Hoot Gibson Double Feature: Cavalcade of the West (1936) / Swifty (1935)

Cavalcade of the West (1936, B&W): Traveling West with their parents in the 1849 California Gold Rush, brothers Clint and Asa Knox are separated when outlaws ambush the family and kidnap Asa. Years later, Pony Express rider Clint captures notorious outlaw Ace Carter. As a crowd gathers to lynch the desperado, Clint is frozen by the shocking realization that Ace may actually be his long-lost brother. Nearing the end of his two-decade career as a Western leading man when Cavalcade of the West was produced, Hoot Gibson continued to turn in fine performances in starring vehicles more serious in tone than the lighthearted romps on which he built his reputation. Owing to its historical background, this sturdily produced offering has something of an epic flavor. It also boasts a fine supporting turn from Rex Lease, just beginning his long stretch as a character actor after several years as a Hollywood star. Starring Hoot Gibson, Rex Lease, Marion Shilling, Earl Dwire; Directed by Harry Fraser.

Swifty (1935, B&W): Cowpuncher Swifty Wade, wandering Sweetwater County in search of a job, comes to the aid of wealthy rancher Alec McNeil, who has just been shot. As he kneels over the body, three of McNeil's riders swoop down and accuse him of murder. Brought to town at gunpoint, young Wade finds the inflamed townspeople forming a lynch mob. Swifty's only hope for survival lies with Sheriff Hughes who believes the drifter's alibi. Swifty remains close to its source, a 1928 pulp-magazine story by prolific Western author Stephen Payne. Bennett Cohen's screenplay alters the title character somewhat to accommodate Hoot Gibson's well-established screen persona as a modest, genial cowhand. Starring Hoot Gibson, June Gale, George Hayes, Ralph Lewis; Directed by Alan James.

• western