''Empty Holsters'' is a 1937 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

B. Reeves Eason William Reeves Eason (October 2, 1886 – June 9, 1956), known as B. Reeves Eason, was an American film director, actor and screenwriter. His directorial output was limited mainly to low-budget westerns and action pictures, but it was as a secon ...

and written by John T. Neville. The film stars

Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jers ...

, Patricia Walthall,

Emmett Vogan Charles Emmett Vogan (September 27, 1893 – October 6, 1969) was an American actor with almost 500 film appearances from 1934 to 1954, making him, along with Bess Flowers, one of the most prolific film actors of all time. In 1913, Vogan ...

, Glenn Strange,

Anderson Lawler Anderson Lawler (May 5, 1902 – April 6, 1959) was an American actor and producer in film and theatre who had a career lasting from the 1920s through the 1950s. He began on Broadway before moving to featured and supporting roles in Hollywood ove ...

and

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

on July 10, 1937.

Plot

In the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, cowhands Clay Brent and Tex Roberts work for rancher Tom Raines. Clay competes with bar owner Ace Cain for the affections of Judy Ware, who has no interest in Ace. Local banker John Ware, Judy's father, turns down Ace for a loan to buy a ranch. Tom fires Tex after Tom mistakenly becomes the brunt of a practical joke. To get Clay out of his way, Ace and his henchmen, Cutter Smith and Buck McGovern, falsely accuse Clay of a stagecoach holdup. Ace kills the driver and the guard (one of whom is the sheriff's brother) and steals its cargo of gold coins. Cutter and Buck report Clay is responsible for the murder and robbery. Clay is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in state prison. A model prisoner, Clay is paroled after 5 years, and returns to his old job with Tom where Clay is reunited with his horse, Smokey, who had run off. Clay reports to the sheriff who seizes his guns, telling Clay "empty holsters" is a condition of his parole. Clay's father, who runs a saddle shop, tells Clay that Ace Cain owns "just about everything" in town and Tex has now joined up with his gang. Clay notices that a saddle his father was making for Ace has a gold coin woven into the leather that matches the gold coins stolen from the stage robbery. Clay goes to Judy's house where he overhears an argument between Ace and Judy in which Ace threatens Judy and her father. Clay intervenes and a fight ensues. Clay kicks Ace out of the house, but Ace learns of Clay's discovery of the stolen coins. Ace returns to his office and instructs Cutter to ambush Clay. During a skirmish, Smokey attacks Cutter, who injures his arm. Ace falsely tells the sheriff that Clay provoked the fight with Cutter and that the coins in Mr. Brent's possession are evidence of Mr. Brent's complicity in the robbery. The gang contacts U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill and falsely accuse Clay. O'Neill arrests Clay for violating his parole. Tex arrives, knocks O'Neill unconscious and frees Clay, explaining that although he is in Ace's gang, he no longer follows him. Clay visits Cutter at the doctor's office and leverages Cutter's injury to force him into confessing that Ace committed both murders and the robbery of the gold coins. The sheriff musters a posse to find Clay. While the sheriff is away, Ace plans to steal all the money in town and skip out. Tex reports the plan to Clay who hurries to John Ware's bank. The sheriff goes to Tom's ranch searching for Clay and Tex. Tex arrives and explains to the sheriff that Clay is innocent. The sheriff's posse and Tom's hands ride off with Tex to find Ace. Ace and his gang begin their assault, starting with John Ware's bank, where Judy and her father are hiding Clay. Clay breaks cover and a gunfight ensues inside the bank. The posse arrives to subdue Ace and his men. The sheriff tells Clay he can have his guns back. Clay and Judy ride off as Clay sings "The Prairie Is My Home."

Cast

as Clay Brent * Patricia Walthall as Judy Ware *

as Ace Cain * Glenn Strange as Tex Roberts (billed as Glen Strange) *

as Buck McGovern *

as John Ware * Tom Brower as Dad Brent *

George Chesebro George Newell Chesebro (July 29, 1888 – May 28, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1915 and 1954. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Mi ...

as Cutter Smith * Charles Le Moyne as Tom Raines *

Edmund Cobb Edmund Fessenden Cobb (June 23, 1892 – August 15, 1974) was an American actor who appeared in more than 620 films between 1912 and 1966. Biography Cobb was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of William Henry Cobb and Eddie (Edmundi ...

as Sheriff Cal Hardin * J. P. McGowan as U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill *

Milton Kibbee Milton Kibbee (January 27, 1896 – April 17, 1970) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 360 films between 1933 and 1953. He was the brother of actor Guy Kibbee and his daughter was actress Lois Kibbee. He died in Simi Valle ...

as Jim Hall *

Earl Dwire Earl Dwire (October 3, 1883 – January 16, 1940), born Earl Dean Dwire, was an American character actor who appeared in more than 150 movies between 1921 and his death in 1940. Dwire acted for three years in stock theater with companies i ...

as Dr. J.M. 'Doc' Eagan *

Henry Otho Henry Otho (February 6, 1888 – June 6, 1940) was an American actor. He has worked in ''The Big Stampede'' (1932), ''Mary Stevens'' (1933), ''Hard to Handle (film), Hard to Handle'' (1933), ''The Mayor of Hell'' (1933), ''Baby Face (film), Bab ...

as Charlie

References

External links

* * * * {{B. Reeves Eason 1937 films American Western (genre) films 1937 Western (genre) films Warner Bros. films Films directed by B. Reeves Eason American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films