Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned)   CLICK HERE to buy from Blu-ray   CLICK HERE to buy from V.O.D. Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!

After notorious outlaw Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter) has held up yet another stagecoach and relieved it of another bankroll, the army tasks Sergeant Mickey Dunn (Edmund Lowe) to finally bring him to justice, and Dunn sure is the right man for the job, as he's not only a master shot, he also has enough street smart to go up against a man like Cisco. Because Cisco isn't just a brute, he's a very charming and likeable character able to mingle with the locals on their turf - and he has a weakness, Tonia (Dorothy Burgess), on whom he spends much of his loot, not seeing (or not wanting to see) that Tonia's a flirty one, more likely than not to cheat on him when he's out of town. And Dunn arrives in Tonia's favourite dive when Cisco's out of town once again, and she tries her charms on him. Knowing who she is, he plays hard to get, which makes her all the more determined to "get" him, as now her female pride is at stake - and of course, she succeeds eventually ... to then find out that Dunn's after Cisco. She feels betrayed and tells Dunn so, but he persuades her to help him, promising to spend the reward money on her - and Tonia likes money. So the two devise a plan where Tonia is to send Dunn a message upon Cisco's return so Dunn can shoot Cisco dead. Thing is, Cisco learns about their plan, intercepts Tonia's letter and instead sends Dunn another letter signed as Tonia claiming that Cisco will try to make a getaway in Tonia's clothes - and Dunn falls for it and ultimately kills Tonia after letting Cisco (whom he thought to be Tonia) escape in plain sight ...

In Old Arizona was a big milestone in its day and age, being the first all-talking, sound-on-film feature, the first major Western to be shot as a talkie, and the first talkie shot outdoors - and all of this unfortunately limits the film's quality somewhat, as back when, sound cameras were still bulky machines, so the cinematography is mostly very static, the film is a bit too talky as everything else was more difficult to shoot, and the actors, schooled mostly in silent movies, hadn't yet adapted to a more restrained acting style preferable in sound cinema. Also, all music is done pretty much on-screen as musical performances of sort, rather jarring the film's story than supporting it. That's not at all to say In Old Arizona is without its merits though, it's an exciting game of cat and mouse in an Old West setting that somehow blurs the lines between right and wrong a bit (what with the manipulative Dunn vs the charming and relatable Cisco) with a very cynical yet fitting ending. And within the limitations of the equipment, it's actually very nicely filmed. Still, it's more interesting for its historical importance than intrinsic qualities - but it did give Warner Baxter his signature role as Cisco Kid, which he would repeat 4 more times until 1939.

Now while Raoul Walsh receives an on-screen directing credit (together with Irving Cummings), his involvement with the film is debatable, as during shooting, Walsh - who was to also play Cisco Kid, had an accident (a jackrabbit smashing to his car's windscreen) that cost him an eye and forced him to drop out of In Old Arizona. How much (if any) of the film was shot before that, and if any of Walsh's footage was actually used in the final product can only be guessed at, even if some movie buffs swear that they can recognize Walsh in Cisco's outfit in some of the wide shots.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find In Old Arizona at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find In Old Arizona here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai Something naughty? (Must be over 18 to go there!)   find In Old Arizona at adultvideouniverse.com

Thanks for watching !!!