The Lawless Frontier
5.2 /10 1 Votes5.2
Director Robert N. Bradbury Country United States | 5/10 IMDb Duration Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date November 22, 1934 (1934-11-22) Writer Robert N. Bradbury (story) Genres Western, Action Film, Black-and-white, Action/Adventure Cast (John Tobin), Sheila Terry (Ruby), (Sheriff Luke Williams), George 'Gabby' Hayes (Dusty), (2nd Zanti Henchman (as Buffalo Bill Jr.)), (Joe, Zanti's Henchman)Similar movies Young Guns , Cowboys & Aliens , Wyatt Earp , American Outlaws , Death Rides a Horse , Final Chapter: Walking Tall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The parents of John Tobin (John Wayne) have been murdered, and he wants justice. He sets out to find the killer, the evil gang leader Pandro Zanti (Earl Dwire), who hides from the law with disguises and almost kills old prospector Dusty (George Hayes) and his granddaughter. John rescues them and catches Zanti, only to face criminal charges from lawman Sheriff Williams (Jack Rockwell). Zanti is let go, and John must clear his name and establish who the real criminal is.
Contents
The Lawless Frontier is a 1934 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring John Wayne, Sheila Terry, George "Gabby" Hayes, and Earl Dwine.
Tobin is after the bandit Zanti who killed his parents. He finds him just as Zanti is about to kill Dusty and kidnap Ruby. Saving the two, he goes after Zanti. He catches him but Zanti escapes the Sheriff's handcuff's and this time Tobin has to chase him into the desert.
Plot
The movie opens with a family shooting from the window of their home, as they are robbed of their cattle. John Tobin (John Wayne) arrives home later that night and discovers his family killed and their cattle missing.
The lawless frontier 1934 full length john wayne western movie
John Wayne (Tobin) sets out in search Pandro Zanti (Earl Dwire) the local bandito, for all appearances a stereotyped Mexican, though the script is twice careful to tell us he is half white & half Apache & only pretends to be Mexican.
Zanti plans to kidnap George "Gabby" Hayess daughter Ruby (Sheila Terry) for his lusty needs. This is an unusual villainous trait for 1930s matinee westerns, aimed at young audiences who expected villains to be claim jumpers & killers, not rapists. Ruby & her daddy (George "Gabby" Hayes) hightail it out of there before she falls victim of the killer, escaping by a clever ruse [hidden in a large gunny sack] that almost gets Ruby drowned in a river.
They run into Tobin tracking his familys killers. Tobin then saves the sack containing Ruby. Ruby, Dusty & Tobin thereafter join forces.
Sheriff Luke Williams (Jack Rockwell) not only immediately takes credit for capturing Zanti when Tobin brings him in, but also arrests Tobin for the murder of Rubys father Dusty, who took a knife in the back and collapsed. Later it is discovered Dusty only received a superficial wound and was knocked out.
Sheriff Williams however makes a series of mistakes including handcuffing a bad guys boot to a bed, so that all he has to do is take off his boot to escape, especially when Tobin made of point of telling Williams that Zanti can probably get loose.
A chase ensues, across the desert partly on foot, with Tobin after Zanti. The villain drinks from a desert watering hole, but in his fatigued state he does not see the sign marked "Poison. Do not drink," He dies soon after.
With the chief villain now out of the picture, were treated to plenty more hard ridin and shootin, as Ruby and Tobin flee from Zantis gang. When the happy ending finally arrives, Tobin becomes the new sheriff, replacing the inept Luke Williams.
Cast
References
The Lawless Frontier WikipediaThe Lawless Frontier IMDb The Lawless Frontier themoviedb.org