El último hombre del valle

One of the nice things about FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS is seeing VICTOR JORY in a role where he's playing the hero's friend rather than a villain. It's an above average RANDOLPH SCOTT western that was apparently filmed originally in Cinecolor but the TCM print is in B&W.

Scott is a man running from his past who is mistaken for the lawman who captured him but got killed along the way to bringing Scott to justice. We learn later that Scott was justified in killing a man in self-defense and did not deserve a reputation as a lawless outlaw.

He proves such a good shot when attacked by a town bully, that the townspeople appoint him sheriff of a small Kansas town, post-Civil War 1870s. He's able to keep that disguise for most of the story, until some of the crooked elements in town find out his true identity and make trouble for him before he can explain what happened.

The whole story has a pleasant Zane Grey feeling about it--although it's an original one written for the screen. BILL WILLIAMS is cast against type as a villain and JANE NIGH is the romantic interest as Jory's business partner.

Plenty of action and a colorful story combine to make a good Randolph Scott western worth catching. DALE ROBERTSON is introduced as Jesse James, a man who comes to Scott's rescue when the going gets tough.