The Whispering Skull

Rating:
Summary: Watchable Low Budget Western
Review: Tex and sidekicks Dave Wyatt and Panhaldle Perkins try to discover the identity of "The skull," a masked rider who rides a horse that makes no noise (unfortunately little is ever made of this last interesting characteristic). A typical low budget western with wooden acting from all but the 3 principals. Panhandle's comedy would probably steal the show (first he is almost hanged and then later he is made town marshall) except for Tex Ritter. With that distinctive voice, you always know when Tex is talking. Tex may not have been the best cowboy actor, but he was one of the very best singers and, next to John Wayne, had the most recognizable speaking voice. Tex sings only two short songs here (one is only partially completed)--one only wonders why? Alpha's DVD print is, as usual, unrestored, but it is better than some other prints in their catalog and it is watchable. There aren't any missing portions or other frustrating breaks. All in all, this western is far below the highest quality standard set by the superbly filmed Hopalong Cassidy westerns of the era, but then this film was shot by PRC on a low budget. There are so few Tex Ritter westerns on DVD that I recommend buying this one while it is still in print. The story isn't bad, Panhandle Perkins is an interesting character, but the chief reason for your purchase will be Tex Ritter.

Rating:
Summary: A rather bland Tex Ritter B-western
Review: This here is your basic Tex Ritter B-western from 1944. As you might guess, the bad guy is called the Whispering Skull. Don't ask me why, though, as he wears a leather mask and I never heard him whispering. The whispering may actually refer to his horse, which makes no sound and leaves no prints when it runs. Don't ask me how the whole silent horse bit worked either; Tex eventually gets to take a gander at the horse's hooves, but he doesn't share whatever he finds with the audience. Anyway, Sheriff Jackson (George Morrell) calls in the help of the Texas Rangers (even though he claims to know exactly who the Whispering Skull is). Tex Haines (Ritter) and Dave Wyatt (Dave O'Brien) arrive in town accompanied by Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson); old Panhandle is what you would call comic relief, and he actually bumbles his way from almost being hanged to becoming the marshal. Of course, you can't have a western like this without some local fellows engaging in some shenanigans of their own, and that's where Duke Walters (I. Stanford Jolley) comes in.

The film features a few shootings, several big fight scenes, and little else. The sleuthing abilities of Tex and the boys didn't particularly impress me, and the identity of the Whispering Skull left me quite nonplussed. Tex does take the time to sneak a couple of songs into the film: In Case You Change Your Mind and It's Never Too Late. When you get right down to it, the three Texas Rangers are pretty good characters, but the story itself just doesn't seem to try very hard, and that makes The Whispering Skull a pretty average old western.