Fighting Shadows
Directed byDavid Selman
Written byFord Beebe
Produced byHarry Decker
StarringTim McCoy
Robert Allen
Geneva Mitchell
Ward Bond
CinematographyGeorge Meehan
Edited byAl Clark
Production
company
Release date
  • April 18, 1935 (1935-04-18) (US)[1]
Running time
58 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fighting Shadows is a 1935 American Western film directed by David Selman from a screenplay by Ford Beebe, which stars Tim McCoy, Robert Allen, Geneva Mitchell, and Ward Bond. It was McCoy's sixth film in a series of pictures for Columbia Pictures.

Plot

Tim O'Hara is a Canadian Mountie who has been sent into the Indian Territory to investigate claims of a gang of bandits who are terrorizing the local trappers. Being from the area, he looks up an old friend, Hank Bascom, who tells him that a local merchant, Stalkey, has been acting as a middleman for the bandits. When he goes to talk with Stalkey, O'Hara finds his old nemesis, Brad Harrison, already at the store trying to get Stalkey to talk. O'Hara had been in love with Harrison's sister, Martha, but had left the area when he and Harrison had gotten into a heated argument after Harrison had falsely accused O'Hara of stealing from him.

Now, O'Hara tells Harrison to stay out of his way, and as he is beginning to arrest Stalkey, O'Hara is shot at by Randall, a member of the bandit gang. O'Hara pursues Randall, but the bandit escapes. Later, Randall's body is discovered, and Harrison accuses O'Hara of murdering him. To gain the trust of Stalkey, Harrison tells him to go to his cabin to hide out. O'Hara asks Harrison for his help in tracking the gang down, but he refuses. Leaving Harrison, O'Hara goes back to Stalkey's store, where he discovers a cache of stolen furs. Harrison arrives shortly after, and the two men get into a fight, resulting in O'Hara being knocked unconscious. Harrison takes the furs and hides them. Then goes to Stalkey and tells him that O'Hara found them and took them.

Another Mountie, Bob Rutledge, arrives to relieve O'Hara of his duties. After O'Hara refuses to arrest Harrison, who evidence is now pointing to as the gang's leader, Rutledge has O'Hara locked up. When Rutledge goes after Harrison, he is knocked out by Stalkey, but Harrison intervenes and takes the Mountie back to town, rather than letting Stalkey have him killed.

Back in town, Hascom has helped O'Hara to escape, and when Harrison arrives the two men fight. The fight is stopped, however, when Stalkey and the rest of his gang show up and demand that O'Hara turn over the stolen furs. It is revealed that Harrison was not a member of the gang, instead he was trying to get into Stalkey's good graces in order to uncover their identities. O'Hara and Harrison team up, and with several others apprehend the gang.

Cast List

(Cast list as per AFI database)[1]

Production

The film was originally titled Guns of the Law, but the title was changed in February 1935.[2] The Legion of Decency gave the picture a Class A rating, meaning that the picture was suitable for the entire family.[3] It was the sixth picture in a series of films which McCoy was making for Columbia Pictures.[4] The picture wrapped production the final week of March 1935.[5]

Reception

The Film Daily gave the film a positive review, "Corking Western provides lots of sock action in suspenseful yarn." The felt the film was excellently acted, directed, produced and filmed.[6] Motion Picture Daily also gave the film a good review. While they felt the plot was a bit worn, they felt it was suspenseful, holding the audience's attention. They especially complimented the cinematography of George Meehan.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Fighting Shadows: Detail View". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Columbia Shifts Titles". Motion Picture Daily. February 28, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Classification of Pictures". Harrison's Reports. May 11, 1935. p. 76. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Screen Notes". Times Union. April 1, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved July 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Screen Notes". Times Union. April 3, 1935. p. 17. Retrieved August 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Tim McCoy in "Fighting Shadows"". The Film Daily. May 17, 1935. p. 10. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ ""Fighting Shadows"". Motion Picture Daily. May 27, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
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