Land Beyond the Law

Being a great fan of Dick Foran, I look forward eagerly to anything he's in.

This movie was unknown to me before I lucked onto it at a video site, but I grabbed it to watch immediately, putting off some work to be able to watch.

Dick Foran was one of the best singers in Hollywood. Some say his singing, his voice, were more suited to operetta than to Westerns, but I think his style of singing was just fine for his cowboy films.

His leading lady is Linda Perry, someone I had never heard of before, but I was charmed by her performance. She is very slender, but very pretty. As a bit of a spitfire, and daughter of the lady bar-owner, she is strong-willed without being a harridan.

Her mother is played by Irene Franklin, probably the best actor in this cast, giving a strong and personable performance.

Wayne Morris appears in his first Western, and the great Glenn Strange is part of the posse, too.

Harry Woods and Cy Kendall are the chief bad guys, and they give their usual good performances. Bud Osborne has a brief bit, but I recognized his voice.

All in all, this light bit of a movie is entertaining and admirable. I do recommend it, especially to Westerns fans and to Dick Foran fans.

Most of the B-westerns of the 1930s-40s were made by second and third-tier studios...such as Republic, Monogram and Grand National. But a few of the big-name studios also made B-westerns...and their Bs generally had a bit more polish...such as Paramount and their Hopalong Cassidy films. One of these polished films made by Warner Brothers is "Land Beyond the Law"...and it looks pretty good, though overall I think I prefer many of the Republic westerns a bit more.

Dick Foran was Warner Brothers' answer to Republic's singing cowboy of the day, Gene Autry. While I think Foran had a lovely voice and was prettier than Autry, there is just something about Autry's voice and songs that put Foran to shame by comparison. Audiences of the day must have assumed the same, as he never reached the levels of stardom as Autry.

In this story, Foran plays Charles 'Chip' Douglas*...a nice but hellraising sort of guy. He and his father are at odds with each other, as the elder Douglas thinks Chip is working for a thug and also doesn't like what Chip is doing with his life. However, after his father is murdered by bandits, Chip agrees to be sheriff and vows to clean up the town...even if it means fighting his former boss.

The film is the epitome of adequate...aside from the nice polish. Otherwise, the plot is familiar and nothing really stands out as good or bad. The love interest is typical...hating Chip and then, inexplicably, loving him in the second half of the film. Watchable and a film that has 'time passer' written all over it.

*IMDB lists Foran's character as 'John 'Chip' Douglas'...but he clearly was Charles 'Chip' Douglas in the film.

In Land Beyond The Law rancher Tom Brower is at his wit's end with hell raising son Dick Foran who doesn't even work for Brower, but for rival Cy Kendall. It's not jealousy, but the fact that Kendall is suspected by Brower of some cattle rustling.

When Brower is killed, Governor Lew Wallace of New Mexico appoints young Foran the sheriff and he's a changed man. Foran does what one expects from a cowboy hero and sings a few songs along the way. The man's voice was truly wasted here, he should have been in musicals.

Of course there's some romance here with Linda Perry, daughter of saloon owner Irene Franklin. Foran has some rivalry with Wayne Morris for her and Frank Orth is around for comic relief.

My big problem with Land Beyond The Law is the fact that I could not believe that Foran, Morris, and their third friend Glenn Strange could not figure out all the evil that was being done by their boss Kendall and his chief lieutenant Harry Woods. They seem like intelligent guys to me. It just did not ring true at all.

Dick Foran is in good voice though it's wasted on some forgettable songs. His fans should appreciate this film.

Dick Foran is Chip Douglas, known for his guitar, and his horse. When his dad (Tom Brower) is knocked off, he's the new sheriff, determined to enforce the law in this lawless part of new mexico. Brower died right after this film was made, quite young at age 59. Milton Kibbee is the sheriff, letting the rustlers and bandits get away with whatever they wanted. So now it's a war: the bandits against the ranchers, backed by the new lawmen. It's a warner brothers shortie, at 54 minutes. Things happen pretty fast! Co-stars Irene Franklin, Wayne Morris. Morris (plays Dave) died at 45 of a heart attack. Cy Kendall (plays Henaberry) died young at 55. What cursed cast! Film directed by Reeves Eason. He had worked on Gone with the Wind, and the silent version of Ben Hur. Apparently, so many horses were hurt while filming the chariot race scene, that this started the practice of having the humane society on set to observe animal safety. This film is a traditional western, with the good guys against the bad guys, even if no-one wears the black hat. And of course, the local girl falls for the new sheriff, after hating him at first. Typical. Picture and sound are quite good... it must have been restored.