Parolee Jim Brandon (Bob Steele) arrives back in town to acquit himself of the robbery he was convicted of a year earlier. Steele with the aid of "new-fangled" ballistics technology tries to prove he was framed by town thugs Bill & Dunc Rankin, Chuck Wilson and Henry Carson (Charles King, Edward Howard, Bud Geary, Bud Osborne). Unfortunately, Bob as a convicted felon can't wear his six-gun and is forced to use his wits to to out maneuver his opponents, along with the help of his old friend Utah McGirk (Syd Saylor) and his girl Betty Morgan (Ellen Hall),.
This movie is Bob Steele's last leading role. Steele already looking a bit older in this one, sports a Boston Blackie Mustache which adds to the aging affect and makes him appear a bit too old to be the love interest of the youngish looking Ellen Hall. As with most PRC films (often referred to as an acronym for "Produced Really Cheap") the studio bean counters must have been pleased. Nobody expects Shakespeare but Steele, who actually was a pretty decent actor, couldn't do much to make this script sound good. As usual PRC tried to save a few bucks on sound and lighting. To be fair the soundtrack doesn't seem as tinny as a lot of the other PRC films I've watched. Even though the production standards aren't high, the action is. Since Steele, a parolee, can't wear a gun, he must use other means to deal with his enemies. In this case it's usually fists first, questions later, as Steele pummels every bad guy in sight.
Thunder Town was Bob Steele's last leading role as a Saddle Hero. While it wasn't a great send-off for Steele, he continued on in a variety of supporting and character parts for nearly thirty more years. Another generation would come to remember him as " Trooper Duffy" on the television series F troop.
Just an OK B-Western
This movie is Bob Steele's last leading role. Steele already looking a bit older in this one, sports a Boston Blackie Mustache which adds to the aging affect and makes him appear a bit too old to be the love interest of the youngish looking Ellen Hall. As with most PRC films (often referred to as an acronym for "Produced Really Cheap") the studio bean counters must have been pleased. Nobody expects Shakespeare but Steele, who actually was a pretty decent actor, couldn't do much to make this script sound good. As usual PRC tried to save a few bucks on sound and lighting. To be fair the soundtrack doesn't seem as tinny as a lot of the other PRC films I've watched. Even though the production standards aren't high, the action is. Since Steele, a parolee, can't wear a gun, he must use other means to deal with his enemies. In this case it's usually fists first, questions later, as Steele pummels every bad guy in sight.
Thunder Town was Bob Steele's last leading role as a Saddle Hero. While it wasn't a great send-off for Steele, he continued on in a variety of supporting and character parts for nearly thirty more years. Another generation would come to remember him as " Trooper Duffy" on the television series F troop.
Just an OK B-Western