THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN enjoys something of a cult reputation as one of the "worst films ever made" and is notorious for being a musical western enacted solely by dwarf actors (or midgets, as they're credited in the opening titles). However, this isn't that bad at all; it comes across as a distinctly average but mildly enjoyable western with the added novelty of having the entire cast populated by dwarf actors.It's fair to say that the acting isn't a strong point here, but the dwarfs certainly are enthusiastic performers and you can't fault their efforts in that respect. The musical scenes fare less well due to the high pitched nature of the voices, but the cattle rustling plot is more interesting and there's even a little romance to be enjoyed here. THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN is a unique film, yes, but in many ways it's all rather predictable and ordinary for the era. There are far, far worse films out there too.

Prolific B-movie director Sam Newfield helmed this serviceable outdoors oater "The Terror of Tiny Town" with a cast completely consisting of vertically challenged tykes. Actually, this musical western is the first all-midget cowboy musical done during the era of the singing cowboys. Bat Haines ('Little Billy' Rhodes) pits two ranches against each other so they will wipe each other out and he can step in to pick up the pieces. Buck admits that he is the bad guy. "I'm the villain. I'm the toughest hombre that ever lived, and I ain't afraid o' the biggest one o' you. I'm the Terror of Tiny Town, and that's the star part." Good guy cowboy Buck Lawson (Billy Curtis of "High Plains Drifter") is the hero who saves the day. The romantic interest, Nancy Preston (Yvonne Moray) meets Buck when he pulls over the runaway stagecoach that she was riding in after Bat's gunslingers killed Peter the driver and the Wells Fargo shotgun messenger. Bat is a thoroughly obnoxious outlaw who has no qualms against shooting down anybody and he bushwhacks Nancy's father, Tex (Billy Platt) as he is riding across a pasture. Bat implicates Buck for the killing of Tex and coerces the local sheriff to arrest him. Entertaining and offbeat fun, even though there are several murders. The finale is appropriately explosive!

I watched this in preparation for Herzog's dwarf film. He requires some time in the wilderness.In the early 30's there were some precode films that copied already established genres but with toddlers playing the roles. I commented on two: "War Babies" and "Runt Pages." Recently, I saw "Baby Geniuses," which borrowed heavily in spirit — but without the sex jokes.This is also modeled in a way on those, but is schizophrenic.It was the same year that "Wizard of Oz," used little people in a serious way to introduce the distorted magic of Oz. (This was before we could rely on Dr Suess.) Nearly all of these actors were in that scene, with its grueling shoot. The actual story is played almost perfectly straight. A standard script is used: cowboy romance, "Romeo and Juliette" family feud and romance, cattle rustling, corrupt sheriff, barroom moll... the whole works. These actors and the director take the movie seriously.On the other hand, a different director managed the musical numbers. There are a half dozen, and the novelty of little people is played to the hilt, using some actual children I think where cuteness is required. The shift in stance is radical. You can see that distributor realized that they had a problem, so here is what they did:At the beginning, an announcer comes on "stage" to announce that we would see a "novelty picture" with "midgets." A one of a kind, first ever, he effuses. But he is interrupted by the actor playing the hero, who assures him that the movie is not a novelty but a real film. Then he and the film's villain engage in a bit of scripted verbal slapping that someone thought was a successful synthesis of worlds.Here's what interests me: mainstream movies have only a few seconds to work with the viewer to establish where what the world is they are entering and where they stand in it. It is critical to the success of a film that this is right. It is why genres are so strong film; there is no relief from the moving forward of the narrative. Big films today can do that by showing a synopsis of the whole movie in the long trailers we have. And title sequences have become extremely effective: an art in itself.By here in 1938, they took those few precious minutes for this strange dialog.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

The standard issue plot consists of the title villain rustling cattle and sparking a range war between two rival ranchers, who each suspect the other.This is the first and only all little person musical western film. Once the novelty wears off though, The Terror Of Tiny Town starts to look like a typical 1930's poverty row programmer, of which director Sam Newfield is strongly associated.Billy Curtis, who went on to co-star alongside Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter, makes an appealing hero. The musical numbers (some of which were dubbed) are well done and the climax is surprisingly good.The producers should have cast Mickey Rooney as a giant!