Grade: C-
Synopsis: A cowboy (John Wayne) goes undercover to investigate a crooked rodeo.
The Man from Utah starts off pretty shaky, utilizing the same laughably bad singing cowboy sequence as the earlier Riders of Destiny (1933). Fortunately, director Robert N. Bradbury drops the signing cowboy angle after this one scene, and delivers an action-mystery that’s one of Wayne’s better Lone Star Productions.
The supporting cast is good. George ‘Gabby’ Hayes plays the Marshall who sends John Wayne’s character undercover, and Yakima Canutt plays a strong villain. For Wayne’s romantic lead, Polly Ann Young, while not exactly spectacular, acquits herself better than most of Wayne’s Lone Star leading ladies.
In many ways The Man from Utah is reminiscent of Bradbury’s later effort, The Star Packer (1934). Both involve an undercover John Wayne, and both have a mystery angle to them, though The Man from Utah is a bit higher on the action, with quite a bit of solid stock rodeo footage tossed in as well.
Bottom Line: The Man from Utah, while certainly one of Wayne’s “B” westerns, is nonetheless watchable, and pretty good when compared to Wayne’s other Lone Star Productions.
