Blazing Justice

Producer Ray Kirkwood's wife, Jean (billed as Zara Tazil), added a timely touch to her screenplay for this entry in the Bill Cody series by having a group of cowboys sing a chorus of "Red River Valley" in a saloon to open the picture, immediately after which Bill Cody enters and is also prompted to sing. He and Frank Yaconelli perform "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain," and quite pleasingly. Cody had some musical ability and proved to be a good whistler in a later scene, but one may only speculate as to whether there was a thought of bringing him into the circle of singing cowboys, soon to occupy the spotlight in the world of series westerns. The rest of the script goes quite overboard in feeble attempts at humor and inconsequential dialogue, impeding the movement of the narrative.

Peterson (the versatile Budd Buster) is attacked and robbed of his savings by the nefarious Max (former child actor Gordon Griffith). Peterson's daughter, Virginia (Gertrude Messinger), rides after the fleeing criminal - who switches horses with Cody while the latter cleans up beside a stream. The rancher's daughter believes Cody to be the guilty party, and he must prove his innocence.

Bill Cody, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, had begun his screen career in silent features. Not always up on his lines when doing talkies, Bill nevertheless projected a likeable personality. Overlooking the imperfections brought about by a very modest budget, little rehearsal and few re-takes, this is a pleasant western - made near the end of the Cody series.