The Lone Rider Crosses the Rio (1941)

In their second Western outing together, PRC's low-budget team of George Houston and Al St. John go in search of a Mexican bandit known as "El Puma." Arriving south of the border disguised as peons, "The Lone Rider," a.k.a. Tom Cameron, and his sidekick Fuzzy learn that Torres (Thornton Edwards), the local mayor, refuses his son Francisco (Howard Masters to court cantina dancer Rosalie (Roquell Verria), whom he considers low-class. Grabbing a chance to get out of a jam, "El Puma," who is really a Gringo named Jarvis (Charles King), frames Tom in the kidnapping of Francisco. But Tom manages to escape before he can be arrested and persuades Rosalie to pretend to be in love with Jarvis. The latter's hideout is then infiltrated by Tom and Fuzzy disguised as gun salesmen and the entire gang is apprehended. Relieved at this happy outcome, Mayor Torres allows Francisco to marry Rosalia. The south-of-the-border setting of this low-budget "The Lone Rider" series entry permitted George Houston, a former opera bass, to perform such enchilada-flavored songs as "It's a Gay Fiesta" and "I'm Pancho, the Mexican Bandit". Heavyset and a bit awkward-looking, Houston was perhaps not the ideal B-Western hero and was replaced by Robert Livingstone in the final six of the 17 "Lone Rider" entries. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi