classicsoncall
Interestingly, the synopsis for "Frontier Fury" on the Brentwood compilation of old Westerns describes the story for the 1943 film starring Charles Starrett. This movie's real title is "The Lone Rider in Frontier Fury", and it casts George Houston as the title character, going by the name of Tom Cameron. It was the fourth in a series of eleven Lone Rider films Houston did for Producers Releasing Corporation, all with Fuzzy St. John along as Tom Cameron's sidekick.Poor production values, and especially a bad sound recording make this a largely forgettable film. The story itself has Cameron trying to clear his name of a murder committed at the beginning of the movie, when rancher Jim Bowen is shot in the back, about to reveal the identity of the man responsible for causing disagreement among his fellow ranchers. Off screen, Cameron had been tried and sent to jail after being framed. Having broken out, he's back to find the real killer. Why the law doesn't arrest him once again is never dealt with and is a major plot hole, one I wondered about throughout the film.If you need a reason to tune in, there are a few I can offer. The female lead is portrayed by Hillary Brooke who a dozen years later became a regular on "The Abbott and Costello Show". However there's another significant female character, a rarity in 'B' Westerns, played by Virginia Card. Her character is Midge Malone, daughter of one of the story's villains. Even rarer though is the fact that she winds up taking a bullet and dying when the good guys and bad guys mix it up.Fuzzy St. John, always good for a comic turn in his appearances doesn't have much to do in this one. He's a stand up guy for Tom Cameron and comes riding to the rescue when it's required, but otherwise has a rather nondescript role.For his part, George Houston seems rather stiff in his portrayal as The Lone Rider. In between action scenes he lends his voice to a couple of musical numbers. Once you've seen him, you won't forget that wild shirt he wears with the huge storm flap. Houston's white horse is 'Lightning', though I don't recall the name being used in this picture. All of Houston's Lone Rider films were made in 1941/42, and when he left the series, Robert Livingston took up the reins for another six films, starting as Tom, but winding up as Rocky Cameron.
