AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

bkoganbing Britt Wood who was a sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy for a few films makes a return to the series in Pirates On Horseback. But it's only a brief return as Wood is killed for the location of his hidden gold mine.The location of which is something that Eleanor Stewart his niece would also like to know. The only clue is a cryptic message left by Wood that Hoppy, Johnny, and California have a time getting a hold of.Sad to say for our cowboy hero he and the sidekicks have to tell a white lie to get dealt in on this game. Andy Clyd pretends he's a relative. When they're caught at it by the real villain, smooth gambler Morris Ankrum it's almost the end.The cryptic clue is something along the lines that both Glenn Ford and William Prince were trying to decipher in Lust For Gold. Let's say Hoppy had better success.Hoppy fans will like this.

dougdoepke Aces all around except for the rather tame climax. Credit producer Harry Sherman for the general superiority of the Hoppy matinees. Here, he pops for scenic Lone Pine locations, expertly filmed by Harry Stradling— hard to beat that desert-mountain-big rock combination. Hoppy and the boys are trying to find a lost gold mine before the baddies led by the sneaky Ace Gibson (Ankrum) do. Note the movie's many extra touches—the well-staffed barroom, the busy street, the detailed shack interior. These show attention to background unusual for programmers. Also, catch that expensive line of gold-rushers heading for the mine, though the scene appears shot in the cost-saving LA area.For me, the scariest part is when the oily Ace looks like he's getting romantic with the winsome heroine (Stewart). Now, in his stellar career, the lordly Ankrum defeated A-bomb mutants, aliens from outer space, commanded armies, advised presidents, and also made a convincing baddie. But for some reason, the thought of his snuggling up to the girl ran a shudder right through me.Hard to say enough about Bill Boyd in his Hoppy role. He's easily the most charming and affable of the matinée heroes, but can also do the hard-eyed stare when necessary-- as he does here. He, Clyde, and Hayden make a winning team, as their amusing fireside byplay shows. Anyway, there's enough hard- riding, straight-shooting, and story interest to make this a generally superior Hoppy entry.

Gary R. Peterson Pirates On Horseback is a somewhat unorthodox Hoppy picture. For one thing, Hoppy, Lucky and California don't even appear until 12 minutes into the film. The first reel being a pretty hardened Western with tinhorn gambler Ace (played by familiar face Morris Ankrum) showing the audience he's a ruthless crook and killer by cheating in a card game and gunning down the winner when he calls him on it.Ankrum next takes advantage of old Ben Pendleton, a prospector who comes into town bragging about finding Eldorado and dumping nuggets the size of hen's eggs on the saloon bar for all the greedy eyes to see. Of course Ace dispatches a goon squad to get the mine's location from Ben. When Ankrum's heavies get into a gunfight with the old coot it's a pretty brutal affair with old Ben taking a bullet, some shattered glass to the face and making a brave last stand.The mood shifts radically with the introduction of Hoppy, Lucky and California, who inexplicably has a gardening obsession in this film (California's green thumb serves to provide much of the comedy). The middle part of the movie is a nice mix of comedy and excitement as everyone tries to locate the mine working off a cryptic note Ben scrawled out just before he died.The movie certainly never drags, as even during the necessary talky scenes something is going on, whether it be California's embarrassing himself with the Indian, Ankrum doubling back to the house to eavesdrop or somebody sneaking off with Topper.The climax with Hoppy duking it out with Ankrum returns the picture to the mood of the first reel. Those punches look like they really hurt, and realistic details like kicking over a full spittoon add to the frenzy of the fight. Of course Hoppy comes out on top, but it's clear he's taken some hits and will be sore a spell.A good, solid Cassidy film, one that swings between rough Western action and lighthearted comedy. Don't we Hoppy fans watch these less for the plots and more to see Cassidy and company interact and then go mix it up with baddies like Morris Ankrum? I know I do and I wasn't disappointed.A couple closing notes: The opening credits say this movie was filmed at the foot of Mount Whitney, and it is indeed a beautiful setting for a Western.The print on the Platinum DVD runs only 66 minutes, despite the box and IMDb saying it's 69 minutes.

wrbtu The silly title is a put off, but of course there are no real "pirates" in this film, which at 69 minutes, is one of the longest in the Hopalong Cassidy series. It starts off very well, with lots of action & a goldmine plot. Based on the way it started, I thought this would be one of the best Hoppy films; it was realistic, conveyed a good old-fashioned western feeling, & the gunfight between a prospector & the baddies was brutal. Hoppy first appears 10 minutes into the film, wearing a black hat, tan shirt, & light-colored pants. If you've read my other Hoppy reviews, you'll know that the lighter the colors he wears, the worse the film is. I thought this film would be an exception to that rule, but sadly, I was wrong. The comedy starts soon after Hoppy appears, which is to be expected anytime Andy Clyde is on screen, & that's OK, but in this film, the comedy went on & on & on, & eventually caused the film to lose all the momentum it had gained before Hoppy had even appeared. There were some good comedy segments to be sure; one that stands out is California's assumption that he's speaking to a dumb Indian & therefore resorts to pantomime, only to find out that the Indian speaks English in a more educated manner than any of the cowboys! Another humorous segment involved jokes about Lucky's propensity for immediately falling in love with any young lady he meets. But five to ten minutes of the film is wasted on a long, drawn out gold nugget joke situation. Amazingly, Hoppy is not involved in even a single gunfight, & fires his gun only once during the film (but at the ground). The first 10 minutes of the film were certainly the best part of this film, & it could have been so much better than it was, a disappointing effort overall.