Saddle Legion

Tim Holt and Richard Martin roaming the range again come upon a rustling racket with a twist. A phony doctor says the steers are infected with 'blackleg'. Find one the whole herd has to be destroyed. The tearful owner says get it done and the rustlers take them and no one the wiser to this con.

Our guys help stop a stampede and then take the place of a drunken cowboy who shoots owner Cliff Clark when he tries to fire him. Of course the polluted one is part of the rustlers.

Tim and Chito are aided and abetted by lady doctor Dorothy Malone in one of early roles. Malone did about 10 years worth of mostly colorless parts until she started getting some real challenging parts like Written On The Wind which got her her Oscar. Nice to see her in her salad days.

Fans of the Tim Holt series will be pleased.

In a community on the U. S.-Mexico border, saloon owner Mauritz Hugo concocts a scheme whereby henchman Robert Livingston poses as a livestock inspector and diagnoses the local ranchers' herds with anthrax. Instead of destroying the cattle, however, they'll run 'em across the border and sell 'em.

An interesting rustling scheme and Dorothy Malone doctor character add to the enjoyment of this fairly entertaining Tim Holt western, and it moves along nicely, though the investigation by Holt can be a bit repetitive and it lacks a bit of action. Chito has some good one liners, like always, and he has met his match in Malone.

Tim Holt was one of the more accomplished actors to ever appear in the B-westerns. While he was great in films such as Treasure of Sierra Madre & Magnificent Ambersons, he always seemed most at home in the saddle. Pairing him with Chito Martin was pure genius .....they remain my favorite western team. That and a great script make this entertaining .

In this well-written action yarn, Tim and his Mexican-Irish sidekick take on a cattle-rustling scheme. Their honesty,tenacity and detective work help save the day. Richard Martin was especially good in this one, equally adept at action and comedy. Dorothy Malone was good also.

I highly recommend this one. This shows why B-westerns were so popular. Enjoy, Pardners!