Randy Rides Alone

One of The Duke's most memorable early films
Randy rides alone; heck, he's John Wayne, and John Wayne can take care of himself. In this Lone Star Pictures 1934 production, he does make a couple of mistakes early on, though. First, he wears a black hat - this has nothing to do with what happens, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea for a good guy to be wearing a black hat. Second, he decides to do a little investigating on his own when he walks into the Halfway House and finds everyone inside dead. This opening scene is really quite memorable. Nobody bled from gunshot wounds in the 1930s, of course, but there is a mysterious someone behind the wall using the old "holes in the eyes of the picture" ruse to watch Randy as he looks around, giving the scene a nice little creepy touch. Randy is arrested for the murders, of course, but it's really Marvin Black ("master of disguise" Gabby Hayes) and his gang of desperadoes responsible. Spunky Sally Rogers (Alberta Vaughn) refuses to reveal the location of her uncle's stash in...

Randy Rides Alone!
Another sensational Lone Star Duke western. It can also be easily enjoyed on the big screen, since the DVD transfer is quite stellar, and the negative has been obviously cleaned up and remastered for new music.
Randy Bowers (Wayne), finds a saloon full of corpses, and is caught inside by the lawmen. He is accused of the crime, and locked up in prison. A young woman decides that Wayne is not part of the murdering gang, and bails him out. He decides to join the guilty outlaws to search out the genuine killer. George Hayes co stars as "Marvin Black", or "Matt the Mute." Wayne discovers that Black is responsible for this, and brings the outlaw to eventual justice.
A western that should be appreciated by all, especially John Wayne fans.

How John Wayne became John Wayne
Randy rides alone, as with most of John Wayne's B westerns is a depression era, low budget vehicle that has to be watched carefully. while the plot may not stimulate the senses, take the time to watch Wayne. In these B westerns, he is actually perfecting the John Wayne signatures that would make him a box office champion in the years ahead. It was during these films that he for example, perfected the patented spin of a colt revolver as it leaves the holster. This "trick" he would later use to add a razor's edge to the role of Ethan Edwards, in John Ford's 1956 classic "The Searchers". If you are a Wayne afficianato, you will pick up many of these things as you watch "Randy rides alone". These traits that in this reviewer's humble opinion, make this less a B western than sheer John Wayne 101.

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