Eagles Brood

The Eagle’s Brood is a 1935 American Western film directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Doris Schroeder and Harrison Jacobs. The film stars William Boyd, James Ellison, William Farnum, George “Gabby” Hayes, Addison Richards, Nana Martinez and Frank Shannon. The film was released on October 25, 1935, by Paramount Pictures.

El Toro the outlaw saves Hoppy’s life, so Hoppy agrees to help find his missing grandson.

Cast

William Boyd as Bill Hop-Along Cassidy
James Ellison as Johnny Nelson
William Farnum as El Toro
George “Gabby” Hayes as Bartender Spike
Addison Richards as Big Henry
Nana Martinez as Dolores
Frank Shannon as Henchman Mike
Dorothy Revier as Dolly
Paul Fix as Henchman Steve
Al Lydell as Panhandle
John Merton as Henchman Ed
George Mari as Pablo Chavez
Juan Torena as Esteban
Henry Sylvester as Sheriff

Big Henry learns that Dolores is harboring the child and in a scene unusual for a series western, murders her in cold blood. Cassidy in the mean time, finds the boy and shields him from the outlaws. A shootout ensues followed by the aforementioned ride to the rescue and concludes with a cliffside fight to the finish between Cassidy and Big Henry.

Boyd was still playing the lead character with a rough edge. He is called “Bill” throughout except for one instance where Ellison calls him “Hoppy”. Heck, Hoppy even has an eye for the ladies in this one. George “Gabby” Hayes had not yet settled into his Windy Halliday character. He played several character roles in the early films of the series, much as he had done in the John Wayne Lone Star series. Here, he plays a good bad guy Spike, Big Henry’s bartender who spends most of the picture trying to roll a cigarette. Hayes doesn’t have his tell tale whiskers in this one, only a drooping moustache with short hair.

This is a good action packed series western which maintained its excellent production values throughout. We believe the Hopalong Cassidy series was the best “B” series ever made.