mark.waltz "The Old Dark House" has moved from Wales to the west coast of the United States, and Randolph Scott shows up in the middle of a murder investigation. It seems that the relatives of a dying patriarch (who hires Scott to work in his laboratory) have gathered around, waiting for the old coot to die. But one by one, members of the family start to drop dead themselves. As always happens in these films, the hero (Scott) falls in love with one of the more innocent members of the family, and in this case, that heroine is none other than Ann Sheridan, the future "Oomph Girl" in one of her first major roles. Several years off from beginning to shine as one of Warner Brothers' top actresses of the late 1930's and 40's, Sheridan had yet to show her potential, but what made her movie star material is evident. Scott, seen the same year in the Astaire/Rogers musical "Roberta", moved between "A" films and low-grade western/action films. Even though he's seen through most of the films in chaps, this isn't really a western, in spite of its setting.In the supporting cast, "Chic" Sale adds some amusement as the self-sworn in sheriff, while stage actress Mrs. Leslie Carter makes a rare screen appearance as the family matriarch. Coming off like Eva Moore in "The Old Dark House", Carter would be much better off five years later when Miriam Hopkins played her in Warner's biopic "The Lady With Red Hair". Her acting here is best described as something out of the gaslight era, overly dramatic and unintentionally campy. Willie Fung, as usual, is typecast as the effeminate servant.There are some interesting developments in the slow-moving and creaky pacing, particularly the contraption used in several of the demises. Otherwise, the film is entirely forgettable, and strictly for fans of the "Z" budget bottom of the bill programmers or for fans who want to see Scott and Sheridan early in their career.

disdressed12 this is a pretty good western.but it's not just a western.it's also a mystery.actually it's probably more of a mystery than a western.it's short clocking in at around 65 minutes,but it's a pretty good movie.it stars Randolph Scott,Anne Sheridan,Kathleen Burke,Florence Roberts,Howard Wilson,Charles 'Chic' Sale,Mrs.Leslie carter,George F. Marion,among others.i thought it was well done.it had a nice atmosphere,and wasn't wholly predictable.the acting was good by all concerned,and the story was interesting,but similar to another western i remember seeing.though i can't recall weather this movie came out before that one or not.by similar story,i don't mean the general outline and formula that most westerns follow.i mean that some of the story details and specifics are similar.regardless,i liked it.for me,The Fighting Westerner is a 6/10

Randy_D My primary interest in seeing this movie was to catch an early appearance by 'Sheridan, Ann' (qv) where she actually appears in a few scenes and not just in a bit part. She does a nice job with this early effort but is hampered by some fairly clunky dialog. I'd dare any actress to make this dialog come alive, never mind one who is just starting out.Aside from Miss Sheridan, Randolph Scott is good as the lead but he is also a victim of a story, and script, that doesn't have much to offer. But at a running time of only an hour and combined with an early glimpse of a future star, there are worse ways you could spend an hour.

clark-9 This is definitely a "B" type western, but Randolph Scott does his normal star role as Randolph Scott. "Chic" Sale's performance as the "old timer" is very entertaining, the plot is decent, and everything moves along. Some interesting little add ins, like the two dogs. You can also see Ann Sheridan before she learned to act.All in all a little better than average for this era.