The Fighting Deputy

Sheriff Bentley is seriously wounded during an attempt to apprehend notorious bandit Scar Adams. His son, deputy Tom, turns in his badge at the behest of his fearful fiancee, Alice Denton. Their wedding ceremony is horribly interrupted when the the sheriff's lifeless body is dumped on the church steps. A grimly determined Tom rounds up a posse and gives chase, unaware that the murderer is actually a member of the Denton family.

Arguably the best of Fred Scott's dozen B-Westerns released through Spectrum Pictures, The Fighting Deputy sports a particularly strong plot with a powerful revenge angle and a couple of surprising twists. Its production mounting is on a par with the other 1937 Scott features, but director Sam Newfield seems to have been inspired by the solid script. Fred turns in an effective dramatic performance, especially in the scenes calling for high emotion. - Ed Hulse

• western