1940's The Showdown is yet another entertaining entry in the long-running series of B-movies, with William Boyd's boisterous and authoritative portrayal of Hoppy giving the story a firm anchor to build upon.
Hoppy is asked by a ranch owner to pay a visit. The owner is hard up for cash and wants Hoppy to take the horses to San Francisco for auction. But then a European baron shows up who might want to buy them himself.
Hoppy's not sure about the Baron. And he has reason to be suspicious. The "Baron" is indeed a fake. He simply wants to find out when the horses are being taken to Frisco, so he can have his band of outlaws intercept and steal them.
Hoppy seems to foil this plan and expose the Baron in a clever way starting by foiling an attempt to cheat at a poker game. But the Baron is persistent, convincing Hoppy's friend Lucky that Hoppy is making a play for Lucky's gal. Because of this, Lucky unwittingly gives away where the horses will be initially taken after leaving the ranch. This results in Hoppy being captured and tied up in a burning barn.
Hoppy will, of course, win through in the end. This movie ends with a nifty action scene, but the real pleasure of this one is watching Hoppy stay one step ahead of the Baron and carry out that clever reverse con to expose the Baron's scheme.
Here's the movie on Youtube, but a print with better sound quality is available on the free streaming service Tubi.
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