This Mascot serial is in better condition DVD-wise than the two previous Rin-Tin-Tin serials 'The Lone Defender' (1930), and 'The Lightning Warrior' (1931). Unfortunately, this doesn't one star Rin-Tin-Tin, but his 'son' Rin-Tin-Tin Jr., who like so many children cast in the shadow of a mega-star parent, just doesn't have it as an actor. He mostly displays a menacing bark, is seen biting villains on the wrist, and in only a couple of chapters rescues the hero, 'John Sheldon' (played by Bob Custer) or Rex, the Wonder Horse. Junior only made 13 films.
The serial tells the story of rancher Sheldon, who is falsely accused of killing Lou Salter, his evil ranch hand. Salter, played with magnificent evil by Richard Alexander, steals Sheldon's super-fast wild stallion Rex, and turns him into a race horse, winning in the fastest time ever at Ardmore race track. Sheldon spends the rest of the twelve chapters trying to prove his innocence and ownership of Rex, who under a fake bill of sale is now owned by Frank Nolan (played by Richard Cramer), as he also tries to prove the guilt of the man who really stabbed Salter. That's about it for a story, so most of what we see is the heroes and villains riding back and forth to Sheldon's ranch to steal, free or recapture Rex.
At first you think it's too bad Alexander gets killed in Chapter One because he's so good as a villain, but the real villain, Cramer, is ugly and evil looking and wonderfully nasty for the rest of the serial. If his voice sounds familiar that's because he is immortalized as Nick Grainger the evil convict in Laurel and Hardy's great 'Saps at Sea' (1940), even though he appeared in 238 films, mostly as a bartender, detective, sheriff, etc. We also get Edmund Cobb, who had over 633 movie and TV credits, play Luger the key henchman for the entire serial.
Alexander gets to play a bad, bad villain, El Lobo, in Republic's 'Zorro Rides Again' (1937) and as the half naked strong man thug in the Ralph Byrd / Bela Lugosi serial 'S.O.S. Coast Guard' (1937) which is made much weaker by the fact that he plays a mute. His fine, deep voice is well displayed in his best role in 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930), as well as, of course, in his endearing presence as Prince Barin in 'Flash Gordon' (1936) and 'Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars' (1938).
The serial is capably directed by 'Breezy' Eason, director of so many serials including 'The Phantom Empire' (1935), 'Darkest Africa' (1936), 'Undersea Kingdom' (1936), 'The Phantom' (1943), as well the next Rex and Rinty serial 'The Adventures of Rex and Rinty' (1935), and 'The Last of the Mohicans' (1932), which also featured this serial's heroine, Lucile Brown as 'Alice Munro.' 'Breezy' was famous for his 'cavalier' treatment of animals, so much so that he was the cause of the American Humane Society's practice of visiting sets to monitor and protect animals and their safety. He was the second unit director of the infamous chariot horse pile-up in the first 'Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ' (1925).
Meanwhile, the big surprise of the serial is silent film star Ben Turpin, not only for having a prominent role in the serial, but also for being given third billing after Rex and Rinty and before the fourth billed hero, Bob Custer. Custer was an ex rodeo performer, so he's probably doing his own running horse mounts. Though he made 55 westerns, his billing here after Ben Turpin must be his main claim to fame. Our slap stick cross eyed Ben plays it mostly straight here, using his patented head turns, stares and physical falls for comic effect occasionally. He made over 230 movies, but not that many during the sound era; he doesn't have that good a voice for sound films, unfortunately. We can catch him in W. C. Field's 'Million Dollar Legs' (1932), and as the preacher in Laurel and Hardy's 'Our Wife' (1930) and as a plumber in 'Saps at Sea' (1940).
Finally, what about the first billed star, Rex The Wonder Horse? This is not his best of his handful of movies. He's a little better in 'The Adventures of Rex and Rinty' (1935), but he does his best work in 'Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island' (1936) playing off the well matched horse like actor Ray Mala.
So despite the novelty presence of Ben Turpin, the back and forth tedium of watching Rex and Rinty doesn't give this one more than a three and half.
The serial tells the story of rancher Sheldon, who is falsely accused of killing Lou Salter, his evil ranch hand. Salter, played with magnificent evil by Richard Alexander, steals Sheldon's super-fast wild stallion Rex, and turns him into a race horse, winning in the fastest time ever at Ardmore race track. Sheldon spends the rest of the twelve chapters trying to prove his innocence and ownership of Rex, who under a fake bill of sale is now owned by Frank Nolan (played by Richard Cramer), as he also tries to prove the guilt of the man who really stabbed Salter. That's about it for a story, so most of what we see is the heroes and villains riding back and forth to Sheldon's ranch to steal, free or recapture Rex.
At first you think it's too bad Alexander gets killed in Chapter One because he's so good as a villain, but the real villain, Cramer, is ugly and evil looking and wonderfully nasty for the rest of the serial. If his voice sounds familiar that's because he is immortalized as Nick Grainger the evil convict in Laurel and Hardy's great 'Saps at Sea' (1940), even though he appeared in 238 films, mostly as a bartender, detective, sheriff, etc. We also get Edmund Cobb, who had over 633 movie and TV credits, play Luger the key henchman for the entire serial.
Alexander gets to play a bad, bad villain, El Lobo, in Republic's 'Zorro Rides Again' (1937) and as the half naked strong man thug in the Ralph Byrd / Bela Lugosi serial 'S.O.S. Coast Guard' (1937) which is made much weaker by the fact that he plays a mute. His fine, deep voice is well displayed in his best role in 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930), as well as, of course, in his endearing presence as Prince Barin in 'Flash Gordon' (1936) and 'Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars' (1938).
The serial is capably directed by 'Breezy' Eason, director of so many serials including 'The Phantom Empire' (1935), 'Darkest Africa' (1936), 'Undersea Kingdom' (1936), 'The Phantom' (1943), as well the next Rex and Rinty serial 'The Adventures of Rex and Rinty' (1935), and 'The Last of the Mohicans' (1932), which also featured this serial's heroine, Lucile Brown as 'Alice Munro.' 'Breezy' was famous for his 'cavalier' treatment of animals, so much so that he was the cause of the American Humane Society's practice of visiting sets to monitor and protect animals and their safety. He was the second unit director of the infamous chariot horse pile-up in the first 'Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ' (1925).
Meanwhile, the big surprise of the serial is silent film star Ben Turpin, not only for having a prominent role in the serial, but also for being given third billing after Rex and Rinty and before the fourth billed hero, Bob Custer. Custer was an ex rodeo performer, so he's probably doing his own running horse mounts. Though he made 55 westerns, his billing here after Ben Turpin must be his main claim to fame. Our slap stick cross eyed Ben plays it mostly straight here, using his patented head turns, stares and physical falls for comic effect occasionally. He made over 230 movies, but not that many during the sound era; he doesn't have that good a voice for sound films, unfortunately. We can catch him in W. C. Field's 'Million Dollar Legs' (1932), and as the preacher in Laurel and Hardy's 'Our Wife' (1930) and as a plumber in 'Saps at Sea' (1940).
Finally, what about the first billed star, Rex The Wonder Horse? This is not his best of his handful of movies. He's a little better in 'The Adventures of Rex and Rinty' (1935), but he does his best work in 'Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island' (1936) playing off the well matched horse like actor Ray Mala.
So despite the novelty presence of Ben Turpin, the back and forth tedium of watching Rex and Rinty doesn't give this one more than a three and half.