"A Lawman is Born" was another in the series of independent westerns produced by A.W. Hackel, directed by Sam Newfield and starring Johnny Mack Brown. Its one of the better entries and has an able and recognizable cast of supporting players.
Tom Mitchell (Brown) is a peace loving store clerk who is in reality wanted for a murder he did not commit. Sheriff Rock Lance (Earle Hodgins) is trying to mediate a dispute between large ranchers led by Ike Manton (Jack C. Smith) and the small ranchers led by Graham (Frank LaRue) who just happens to have a young daughter, Beth (Iris Meredith). Each group accuses the other of cattle rustling.
Kane Briscoe (Warner Richmond) is behind the trouble and has planted one of his men, Bert Mescript (Charles King) among the small ranchers to stir things up.
When Sheriff Lance is murdered by an unknown assassin, his sister Martha Lance (Mary MacLaren) takes it upon herself to have Mitchell elected sheriff. Beating out Briscoe's man, Lefty Drogan (Dick Curtis), Mitchell pins on the badge and sets out to prevent a clash between the two ranching groups, all the while taking more than a passing interest in the comely young Beth. He identifies Briscoe as the culprit and..............................................
Brown gives one of his better performances in this film. Watch his facial expressions in the scene in which the sheriff is about to identify him as a murder suspect. Because of his training at MGM in the 20s, Brown was a much better actor than many of his competitors. Following his MGM stint he eventually settled into a long career in series westerns. He also appeared in five serials during the 30s before settling exclusively into features for Universal and Monogram in the 40s and early fifties.
Also in the cast are Al (pre-"Fuzzy") St. John as Eli the store keeper and Steve Clark as a Texas sheriff on the look out for Mitchell. Brown didn't have a sidekick in this series so St. John provides whatever comic relief there is in the film.
Tom Mitchell (Brown) is a peace loving store clerk who is in reality wanted for a murder he did not commit. Sheriff Rock Lance (Earle Hodgins) is trying to mediate a dispute between large ranchers led by Ike Manton (Jack C. Smith) and the small ranchers led by Graham (Frank LaRue) who just happens to have a young daughter, Beth (Iris Meredith). Each group accuses the other of cattle rustling.
Kane Briscoe (Warner Richmond) is behind the trouble and has planted one of his men, Bert Mescript (Charles King) among the small ranchers to stir things up.
When Sheriff Lance is murdered by an unknown assassin, his sister Martha Lance (Mary MacLaren) takes it upon herself to have Mitchell elected sheriff. Beating out Briscoe's man, Lefty Drogan (Dick Curtis), Mitchell pins on the badge and sets out to prevent a clash between the two ranching groups, all the while taking more than a passing interest in the comely young Beth. He identifies Briscoe as the culprit and..............................................
Brown gives one of his better performances in this film. Watch his facial expressions in the scene in which the sheriff is about to identify him as a murder suspect. Because of his training at MGM in the 20s, Brown was a much better actor than many of his competitors. Following his MGM stint he eventually settled into a long career in series westerns. He also appeared in five serials during the 30s before settling exclusively into features for Universal and Monogram in the 40s and early fifties.
Also in the cast are Al (pre-"Fuzzy") St. John as Eli the store keeper and Steve Clark as a Texas sheriff on the look out for Mitchell. Brown didn't have a sidekick in this series so St. John provides whatever comic relief there is in the film.