Law of the Northwest
Cast & Crew
William Berke
Charles Starrett
Shirley Patterson
Arthur Hunnicutt
Stanley Brown
Douglas Leavitt
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When the U.S.-Alaska highway extends to within thirty miles from the town of Moose Horn, Canada, the tungsten miners who inhabit the town decide to build a road to connect Moose Horn to the highway and thus hasten shipment of their tungsten. George Bradley, the wealthiest man in town, writes a check to finance the project. Hot-tempered trapper Paul Darcy and his cousin Michele, a nurse, oppose the road, but their protests are overridden by a vote of the townspeople, who hire Canadian road builder Tom Clayton to supervise the venture. After Tom is forced to condemn Paul's house because it blocks the path of the road, the two men argue. When Tom is found murdered several days later, his son Neal, a constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is ordered by his commanding officer, Sgt. Steve King, to carry on his father's work. While Neal oversees the road building, Steve goes to Moose Horn to investigate Tom's murder. When Paul becomes belligerent while being questioned by Steve, the Mountie jails him, but he later escapes. Soon after, the road builders, who have not been paid for their labor, threaten to quit, but Steve talks them into going back to work while he and Neal ride to the nearest city to cash Bradley's check. En route, they are almost buried by an avalanche that has been deliberately detonated by a charge of dynamite. Neal suffers a broken leg in the avalanche, and returns to Moose Horn to have Michele treat his leg. Meanwhile, Steve continues alone to the bank to cash the check. While talking to the banker, Steve begins to suspect that Bradley is behind the troubles that have been plaguing the builders and demands to see the contract that he signed with the miners. On his journey back to Moose Horn, Steve is ambushed by some would-be robbers, but manages to escape and safely returns to town. Certain that Bradley was responsible for the ambush, Steve sets a trap by tricking Bradley into accompanying him to a mine tunnel that Bradley's men are planning to dynamite. When the tunnel collapses in the explosion, the terrified Bradley confesses that he planned to force the miners into bankruptcy by sabotaging the road and their mine tunnels, and then seizing control of their property for himself. Bradley also confesses to killing Tom and framing Paul for the murder, and allows Steve to lead him out of the tunnel through a hidden passage. After Bradley is jailed for his crimes, Paul is exonerated of all guilt and the road is finally completed without further mishap.
Director
William Berke
Cast
Charles Starrett
Shirley Patterson
Arthur Hunnicutt
Stanley Brown
Douglas Leavitt
Donald Curtis
Douglass Drake
Davison Clark
Reginald Barlow
John Tyrrell
John Shay
Edward Cassidy
Ed Laughton
Al Boles
Chuck Baldra
John Lugher
Wesley Tuttle
Eddie Tudor
Crew
Charles Althouse
Lionel Banks
Irving Briskin
James M. Crowe
Jack Fier
Benjamin Kline
Johnny Marvin
William O'connor
Arthur Royce
Jerome Thoms
Luci Ward
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According a Hollywood Reporter news item, scenes for this film were shot at Barlett Lake, CA.
