Sadly Over-hyped

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Charles Starrett (Steve Forsyth), Smiley Burnett (himself), Sunny Vickers (Betsy Willard), Edgar Dearing (Pop Willard), Peter Thompson (Tom Chapman), Jim Bannon (Ace Conley), Lee Morgan (Sam Barton), Chuck Roberson (Reno), Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys (themselves), Ethan Laidlaw.Director: FRED F. SEARS. Screenplay: Victor Arthur. Photography: Fayte Browne. Film editor: Paul Borofsky. Art director: Charles Clague. Set decorator: George Montgomery. Music director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Producer: Colbert Clark.Copyright 30 January 1951 by Columbia Pictures Corp. U.S. release: 23 February 1951. No New York opening. 56 minutesSYNOPSIS: The Durango Kid captures a Texas outlaw in the 1880s. NOTES: Number 120 of Starrett's 132 starring "B" westerns. Number 123 of Smiley Burnett's 142 features.COMMENT: Although this Durango Kid entry musters up plenty of action (complete with running inserts), the story engages little interest, and the direction — aside from the action spots — is disappointingly dull, whilst the cast line-up appears to me to be definitely second- rate. Burnett's foolery rates poorly in this tired entry, and even his songs are mediocre. And as for the camera-conscious Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys...