Lightning Carson Rides Again

I few weeks ago, I saw a Tim McCoy film where he played a character named 'Lightning Bill Carson' and I had an absolute ball. While normally I expect very little out of a B-western starring the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers or Tim McCoy (they are fun but VERY inconsequential), I was surprised how good it was...and that McCoy was a much better actor than I'd expected. In this film ("Code of the Cactus"), the played dual roles--Carson as well as going undercover as a Mexican bandit, José--and he did a very good job in both roles. So when I found out that there were about a half dozen Lighting Bill films, I was thrilled and had to see "Lightning Carson Rides Again".

Like the other film, this one is set in the present day--with cars and other modern touches you would not expect to see in a western--though it was VERY typical in films by his contemporaries. It begins with a group of crooks bushwhacking a couple guys in a car out west. One is killed and the other (a relative of Lightning Bill Carson) escapes the hail of bullets. However, the gang members swear that they saw this brother kill the other guy--so he's forced to go into hiding. Then, Lighting Bill comes to town to prove that his brother is not the killer...and he poses as the wonderful José to prove the man's innocence.

This film is once again quite enjoyable--though I did like "Code of the Cactus" a bit more. Still, because of the quality of the film, I can't wait to try to see the rest. They are clearly better than the typical film of the genre due to better acting and no sappy songs.

Also, if you have a chance, read the IMDb biography on McCoy--what an interesting fellow.