Tonight's Movie: The Eagle's Brood (1935)

THE EAGLE'S BROOD (1935) was the strong second entry in the long-running HOPALONG CASSIDY movie series.

The first film, HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY (1935), was released in August 1935. Last fall I wrote about that movie in some detail for Classic Movie Hub. As a side note, that was the only film in which the nickname "Hop-a-long" was hyphenated!

The second Hoppy film, THE EAGLE'S BROOD, was released two months later, in October 1935. It was strongly recommended by Frances M. Nevins in his comprehensive Hoppy reference HOPALONG CASSIDY: ON THE PAGE, ON THE SCREEN, and it did not disappoint.

The movie has a somewhat darker, grittier feel than later Hoppy films, including steely-eyed Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy (William Boyd) being a pretty dangerous customer. You absolutely do not want to mess with this man! Hoppy was always a confident character but here he's almost scary at times, then finally he'll break into a reassuring smile.

The film opens with the murders of the parents of young Pablo Chavez (George Mari), while he hides in the nearby woods. (This sequence reminded me a bit of the opening of a later Zane Grey Western, 1937's THUNDER TRAIL.) Pablo is found by Dolores, a kind-hearted dance hall performer; Dolores was played by Joan Woodbury, curiously billed as Nana Martinez, the only time in her career she used that name.

Dolores quickly realizes that her boss Big Henry (Addison Richards) is behind the murders and is now hunting for the child, wanting to eliminate a potential eyewitness to the killings. She hides the little boy, then writes to his grandfather, the famous bandit El Toro (William Farnum).

El Toro heads north from his home in Mexico to find his grandson, pausing along the way to save the life of Sheriff Cassidy (Boyd). Cassidy recognizes El Toro and orders him to return south of the border, then pledges to find the man's grandson, in gratitude for saving his life.

Cassidy and his Deputy Johnny Nelson (James "Jimmy" Ellison, seen here) turn in their badges and head off to find Dolores, arriving in town separately and not letting on they know one another as they investigate the situation. A series of violent incidents take place as the men edge closer and closer to finding little Pablo.

This was quite a strong and compelling drama which I enjoyed very much. It's told in a compact 61 minutes but is a complete, satisfying story with some dramatic punch. I'd describe it as a model "B" Western.

Woodbury and Farnum are particularly good among the supporting cast, which also has familiar names like George "Gabby" Hayes and Paul Fix. Former silent film actress Dorothy Revier registers well as Dolly, who works with Dolores.

It's quite interesting to track the evolution of the Hoppy character from the very first films, as he's definitely a more lighthearted persona as the series continues. The movie is also much more violent than I've seen in later Hoppy films, including a couple people flying over cliffs. Legendary stuntmen such as Cliff Lyons and Jack Montgomery were among the movie's crew.

THE EAGLE'S BROOD was directed by Howard Bretherton and filmed by Archie Stout. IMDb says the movie was shot in the area of Kernville, California.

This movie is available on DVD and VHS, and it's also available for streaming via multiple services.

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