Devil Riders (1943)
Directed by Sam Newfield, Devil Riders is a fast-paced B-Western from Producers Releasing Corporation, starring Buster Crabbe as Billy Carson and Al St. John as his comic sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones. It’s part of the long-running Billy the Kid/Billy Carson series, though this entry marks a turning point: Crabbe’s character officially transitions from outlaw Billy the Kid to heroic Billy Carson.
Plot Summary
Billy and Fuzzy run the local Pony Express office in a frontier town. When a new stagecoach line arrives and begins competing for mail delivery contracts, the two services initially coexist peacefully. But greedy businessmen—fearing the stagecoach’s success—hire saboteurs to stir up conflict between the Pony Express and the stage line.
As tensions rise, Billy must uncover the truth behind the sabotage, protect the town’s mail routes, and restore peace. Along the way, there’s plenty of action, fistfights, and even a few musical interludes courtesy of Tex Williams, a popular country-western performer of the era.
Cast Highlights
- Buster Crabbe as Billy Carson
- Al St. John as Fuzzy Q. Jones
- Patti McCarty as the female lead
- Tex Williams as himself, performing musical numbers
- Falcon (Crabbe’s horse) gets his usual billing as the trusty steed
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- This was the first film in the series where Buster Crabbe’s character is officially renamed Billy Carson, distancing him from the outlaw image of Billy the Kid
- Tex Williams performs a couple of songs, though not his later hit “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette),” which became a chart-topper in 1947
- The film was broadcast in the New York City area as early as September 29, 1948, on WATV Channel 13, one of the first independent TV stations
