Phantom Thunderbolt

Ken Maynard is the gunslinger known as the "Thunderbolt Kid," a cowboy who rides like a spectre outside the bounds of the law. Coyote Gulch is a small western town with big dreams of fat prosperity as they try to convince the expanding railroad companies that their land is the ideal place to lay down tracks. The nearby village of Spotted Horse is also vying for the railroad's attentions and has hired a ruthless gang of outlaws to terrorize their competition. A wealthy Coyote Gulch banker hires the Thunderbolt Kid to combat the terrorist thugs before the railroad president arrives in town for the final site inspection.

Ken Maynard, the flamboyant cowboy who Gene Autry cited as his greatest influence, thrilled early moviegoers with dazzling horsemanship, a skill he picked up as a trick rider for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and the Ringling Brothers Circus. He was also a champion rodeo rider. Paired with his white steed, Tarzan, in over ninety films, he was at one point earning over $10,000 a week, a fortune in the Thirties. Ken's brother Kermit, who often doubled for him, was briefly a cowboy star himself.

• western