Gunman's Code
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Wallace W. Fox
Kirby Grant
Fuzzy Knight
Jane Adams
Danny Morton
Bernard Thomas
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Outside the town of Calliope, bandits ambush a Wells Fargo stagecoach and kill the driver, unaware that a passenger named Jackson remains inside. Two of the bandits escape with the trunk they have stolen, only have it robbed by two riders, Jack Douglas and Boscoe O'Toole. Meanwhile, in town, cattle rancher Ben Lewis and bank owner Sam Burton hear of the robbery and realize that it was Ben's gold that was stolen. When Jackson arrives and says that one of the bandits resembled Sam's friend, local businessman Lee Fayne, Ben accuses Sam of conspiring with the thieves. Over Sam's protests, Ben advises the other ranchers to patronize the bank in the nearby town of Burbling Brook. Soon after, Jack and Boscoe watch as Ben and Sam discover the stolen trunk outside the bank, with a note signed by Jack, using the alias "Duke Masters." Although Boscoe worries that they will be implicated, Jack insists that they visit the town saloon to see what will happen next. When Jackson is murdered moments later, Ben visits Fayne and checks his gun to see if it has been fired. Seeing that it is clean, Ben blames the elusive Duke Masters for the murder, and accepts Sam's suggestion to make Fayne the Sheriff so that he can catch the murderer. Bosco and Jack then enter the saloon, where Jack recognizes Fayne and introduces him to Boscoe as an old friend and fellow sharpshooter who used to live straight, by the gunman's code, but went crooked. When Jack leaves the saloon, he meets Sam's lovely daughter Laura, who invites him to a party that evening. There, she introduces him to her brother Danny, whom Jack secretly recognizes as one of the bandits. While Jack romances Laura outside in the moonlight, inside Fayne tells Sam that Jack is Duke Masters and then informs Danny that unless he kills Jack, his father will learn of his involvement in the stage robbery. Danny instead warns Jack of the impending danger, allowing Jack and Boscoe to escape from the town posse. They quickly return to the Burton's, however, to talk to Danny, and there reveal to Laura and Danny that they are Wells Fargo special agents, sent to solve the recent robberies. When Danny relates that Fayne forced him to rob the stagecoaches, Jack realizes that Fayne has been stealing the ranchers' money in order to shake their confidence in Sam's bank and move their business to Fayne's bank in Burbling Brooks. Danny agrees to work with Jack, and the next day sets up Fayne to rob a Wells Fargo stage, on which Jack and Boscoe ride, disguised as women. When Fayne attacks, Jack starts a gunfight, causing Fayne to run back to town. There, he instructs Ben to gather a posse to attack Jack, then finds Danny hiding in his office and shoots him. Jack, who has chased Fayne into town, is shot at by the posse until Laura informs Ben of Jack's true identity. Ben then turns the posse against Fayne, who insists on a shootout with Jack which results in Jack shooting Fayne in the hand and then arresting him. Weeks later, Laura and a recovering Danny receive a letter from Jack, stating that he and Boscoe have moved on to another assignment.
Director
Wallace W. Fox
Cast
Kirby Grant
Fuzzy Knight
Jane Adams
Danny Morton
Bernard Thomas
Charles Miller
Karl Hackett
Frank Mccarroll
Arthur Gould-porter
Jack Gargan
Crew
Phil Bowles
Bernard B. Brown
Everett Carter
Carter Dehaven Jr.
Carmen Dirigo
Wallace W. Fox
Russell A. Gausman
Maury Gertsman
D. Patrick Kelley
William Lively
Sherman Lowe
Jess Moulin
Rosemary Odell
Jack Otterson
Jack P. Pierce
Frank A. Richards
Milton Rosen
Milton Rosen
Arthur St. Claire
Kenneth Swartz
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although Phil Bowles is credited as the film's assistant director on the Hollywood Reporter production chart, the Production Encyclopedia credits Carter De Haven, Jr. with that function. Modern sources add Jack Montgomery, Artie Ortego, Dan White and Carl Mathews to the cast.
