Director: SAM NELSON. Screenplay: Ed Earl Repp. Story: Harry F. Olmstead. Photography: John Boyle. Film editor: William Lyon. Associate producer: Harry L. Decker.Copyright 14 December 1937 by Columbia Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Central on a double bill with Universal's Behind the Mike: 28 January 1938. U.S. release: December 1937. Australian release: 6 April 1939. 6 reels. 56 minutes.COMMENT: With a large cast like this, Outlaws of the Prairie would certainly have to rate highly. And that it does. Not only because of its first-rate cast - including two delightful villains in the persons of thick-lipped Dick Curtis and deep-voiced Norman Willis - but because it provides plenty of action, slickly staged and directed. Even the musical interludes are thoroughly pleasant and very entertaining! And for cliché collectors, the script offers some really juicy gems: "Killing's too good for them!" snarls the William Lupton character played by Norman Willis.

This is an unusual b-western in many respects. It has a very large cast of featured actors as well as an abundance of uncredited characters, some with dialog. The plot includes a scene, violent for the genre, where a little boy has his trigger fingers cut off by the lead villain. There is also a strong musical element from the Sons Of The Pioneers and a solid performance from Earl Hodgins. The story line moves logically from point to point, all the while punctuated with action. All of these elements add to a fast-paced, well-developed plot. Had this little production been given the Harry Sherman treatment, similar to the Hopalong Cassidy Series, it could have been one of the best, ever. Outlaws Of The Prairie deserves a high rating and is worth watching.