The Rider of the Law

Si Jenks is a bewhiskered old trapper who gets the sheriff's job by default and Bob Steele is a bespectacled salesman who gets on his horse backwards and can't shoot a gun. An unlikely duo to take on the rough and tumble Tollivers who rob the bank with no pushback from the town folk. Col. Carver (Lloyd Ingraham) wants the money back or does he? His daughter played by Gertrude Messinger is smitten by Steele until she finds out he's not who she thinks he is. Earl Dwire, one of the best villains of the era seeks revenge when his brothers are killed. The sheriff and deputy are in his crosshairs with his ruthless brothers. Dad Bradbury directs an offbeat, funny and action filled western.

For a 'B' western this film was not that bad. It had a nice script, some good acting plus there was some interesting comedy relief throughout the movie. The plot was that a small town in the west was having bank robberies. And during the robberies, the villains would shoot up the town and always kill the Marshal that was suppose to protect the money. With the town going through Marshals at a fast rate, this was not a job that many people wanted. Enter Buffalo Brady (Si Jenks),who is down on his luck, and he takes the job as Marshal. It is a thankless job that even the Mayor is preparing for another Marshal funeral.

It's not long before a meek stranger ,Bob Marlow (Bob Steele), comes to town looking for a place to stay. But do not judge Mr Marlow by his wimpy appearance. The viewer will learn that much more about the stranger and the real reason he comes to the lonely town.

In this typical western matinee movie, there is a lot of horse riding and endless pistol shooting. And at times, they are happening at the very same time. The added humor, mostly played by Buffalo Brady, gave the movie a well-rounded script. There is not many lulls in the program as the screen is full of action or some nice hi-jinks by the players. Some of the effects were rather lame as when the main villain is knocked down a steep hill. It was obviously an inserted dummy but instead of cutting away to another character and then returning to see the villain - they opted to splice the film at the point the dummy stops falling and insert the real character. There is a noticeable splice in the film that makes the user remember they are watching 'skid row' production.

But overall it served it purpose, an entertaining western that was enjoyable to watch.

Watching Bob Steele ride is always a treat. Many an otherwise mediocre movie is improved just by his horseback scenes.

Bob Steele just got better and better as his acting career continued. One movie I saw recently had him without a line, without a word to say. But every time he was in a scene, he practically stole it, just standing there, looking fierce.

Here he appears in a different role, gives a great performance, even as his character changes, and shows us once again why he was such a popular performer.

His leading lady is rather pretty, but has very little to do; but the sort-of comic relief gets plenty. Si Jenks was a good foil, with more than silliness to his character.

The brother bad guys all get a chance to stand out, individually. Two, James Sheridan and Steve Clark, in particular get the opportunity to be both funny and evil. And they don't even get screen credit!

One who does is the magnificent Earl Dwire. Dwire had a remarkable range, able to portray really rotten villains, comic characters, and nice ol' gents. Here he plays the chief villain but one who hides in plain sight as a citizen.

The characterizations are somewhat different in this B Western, and the script, with this great cast, makes this a stand-out, able to overcome flaws in the directing and the production.

I highly recommend "The Rider of the Law," available at YouTube as another gift from the wonderful Westerns on the Web.

The film starts off very fun, with Bob coming to this dusty little hamlet as a greenhorn tenderfoot, not even knowing how to mount a horse. The cast, including established Gertrude Messenger, and Si Jenks, Lloyd Ingraham, and Earl Dwire, has fun with this one, playing up the humor in a mostly subtle approach. But the novelty of the unusual premise eventually transitions to more standard fare and the finale holds little surprise. S. Roy Luby is seen in credits as the editor in these films, including this one, and I have found him to be a good editor, whether in scenes indoor or out. "Rider of the Law" is generally well done and the hour spent in viewing is a pleasant one.

Si Jenks is appointed town marshal of Apache City, Arizona because he needs the money and all the previous ones have been killed by a bank-robbing family. The next stage brings in Bob Steele -- wearing a suit, a fedora and spectacles. Si offers to rent him a cabin, so Bob mounts a horse backwards, and rides to the cabin. There he finds two of the robbers. They fight, and in the confusion, the robbers shoot each other.

I was very pleased with the confusion and physical comedy of this B western. Director Robert Bradbury, working from a script by Jack Natteford, shows that his stock company can do pretty well; even Earl Dwire, as the brother of the bank robbers and a barber with his razor over Steele's throat, is a lot funnier than one would guess he could be. Contrary to what people might think, he was not a Gower Gulch cowboy, but a longtime stage actor who had started out in a stock company with Oliver Morosco.

The comedy disappears in the second half of the movie as the plot takes over. That's often the case with many a comedy, but it's a good story, with a fine action sequence to end the film, just as one wants in a western.