Heart of Arizona (1938)

“Belle Star” (Natalie Moorhead) is not a woman to be messed with after she returns after an unjust five year spell with Uncle Sam to discover that her herds are being rustled. We know it’s her dodgy foreman “Trister” (Leo J. McMahon) who is up to no good, and we know just who is pulling his strings but can she thwart their plan to rob her of her livelihood? Luckily, “Hoppy” (William Boyd) is on hand to try and help her get to the bottom of just who killed her husband and framed her for stealing her own cows! The deft use of some branding, some fine shooting from the young “Artie” (Billy Peters) and an hidden coin all contribute to the adventure as “Hoppy” determines to get his man. The production here is really basic, but there’s more of a story and as ever the dynamic between Boyd and “Gabby” Hayes keeps the pace moving swiftly along. Moorhead and her on-screen daughter “Jacqueline” (Dorothy Short) also deliver at the livelier end of the damsels-in-distress scale and there’s Stephen Chase’s “Ringo” to keep the nastiness going, too. It’s not the most original, no, but for a low-budget affair it’s actually quite exciting and worth an hour.