The Arizona Ranger

Bob Morgan (Tim Holt) returns home with some friends from serving in the army and finds himself immediately in a fight when he spots local badman Quirt Butler (Steve Brodie) attacking his own wife Laura (Nan Leslie) with a whip. But it is not the only trouble which Bob finds himself in back home as his father Rawhide Morgan (Jack Holt) is an old fashioned cowboy who is use to taking the law in to his own hands and when Bob says he is off to head up the local peace keeping Rangers they have a falling out. Things get worse when between Bob and Laura starting to fall for each other and Quirt escaping from Bob's custody it leads to Bob going it alone to bring him in.

The Arizona Rangers has a hefty story with some dramatic flourish, more than the usual found in a Tim Holt western. Jack Holt plays a rancher called Rawhide- he is an irascible coot who is very much disappointed and angry with his son (Tim Holt) for wanting to join the rangers instead of working on his ranch. Rawhide is fairly irrational in view but that makes the characterisation even more interesting and the fact that he can't understand his son's need to go down his own path is a human failing. Adding to the drama, albeit with a darker feel, is the abusive relationship of Butler (Steve Brodie) with his wife Laura (Nan Leslie); indeed, Bob stops Butler from manhandling his wife in the middle of town. Unspoken, burgeoning feelings occur between Bob and Laura, and her husband noticed this, hence she has to lie about her husband's whereabouts to save Bob's life.

Amidst this drama, there's enough shootouts and riding to keep the average sagebrush oater fans happy - the Arizona Rangers is a fast-paced and well-acted western with tense moments, great locations and a decent mixture of subplots. One of Tim Holt's best.