Lawless Range

2785. LAWLESS RANGE (1935-USA). With JOHN WAYNE, YAKIMA CANUTT. “The Duke” is at his toughest and roughest in this, one of his best 1930s western adventures. He plays John Middleton, a young rancher and cowpuncher, who comes within one second of breaking the all-time record for steer-roping. John is a cinch to win nine out of ten events at the upcoming Cheyenne Rodeo. However, his father receives a distressing letter from old pal Hank Mason, who writes that he is in some kind of trouble. Pop Middleton asks John to ride out to the valley where Hank lives and check out the situation. So, John forgoes rodeo glory to help his father’s friend. What our young hero does not know is that he will be riding into a dangerous situation in which his safety (let alone his life) will be imperiled. First, John is mistaken for a thief and thrown into jail. Then, he learns that Hank has disappeared! “There’s been a lot of mysterious things happening in the valley,” John is told by a sheriff who knows he was not involved in the robbery. A general reign of terror seems designed to drive all law-abiding ranchers out of the valley. The lawman recruits John to journey into the valley incognito to find out exactly what is going on, and what follows is a western movie lover’s delight: a slam- bang shoot-em-up that is crammed with non-stop action and spine-tingling stunt-work, and the singing of John Wayne! 54 minutes. Western