Corpus Christi Bandits

Allan Lane gets to do two roles in Corpus Christi Bandits, a current day Lane and in a flashback narrated by Francis McDonald to his other child Twinkle Watts, the story of his own grandfather the notorious Corpus Christi Kid. The current Lane is an ace in the Army Air Corps and is about to go to Austin to be decorated by the governor and made honorary captain in the Texas Rangers.

So while Lane the ace prepares for the trip to Austin, McDonald tells his other child the story of the outlaw who was really more sinned against than sinned. He killed a Yankee Reconstruction commissioner and became an outlaw on the run with friends, Robert J. Wilke, Tom London, and Kenne Duncan.

In a rather unconvincing change of heart which you only accept because Lane is a cowboy hero, he decides to clean up the next town he settles in from the crookedness of saloon owner Roy Barcroft. As Lane is a cowboy hero, Barcroft who was contracted to Republic to play villains always meant some kind of skullduggery was brewing.

I need not say who triumphs, but the film itself is rather at loose ends and could really have used better direction and writing.

One thing I found fascinating. There was a plea made in the modern story to take better care of our returning veterans. In the works in Congress as this film was in circulation was the GI Bill of Rights and it was something recognized universally the fact we needed to do better by our veterans. Though why the example of Confederate veterans was a bit much to take. They were in fact fighting against the US government and how the writers of Corpus Christi Bandits expected rebels to be treated was a bit much.