The Range Busters: Texas To Bataan (1942) / Tumbledown Ranch In Arizona (1941)

Texas to Bataan (1942, B&W): As war looms in the Pacific, even cowboys are called on to fight the enemy. Horses are desperately needed by U.S forces stationed in the Philippines, and the Range Busters - Crash Corrigan, Alibi Terhune, and their newest partner, Davy Sharpe - are hired to accompany a herd to the islands. But first they must battle Axis spies right in Texas, as they foil a plot to steal the very horses destined for shipment. The Range Busters fail to catch the ringleader, but their paths will intersect again in a remote tavern in Bataan.

Although Texas to Bataan ends on a grim note with a radio announcement of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the rest of the film is light-hearted Range Busters fare, with plenty of fist-fights, gunfire and horseplay.

Starring David Sharpe, Max "Alibi" Terhune, John "Dusty" King; Directed by Robert Emmett Tansey.

Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona (1941, B&W): A rodeo accident sends young Johnny King on a wild ride into the past. Thrown from a bucking bronco in 1941, Johnny awakens in the Old West, inhabiting the body of his famous father, Dusty King, one-third of the crime-fighting trio known as the Range Busters. Along with Crash Corrigan and Alibi Terhune, Johnny rides to the rescue of beloved rancher, Mother Rogers, who is fighting a losing battle against corrupt town officials and greedy railroad agents who want her land.

This rousing Range Busters entry has a unique time-travel twist that truly sets it apart. John King and Ray Corrigan play dual roles here, and Max Terhune, as always, speaks for two - himself and his ubiquitous dummy, Elmer.

Starring Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max "Alibi" Terhune, John "Dusty" King; Directed by S. Roy Luby.

• western