Spade Cooley Double Feature: The Silver Bandit (1947) / Kid From Gower Gulch (1947) (DVD)

THE SILVER BANDIT (1947, 51 min): The cagey Silver Bandit preys upon the Green Valley Mine and an unlikely hero is enlisted to stop him. The mine's owner sends his klutzy accountant, Spade Cooley, out West to investigate the silver robberies. There he stumbles upon Molly, the company's bookkeeper - literally. When Spade finds the Bandit's garb in an abandoned mine, he dons the costume and is mistaken for the crook, leaving him to clear his name and catch the real culprit.

THE KID FROM GOWER GULCH (1947, 54 min): Cowboy movie star Spade Cooley enters a rodeo riding TNT, the infamous bronco, in an effort to save the ranch from foreclosure. He faces exposure as a phony because he can't ride, fight, or sing. His stuntman, Walt, reluctantly agrees to stand in for him, but in a last second double-cross rides with the competition, leaving Spade to get over his fear of horses!

Cooley went on to host television's "The Hoffman Hayride" in the '50s, also scoring numerous hits as a fiddler and singer in his own orchestra while proclaiming himself the "King Of Western Swing." Songs include "Oklahoma Waltz" and "Te Amo, My Love."

• western