Frontier Crusader (DVD)

Monument City is becoming overrun by outlaws, so the beleaguered sheriff calls on an old friend, "Trigger" Tim Rand, to help restore law and order. Although his initial investigation leads to blustery saloonkeeper Barney Bronson, Tim eventually learns that the hoodlums are being led by a mysterious mastermind playing for high stakes. His attempts to break up the gang make Tim a marked man - with every gunslinger in the territory aiming to plant him in Boot Hill!

Near the end of his career as a top Western star, Colonel Tim McCoy accepted an offer from his former producer, Sigmund Neufeld, to top-line some low-budget films released by Producers Releasing Corporation. For the new company McCoy made seven films, of which Frontier Crusade is the second and the best. It has some unusual plot twists and a strong ingenue role for fetching Dorothy Short, along with plenty of action and the obligatory exhibition of fast-draw marksmanship by Tim. - Ed Hulse

• western