Bill Elliott is Johnny Barrett, who robs under the name of Spanish Jack, a masked man who always barks out orders in Spanish during holdups. He turned to robbery after claim jumpers stole his stake, killed his brother and got away with it.
He continues to rob even though it jeopardizes his relationship with lovely saloon singer Belle Malone (Constance Moore). She loves Johnny, but can’t stand the constant worry that the law will catch up with him. As a result, she refuses to consider a future with him.
Then they meet a young man named Sam Chase, who goes to Sacramento to have a good time after spending a year in the hills mining. He falls for Belle. But after losing his stake to a crooked gambler named Slayter, Chase decides to pose as Spanish Jack to get his money back, complicating matters for all three of them.
Review:
This movie marked Bill Elliott’s ascent from series Westerns to feature films, and it’s better than you might think given the oft-used masked bandit plot device. It’s also based on a short story by director Joseph Kane.
Several plot twists help as Sheriff Jim Wales (Eugene Pallette) tries to outwit the bandit, but keeps getting outwitted in the process. Jack LaRue plays Laramie, Spanish Jack’s partner, who agrees to identify him to avoid a noose.
But one of the keys to the film’s success is the role of Ruth Donnelly as Zebby, who watches over Belle like a mother hen, trying to push her toward Johnny Barrett and way from Sam Chase and risking exposing Johnny as Spanish Jack all the while.
This was one of only about a half dozen credited roles for Hank Daniels, who made his film debut performing “Skip to My Lou” in Judy Garland’s 1944 film, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” And, yes, that’s future Baretta Robert Blake as the young newspaper boy.
Directed by:
Joseph Kane
Cast:
Bill Elliott … Johnny Barrett
aka Spanish Jack
Constance Moore … Belle Malone
Hank Daniels … Sam Chase
Ruth Donnelly … Zebby Booker
Eugene Pallette … Sheriff Jim Wales
Jack LaRue … Laramie — Spanish Jack’s partner
Grant Withers … Capt. Mark Slayter
Charles Judels … Tony Marchetti
Bobby Blake … Newsboy
(Robert Blake)
Runtime: 90 min.
Memorable lines:
Johnny Barrett to Laramie: “You don’t rob a man while he’s feeding you. It’s bad luck.”
Zebby to Belle: “I told you no good would come from you gallivanting all over the country, biting highway robbers.” (When Spanish Jack robbed the stage, he kissed Belle. She responded with a bite on his shoulder.)
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