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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you like old movies where the hats are too big and the acting is a little stiff, then yeah, give it a go. It’s only about 50 minutes long so it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Cowboy>People who like polished cinematography or deep plots will probably hate this. It’s for the folks who enjoy seeing how movies were made when they didn't have any money.
I sat down to watch this because of the name. Potluck Pards. And also because one of the characters is literally named Walrus Face.
You don't see that in modern movies. Jimmy Aubrey plays him, and honestly, he’s got the best energy in the whole thing.
So, Ben and Walrus Face are just drifting around. They decide, hey, let's be outlaws.
But then they miss the stagecoach because they’re too busy arguing with each other. It’s basically a comedy routine in the middle of a desert.
Reminds me a little of the low-stakes vibe in Chasing Around, where the plot is just an excuse for people to run into each other.
Then we have the B-plot with Bud. Bud is a rancher who is super broke.
His girlfriend Marion has an uncle named Sam who hates Bud. Mostly because Bud has no money.
The bad guy is a banker named Merrick. He looks exactly like what you’d expect a 1930s movie banker to look like.
The horse, Starlight, gets its own credit in the movie. He’s a good horse. Very white. Very shiny.
There is this one scene that actually made me sit up. Ben and Walrus Face steal Bud's money, but then they feel bad about it.
The director, B.B. Ray, uses a split-screen shot. Apparently, it’s the only time he ever did that.
Each guy is on one side of the screen, basically talking to himself about whether they should be good or bad. It’s clumsy and the line in the middle is super obvious, but it’s kind of cool for a cheap Western.
It’s a bit like those old adventure flicks like The Pirates where they try one fancy trick just to see if it works.
Then a guy named Clint steals the money from them. It’s a lot of people stealing the same wallet.
The sound quality is... not great. There’s a lot of hissing.
And the way they ride horses is wild. They just fly across the screen. No safety gear back then, I guess.
There’s a scene where Ben Corbett (who plays Ben) knocks out the henchman Clint. It looks so fake it’s actually funny. He barely touches him and the guy drops like a sack of potatoes.
I also liked how the uncle, Sam Jenkins, just shows up to complain. He doesn't really do much else.
The ending happens really fast. Everything gets solved and you’re left wondering why they spent so much time on the stagecoach they missed at the start.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a movie.
But there’s something nice about it. It’s earnest.
They weren't trying to change the world. They were just trying to make a Western for a Saturday afternoon.
If you find it on a streaming site or a bargain bin, it’s worth the 50 minutes just to see Walrus Face be confused. 🤠
The writing by Betty Burbridge is okay, but you can tell they were rushing. Some lines feel like they were written five minutes before the camera started rolling.
But hey, that’s the charm of these old Povert Row studios. They just kept moving.
Don't expect much and you'll have a decent time. Just watch out for that split-screen. It’s the highlight of the whole darn thing.
IMDb 6.7
1935
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