Eddie Dean rode four different horses in his pictures for PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation). In this one he's atop White Cloud, so along with Copper and Flash which I've also seen, the only one I'm still looking for in a Dean picture is War Paint. He's bound to show up sooner or later as Dean's pictures make the rounds on Encore Westerns.
Most of these B Westerns are pretty standard with a limited number of plot lines, but this one has some pretty interesting things going on if you pay attention. For his size, Eddie Dean proved to be a pretty good brawler in his films, and he wins a two on one battle at the Silver Dollar Saloon against henchmen Cooper (Lane Bradford) and Quillen (Eddie Parker), but did you notice something? At one point, without even being hit, Quillen ran headfirst into the bar all by himself! Must have misread his cue.
Then there's Eddie's decision to take the Regal Pass to cut off the outlaws intending to stop the stagecoach on the way to Ranchito, which led me to ask myself - why wouldn't the bad guys take the Regal Pass themselves? Seems like a no brainer if they were looking to save some time.
Dean, generally considered having one of the best singing voices of all the Western cowboy heroes, lends his voice to a couple of tunes here including the title song, which mentions South Dakota as the home of the "Black Hills". The one I got a kick out of though was the humorous sing along with Andy Parker and The Plainsmen - 'Punchinello the Punchy Cow Puncher'. Every line is funnier than the one that went before.
As for the story, Eddie and pal Soapy (Roscoe Ates) foil a land mortgage swindle after Flagstone town villain Kirby (Terry Frost) kills ranch owner Hadley for the gold mine discovered on his property. Land agent Henry Allen (George Chesebro) is undermined by his associate Tuttle (William Fawcett), but Eddie makes the save just in time to prevent the deed switch from taking place. What seemed confusing to me though was Eddie's choice of a closing tune when he and Soapy got ready to ride off into the sunset. As pretty Janet Hadley (Shirley Patterson) invites him to stick around as foreman of her ranch, Eddie's saying goodbye while singing 'Let's Go Sparkin'. Talk about sending a mixed message!
Most of these B Westerns are pretty standard with a limited number of plot lines, but this one has some pretty interesting things going on if you pay attention. For his size, Eddie Dean proved to be a pretty good brawler in his films, and he wins a two on one battle at the Silver Dollar Saloon against henchmen Cooper (Lane Bradford) and Quillen (Eddie Parker), but did you notice something? At one point, without even being hit, Quillen ran headfirst into the bar all by himself! Must have misread his cue.
Then there's Eddie's decision to take the Regal Pass to cut off the outlaws intending to stop the stagecoach on the way to Ranchito, which led me to ask myself - why wouldn't the bad guys take the Regal Pass themselves? Seems like a no brainer if they were looking to save some time.
Dean, generally considered having one of the best singing voices of all the Western cowboy heroes, lends his voice to a couple of tunes here including the title song, which mentions South Dakota as the home of the "Black Hills". The one I got a kick out of though was the humorous sing along with Andy Parker and The Plainsmen - 'Punchinello the Punchy Cow Puncher'. Every line is funnier than the one that went before.
As for the story, Eddie and pal Soapy (Roscoe Ates) foil a land mortgage swindle after Flagstone town villain Kirby (Terry Frost) kills ranch owner Hadley for the gold mine discovered on his property. Land agent Henry Allen (George Chesebro) is undermined by his associate Tuttle (William Fawcett), but Eddie makes the save just in time to prevent the deed switch from taking place. What seemed confusing to me though was Eddie's choice of a closing tune when he and Soapy got ready to ride off into the sunset. As pretty Janet Hadley (Shirley Patterson) invites him to stick around as foreman of her ranch, Eddie's saying goodbye while singing 'Let's Go Sparkin'. Talk about sending a mixed message!