The Law Rides Again

Director Alan James is a man whose work I have only recently -- February of 2016 -- come across, and I am thoroughly impressed.

"The Law Rides Again" begins as a routine programmer, with our two heroes, Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson playing U.S. marshals named Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson, being sent on a routine programmer mission.

But they meet up with some so-called "Indians" and some sneaky, snaky bad guys, and the magnificent Betty Miles playing Betty Conway, a stage- coach driver for her father's stage line.

Director James has a superlative cast. Why, even the great Hank Bell gets screen credit! Kenne -- here called Ken -- Duncan plays a sheriff and Emmett Lynn plays the scout.

Elegant Jack La Rue plays the double-crossing bad guy, but just whom he is double-crossing is in doubt.

So there are lots of characters, an involved plot, lots of action, and Mr. James captures it all beautifully with his moving cameras and superb stunt work from Cliff Lyons, Ben Corbett, and Wally Wales, who also plays a deputy.

OK, it was a programmer. At least so it was intended, but it rises above the routine, very much because of the directing, very much because of the cast -- Betty Miles should have had her own long-running series because she was a champion rider and a very good actress -- and very much because the story is filled with action.

I recommend "The Law Rides Again" -- and even the title is a good one, and if you listen to the dialogue from the beginning, you'll see why -- and you can find it at YouTube. It's a lot of fun.

In the 1930s and 40s, several teams of second-tier western stars were teamed up in order to increase their box office power. So, while the teams didn't have anyone of the drawing power of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, you did get some familiar faces working together to battle evil. The most famous of these teams was probably The Three Mesquiteers--a team whose composition OFTEN changed. Then, there were the Range Busters and Rough Riders--also made up of various stars. Here in "The Law Rides Again", you've got two of the members of such a team here together instead of the usual trio. Ken Maynard (brother of cowboy star Kermit Maynard) and Hoot Gibson team up to high wickedness in this one.

The film begins with a crook begin captured by the law. Jack LaRue (who OFTEN played heavies) promises to work with the law to uncover the man who is stirring up the Indian tribes. But, oddly, Ken and Hoot both decided to do this undercover (a cliché--as this was OFTEN the case in these team films) and eventually bring niceness to the old west. None of this is especially great or groundbreaking--but it's enjoyable and worth seeing IF you are a fan of the genre. Otherwise, you may find this a bit dull.

This WWII era western quickie features two former cowboy legends in the latter phase of their illustrious cowboy careers . Ken Maynard & Hoot Gibson star in this tale of 2 cowboy heroes versus a crooked Indian agency. Thrown in for good measure are the standard gun-play, fisticuffs and general sagebrush mayhem !

This entry in the Trail Blazers series also features western favorite Chief Thundercloud ( a former screen "Tonto"). The plot is familiar and a little dated by today's standards. Maynard & Gibson tried their best, but by this phase of their careers, their best work was behind them.

Below average....... recommended for die-hard fans only.