Six Gun Justice

When Spectrum Pictures released the first Bill Cody western, "Frontier Days," it attracted the most enthusiastic reviews and audience response of Cody's career. When Ray Kirkwood produced the second Cody picture (Kirkwood was not credited by name on the first entry), released just a couple of months later, it did not resemble its predecessor in any way. Bob Hill's direction is less sprightly, the usually smiling and cheery Cody is cast in the more serious role of a "good bad-man," and the hero's loyal steed - featured as Chico in the series opener - loses his name and prominence. "Six-Gun Justice," produced with a somewhat smaller budget, looks like part of a different series.

Oliver Drake sticks closer to the conventional western storyline than is customary for the wonderfully imaginative writer. Cody plays the son of a member of the bandit gang headed by the nefarious Nevada Joe (Wally Wales). The elder outlaw, portrayed by director Bob Hill - who, like Hitchcock and others, often gave himself a small role in films he directed - expires with a desire to reform. His son, Cody, saves the life of a deputy marshal (Donald Reed) on the trail of the gang, and takes him to the trading post of former surgeon Frenchy Duval (Budd Buster) for treatment. There he meets beautiful Marie Duval (Ethel Jackson), and romance blossoms.

Mr. Drake gives us some colorful characters, including Speed Hawkins (Ace Cain), villainous saloon proprietor, and a dance hall woman, Yvonne (played by producer Kirkwood's wife, Jean, billed as "Zara Tazil"), who repays the treacherous Hawkins for his two-timing by telling the local sheriff of his unlawful plans. Photography is very good, and the picture looks considerably better than most independent westerns of the day, but Mr. Hill's pacing does not match the livelier job he did with the previous Cody feature.

The likable Cody comes across nicely, as does the lovely Miss Jackson. This is an enjoyable entry in the series, suffering only when compared to the unusually entertaining Cody film which came shortly before.