Under Cover Man

Ace Pringle's outlaw gang has been robbing stagecoaches carrying payroll shipments to King's Crossing. Tthe Wells-Fargo company sends their best detective, Steve McLain, to investigate. Riding incognito on the stage, McLain foils a hold-up, and in the process becomes Pringle's prime target for elimination. Pringle repeatedly dispatches crooked Sheriff Pegg to kill McLain, but the newcomer seems to have nine lives, returning to continue his one-man crusade to clean the corruption out of King's Crossing.

All-American athlete Johnny Mack Brown began his Hollywood career in the waning days of the silent era, and his strong, good looks led him to be cast in traditional leading man roles. Over time he became more associated with westerns, so much so that by the 1940's he was one of a handful of cowboy stars - like Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey - who essentially played themselves on the screen.

• western