Blue Steel (1934)
When Sheriff Jake sees a man at the safe and then finds the payroll gone, he trails him. Just as he is about to arrest him, the man saves his life. Still suspicious, he joins up with the man and later they learn that Melgrove, the towns leading citizen, is trying to take over the area's ranches by having his gang stop all incoming supply wagons. With the ranchers about to sell to Melgrove, the two newcomers say they will bring in provisions.
HE TURNED MAN-HUNTER TO RUN DOWN A GANG OF OF THIEVING SCOUNDRELS!
John Carruthers: I'm glad you decided to drift along with me. It's kind of lonesome trailing alone.
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA
Santa Clarita, California, USA
Walker Ranch - 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA
Big Pines, California, USA
Kernville, California, USA
The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.
The earliest documented telecasts of this film took place in Fort Worth on 4/4/49 on WBAP (Channel 5), in Cincinnati 9/19/49 on WCPO (Channel 7), in Atlanta 10/21/49 on WSB (Channel 8), in Los Angeles 10/26/49 on KTSL (Channel 2) and again 12/4/49 on KECA (Channel 7), in Philadelphia 10/31/49 on WFIL (Channel 6), and in New York City 7/17/50 on WOR (Channel 9).
Malgrove's house is the same house as Juanita's house in The Desert Trail (1935) and as the Matlock ranch-house in The Star Packer (1934).
Carruthers and Sherriff Withers jump into the same river at the same point as Weston and Spike Barton do in The Man from Utah (1934).
Although John Wayne appears in the first scene, he doesn't speak a line until almost fifteen minutes in.
Continuity
When Carruthers and Sheriff Jake arrive to Yucca City, riding with Malgrove and Danti, Carruthers and Jake ride until the middle of the group. The next shot shows both leaving the horses in the right-hand side of the group.
The guest signing book on the reception desk changes positions from the time Danti sneaks into the hotel to rob the safe, to when he accidentally knocks it off the desk, alerting Carruthers.
Five bandits attack Betty Mason and her father and the mule train, but only three pursue them across the plain.
Revealing mistakes
When Carruthers jumps into the river, there is a bridge in the background.
After Caruthers rescues Sheriff Winters from the river they both go into a cave. Instead of both being soaked there are only a few water spots on the Sheriff's trousers.
Miscellaneous
The match used to light the dynamite in order to cave in the pass in the badlands managed to stay lit long enough to light the cord, in spite of being lit in the back of a fast-moving wagon.
Anachronisms
About 45 minutes in as Carruthers and the Sheriff are leaving with the wagon, power line towers are visible in the background.
Character error
Carruthers and Withers pursue the bandits across the plain, but fail to recognize Danti when he and Malgrove find them with the body of Dan Mason.