Law of the Lawless (1964)

Hothead Pete Stone has been arrested for the murder of George.

Director:

William F. Claxton

Writer:

Steve Fisher

Stars:

Dale Robertson, Yvonne De Carlo, William Bendix

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dale Robertson	...	Judge Clem Rogers
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Ellie Irish (as Yvonne DeCarlo)
William Bendix	...	Sheriff Ed Tanner
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Tiny (as Lon Chaney)
Bruce Cabot	...	Joe Rile
Barton MacLane	...	Big Tom Stone
John Agar	...	Pete Stone
Richard Arlen	...	Ben -- Bartender
Jody McCrea	...	George Stapleton
Kent Taylor	...	Rand McDonald
Bill Williams	...	Silas Miller
Rod Lauren	...	Deputy Sheriff Tim Ludlow
George Chandler	...	Martin
Don 'Red' Barry	...	Red (as Donald Barry)
Romo Vincent	...	Doc Samuels

Storyline

Clem Rogers, known as "the Hanging Judge" has come to Stone Junction, Kansas in 1889 to preside over the murder trial of Pete Stone, son of town ruler "Big Tom" Stone. Things are made more difficult when Rogers learns that Joe Rile, the man who killed his father, is working for Stone. The latter, in an effort to discredit Rogers, has his henchmen leave the unconscious, beaten and half-dressed Ellie Irish in his hotel room. On the day of the trial the town slowly fills fills with strangers, all in black and all hired to fill the courtroom. Stone tells Rogers that everyone in the courtroom is related to someone Rogers has hanged and is armed, and defies Rogers to send his son to the gallows.

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Plot Keywords:

fistfight | shootout | gunfight | bar shootout | street shootout | 

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Taglines:

The "Hanging Judge" had come to the moment of decision!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first in a series of 13 very low-budget westerns produced by A.C. Lyles, usually shot in 10-14 days, and is often erroneously credited as the first Techniscope film.

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Goofs

In the scene where Deputy Sheriff Tim Ludlow is killed, there is another man who is shot off of a horse. The man is mistaken as dead and gets up and grabs his gun to shoot the judge and is killed by Joe Rile. After being shot to death, the man is still very obviously still breathing.

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Connections

Referenced in Max Rose (2013)

User Reviews

More than meets the eye

This star studded Western is a combination of action and drama, and it is more than meets the eye.

It has the look of a traditional "lawman" trying to keep the land baron from freeing his son from justice theme, but we get a variety of things going on, and see all of them.

On the surface, we see the "old timers" at work, and while we are fooled into thinking this is a nostalgic film, we eventually see that this is a point of the film, that it is about the way justice in the West changes, and the people who change with it.

In effect, it is a drama with the look and feel of action, because of some clever directing that changes the location just enough to keep it flowing.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invitation to a Hanging

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.C. Lyles Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1