Let Freedom Ring Reviews

Eddy is a Harvard lawyer who returns to his small western hometown to find the railroad trying to take over the place. Arnold heads the railroad and has bought out the town judge, making it easier to do whatever he likes. Eddy stands up to Arnold and the railroad thugs burn his house down. The lawyer then pretends to be on Arnold's side while masquerading as "The Hornet." Under this guise, Eddy kidnaps the local publisher and takes control of the printing press, having leaflets made to continue the fight against Arnold. The railroad henchmen take chase and Eddy is wounded in a shootout, but Arnold still doesn't know the identity of the mysterious crusader and this enables Eddy to convince McLaglen, Arnold's top henchman, to join forces with the town. Arnold is then quickly herded out of town for good. The film, a sappy celebration of the American spirit, works in spite of itself, mainly because of Ben Hecht's script, and was printed in a sepia tone. Songs include "Dusty Road" (Leon and Otis Rene), "Love Serenade" (Riccardo Drigo, Bob Wright, Chet Forrest), "Home Sweet Home" (Sir Henry R. Bishop, John Howard Payne), "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (Ernest R. Ball, Chauncey Olcott, George Graff, Jr.), "America" (Henry Carey, Rev. Samuel Francis Smith), "Pat Sez He" (Foster Carling, Phil Ohman), "Where Else but Here" (Sigmund Romberg, Edward Heyman), "Funiculi Funicula" (Luigi Denza), "Ten Thousand Cattle Straying" (Owen Wister), "I've Been Working on the Railroad" (traditional).