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A passable Lyles Western that gently eases its ageing cast through an intriguing plot . Paramount producer A.C. Lyles made several westerns with well known Hollywood stars in support roles . As producer Lyles financed thirteen westerns movies made in the mid-Sixties , all of them realized in short budget and with similar tarnished stars of the 40s and 50s .It is just one of many second feature Westerns produced by A.C. Lyles at Paramount in the 1960's . These Westerns were of certain interest when they were shown at the local cinemas as they always had many veteran actors in supporting roles . For example take a look at the credits for "Law of the Lawles¨ and you will watch quite an impressive cast for a second feature western!! . It deals with Clem Rogers (Dale Robertson) , known as "the Hanging Judge" has come to Stone Junction, Kansas in 1889 to preside over the murder trial of hothead Pete Stone (John Agar) who has been arrested for the murder of George Stapleton (Jody McCrea) , son of town ruler "Big Tom" Stone (Barton McLane) . Things are made more difficult and get worst when Rogers to be aware that Joe Rile (Bruce Cabot) , the gunslinger who murdered his deaceased dad , is working for Stone and is wanting to kill him . Later on , a hoodlum called Tim (Lon Chaney Jr) leaves the unconscious, beaten and half-dressed Ellie Irish (Yvonne De Carlo) in his hotel room. On the day of the trial the town slowly fills with strangers and the criminal court is presided by Rogers (Dale Robertson) , all in black and all hired to be filled the courtroom while the prosecutor is the sheriff/preacher Ed Tanner (William Bendix) and the tough defender is the expert lawyer Rand McDonald (Kent Taylor) . Along the way , Ellie Irish (Yvonne De Carlo) is proposed as a witness but she is discredited for his job as a Saloon girl . Stone Senior (Barton McLane) tells that everyone is related to Rogers has been hanged and defies Rogers to send his son to the gallows . The "Hanging Judge" had come to the moment of decision!

This is a pleasantly average actioner , but an acceptable Western with thrills , shootouts , typical scenes in the coutroom and violent confrontation near a hardware that is the highlight of the movie when the starring is attacked and taking place violent deaths . The film is well scripted - indeed this is the best screenplay of all Lyle's Westerns - and imaginatively directed by William F. Claxton , especially at the climax developed at the filled courtroom . It begins as a slow-moving Western but follows to surprise us with dark characters and decent plot . This short runtime tale is almost ordinary , a judge comes to a town just in time to make sure its citizenry but later the events get awry . Although made in low budget by the producer A.C. Lyles , it has its good moments here and there . The highlight has to be the fight between Dale Robertson , and deputy Rod Lauren against nasty bounty hunters and one of them is killed in cold blood .

Medium/low budget film produced by Lyles , a former publicist, who became a producer of Paramount B-westerns starring ageing Hollywood actors . Lyles produced a lot of Western in short or average budget such as ¨Black spurs¨(1965) , ¨Apache uprising¨(1966); ¨Johnny Reno¨ , ¨Waco¨ , ¨Red Tomahawk ¨and ¨Hostile guns¨(67) , among others ; many of them directed by R.G. Springsteen or Lesley Selander or William F Claxton . He was even awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California for his Westerns . As during the 1960s, he produced over a dozen low-budget Westerns starring former A-list actors including Dana Andrews and mature actresses , being usually played by the always sex-pot Jane Russell and Yvonne de Carlo as veteran Saloon women in their Forties . Of interest for star-watching only, as here shows up known secondaries in fact I always used to sit up and pay attention when the words "An A.C. Lyles Production" came up on the TV screen , this time with the appearance the following old glories : Yvonne De Carlo , William Bendix , Lon Chaney Jr. , Bruce Cabot , Barton MacLane , John Agar, Kent Taylor , Bill Williams, Richard Arlen, among others .

It contains a lousy cinematography in Techniscope by Lester Shorr and atmospheric musical score by Paul Dunlap . This horse opera was realized in low-budget by producer A.C. Lyles and distributed by Paramount Pictures and was middlingly directed by William F. Claxton . This filmmaker made several Westerns since the forties as Cinema as Television . He realized B Westerns as Stagecoach to Fury , The quiet gun , Tucson , Stagecoach to Thunder Rock , Young Jesse James and various Western TV series as Tales of Wells Fargo , The High Chaparral , Gunsmoke , Rifle man , Law of the Plainsman , Yancy Derringer , Bonanza , Rawhide , Black Saddle , among others . Rating : 6/10 .

Producer A.C. Lyles is chiefly remembered today for the series of 13 B-Westerns done for Paramount from late 1963-late 1967. A former publicist for the studio, Lyles knew many of Hollywood's greatest stars, and got his start as a film producer after James Cagney agreed to direct 1957's "Short Cut to Hell." In 1963, he began a series of Westerns generally shot in 10-14 days, often back to back then issued months apart, with "Law of the Lawless," successful enough as a second feature to spawn a dozen more. Like all those that followed, the veteran cast provides the greatest interest, in both major and minor roles, a spate of stories where the good guys win out over the bad in the end, no longer viable by the next decade, the nihilistic 70s. "Law of the Lawless" makes for a decent start, with Dale Robertson (TALES OF WELLS FARGO) as Judge Clem Rogers, whose latest assignment in Stone Junction Kansas has him deciding the fate of old friend Pete Stone (John Agar), whose father Big Tom (Barton MacLane) wields great power among the townsfolk, and believes his son was involved in a fair shootout. The old pros were as happy to get the work as Lyles was to have them: still sexy Yvonne De Carlo as the saloon girl sweet on the judge, William Bendix as the wounded sheriff, Bruce Cabot as hired gunman Joe Rile, Richard Arlen as Bartender Ben, Kent Taylor as Pete's Kansas City defense attorney, Bill Williams as a wheelchair-bound witness to the alleged crime (the last half hour takes place in the courtroom). Special billing as 'Tiny' goes to veteran Western heavy Lon Chaney, in typical form as Pete Stone's main henchman, assaulting poor Yvonne as he tries to persuade her to implicate the high and mighty Judge in a seamy scandal; and just like his character in his earliest Lyles production, "Albuquerque" (Randolph Scott), never loses the cigarette dangling from his lips! Leonard Maltin disparagingly referred to the series in general as being only 'for buffs who want to play spot the star,' but they still endure in the 21st Century, even as the Old West recedes further into the past.

Law of the Lawless is an okay film. Telling the story of a circuit judge who comes to a Kansas town to oversee a murder trial, only for the accused's father, who runs the town, to plot to ensure the judge does not convict his son by threatening his reputation. Sadly, there is not much action in this film, as this becomes more of a courtroom drama set in the wild west. While the actors do a good job, the pacing is very slow. Only recommended for true western fans.

AG Liles made a series of low budget westerns at Paramount with a veteran cast. This is simply one of them. The cast includes: Dale Robertson ( Judge Clem Rogers: A former gunfighter turned Judge who no longer carries a gun), Yvonne DeCarlo ( Ellie Irish a saloon girl), John Agar (Pete Stone the heavy), his father Tom who is the most powerful man in town played by Barton MacLaine, William Bendix as ( Sheriff and Prosecutor Ed Tanner), and last but certainly not least Bruce Cabot. as hired gunman Joe Rile who killed Clem's father years ago. Cabot is the one to watch for. He hangs over the entire film very ominously.The story is about Stone who is accused of murder, his father who will do anything to not only get his son off, but ruin Rogers reputation, by having him seen with Ellie and hiring Rile to force Rogers into a gunfight, and Rogers who is also a friend of Stone's, and is the presiding judge in the trial. It is important to note that there is a most unexpected ending to the movie, but unlike far too many movies with one, it actually works with the theme of the film. For that reason, I will not spoil the ending. It is basically an excellent western 9/10 stars.

Decent B Western but with one of the better frontier criminal trials I've seen in a movie. Seems very realistic by modern standards, (other than the sheriff acting as prosecutor).