Tom Tyler Double Feature: Tracy Rides (1934) / Pinto Rustlers (1936)

Tracy Rides (1934, B&W): A sheepherder is murdered and Sheriff Tom Tracy is sent to investigate. Unfortunately, the trail of evidence points to Ned Hampton, the brother of Tom's sweetheart Molly. The sheriff must choose between his duty, arresting Ned, and forever alienating the girl he loves. An unattributed remake of a 1930 Buck Jones western, The Dawn Trail, this six-reeler was the first of 18 made by silent-screen cowboy Tom Tyler for B. B. Ray's Reliable Pictures. Tracy Rides begins on a suspenseful note - the cold-blooded murder of a sheepman - and sustains the tension throughout.

Starring Tom Tyler, Virginia Brown Faire, Edmund Cobb, Charles K. French.

Pinto Rustlers (1936, B&W): Pop Dawson is slain by ruthless Nick Furnicky and his gang. Grimly determined to seek justice, the victim's son, Tom, is deputized. Tom infiltrates the gang but must quickly gather evidence before his true identity is exposed. Produced toward the end of Tom Tyler's three season tenure with Reliable Pictures, Pinto Rustlers pits the ruggedly handsome cowboy star against villain George Walsh, brother of director Raoul Walsh.

Starring Tom Tyler, George Walsh, Al St. John, Catherine Cotter.

• western