Lawless Range (1935)

Director:

Robert N. Bradbury

Writers:

Lindsley Parsons (screenplay)
Lindsley Parsons (story)

Release Date:

4 November 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

John Middleton is investigating cattle rustling when he is captured and tossed into a cave with Emmett...

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | False Arrest | Gold | Marshal | Mistaken Identity

Cast

John Wayne	...	John Middleton, aka John Allen
Sheila Bromley	...	Ann Mason (as Sheila Mannors)
Frank McGlynn Jr.	...	Frank Carter (banker)
Jack Curtis	...	Marshal
Wally Howe	...	Uncle Hank Mason
Julia Griffith	...	Aunt Marie Mason
Yakima Canutt	...	Joe Burns, chief henchman
Earl Dwire	...	Emmett (storekeeper)

Runtime:

53 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

Originally meant to be a Monogram-Lone Star western, this picture was instead released by Republic after that company's temporary (as it turned out) takeover of Monogram in 1935.

Soundtrack:

The Girl I Loved Long Ago

Baritone Cowboy

What's unusual here for the period is the construction of the villain's identity. Most 'big boss' bad guys were openly introduced on screen and given excessive, cartoonish proportions. Here, the boss is playing a double role, one blending within the group of good guys/victims, the other unseen and disguised until the climax. The effect is enforced by the lack of close-up face images.

Aside from that, most of this is ordinary - Wayne as the irony-free hero who gets the girl. His voice is overdubbed by a professional baritone (a tenor would have been more convincing) in the obligatory musical segment, which pushed audio splicing technology to its limits.

The gunfight scenes are nothing special. But there are two key action sequences, the first being a dive into a lake and the ensuing escape. Also, Wayne jumps from horseback to horseback to unmount the opposing rider - a scene that appears to be a rough template for Lucas' speeder chase in "Return of the Jedi".