Jon Hall is Ed Garry, a deputy marshal who heads to Tumult, Wyoming, in search of two outlaws — Colt Redwood and Jed Northey — who has settled down into at least slightly more respectable lives.
Garry comes across a wounded man who passes him a map, just before he’s shot again. This time the wound is fatal. And Garry immediately suspects Joel Benton (Dick Foran), a leading rancher in the area, is really one of the outlaws he’s after.
Especially after the town doc explains that the map outlines the route the railroad is expected to take and that it’s expected to run through property owned by Harvey Masters, the dead man. Meanwhile, his niece Janet Masters (Frances Langford) and Claire Benton (Julie Bishop) vie for the new marshal’s affections.
But the marshal’s first order of business is finding out who the outlaws really are, and figuring out whether either is really behind all of the killings; Janet’s dad was gunned down, too. One key: A split-butt rifle.
Review:
Lots of twists and turns and action — add rustling and a man-made avalanche to all the shootings — but it all adds up to an average, low-budget B Western.
The story is told flashback style by Doc Vinson, who lends a touch of humor to the proceedings. He’s not just the doc in Tumult, after all. He’s also the undertaker and, by the end of the film, a minister with a license to marry. So he figures he has all of the town’s residents as his customers at one point or another.
Jon Hall, who rose to fame in 1937’s “The Hurricane” was nearing the end of his film career when this low-budget Western was made. It might be most notable for the fact that second billing goes to Frances Langford, his wife for nearly 20 years. She spent time overseas with Bob Hope entertaining the troops with her singing during World War II and gets to sing two songs in this film — “Hideout in Hidden Valley” and “Levis, Plaid Shirts and Spurs.”
Directed by:
William Berke
Cast:
Jon Hall … Ed Garry
Frances Langford … Janet Masters
Dick Foran … Joel Benton
Julie Bishop … Claire Benton
Joe Sawyer … Eli Cressett
Russell Hayden … Bill Masters
Clem Bevans … Doc Vinson
Wheaton Chambers … Harvey Masters
Forrest Taylor … Sheriff Lance
Mary Gordon … Mrs. Lance
Runtime: 60 min.
Memorable lines:
Garry to his horse, after a flareup between Janet Masters and Claire Benton: “Let that be a lesson to you. Never kiss a girl on another girl’s ranch.”
Claire Benton, to Ed Garry, who’s looking for a good meal: “The dining room’s closed, but there’s some bacon and eggs out in the kitchen. Would that interest you?”
Ed Garry, looking her over: “Anything you have interests me.”
Ed Garry: “Didn’t waste much time getting out (of jail), did you?”
Elis Cressett (aka Colt Redwood): “I’ve spent less time in better jails.”
Garry: “So I’ve heard. We’ll see if we can’t find you a place a little more restful.”
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