Raiders of the Border (DVD)

A notorious gang of rustlers expands their operation by smuggling stolen jewels across the border. U.S. marshals "Nevada Jack" McKenzie and Sandy Hopkins are sent to investigate, working separately and undercover in their usual fashion. Suspicion falls on Bonita Bayne, the pretty young owner of a trading post that sells newly made pottery in which the gems have been hidden.

Johnny Mack Brown's early Monogram Westerns are a continuation of the studio's popular "Rough Riders" series starring Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, and Raymond Hatton. The stories (almost all by Adele Buffington under the "Jess Bowers" pseudonym she used when writing the Rough Riders films) are similarly structured, and Ray Hatton even reprises the "Sandy Hopkins" characterization he developed as a sidekick to Jones and McCoy. What's more, the exterior locations, standing sets, and musical scores are all identical to those employed in the previous productions. Following a four-year stint at Universal, the personable Johnny Mack Brown brought his own faithful following to Monogram, and the "Nevada Jack" Westerns proved a worthy successor to the Rough Riders series.

Includes bonus episode of "Raiders of Ghost City."

• western