The Slickers: In Which a Western Lawmen Cracks Down on Crime... in Manhattan

Those who enjoy breathless adventures from the golden age of pulp fiction or radio melodramas will no doubt be delighted by these three tales from Hubbard’s abundant short story collections, performed by a large cast led by Scottish actor Enn Reitel. In the title story, Tex Laramie, the growly voiced sheriff of Cactus County, Ariz., travels to New York City, where his wallet is stolen and he’s held up by thugs and framed for a murder. In “Murder Afloat,” Bob Clark of the Secret Service Narcotics Squad follows a “million and a half dollars’ worth of dope” aboard a pleasure cruise and havoc ensues. These performances are enhanced by sound effects—notably the snap, crackle, and pop of burning timber. Meanwhile, the sound of howling wind and sleet marks “Killer Ape,” in which newsman Bill Lacey, recently released from jail after punching a man for mistreating a orangutan named Joe, learns that the animal has been mysteriously released from its cage and is roaming the snowy countryside. The performances, including that of Orangutan Joe, are very much in the fever-paced, derring-do style of the stories themselves. A Galaxy paperback. (Oct.)