The Eagle's Brood (1935)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Howard Bretherton

Writers:

Clarence E. Mulford (writer)
Doris Schroeder (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

A Hard-Ridin' Guy Who Gets Right to the Shootin'!

Plot:

When the outlaw El Toro saves Hoppy's life, Hoppy agrees to find his missing grandson. |

Plot Keywords:

Shack | Texas | Drinking | Bartender | Fistfight

Cast

William Boyd	...	Hop-a-long Cassidy
James Ellison	...	Johnny Nelson (as Jimmy Ellison)
William Farnum	...	El Toro
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Bartender Spike (as George Hayes)
Addison Richards	...	Big Henry
Joan Woodbury	...	Dolores (as Nana Martinez)
Frank Shannon	...	Henchman Mike
Dorothy Revier	...	Dolly
Paul Fix	...	Henchman Steve
Al Lydell	...	Pop
John Merton	...	Henchman Ed
George Mari	...	Pablo Chavez
Juan Torena	...	Esteban
Henry Sylvester	...	Sheriff

Runtime:

61 min | USA:59 min (1946 re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range System)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #1564) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company:

Harry Sherman Productions

Trivia:

The on-screen credits reads "Clarence E. Mulford's 'The Eagle's Brood'" suggesting Mulford wrote the story, since no title by that name was ever published.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Danger Trail (1951)

Soundtrack:

Free with Love

A different, but good episode in the Hoppy series

Pablo Chavez watches his parents killed by a band of outlaws who are after the elder Chavez' gold. Pablo runs away from the scene of the murder to get help and runs into Dolores, a dancer in the town's saloon, who hides Pablo in her cabin, and then goes to town for help from her boss, Big Henry, but when she arrives, she overhears that Big Henry was responsible for the Chavez murders. Dolores hides Pablo in a more secluded place and writes a letter to Pablo's grandfather, Pedro, who lives across the Mexican border as a notorious bandit known as El Toro,who rides to the saloon where Dolores works, En route he saves the life of Hopalong Cassidy (a county deputy), who was searching for the outlaw. El Toro begs Hoppy to let him go after his grandson, but Hoppy won't let the outlaw go across the US border. Instead, Hoppy agrees to go after the boy himself and rides (with fellow deputy Johnny Nelson, who have both turned in their badges) to meet with Dolores. Meanwhile, Big Henry learns that Pablo is still alive and can recognize the bandits and that Dolores is hiding him. Dolores is killed by Big Henry, right after promising Hoppy information on the boys' whereabouts. Hoppy gets a job as one of Big Henry's gun hands, thinking he can prevent Big Henry from making anymore attempts against Pablo, but the outlaws believe that Hoppy might be double crossing Big Henry and decide to take him out. A very gritty entry in the Hoppy series, with the character being less noble and more meaner than in the subsequent entries. Farnum is excellent as the former outlaw El Toro, evoking a lot of sympathy from the audience. Hayes gives another great performance as Big Henry's bartender who is trying to help Hoppy, behind his boss' back. Bretherton creates loads of action and suspense in this worthy entry. Many nuances Hoppy shows in the film (buying drinks for the ladies, rolling a cigarette, and his stern disposition) would disappear in the later films in the series. Rating, based on B westerns, 8.