Very Cool!!!

People are voting emotionally.

How sad is this?

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Routine '30s oater, notable only for having an all-black cast at a time when that was rare. The story is one you've seen a dozen times if you've watched enough B westerns from the period. Cowboys Herb Jeffries and Lucius Brooks stumble into a situation where a rancher is fighting to keep his ranch from being taken away from him by villains after radium or something. They decide to help the rancher, spurred on in no small part by the rancher's daughter one of them falls in love with. It's all very simple but not a bad way to pass an hour. There are a couple of songs, which are enjoyable in their corniness. The stunts are unimpressive and the acting fairly one-note. I will say that it is interesting to see black actors at the time being allowed to act 'normal,' rather than as put-on stereotypes like Willie Best or Mantan Moreland. The closest thing we get to that sort of thing here is Lucius Brooks' comic relief sidekick, but even that is restrained compared to what you would see in a mainstream film at the time.

Immediately noticeable in the opening credits was the name Spencer Williams, Jr. This should have been a guarantee of good quality, but Mr. Williams' acting skill was not matched by much of the cast nor was his screenplay as good as it could have been. The premise of the story was standard, and the dialog was at times too simple as if it had been written quickly with intent to fix it later. Some scenes had clever or natural spoken parts along with attempted humor that was consistent with other B westerns. Too often the actors spoke far too simple lines with far too long pauses between lines. Too bad.Talent as a singer, rodeo champion, or athlete does not always qualify one to attempt acting as many movie cowboys had done. Often it was acceptable as a matter of authentication for the real cowboy to make it as a western movie actor. The same leniency is afforded to singers who make the leap into acting. Herb Jeffries and the Four Tones were definitely capable singers. Acting was not their forte. Sadly, the same is true for much of the cast. Herb Jeffries looked good as he filled the cowboy suit, and his acting was no worse than early Gene Autry entries into motion pictures. Maybe it was a little worse, but it worked for a cowboy movie. As the faithful sidekick, Dusty, Lucius Brooks had a likable presence that paralleled many sidekick performers. Perhaps if there had been more acting opportunities he could have become a better actor.Musically, this movie had three song performances including the opening credits. It fit the feel of western music while the Four Tones added an Ink Spots style. Mr. Jeffries singing voice put him among the better cowboy singers. Had he wanted to continue to build a larger repertoire in the western music field he would be admired for that work today. We are all lucky that he left movies to work with Duke Ellington.As Bob Blake, Jeffries is the hero of Harlem Rides The Range while the actual heroism is shared between Blake and Cactus (John Thomas). Blake is the singing cowboy dressed better than everyone else as he investigates a possible crime and pursues the only girl in the movie. Cactus is the vigilant ranch hand who ultimately delivers justice with a gun. While Blake plays the happy cowboy, Cactus plays the determined man of righteous pursuit. Had the two characters been combined the viewer would have seen a character closer to Hopalong Cassidy or Buck Jones.As a B western, Harlem Rides The Range is an average movie. It is enjoyable, just not outstanding.

They weren't supposed to be documentaries. lol So let's forget the "straining credulity" and "logistics" and "plot problems" and just settle down with some popcorn for an old-fashioned good time. This is Saturday matinée. You want something to put a smile on your face that makes you forget the horrors in the world--war, poverty, racism. You want a cinema universe with good music, perhaps some snappy dancing, beautiful gutsy women and handsome gutsy men, and gorgeous horses with streaming mane and tail galloping through exotic scenery in a part of the US most Americans had yet to explore. It's a fantasy land where good always triumphs over evil, mortgages always get paid, people aren't told they can't do something because of their skin color, and wittiness is woven throughout. In short, it isn't reality, which is just the way the audiences wanted it.When we are introduced to the hero and sidekick I was strongly reminded of Cisco and Pancho in looks and humorous interchange. :) The two funny fellows in the movie play out a scene that might have come from a Charlie Chan, where Number One Son and black friend tear off in a panic. It might also be from an Abbot and Costello monster movie. Or any of the other early comedy acts when a none-too-bright fellow is confronted by something frightening. "Did you think you could run faster than your horse?" "The horse didn't see what I saw." tee hee Or the hero literally picking up the extremely capable heroine at the way station! Those western ladies were game for anything! My mother was a Great Plains lady of that era and she could handle a lot, too.I'm not a big fan of early westerns, except maybe the Cisco Kid, but I found this series to be entertaining because of the comedy. As with musicals, I don't particularly care about the plot, which seems to be the way the writers felt about it! :)

Having just watched The Bronze Buckaroo, I picked the next film on the "Black Westerns" disc of the DVD set "Black Entertainment in Film" which happened to be Harlem Rides the Range. Once again Herb Jeffries stars as Bob Blake with Lucius Brooks as sidekick Dusty and Clarence Brooks in a villainous role. Spencer Williams, however, is on the good side this time as Blake's ranch-hand boss and previously female lead Artie Young is just a picture here until the last 10 min. Also F. E. Miller appears again as Slim Perkins who with Lucius provides some amusing comic relief that in a white cast movie might have been considered racist. I actually thought Harlem Rides the Range might have been slightly duller than The Bronz Buckaroo but at least this time the print was good and the soundtrack was clear so I could actually hear the dialogue well and the singing was more enjoyable as a result which was provided by Mr. Jeffries and The Four Tones of which Lucius is a member. P. S. Another player, Wade Dumas who was the Dog City Sheriff, came from my home state of Louisiana in addition to Mr. Williams. Also, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miller wrote the screenplay this time.