Grade: D+
Synopsis: Imprisoned for murders he didn’t commit, a cowboy (John Wayne) escapes only to inadvertently join up with the real killers.
Randy Rides Alone stumbles out of the gate, opening with an awful miniature shot, even by B-movie standards. Fortunately, it rights itself quickly, as lead John Wayne walks into a saloon full of dead bodies.
From there the film is off and running, and features a pleasant diversion from the usual Lone Star formula. George “Gabby” Hayes, who usually plays Wayne’s character’s sidekick, plays the villain this time around, and does a good job at that, even going so far to change out of his shopkeeper’s disguise into an all-black outfit to solidify his bad-guy status.
While Hayes’ role may be somewhat different, Randy Rides Alone is still a Lone Star western, which means some great Yakima Canutt stunts. Aside from the usual fistfights, there’s also a great scene where Canutt, doubling for Wayne, jumps from his horse while crossing a bridge to evade pursuers. Canutt is also good as Hayes’ character’s muscle.
For his part, Wayne is fine, though still stiff at times, and as usual he’s saddles with a flat romantic lead in Alberta Vaughn.
Director Harry L. Fraser, keeps things moving quickly enough, though his decision to repeatedly use the aforementioned miniature shot cheapens the film. Also, some promotional material inexplicably credits direction to Lone Star mainstay R.N. Bradbury.
Bottom Line: Randy Rides Along is an entertaining Lone Star production notable chiefly for co-star George “Gabby” Hayes’ turn as a villain instead of a sidekick.
