Desert Passage (1952)

So I haven't seen too many (any?) series Westerns beyond this so it's difficult to know quite what to compare it against. Tim Holt—in what Hardy's Encyclopedia of Westerns says is his last series Western—plays the owner of a run down stagecoach line that he and his Spanish sidekick are trying to sell.

"Who would buy this old rattletrap?"

"We did – there must be other nitwits in this world like us"

They get unwittingly hired by a crook who wants to escape town with some stolen money, and is who is chased by a variety of people after his money: a couple of bandits, his attorney, his ex-girlfriend as her new beau.

A few of observations:

• By modern standards it seems very non-violent. It's only right at the end that anyone actually gets shot (the few shots fired before are warning shots). This fits in with the heroes who are stagecoach owners, not gunfighters.
• I was surprised how modern it seemed. There was little in the plot or script to distinguish it from any B-Western (that said, it's obviously a late entry series western).
• There's some amusing attitudes towards men's ability to cook.

The whole thing was pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of things, but an enjoyable enough way to spend roughly an hour. Little else to say.