Bad Men of Thunder Gap (1943)

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Director:

Albert Herman

Writer:

Elmer Clifton (original story and screenplay)

Release Date:

5 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Western

Tagline:

The SIX-GUN TWINS! (print ad for "Thundergap Outlaw" - mostly caps)

Plot:

Texas Rangers Tex Wyatt and Jim Steele arrive in Thunder Gap as undercover Rangers to investigate the...

Plot Keywords:

Texas Rangers Series

Cast

Dave O'Brien	...	Texas Ranger Tex Wyatt (as Dave Tex O'Brien)
James Newill	...	Texas Ranger Jim Steele (as Jim Newill)
Guy Wilkerson	...	Panhandle Perkins
Janet Shaw	...	Martha Stewart
Jack Ingram	...	Ed Ransom (as Jack Ingraham)
Charles King	...	Henchman Pete
Michael Vallon	...	John Hobbs
Lucille Vance	...	Matilda Matthews
Tom London	...	Hank Turner
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Henchman Horne
Bud Osborne	...	Henchman Clem
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Frank Rand
Cal Shrum	...	Musician (as Carl Shrum and His Rhythm Rangers)
The Rhythm Rangers	...	Panhandle's musical trio
Robert Hoag	...	Band Member (as The Rhythm Rangers)

Also Known As:

Thunder Gap Outlaws (USA) (recut version)

Runtime:

57 min (original release) | 39 min (reissue)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Alexander-Stern Productions

Movie Connections:

Followed by Marked for Murder (1945)

Some are diamonds and some are rocks. But they still beat spaghetti.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The second of the series of 14 B-westerns produced for P.R.C. by cousins Alfred Stern and Arthur Alexander, starring Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Jim Newill and Guy Wilkerson. After 14 in this series of "Texas Rangers", Tex Ritter replaced Jim Newill and he and O'Brien and Wilkerson starred in the final eight films. O'Brien was first-billed in the series with Newill, and was knocked down to second-billing when Ritter came on board, plus he was no longer billed as Dave "Tex" O'Brien, as there was only room for one Tex, and Ritter had first claim on that name.

Texas Rangers Tex Wyatt (Dave (Tex) O'Brien)and Jim Steele (Jim Newill) arrive in Thunder Gap as undercover Rangers to investigate the hijacking of supply wagons of food for the miners. They come to town as members of a medicine-wagon troupe headed by another Ranger, Panhandle Perkins (Guy Wilkerson.) Ted discovers the offices of the Hard Rock Mining Company being robbed by Ed Ransom (Jack Ingram), owner of the local freight company. One of Ransom's gang slugs Tex and kills an official of the mining company. Ransom tells the townspeople he arrived at the scene too late to stop the robbery and the killing and blames Tex. Meanwhile, the latter has come to and galloped out of town.

Ransom sends two of his henchmen after Tex but he gets away and joins his two pals. Tex appears in town the next day and learns that the miners are being forced to leave town because of the food shortage and they are turning over their claims to John Hobbs (Michael Vallon), owner of the general store, for bills they owe him.

From Martha Stewart (Janet Shaw) Tex learns that Hobbs and Ransom are behind the plot to to hijack the the miner's food supplies and force them to leave Thunder Gap. The two Rangers discover the food supplies in an old mine building but are captured by Ransom's gang.

P.R.C. chopped this town to 39 minutes (minus most of the songs) in 1947 and reissued it as "Thundergap Outlaws", and the lab man doing the reissue titles didn't seem to know that the name of the the town in the original release was Thunder Gap.