A Tornado in the Saddle

Veteran Western actor Russell Hayden stars as Sheriff Lucky Crandall, new to the town of Crestview. When clumsy cowboy Cannonball (Dub Taylor) strikes gold on the property of ranch boss Big Bill Bailey, the ruthless Dalton Gang outwits Cannonball and jumps his claim. A gunfight ensues, taking out one of Bailey's men. It is up to Crandall to pursue the outlaws, leading to a dramatic canyon shootout. Newly remastered.

A good entry in one of the better B-Western series of the 1940s, A TORNADO IN THE SADDLE starred Russell Hayden as the new sheriff of Crestview. Hot on the trail of a gang of claim jumpers led by Dalton (Tristram Coffin) and Slim (Donald Curtis), the novice lawman also has to deal with hotheaded wrangler turned deputy Bob Wilson (Bob Wills), whom he is constantly forced to fight, but only after prudently removing his sheriff's star. The slippery villains prepare an ambush for the sheriff and his deputies, but Hayden's way with a rope eventually saves the day. Ostensibly a music Western, A TORNADO IN THE SADDLE refused to let warbling interfere with the almost non-stop action; in fact, the featured music performers, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, mostly have their hands full battling both the new sheriff and the outlaws. Future Goldwyn Girl Alma Carroll, as Curtis' innocent sister, has very little to do other than look fetching and is more or less forgotten by the end of the film. Comic sidekick Dub Taylor's hillbilly act is, as always, a matter of taste.