Fighting Marshal (1940)
"Cherokee Strip" (original title)

Texans Dave Lovell and Coy Barrett sign a truce to stop the feuding between their families. The Barretts migrate from Texas to Goliath, Oklahoma, a boom town on the border of the Cherokee ... See full summary »

Director:

Lesley Selander

Writers:

Bernard McConville (original story and screenplay), Norman Houston (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Dix, Florence Rice, William Henry

Cast

Cast overview:
Richard Dix	...	Marshal Dave Lovell
Florence Rice	...	Kate Cross
William Henry	...	Tom Cross
Victor Jory	...	Coy Barrett
Andy Clyde	...	Tex Crawford
George E. Stone	...	Abe Gabbert
Morris Ankrum	...	Hawk Barrett
Douglas Fowley	...	Alf Barrett
Addison Richards	...	Ned Strawn
Tom Tyler	...	Frank Lovell
Charles Trowbridge	...	Senator Cross
William Haade	...	Grimes
Ray Teal	...	Smokey Lovell
Hal Taliaferro	...	Ben Blivens
Jack Rockwell	...	Ace Eastman

Storyline

Texans Dave Lovell and Coy Barrett sign a truce to stop the feuding between their families. The Barretts migrate from Texas to Goliath, Oklahoma, a boom town on the border of the Cherokee Strip. Coy starts a bank, while his cousin, Ned Strawn, opens a saloon. THe rest of the Barretts, headed by Hawk, establish a hideout in the Strip where they run a gambling house and conceal stolen cattle. Alf Barrett, whom Lovell believes dead, also makes his headquarters in the strip. Lovell receives an appointment as a U. S. Marshal and is assigned to Goliath. Once there, he finds the Barrett clan is operating against the law he is pledged to uphold.

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Plot Keywords:

saloon | texas | texan | u.s. marshal | hideout | 

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Taglines:

RITHLESS as the Outlaw's Code! DANGEROUS as a Loaded Gun! LAWLESS as the Untamed Wilderness! (original poster)

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fighting Marshal

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Sherman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

User Reviews

Competent "B Plus" Western from "Pop" Sherman

Harry "Pop" Sherman is best remembered for having produced the early entries in the Hopalong Cassidy series. But he also turned out a number of good "B Plus" westerns featuring lots of familiar faces, during the same period. "Cherokee Strip" is one of these.

The basis of the story is an ongoing feud between the Morrell and Barrett families headed by Richard Dix and Victor Jory respectfully. A truce has been called. In the meantime Jory has set up shop as a banker through which he launders money stolen by his gang.

Dix suspecting the Barretts of rustling his family's cattle, has followed him and taken on the job of Marshal. Into the mix comes Senator Cross (Charles Trowbridge) who wants to open up the Cherokee strip and his daughter (Florence Rice) and tenderfoot son (William Henry) who are charged with gathering data for a census. Eventually, Jory and his cohorts are exposed and a final all out gunfight ensues.

Richard Dix had been a star in films since the early 20s. By the time thi s role came along, his career was in decline. He looked too old to be playing the dashing hero and was a bit on the heavy side. Victor Jory, on the other hand, was just hitting his stride. He was always better than his material and his presence in the cast raises the film a level or two.

Other familiar faces in the cast include Andy Clyde as Dix' sidekick and Tom Tyler and Ray Teal as two of Dix' brothers. Riding in Jory's gang are the likes of Morris Ankrum, Douglas Fowley, Hal Taliafero and William Haade.

Good production values and lots of outdoor scenery, make this an entertaining little western.