Law of the Lawless (1964)

Dale Robertson is Clem Rogers, a former fast gun turned judge, and he’s a judge with a mission — to wipe out the fast gun law that has ruled the West and that claimed the life of his father.

He’s summoned to a Kansas town to preside over trial of Pete Stone (Jody McCrea), a former buddy who gunned down a man who was far less experienced with a six-shooter.

that happened in a bar room dispute that just might have been over Pete’s affection for the other man’s wife.

Rogers’ bigger problem — Pete is the son of wealthy Big Tom Stone (Barton MacLane). And Big Tom has a whole bunch of plans for getting his son out of this jam, including hiring Joe Rile (Bruce Cabot) to gun the judge down.

As much as the judge dislikes gunplay, Big Tom figures he might draw on Rile. After all, Rile’s the man who killed the judge’s father.

Pete’s more devious ploy: Raise questions about the Rogers’ integrity by convincing girlfriend Ellie Irish (Yvonne DeCarlo) to put the judge in a compromising position.

Dale Robertson as Judge Clem Rogers, confronting the man who killed his father in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Yvonne De Carlo as Ellie Irish, remembering how it feels to be treated like a lady in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Review:

One of a series of low-budget Westerns produced by A.C. Lyles in the 1960s, most featuring aging Western stars. To say this one lacks pizzazz would be an understatement. Of course, with Dale Robertson in the lead role, would you expect more?

The film also suffers from a plot that seems just a wee bit illogical. All the focus is on the judge and his role in the upcoming trial, though it’s the jury that will determine guilt or innocence.

And Pete Stone’s dad seems less concerned about freeing his son that doing away with a law that prohibits gunplay.

On the plus side, Yvonne DeCarlo looks fetching for 42. This film was released the same year she began her most famous role, as Lily Munster on the popular TV series, “The Munsters.”

Barton MacLane as Big Tom Stone, determined to save his son and bring back six-gun law in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Bruce Cabot as Joe Rile, agreeing to kill the judge for a handsome price in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Directed by:
William F. Claxton

Cast:
Dale Robertson … Judge Clem Rogers
Yvonne De Carlo … Ellie Irish
William Bendiz … Sheriff Tanner
Lon Chaney Jr. … Tiny
Bruce Cabot … Joe Rile
Barton MacLane … Big Tom Stone
Richard Arlen … Bartender
Jody McCrea … Pete Stone
John Agar … George Stapleton
Kent Taylor … Rand McDonald
Bill Williams … Silas Miller
Rob Lauren … Deputy Tim Ludlow
George Chandler … Martin
Romo Vincent … Doc Samuels

Runtime: 87 min.

John Agar as Pete Stone, watching Dee Stapleton lie for his as a witness in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Kent Taylor as Rand McDonald, the attorney trying to save Pete Stone from hanging in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Memorable lines:

Big Tom Stone: “Well, you’re gonna see a lot more of him. Besides sheriff, he’s the prosecutor here. On Sunday, he holds church services in the courthouse. Why that man tries to be everything.”
Attorney Rand McDonald: “I thought you were everything, Big Tom.”
Big Tom: “I am. And he’s gonna find that out. I promise you. He’s gonna find that out.”

Pete Stone: “Look, this town is home to a lot of straight-laced prudes and snobs. The hint of a scandal practically sends them into a righteous fit. They’re fanatics. Those are the people I want you go get on that jury.
Attorney Rand McDonald: “You’re telling me that because the judge is having dinner with that lady (Ellie Irish), they consider it a scandal?”
Pete: “Suppose she was to see him later. Under more interesting circumstances.”

Laurel Goodwin as Mrs. Dee Stapleton, wife of the man Pete Stone killed in a gunfight in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Bill Williams as saloon owner Silas Williams, preparing to testify at Pete Stone’s trial in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Big Tom Stone to Joe Rile: “It doesn’t matter to me which one of you draws the fastest or which one dies. It’ll be a gunfight. He’ll be dead or he’ll be alive, breaking his own law against shootouts. And that’ll be the end of the law. It’ll be laughed off the books. That’s all that important.”

Big Tom Stone, as strangers descend on the town: “Don’t you know them, Clem? Don’t you recognize any of them?”
Judge Clem Rogers: “No.”
Big Tom: “Then I’ll tell ya. Every single one of them is kinsfolk to someone you’ve sentenced to be hung. Mothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, fathers, brothers … Conducting a trial while the eyes of all these people remind you of all the men you’ve sent to their doom, simply because they defended themselves with a gun. They’ll sit there like markers over the graves of your victims. If you can endure that and still send one more man to the gallows, you’re not human. You’re a butcher. A murderer.”

Lon Chaney Jr. as Tiny, trying to threaten Ellie Irish into creating a judicial scandal in Law of the Lawless (1964)

William Bendix as Sheriff Ed Tanner, reflecting on the death of a colleague in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Rod Lauren as Tim Ludlow, the young deputy eager to prove his worth in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Yvonne De Carlo as Ellie Irish, watching the judge arrive in town in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Dale Robertson as Judge Clem Rogers, having his bath interrupted by a pretty lady in Law of the Lawless (1964)

Yvonne De Carlo as Ellie Irish, answering questions at trial as Judge Clem Rogers (Dale Robertson) looks on in Law of the Lawless (1964)