A Nevada Napolean
Hoppy (William Boyd) and Red (Frank McGlynn Jr.) get a letter from their friend Jim Arnold (Howard Lang) as he's got a bit of a horse rustler problem going on. It seems as though rival rancher George Perdue (Harry Worth) sees himself as a bit of a Nelson and feels though he can take what ever he wants and in this case forcing Jim to sell up. In order to stop him and his gang Hoppy masquerades as a gambler to get on his ranch and get the proof of what he has been doing but it isn't without danger.
"Bar 20 Rides Again" actually has a fair bit of variety in its storyline as alongside the central storyline we have romantic tribulations for Red, comedy in the form of elderly relatives and much more. Now all of this stuff is typical of the era but for some reason "Bar 20 Rides Again" crams in a bit more of it than you would usually get especially if you have watched any of the later Hopalong Cassidy movies.
But it is the central idea which for me makes "Bar 20 Rides Again" and in particular the character of George Perdue and his admiration for Nelson. It makes him both interesting and amusing but also quite clever in the way he tries to get people to sell. And it is thanks to Harry Worth that the character is entertaining as he comes across as a bit of a tyrant with idea of grandeur when the proclaims how much land he will own one day. In fairness William Boyd is solid as Hopalong but for me it isn't the series regular actors who make this but Harry Worth.
What this all boils down to is that "Bar 20 Rides Again" is in many ways just a typical early Hopalong Cassidy movies with all those typical elements which filled up so many of them. But this one has a standout performance from Harry Worth which makes this one a bit more entertaining.
