Rating: - "Red Ryder B-Western Series ... Allan Lane as Red Ryder ... VCI Home Video"
VCI presents another of its popular Red Ryder series starring Allan "Rocky" Lane as Ryder and Bobby Blake as Little Beaver ~ on this double bill both films were personally handled by legendary B-western director R.G. Springsteen ~ Earle Snell was the screenwriter and produced and released by Republic/Sidney Picker Productions ~ with the regular stock company coming to the rescue.

First up is "The Marshal of Cripple Creek" (1947-B&W-58 mins), featuring an all-star cast Martha Wentworth as the Duchess, Tom London, Trevor Bardette, Gene Roth, William Self, Helen Wallace and last but not least Mr. Roy Barcroft (King of the Badmen) who always has an ace up his sleeve ~ this last and seventh film of Allan Lane has everything that a buckaroo could ask for...bankrobbers in a gold-mining town and a chance for Red Ryder to show the right path for a former outlaw to follow.

Let's look at the second outing "Oregon Trail Scouts" (1947-B&W-58 mins), real touching storyline, when Little Beaver met up with Red Ryder and became long-lasting friends and sidekicks...riding the range in adventure after adventure ~ another Republic cast with Ed Cassidy, Emmett Lynn, Edmund Cobb, Earl Hodgins, Jack Kirk and our favorite bad guy Roy Barcroft being hit over the head with a frying pan by Martha Wentworth (the Duchess)...this was the fifth of the seven Red Ryder westerns...this fast paced horse-opera finished with high marks on the entire Ryder Series.

RED RYDER SERIES:
1. Marshal of Reno (1944)
2. The San Antonio Kid (1944)
3. Vigilantes of Dodge City (1944)
4. Sheriff of Las Vegas (1944)
5. Great Stagecoach Robbery (1945)
6. The Lone Texas Ranger (1945)
7. Marshal of Laredo (1945)
8. Sheriff of Redwood Valley (1946)
9. Sun Valley Cyclone (1946)
10.Stagecoach to Denver (1946)
11.Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947)
12.Homesteaders of Paradise Valley (1947)
13.Rustlers of Devil's Canyon (1947)
14.Marshal of Cripple Creek (1947)
15.Ride, Ryder, Ride! (1949)
16.Roll, Thunder, Roll! (1949)
17.The Fighting Redhead (1949)
18.Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949)

Altogether Fred Harman's Red Ryder appeared in 22 full-length films and one serial "The Adventures of Red Ryder", starring Don "Red" Barry in the title role ~ artist Harman (2/09/1902 - 01/02/1982) was born in St. Joseph, Missouri and made his way illustrating for various publications...his most popular and enduring character was Red Ryder, was later published by Dell in comic book form...I know because I collected each and everyone when I was a youngster...there plenty of action and hard riding...well, you're durn tootin', a line that was used by one of my favorite sidedkicks, George "Gabby" Hayes --- Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 112 mins ~ VCI/Entertainment 8356 ~ (02/24/2004)