Ok, it isn’t “Rio Bravo”. It’s not “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral”, either. Heck, it isn’t even “Blazing Saddles”, but then, what is?
This is THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN! Made in 1938, it’s the one and only Midget Western. It’s earned kudos for it’s uniqueness and has been panned for everything else, earning itself a spot in the book “The Fifty Worst Films of All Time”.
“Little” Billy Rhodes plays Bat Haynes, the villain of the piece while another Billy, Billy Curtis, is our hero, Buck Lawson. A large number of the movie’s cast would appear in “The Wizard of Oz” the following year.
Other than the midget thing, it was no worse (or better) than any other low-brow film studio’s Westerns in those days. I was never a fan of singing cowboys, so sometimes it’s a struggle for me to get through the musical scenes of this movie. However, when we get to people walking UNDER saloon doors and riding Shetland Ponies, the film kind of evens out for me.
In almost every cut I’ve seen of this movie, it is introduced by a regular sized announcer. He has to break up a fight between Little Billy and Billy Curtis as they argue over who has the star part in the picture.
You can still see this film on late-night TV. A few months ago my wife said she saw it after midnight on the Disney Channel. Good place for it. It’s also available as a free download if you know where to look.
Can’t say that I remember seeing anyone else from this movie in subsequent films, except for Billy Curtis, who went on to co-star with Clint Eastwood in “High Plains Drifter”, amongst other things.
I’d say we’re due for a re-make or, as Hollywood now calls them, “a re-imagining” of “The Terror of Tiny Town”. Political correctness be damned, midget actors could use the work.
This is THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN! Made in 1938, it’s the one and only Midget Western. It’s earned kudos for it’s uniqueness and has been panned for everything else, earning itself a spot in the book “The Fifty Worst Films of All Time”.
“Little” Billy Rhodes plays Bat Haynes, the villain of the piece while another Billy, Billy Curtis, is our hero, Buck Lawson. A large number of the movie’s cast would appear in “The Wizard of Oz” the following year.
Other than the midget thing, it was no worse (or better) than any other low-brow film studio’s Westerns in those days. I was never a fan of singing cowboys, so sometimes it’s a struggle for me to get through the musical scenes of this movie. However, when we get to people walking UNDER saloon doors and riding Shetland Ponies, the film kind of evens out for me.
In almost every cut I’ve seen of this movie, it is introduced by a regular sized announcer. He has to break up a fight between Little Billy and Billy Curtis as they argue over who has the star part in the picture.
You can still see this film on late-night TV. A few months ago my wife said she saw it after midnight on the Disney Channel. Good place for it. It’s also available as a free download if you know where to look.
Can’t say that I remember seeing anyone else from this movie in subsequent films, except for Billy Curtis, who went on to co-star with Clint Eastwood in “High Plains Drifter”, amongst other things.
I’d say we’re due for a re-make or, as Hollywood now calls them, “a re-imagining” of “The Terror of Tiny Town”. Political correctness be damned, midget actors could use the work.
No comments:
Post a Comment