witnesses, a tactic I could never understand but most of these stories weren't written to make much sense.

On the lighter side, Chito uses as much charm as possible to get treated for a host of imaginary symptoms by Doc Rollins before the show is over, and I got a kick out of his name for Malone's character - 'Senorita Sawbones'. But as usual, partner Tim Holt manages to cure his buddy who has a severe aversion to matrimony.

Saddle legion

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 16 April 2023]

In a community on the U. S.-Mexico border, saloon owner Mauritz Hugo concocts a scheme whereby henchman Robert Livingston poses as a livestock inspector and diagnoses the local ranchers' herds with anthrax. Instead of destroying the cattle, however, they'll run 'em across the border and sell 'em.

An interesting rustling scheme and Dorothy Malone doctor character add to the enjoyment of this fairly entertaining Tim Holt western, and it moves along nicely, though the investigation by Holt can be a bit repetitive and it lacks a bit of action. Chito has some good one liners, like always, and he has met his match in Malone.

I'll be thinking of this movie every time I purloin a sirloin.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 2 December 2023]

Imagine finding out that your favorite brand of steak has been recalled for a weird cattle disease, or that milk prices skyrocket due to dwindling availability because cows have to be tested for something called "blackleg" disease. That's the plot of this really good Tim Holt western where job searchers Dave Saunders (Holt) and his girl crazy sidekick Chito (Richard Martin) finds employment with rancher Cliff Clark, dealing with vindictive drunk ex-ranch hand James Bush who sends in a fake cattle doctor to make the claim.

As a pretty, young doctor, Dorothy Malone plays a woman ahead of her time, becoming involved in the case and stirring Chito's tender loins. He's as silly as usual, and it's difficult to not laugh while rolling your eyes at his buffoonery. I liked this because it has more plot than most B westerns and used a unique situation to develop the plot, one that the writers actually researched. Malone, already a major Warner Brothers lower rank contract player, is a welcome entry into the series, and looks very pretty while spouting medical jargon and smirking at Martin's unsuccessful attempts to charm her. Ranks among the highest of the RKO/Holt series, and should be listed as a true B western classic.

A solid , entertaining B-western !

[revdrcac · 8/10 · 3 June 2006]

Tim Holt was one of the more accomplished actors to ever appear in the B-westerns. While he was great in films such as Treasure of Sierra Madre & Magnificent Ambersons, he always seemed most at home in the saddle. Pairing him with Chito Martin was pure genius .....they remain my favorite western team. That and a great script make this entertaining .

In this well-written action yarn, Tim and his Mexican-Irish sidekick take on a cattle-rustling scheme. Their honesty,tenacity and detective work help save the day. Richard Martin was especially good in this one, equally adept at action and comedy. Dorothy Malone was good also.

I highly recommend this one. This shows why B-westerns were so popular. Enjoy, Pardners!