The Man from Utah

A very routine example of John Wayne's B-western output, from his period at Monogram Studios. Despite the estimable Yakima Canutt as villain, the rodeo setting holds no surprises, and nor does a plot which features the Duke turning down the offer of sheriff in order to enter a horse race. There's a relatively young George "Gabby" Hayes to hand, and regular Archie Stout behind the camera. But this is very average fare, and indicative of the seemingly endless succession of cheap westerns in which Wayne found himself prior to his rescue by director John Ford with the offer of his star-making role in Stagecoach. The fist-fight at the beginning of this one is a corker.