Richard Dix was a ruggedly good looking star who always seemed more at home on the range than in the drawing room. By the time he made this film in 1935, he was entrenched in the Western genre, having also made 2 epic Westerns, "Cimarron" (1930) and "The Conquerors" (1932).
Jake Mannen (Louis Calhern) is the sheriff in the town and controls everyone in it - Kitty Rivers tries to leave town but is held up by his henchmen. The lovely Margot Grahame, who was so effective in "The Informer" (also written by Dudley Nichols) plays Kitty, billed as the English Nightingale, who opens the film singing "Roll Along Covered Wagon, Roll Along". Clay Tallant (Richard Dix) comes to her rescue and she decides to go back to town. After that the stage is really held up by bandit Tex Randolph (Preston Foster), who takes all the cash.
Clay is made a Marshall to clean up the town but after the man he arrests is fined only $25 he gives back his badge. When he finds that his kid brother has been beaten and warned off he asks for the badge back. J. Farrell MacDonald has an amazingly small part as a Marshall who tries to arrest members of the gang but is shot. Another surprise appearance is by Edward Van Sloan, who was in some classic films "The Mummy" and "Dracula" - he has the uncredited part of Judge Cody.
There is a lot of action - there is a showdown in the main street - the gang on horse back (Joe Sawyer and granite faced Bob Kortman are unmistakable to miss), just itching to shoot Clay, who is walking slowly towards them - the tension just oozes out of the scene. There is a shootout in the bar when Clay is disarmed and taunted by Joe Sawyer and others. Tex joins forces with Clay and becomes a deputy Marshall.
Clay and Tex are thrown into jail on a trumped up charge. Sheriff Jake tries to burn down the jail and in a pivotal scene Pompey (Willie Best) is shot in the back by Jake while trying to aid the prisoners. Willie Best had a long career. Initially billed as "Sleep'n'Eat" he mostly had uncredited parts - one of his roles was in Shirley Temple's "The Littlest Rebel" (1935).
In another great atmospheric scene at the end Clay, Tex and Orin walk into the smoke shrouded street shooting it out with the unseen enemy.
It is a great western and I highly recommend it.
Jake Mannen (Louis Calhern) is the sheriff in the town and controls everyone in it - Kitty Rivers tries to leave town but is held up by his henchmen. The lovely Margot Grahame, who was so effective in "The Informer" (also written by Dudley Nichols) plays Kitty, billed as the English Nightingale, who opens the film singing "Roll Along Covered Wagon, Roll Along". Clay Tallant (Richard Dix) comes to her rescue and she decides to go back to town. After that the stage is really held up by bandit Tex Randolph (Preston Foster), who takes all the cash.
Clay is made a Marshall to clean up the town but after the man he arrests is fined only $25 he gives back his badge. When he finds that his kid brother has been beaten and warned off he asks for the badge back. J. Farrell MacDonald has an amazingly small part as a Marshall who tries to arrest members of the gang but is shot. Another surprise appearance is by Edward Van Sloan, who was in some classic films "The Mummy" and "Dracula" - he has the uncredited part of Judge Cody.
There is a lot of action - there is a showdown in the main street - the gang on horse back (Joe Sawyer and granite faced Bob Kortman are unmistakable to miss), just itching to shoot Clay, who is walking slowly towards them - the tension just oozes out of the scene. There is a shootout in the bar when Clay is disarmed and taunted by Joe Sawyer and others. Tex joins forces with Clay and becomes a deputy Marshall.
Clay and Tex are thrown into jail on a trumped up charge. Sheriff Jake tries to burn down the jail and in a pivotal scene Pompey (Willie Best) is shot in the back by Jake while trying to aid the prisoners. Willie Best had a long career. Initially billed as "Sleep'n'Eat" he mostly had uncredited parts - one of his roles was in Shirley Temple's "The Littlest Rebel" (1935).
In another great atmospheric scene at the end Clay, Tex and Orin walk into the smoke shrouded street shooting it out with the unseen enemy.
It is a great western and I highly recommend it.