Lucky Boots (aka Gun Play)

Mexican General Torado, flees his country and lives in exile on an American friend's ranch, where he buries a fortune in smuggled gold. Years later, unscrupulous adventurer Ben Meeker learns of a map giving the treasure's location. He traces the map to an old pair of boots, now in the possession of wandering cowboy Bill Williams. Realizing that Williams will never give up the boots while he is alive, Meeker makes plans to get rid of the grizzled cowpoke.

Most movie fans recognize "Big Boy" Williams from the comedic lovable-oaf roles he played routinely in such big-budget Westerns as Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), and The Desperadoes (1943). The former semi-pro baseball player starred in a slew of B-films going back to the silent days. His mid-1930s series for Beacon Productions, of which Lucky Boots (aka Gun Play) was the last, allowed Big Boy to indulge in straight heroics, although his good-natured humor found its way in too.

• western