''Land Beyond the Law'' 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

Luci Ward Luci is an English feminine given name variant of Lucy and an Italian surname derived from the Latin personal name Lucius (from Latin '' Lux'', genitive ''Lucis'', meaning "light"). Luci is also an ancient Norman territorial surname derived from t ...

and Joseph K. Watson. 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 ...

, Linda Perry,

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), '' ...

, Harry Woods,

Irene Franklin Irene Franklin (June 13, 1885 - June 16, 1941) was an American actress on stage and screen, vaudeville comedian, and singer. Biography Irene Franklin was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 1885. While many sources have suggested her birth year as ...

and

Frank Orth Frank Orth (February 21, 1880 – March 17, 1962) was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series '' Boston Blackie''. Career By 1897, Ort ...

. It 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 March 13, 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 ...

, Charles "Chip" Douglas becomes the Sheriff of Bitter Creek after his father is killed by cattle rustlers who terrorize the ranchers in an ongoing range war. Chip makes it clear he will protect the ranchers and bring justice to the town. Louise Turner, daughter of saloon owner, Cattle Kate Turner, is attracted to Chip. The rustlers continue their reign of terror. Chip is ambushed and taken hostage by the rustlers, led by Tascosa. Deciding to quit Tascosa's gang, Dave Massey and Bandy Malarkey free Chip, who tells them to return to Bitter Creek and raise a posse. Meanwhile, Chip locates Tascosa and Slade Henaberry as the two make a deal for Henaberry to buy the stolen cattle. A fight ensues during which Henaberry is killed, but Tascosa escapes. Chip pursues Tascosa, but is slowed down by Tascosa's gang who shoot at him. The posse arrives and a gunfight ensues, during which Tascosa rides away. Chip catches Tascosa and arrests him. Tascosa admits the stolen cattle are located in Hidden Valley. The cattle are returned and Chip and Louise ride off on Chip's horse as he sings "The Prairie Is My Home."

Cast

as Charles Chip Douglas *Linda Perry as Louise Turner *

as Dave Massey * Harry Woods as Tascosa *

as Cattle Kate Turner *

as Deputy Shorty Long *Gordon Hart as Major Daniel Adair *

Cy Kendall Cyrus Willard Kendall (March 10, 1898 – July 22, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1935 and 1950. Kendall's heavy-set, square-jawed appearance and deep voice were perfect for wiseguy roles such ...

as Slade Henaberry *

Glenn Strange George Glenn Strange (August 16, 1899 – September 20, 1973) was an American actor who mostly appeared in Western films and was billed as Glenn Strange. He is best remembered for playing Frankenstein's monster in three Universal films d ...

as 'Bandy' Malarkey *

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 Sheriff Spence *

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 Mason *

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 Kirby * Tom Brower as John Douglas *

Paul Panzer Paul Wolfgang Panzerbeiter (November 3, 1872 – August 16, 1958), known professionally as Paul Panzer, was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in more than 330 films between 1905 and 1952. Biography Panzer was born in Würzburg. ...

as Jim Blake * Joe King (uncredited) as Governor

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...

Previous Versions

This was the third iteration of this story. The first was a 1927 silent of the same title, starring Ken Maynard. The second was 1932's ''

The Big Stampede ''The Big Stampede'' is a 1932 pre-Code American Western film starring John Wayne (with his horse named "Duke") and Noah Beery. It is a remake of the 1927 film '' The Land Beyond the Law''. Plot Deputy Sheriff Steele is commissioned by Govern ...

'', with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

and

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

, one of six Warner B-westerns that were all remakes of Maynard silents, utilizing stock footage of the big action scenes (with Wayne wearing the same costume for matching purposes). This version has no footage from the previous two.

References

External links

* 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 {{1930s-Western-film-stub