Don't be fooled by armchair critics. This movie was cast with Ken Maynard who could ride with the very best! It might be a little stilted, but look at the date the film was made. Ken Maynard several times used Phantom elements in his films and this one is actually quite good. I got mine on a hundred films from the 1930s collection and this is one of the best. John Wayne's Angel and the Badman was in that collection too. The film is not restored, and a ton of money spent on archival correction. Yet it is good to see what was done then. Ken Maynard and Bob Steele could ride and their acting is pretty good coming out of the Silent film era. Go look a the original Panco Villa films for comparison.That if course was the real deal.

The opening hook is a real grabber. In fact, the movie's best scenes are the action among the other-worldly rocks and spires. 'Other-worldly' is apt since a caped figure called the Phantom Killer occupies the rocks with a deadly rifle and a shattering scream. So Ken's got a lot to contend with, since he doesn't even know his real identity or why cowboy Sykes and his gang are trying to kill him. Plus, just who's side is the Phantom really on; first it seems one and then the other. Good thing Ken's got Tarzan, the wonder horse, to help. And what matinee hero would be complete without a cute girl helper trailing along (Parker). Oh sure, it's standard matinee fare except for the creepy Phantom angle, and a couple of plot twists. At the same time, credit outstanding cinematographer Ted McCord for many of the complex scenic compositions. He later graduated to a string of A-productions including Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948). Unfortunately, my DVD copy had a lot of fuzzy sound, a consequence I guess of the many copies in circulation (IMDB Trivia). Nonetheless, the hour amounts to matinee time well spent and with an unexpected ending.

Director: ALAN JAMES. Screenplay: Earle Snell, Ken Maynard. Story: Claude Rister. Photography: Ted McCord. Art director: Dave Berg. Art director: Ralph M. DeLacy. Set decorator: Eddie Boyle. Costumes: Elizabeth Coleman. Music director: Val Burton. Associate producer: Irving Starr. Producer:Ken Maynard. Executive producers: Burt Kelly, Sam Bischoff, William Saal. A KBS Production, filmed at California Tiffany Studios and on locations in Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave Desert. Presented by E. W. Hammons. RCA Sound System.Copyright 25 December 1932 by K.B.S. Productions, Inc. Released through World Wide Pictures. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 25 December 1932. U.K. release: 24 March 1934. 62 minutes. SYNOPSIS: The Phantom is a mysterious killer who is bush-whacking anyone with allegiances to the Lazy S Ranch. A stranger is accused, but with the help of a girl he has befriended and her father (the owner of a neighboring ranch), he manages to track down the true culprit.COMMENT: Wonderful atmosphere, a strong, fast-paced story, great photography, vigorous direction and a fascinating cast — Maynard himself, Cecilia Parker, Bob Burns, George Chesebro, Lafe McKee, Sheldon Lewis, and not to forget "Tarzan" — combine to make this entry a stand-out even among the normally superlatively entertaining output of the Ken Maynard unit.Happily, the print under review, whilst slightly track-marked, does full justice to the breathtaking cinematography of Ted McCord. Many other commentators, were likewise impressed by this entry, but let me just say that Ken Maynard is my favorite western hero and that "Tombstone Canyon" is one of his very best films. But even if you don't like Maynard, this one is an absolute "must" for any collection of classic westerns.

This is a silly little B-western from Ken Maynard. The plot is strange and seems more like something you'd see from an old movie serial. It begins with Maynard being ambushed in a canyon. However, a shot rings from out of no where and he's saved. Who did this? It was THE PHANTOM!! Yes, thee is a black cloaked guy running around in the old west! And, it turns out he's got revenge on his mind--but why?! And, how does this all relate to Maynard--a guy who doesn't even know his name or his kinfolk?! You'll see in the reasonably good but very contrived finale.Maynard seems like an odd sort of western hero in that he sure gets beaten up a lot! You know he's the good guy but certainly not in the mold of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. No, this is a very fallible hero--and that is the best aspect of the film. But the plot and the idea of a guy running around in a cape is just silly! Not a particularly good film but not terrible--as if this is glowing endorsement!By the way, when the film begins, get a load of the studio mascot. You just have to see it to understand what I mean.