It appears that somewhere along the line, the story writer lost his train of thought and then picked it up again after having bungled the original idea. The opening scene offers a staged train robbery for the benefit of a wealthy landowner and his guests, but after Blaze Howell (Ken Maynard) interrupts the event, it turns out that fifty thousand dollars actually WAS stolen from a safe aboard the train. So having been implicated, Howell runs off after being charmed by Howell's daughter Doris (Ruth Hall). However back at the Howell Ranch, foreman Owens (Alan Roscoe) is put on the spot for twenty grand that's supposed to be in the Howell safe, which also winds up missing! But because Howell comes calling on Miss Doris, he's once again in the wrong spot at the wrong time and it looks like he's the thief.
The picture makes an attempt at getting creative when Blaze arrives later at a masquerade party at the Howell Ranch, but wouldn't you know it, he's wearing the exact same costume as foreman Owens, and the mistaken identity gimmick is taken to the limit. Fortunately, Howell managed to trail Owens' henchman Red Saunders (Al Smith) to an abandoned hacienda where he hid the stolen money. He now only needs to wait and watch for Owens to make his move.
Given the era, you can forgive the principals involved with this production. These early Westerns were short on credibility, instead trying to capitalize on the cowboy hero's good looks and ability to deliver the action. From today's vantage point, a film like "Dynamite Ranch" is just another run of the mill B flick with not a lot to recommend it. One bright spot here was Maynard's Palomino Tarzan, who entertains with some clever dance steps before helping his owner put away the bad guys.
The picture makes an attempt at getting creative when Blaze arrives later at a masquerade party at the Howell Ranch, but wouldn't you know it, he's wearing the exact same costume as foreman Owens, and the mistaken identity gimmick is taken to the limit. Fortunately, Howell managed to trail Owens' henchman Red Saunders (Al Smith) to an abandoned hacienda where he hid the stolen money. He now only needs to wait and watch for Owens to make his move.
Given the era, you can forgive the principals involved with this production. These early Westerns were short on credibility, instead trying to capitalize on the cowboy hero's good looks and ability to deliver the action. From today's vantage point, a film like "Dynamite Ranch" is just another run of the mill B flick with not a lot to recommend it. One bright spot here was Maynard's Palomino Tarzan, who entertains with some clever dance steps before helping his owner put away the bad guys.