Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

JohnHowardReid United Artists, 12 March 1943, George Archainbaud. Based on the 1941 novel, Hopalong Cassidy Serves a Writ, by Clarence Edward Mulford.CAST: William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, Victor Jory, George Reeves, Jan Christy, Hal Taliaferro, Forbes Murray, Bob Mitchum, Byron Foulger, Earle Hodgins, Roy Barcroft, Ben Corbett. 67 minutes. (Available on an excellent Echo Bridge or a likewise Platinum Disc DVD). COMMENT: Number 44 (or 46, depending upon whose numbering system you're using - Zinman's or Marill's) -- in the series, is the first to be directed by George Archainbaud who handled all twelve of Boyd's personal productions (numbers 55 through 66). Good old George A. certainly commences his stint most promisingly. There's a first-class fight between Hoppy and the villain and other sequences of excitingly staged action. True, the climax itself is a bit disappointing, but that can't be blamed on the director. It's simply the way Gerald Geraghty's script (based on an actual Mulford novel for a change) pans out. On the other hand, this makes the movie a bit different from others in the series where all the action is saved for the final reel. To accommodate dark stock footage, Russell Harlan's photography is slightly below his usual brilliant standard. Of course, what most people will want to know is how Robert Mitchum comes out of this affair. Bob plays a member of the cattle rustling gang. He figures in a few scenes and even has one or two lines, but then unaccountably disappears. We don't see him at the climax at all. According to Marill, the correct order of the Mitchum Hoppies is Border Patrol, this one, The Leather Burners, Colt Comrades, Bar 20, False Colors, and Riders of the Deadline.

classicsoncall Besides being a serviceable Hopalong Cassidy Western, this film is a bonanza for old time classic movie fans with the appearance of Victor Jory, Robert Mitchum, George Reeves, Byron Foulger and Earl Hodgins. Mitchum and Hodgins both appeared in a fair share of Hoppy's films; for Mitchum, this was his first credited screen role. You might not recognize him right off, with the stubble of beard and sideburns it's almost as if he's disguised, but he does get to speak a line and if you're familiar with the actor you'll recognize him well enough.This might be Andy Clyde's most painful outing as Hoppy's sidekick and partner. When the bad guys get hold of him in the latter part of the story he really gets a working over. But he's not the only one. Check out that scene when Johnny (Jay Kirby) rushes to save Jean Hollister (Jan Christy) on her runaway horse. As Johnny catches up, she takes a nasty spill to the ground and it actually looked pretty painful to me. It might go a long way to explain why she never made another movie - this was her only one! You know, you have to admit William Boyd is pretty good as Hopalong Cassidy, but in this flick he does the miraculous. In that scene where he's crossing the river on his horse, his lower body is completely submerged in the water, but upon arriving at the cabin where he meets Jean and Steve Jordan (Reeves), his clothes are completely dry! That is some kind of cowboy hero! Well this story deals with cattle rustlers and counterfeit money, and if anyone's going to solve the case it's Hoppy and his pals. A bit of intrigue is thrown into the story because there's the issue of crossing the state line between Texas and Oklahoma, but that doesn't stop Cassidy from coming up with a plan. And when all is said and done, Hoppy never did wind up serving a writ, he just used his trusty lasso!

museumofdave This traditional "Hoppy" adventure was never meant to be any kind of classic, but mainly functions as Saturday Matinée fare, a pitting of the good guys against the bad guys with plenty of horse chases and gun-play to keep the kids in their seats and wanting to come back for more. Having grown up in the 1940's, I watch the old Westerns today for reasons other than a gripping plot about which the outcome is clearly foretold. The photography in this one, for example, is exceptional, with cinematographer Russell Harlan going beyond the usual camera set-ups to capture the beauty of location shooting in Lone Pine, California-- the desert-like conditions shot against mountain vistas, the beauty of rustling sycamores framing the action, and exceptional long shots giving us such keen perspectives as robbing of the Well's Fargo Stage from several angles (Harlan, incidentally, went on to film the indelible images of To Kill A Mockingbird). FYI, an unsolicited commercial: Platinum Productions (though Echo Bridge) has released the Cassidy adventures in multiples for very little money, and the transfers are remarkable!Another incidental pleasure of Hoppy Serves A Writ is Hoppy himself, of course, a cool character who always seems a little above the chaos around him: William Boyd, a leading man from the 1930's found his niche in these Westerns--and we don't have to listen to him sing! Frequently pointed out is Robert Mitchum's first major appearance in a film: a performance at the edge of narcolepsy, but Mitchum actually saddles up a few times and rides; future Superman George Reeves has a meatier role as a dude with attitude, attempting to romance the sole female on the film, but losing her to Hoppy's cute, mild-mannered assistant. And for those with an eye for familiar character actors, the laconic Byron Foulger serves as a shopkeeper; Victor Jory, so often a villain in both Westerns and crime films, sports a nasty scar on his cheek that marks him as the one to hiss. In all, this is 64 minutes of matinée fun, perfect for a Saturday afternoon with a bowl of popcorn and all your memories of time well spent with your Hollywood pals.

chipe Nothing special in this Hoppy movie other than William Boyd's winning personality. He shines in all the Hoppy series. I enjoyed his warm, chuckling condescension to most everyone in the movie -- his enemies, his sidekicks, et. al. One good example is when he arrives incognito as a gentleman gambler at a saloon looking for the bad guys. Hoppy sits in at a poker game, taking the favorite (empty) chair of the main bad guy (Victor Jory). Jory walks over later, angry, and tells Hoppy, "Didn't anyone tell you that is my chair?" Hoppy replies, "Yeah, but I am not particular." That cracked me up.The plot and the actors were nothing special. It was Robert Mitchum's first film roll, a small part. Nothing was asked of him, and he didn't do anything at all special in the roll, sleepy looking as usual, as though they didn't pay him enough. I did like George Reeves' (TV's Superman) acting.One neat plot ploy was when Reeves was captured by Hoppy and Co., but refused to tell where in the cabin the money was hidden. But Hoppy kept his eye on Reeves as Hoppy's sidekick moved about the room looking for the money. When he got close, Hoppy knew where the money was based on Reeves' flinching reaction! One laughably silly scene was at the end when Hoppy threw his rope to lasso three retreating bad guys together at the same time! Yes, all three squeezed together inside the loop of the rope!