Gun Law Justice

Lee Phelps has served his prison sentence and wants to go straight. However, the local bad men want him back in the fold. Only Jimmy Wakely and his sidekick, Dub Taylor are around to get him a job and prove that he is being framed.

It's the last year of singing-cowboy stardom for Jimmy Wakely, "The Bing Crosby of Country & Western Music." He came late the the movie genre. He entered movies in 1940 as a band member in various westerns, and got his starring break in 1944. After about 45 vehicles, he appeared in a few more in support and went back to musical work.

In this one, he has his usual director, the reliable Lambert Hillyer, whose western direction went back to William S. Hart features. The result is pleasant oater with some decent musical interludes.

Some social problems are here to stay. No one one wants to give an ex-con a break. Once upon a time Hank Cardigan was a big time outlaw. Now he is a old man needing a job but no one will hire him. Hank gets a break to ride shotgun on a stagecoach. but on his first run the coach is held up by the Duke Corliss gang. Corliss had been trained by Hank and now has brought Hank's son into the gang. Hank foils the robbery but recognizes his son as one of the bandits. Hank tracks the gang to one of his old hideouts. He tries to convince his son to leave the gang but to no avail. Duke Corliss tells Hank that he will cut the kid loose and convince him to go straight, but does Hank plan to turn them in. Hank believes in snitches get stitches, he isn't a stool pigeon. Duke's real plan is to use Tom and get Hank and Tom either killed or sent to jail. A perfect opportunity arises as the town people plan a reenactment of Hank's last big robbery. but Duke plans to use the event to pull of a real robbery and have Hank blamed for it.

If you are real, real old (like me) you will recognize some of the bit players like Myron Healey even if you don't know the names. This film is best for nostalgia aficionados who are trying to recapture memories of Saturday matinees that featured cartoons, a serial episode or two, and at least two Westerns. Yippee yi yo kayah..