Riddle Ranch

Rancher Jim Riddle refuses to allow his niece Helen to marry Bob Horton, believing she's too good for an ordinary cowboy. When Bob is falsely accused of murdering a saloon gambler, Riddle withholds knowledge of the victim's dying declaration, which would exonerate the innocent cowpuncher. While hiding in the desert, Horton discovers a clue that would prove his innocence. But with both the sheriff and the real killer - Mexican bandit Don Carlos - hot on his trail, it appears unlikely that Bob will survive long enough to clear his name.

One of several mid-1930s movies produced by filmmaker Mitchell Leichter, Riddle Ranch is a pleasantly offbeat horse opera that compels interest precisely because it eschews B-Western cliches. - Ed Hulse

• western