Feather-brained pow-wow

FRONTIER FUGITIVES (1945)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

One of the last films in the "Texas Ranger" series in the low-budget PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation) production line, "Frontier Fugitives" is the standard western tale told with very few dramatic flourishes, some bizarrely comical phoniness that could come out of Abbott and Costello, and a couple of memorable songs sung by Tex Ritter, John Ritter's dad. At less than one hour's time, there are worse ways to waste time.

Dave O'Brien

This time, the Texas Rangers (headed by Tex, Dave O'Brien and Guy Wilkerson) go after a gang that killed a fur trader. Wilkerson, who plays Panhandle Perkins, pretends to be an Indian Chief complete with full get-up, while one of the gang members try to go incognito as well. Amazing how easy it is to find Native American garb and play dress up and utter the stereotypical Indian catchphrases: "Me do some pow-wow." Veteran actor I. Stanford Jolley is one of the bad guys and has one of the least funny and incredibly offensive scenes where he performs an alleged comedy routine with Wilkerson as they pretend to be Native Americans doing a ceremonial dance and smoking a peace pipe. Too much pow-wow, too little humanity. And Native American groups had a problem with "The Searchers"?  

"Frontier Fugitives" is merely a diversion but it is a vacuum in terms of story or plot. Tex Ritter sings "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry" and "I'll Wait for You, Dear," there is a ridiculous shooting at a general store that shows Texas Rangers had no idea how to aim a gun before firing, and more singing. It is an absurd B-movie with little value beyond showing cowboys and Indians lollygagging.