"Range Justice" is another of the long running Johnny Mack Brown westerns for Monogram Pictures. He plays himself in this one and has veteran Max Terhune and "Elmer" along for comedy relief.
Ma Curtis (Sarah Parker) is a feisty old rancher who has been having trouble. Her foreman Stoner (Fred Kohler Jr.) blames the nesters particularly Glenn Hadley (Riley Hill) and his sister Beth (Felice Ingersoll) for the trouble. Johnny Mack Brown catches Dade (Myron Healey) trying to burn down Ma's barn. He brings him before Ma and Stoner but they are unable to get him to talk. Ironically, when Dade threatens to talk while Stoner is supposed to be taking him to the sheriff, he is shot in the back by Stoner.
Johnny hires on with Ma much to the dismay of the Hadleys. Johnny and his pal Feed Store owner Alibi (Terhune) plan to discover who is really behind all the trouble. Johnny gets into a fight with Lacey (Eddie Parker) in the saloon where he has gone to check things out. It turns out that Stoner is involved with Ma's troubles but there is someone else acting as the brains of the troubles.
Real Estate agent Ed Dutton (Tristram Coffin) is the boss. He has designs on Ma's ranch in order to acquire the water rights for the entire region. He is trying to force Ma to sell at a reduced rate over the continuing troubles. In an effort to get 'on the inside", Johnny arranges for Ma to fire him so that he can infiltrate the gang. He goes to Lacey who brings him to Stoner. Stoner is skeptical but brings him to Dutton anyway.
Johnny joins in taking part in the blowing up of Ma's new machinery. Johnny kills Dutton man Kirk (Kenne Duncan) in a gunfight which arouses suspicion. In an effort to sink poor old Mas, Dutton plans to rustle Ma's remaining cattle. When Johnny, Stoner, Lacey and the boys go to rustle the cattle (seen only in a stock shot), Johnny makes his move and................................................
Fred Kohler Jr. was the son of Fred Kohler Sr. who was one of the most famous and meanest of the bad guys of the 20s and 30s. Terhune gets to perform a couple of routines with his dummy "Elmer" which livens up an otherwise routine plot. I would have liked to have seen more of Felice Ingersoll who was much prettier than most of Brown's recent leading ladies. The round up of Dutton is done rather routinely without any resistance.
Watch for an editing gaffe where Brown first enters the saloon prior to his fight with Parker. He is shown wearing his gun on the left side. It's odd that a veteran director like Ray Taylor, who directed Brown in his Universal days, would miss that one.
Ma Curtis (Sarah Parker) is a feisty old rancher who has been having trouble. Her foreman Stoner (Fred Kohler Jr.) blames the nesters particularly Glenn Hadley (Riley Hill) and his sister Beth (Felice Ingersoll) for the trouble. Johnny Mack Brown catches Dade (Myron Healey) trying to burn down Ma's barn. He brings him before Ma and Stoner but they are unable to get him to talk. Ironically, when Dade threatens to talk while Stoner is supposed to be taking him to the sheriff, he is shot in the back by Stoner.
Johnny hires on with Ma much to the dismay of the Hadleys. Johnny and his pal Feed Store owner Alibi (Terhune) plan to discover who is really behind all the trouble. Johnny gets into a fight with Lacey (Eddie Parker) in the saloon where he has gone to check things out. It turns out that Stoner is involved with Ma's troubles but there is someone else acting as the brains of the troubles.
Real Estate agent Ed Dutton (Tristram Coffin) is the boss. He has designs on Ma's ranch in order to acquire the water rights for the entire region. He is trying to force Ma to sell at a reduced rate over the continuing troubles. In an effort to get 'on the inside", Johnny arranges for Ma to fire him so that he can infiltrate the gang. He goes to Lacey who brings him to Stoner. Stoner is skeptical but brings him to Dutton anyway.
Johnny joins in taking part in the blowing up of Ma's new machinery. Johnny kills Dutton man Kirk (Kenne Duncan) in a gunfight which arouses suspicion. In an effort to sink poor old Mas, Dutton plans to rustle Ma's remaining cattle. When Johnny, Stoner, Lacey and the boys go to rustle the cattle (seen only in a stock shot), Johnny makes his move and................................................
Fred Kohler Jr. was the son of Fred Kohler Sr. who was one of the most famous and meanest of the bad guys of the 20s and 30s. Terhune gets to perform a couple of routines with his dummy "Elmer" which livens up an otherwise routine plot. I would have liked to have seen more of Felice Ingersoll who was much prettier than most of Brown's recent leading ladies. The round up of Dutton is done rather routinely without any resistance.
Watch for an editing gaffe where Brown first enters the saloon prior to his fight with Parker. He is shown wearing his gun on the left side. It's odd that a veteran director like Ray Taylor, who directed Brown in his Universal days, would miss that one.
