"Valley of Fear" is a better than average Johnny Mack Brown Western. It has more than the usual number of characters mixed up in a somewhat complicated plot.
Johnny Williams (Brown) returns to his hometown of Beaufort after a two year absence. On riding into town he is mobbed by a group of citizens led by Banker Henry Stevens (Tristram Coffin), rancher Ed Travers (Ed Cassidy) and real estate agent Frank Wilkins (Ted Adams). They accuse him of reaping the rewards of a suspected embezzlement by his late uncle. Johnny escapes from the mob and flees to the Williams ranch.
At the ranch, which is in a shambles ranch hand Rusty Peters (Raymond Hatton) explains the situation to Johnny. It seems that the local ranchers and townsfolk had mortgaged their properties to invest in a newly proposed dam for the area. The funds in question were stolen and Johnny's uncle blamed. The uncle met with an unfortunate accident where he was killed.
The mob from Beaufort arrives but Johnny is able to explain that the package suspected of containing the loot that had been sent to Johnny by his uncle was in reality a pair of cowboy boots. Local rancher Tom Lansing (Steve Darrell) offers to help Johnny clear his name.
Johnny goes to the site of his uncle's accident and suspects that the old man had actually been murdered. A gunman, Duke (Eddie Parker) tries to ambush Johnny but is subdued and taken back to town. Duke blames Stevens as the one who paid him to shoot Johnny. Johnny, Rusty and the Sheriff (Pierce Lyden) confront Stevens but he is able to prove his innocence by identifying the money paid to Duke as being from the stolen loot.
Stevens agrees to pretend to be behind the embezzlement in order to draw out the real culprit. The ruse almost costs Stevens to be hanged by the angry mob. Lansing goes to Travers and loans him $300 to cover the interest due on his mortgage. Travers and his comely young daughter Joan (Christine McIntyre) is engaged to Stevens, are travelling to the Rail Head to cash in his family jewels, are attacked by a gang of masked men. Johnny, Rusty and the sheriff ride to the rescue in the nick of time.
Johnny and Rusty let it be known that they will sleep in the barn at the Williams ranch and await a night visitor. Wilkins sneaks up but is scared off by Rusty's knocking over some junk in the barn but....he leaves behind a footprint in the dirt. Johnny make a casting of the footprint and brings it to the sheriff and boot maker Pete (Budd Buster) for identification. Before Pete can make the identification, he and the sheriff are both murdered by an unknown assailant.
Johnny and Rusty try to make the jailed Duke talk. As he is about to reveal the name of his boss he is shot, in true "B" western style by a shot from the window. Johnny and Rusty finally figure out who the real culprit is and..............................................
I have to admit that I didn't suspect who the real murderer was, maybe it was me but I enjoyed this film start to finish. You may recognize Christine McIntyre as the female foil for the Three Stooges in their comedy shorts.
Johnny Williams (Brown) returns to his hometown of Beaufort after a two year absence. On riding into town he is mobbed by a group of citizens led by Banker Henry Stevens (Tristram Coffin), rancher Ed Travers (Ed Cassidy) and real estate agent Frank Wilkins (Ted Adams). They accuse him of reaping the rewards of a suspected embezzlement by his late uncle. Johnny escapes from the mob and flees to the Williams ranch.
At the ranch, which is in a shambles ranch hand Rusty Peters (Raymond Hatton) explains the situation to Johnny. It seems that the local ranchers and townsfolk had mortgaged their properties to invest in a newly proposed dam for the area. The funds in question were stolen and Johnny's uncle blamed. The uncle met with an unfortunate accident where he was killed.
The mob from Beaufort arrives but Johnny is able to explain that the package suspected of containing the loot that had been sent to Johnny by his uncle was in reality a pair of cowboy boots. Local rancher Tom Lansing (Steve Darrell) offers to help Johnny clear his name.
Johnny goes to the site of his uncle's accident and suspects that the old man had actually been murdered. A gunman, Duke (Eddie Parker) tries to ambush Johnny but is subdued and taken back to town. Duke blames Stevens as the one who paid him to shoot Johnny. Johnny, Rusty and the Sheriff (Pierce Lyden) confront Stevens but he is able to prove his innocence by identifying the money paid to Duke as being from the stolen loot.
Stevens agrees to pretend to be behind the embezzlement in order to draw out the real culprit. The ruse almost costs Stevens to be hanged by the angry mob. Lansing goes to Travers and loans him $300 to cover the interest due on his mortgage. Travers and his comely young daughter Joan (Christine McIntyre) is engaged to Stevens, are travelling to the Rail Head to cash in his family jewels, are attacked by a gang of masked men. Johnny, Rusty and the sheriff ride to the rescue in the nick of time.
Johnny and Rusty let it be known that they will sleep in the barn at the Williams ranch and await a night visitor. Wilkins sneaks up but is scared off by Rusty's knocking over some junk in the barn but....he leaves behind a footprint in the dirt. Johnny make a casting of the footprint and brings it to the sheriff and boot maker Pete (Budd Buster) for identification. Before Pete can make the identification, he and the sheriff are both murdered by an unknown assailant.
Johnny and Rusty try to make the jailed Duke talk. As he is about to reveal the name of his boss he is shot, in true "B" western style by a shot from the window. Johnny and Rusty finally figure out who the real culprit is and..............................................
I have to admit that I didn't suspect who the real murderer was, maybe it was me but I enjoyed this film start to finish. You may recognize Christine McIntyre as the female foil for the Three Stooges in their comedy shorts.
