''The Code of the Mounted'' is a 1935 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Sam Newfield from a screenplay by

Milton Raison Milton Raison (1903-1982) was an American screenwriter for both film and television. He was also known as George Milton, George Wallace Sayre, and George Sayre. His first credit was ''Air Hostess'' in 1933, which he co-wrote with Keene Thompson ...

. The film stars

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were f ...

, Robert Warwick, and

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

Cast

Plot

Raoul Marlin kills a fur trapper, and is captured and imprisoned by members of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

. Snaky, a member of his gang, kills the two Mounties guarding him, and helps him escape, but another Mountie, Jim Wilson, tracks him down and recaptures him. However, as they are making their way back to jail, more members of the gang Marlin belongs to, including the gang's leader, Jean, waylay them and free Marlin once again. Wilson and his partner, Rogers, begin tracking the gang down. The trail leads them to a general store which is owned by Duval, who is Jean's second-in-command, as well as being in love with her. Wilson hatches a plan to go undercover and impersonate a notorious thief and murderer, Benet. When he gets to the store, he witnesses Duval kill an Indian, when the Indian refuses to sell his furs for fifty cents each. Jean tells him to get out of there, but Wilson gives her his story of being Benet, and wanting to partner with her and split the black market in the region with her. Wilson's cover is further bolstered when Rogers begins spreading a "rumor" around town that Wilson is Benet. After spreading the rumor, Rogers leaves to go get more Mounties to help break up the gang. Duval, jealous of the attention Jean is bestowing on Wilson/Benet, as well as being upset over being shut out of their deal, begins to dig into Benet's history. At the newspaper office, he finds out that the real Benet had been hung a short time earlier. He takes the newspaper article to Jean, who is furious, and gathers her gang to go after Wilson. Just as they are about to hunt Wilson down, Rogers and the others Mounties arrive. Most of the gang is arrested, but Jean and Marlin escape. Wilson takes out after the two. As he catches up with them, Marlin gets a bead on him, but is shot and killed by Jean, who has developed feelings for Wilson. In exchange, Wilson lets Jean escape.

Production

This was the fifth production of a work by

James Oliver Curwood James Oliver Curwood (June 12, 1878 – August 13, 1927) was an American action-adventure writer and conservationist. His books were often based on adventures set in the Hudson Bay area, the Yukon or Alaska and ranked among the top-ten best selle ...

starring

. It went into production on May 9, 1935, directed by

Sam Neufeld Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, (December 6, 1899 - November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with directing over ...

. It was scheduled for a June 8 release, and opened on time.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' gave it a positive review, calling it an "outdoor action story with better than usual attention to general production details". They complimented the scenery, Maynard's roping and riding skills, and felt it had enough action throughout, but went "slightly overboard on dialogue and gunplay". The felt the direction was good, and the cinematography excellent. In a brief review, the ''

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...

'' gave it a lukewarm review, saying that the film was "fair", but the cinematography was "excellent", and Maynard's performance was "well-liked".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Code of the Mounted 1930s English-language films Films directed by Sam Newfield