Rex Lease Double Feature: In Old Cheyenne (1931) / Cyclone of the Saddle (1935) (DVD)

Rex Lease (1903-1966) began his screen career during the early 1920s as an extra and bit player, but his strapping physique and rugged good looks soon catapulted him to bigger and better roles. The transition to sound didn't affect his career, as he became a leading man in B Westerns, low budget comedies and thrillers, and serials. His credits include Sunny Skies, Hot Curves and Troopers Three (all 1930), and the 1932 chiller The Monster Walks. In later years, however, he was relegated to playing heavies and henchmen, both in films and television. Rex Lease had come full circle, ending his career much as he started it, as an extra and bit player.

In Old Cheyenne (1931): A community is plagued by a series of mysterious horse rustlings. In desperation, wealthy rancher Frank Sutter calls upon the fast-riding, pistol-packing "Cheyenne Kid," to investigate. The Kid soon realizes that the culprit is Sutter's own foreman Clyde Winslow, and vows to bring him and his gang to justice. Starring: Rex Lease, Dorothy Gulliver, Jay Hunt and Harry Woods; Directed by Stuart Patton.

Cyclone in the Saddle (1935): The fragile peace between settlers and Indians is threatened by a group of renegades selling guns and whiskey to the tribe. When two cavalry officers are gunned down in cold blood, trooper Andy Thomas goes undercover to prevent an all-out war between the cavalry and the Indian nation. Starring Rex Lease, Bobby Nelson, Janet Chandler, Yakima Canutt, Art Mix and Black Fox - The Scholar Horse; Directed by: Elmer Clifton

• western