Enjoyable western with a twist of humor added. I miss the old "B" Westerns, wish there was a time machine to bring back those good ole days.

For some odd reason, I found 'Hell Fire Austin to be an appealing little Western. Surprising in the fact that a) I've just had it to my keister with westerns, and b) The print I saw of this was extremely bad. I think it has to do with the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously, and the fun partnering of Ken Maynard and Nat Pendelton. The story itself is a bit confusing, something about Maynard being recruited to race a horse for a outback race, and the efforts by a chief rival of the girl who hired him to stop him from winning the race at all costs. There were some large pieces missing it looked like, so there was some logic gaps. Like why was Maynard fired from his first employer? Mind you, even with the whole story in place, a lot of strange logic errors happen anyways.. How did they get a horse in the 2nd floor of a motel? And why would the police capture Maynard's sidekick when he goes out to do something and demand to know where Maynard is, when all they could have done is just followed him back where he came from? Still, logic issues aside, I ultimately enjoyed this light piece of western fluff.

This Ken Maynard western is a rare find, although it's print is flawed and damaged in spots. It concerns a former rodeo cowboy and his army buddy mustering out after World War I and going out west. The buddy (Nat Pendleton never more humorous and quite effective as a movie side-kick) a New York "tenderfoot" never having been out there before. The humor is broad and the story kind of thin, but it's a winner on all counts. Listen to the dialogue closely. Maynard is also totally tongue-in-cheek. Even Tarzan gets some good turns. Jack Rockwell even spoofs his own on screen personna to some degree. Great fun and a must see for fans of the old westerns.