BORDER VENGEANCE (1935) Reb Russell, Mary Jane Carey & Kenneth MacDonald | Western | B&W

Border Vengeance is a 1935 American Western B movie directed by Ray Heinz, written by Forbes Parkhill based upon the novel The Return of the Muley Kid by R. Craig Christensen. The film had its premiere on June 1, 1935 and was released to theaters on June 5.

SYNOPSIS
A rancher is murdered after discovering that 40 head of his cattle have been rustled. A neighboring family is accused of the crime and flees across the border, then tries to find the real killers to clear their name.

A rancher is murdered by Flash Purdue (Kenneth MacDonald) after he catches Flash in the act of rustling his cattle. Flash diverts attention from himself by accusing the nearby Benson ranch of being the ones who perpetrated the deed. When his family is accused, Peeler Benson (Reb Russell) shoots at Flash and hits his ear. As a mob grows, he is able to get to his family in time to warn them so that they are able to escape across the border to safety. Hoping to clear his family's name, Peeler decides to stay behind, and joins a traveling rodeo circuit under the name The Muley Kid.

CAST & CREW
Reb Russell as Peeler Benson, aka The Muley Kid
Kenneth MacDonald as Flash Purdue
Clarence Geldart as Sam Griswold
Pat Harmon as Tex Pryor
Ben Corbett as Bud Benson
Slim Whitaker as Posse Leader
Mary Jane Carey as Sally Griswold
Norman Feusier as Old Man Benson
Marty Joyce as Young Benson
June Brewster as June Griswold
Hank Bell as Sheriff
Rex Bell as Rodeo Guest Star
Glenn Strange as Cowhand

Directed by Ray Heinz
Written by Forbes Parkhill Based on The Return of the Muley Kid by R. Craig Christensen
Produced by Willis Kent
Cinematography James Diamond
Edited by S. Roy Luby
Production company Willis Kent Productions
Distributed by Marcy Pictures Corporation
Release date June 5, 1935 (US theatrical)
Running time 56 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
The project starred former football player Lafayette H. "Reb" Russell, and was filmed in 1934 by Willis Kent, an independent filmmaker known for his low budget exploitation melodramas.

According to Hans J. Wollstein of Rovi, even as "bottom-of-the-barrel filmmaking on all fronts", the film did have good points. The climatic finale of a nighttime shootout was "quite effective", and with "blood oozing", it was one of the few films of its genre to show the effects of a bullet on its victim. However, the padding out of the film by its inclusion of rodeo footage of former Western hero Rex Bell and horse stunt and trick rider Montie Montana "manages to drag out the 58 minutes of running time almost beyond human endurance".