Cowboy Counselor / The Fighting Parson

Hoot Gibson was consistently ranked among the most popular cowboy stars of his era. This double bill features Hoot at his good-natured best, bluffing his way through dangerous scenarios, armed only with a quick tongue, a charming smile, a good right hook and a fast horse. Filled with clever dialogue, engaging performances, sharp camerawork and lighting, and, of course, some dazzling horsemanship (watch young Bobby Nelson ride in Cowboy Counselor!), this selection is a first-rate double dose of Hoot.

The Fighting Parson (1933):The prairie town of Red Dog is over-run with corruption, most of it centered around saloon owner Bart McCade. The pious townsfolk decide to enbark on a civic clean-up effort. Stoking their reformist zeal is the impending visit by Parson Doolittle, on a revival tour of the west. Hoping to dampen the fervor, McCade's men waylay the preacher outside of town, forcing him to strip to his skivvies and walk into the desert, then dumping his stolen clothes in the brush. When shiftless gambler Steve Bentley and his pal Arizona Joe discover the discarded duds, they decide to become "Parson Doolittle and the Deacon." They ride into town expecting to be greeted as saviors, but things get dicey when bad-guy Bart McCade, about to be hanged for corruption, recognizes Bentley. Starring Hoot Gibson, Skeeter Bill Robbins, Marceline Day, Charles King and Robert Frazer. Directed by Harry L. Fraser.

The Cowboy Counselor (1933):Deputy Lafe Walters recognizes fast-talking Dan Halton, the self-described "counselor" hawking a "miracle" book entitled "The Ranchman's Own Lawyer," as the same con man who earlier had posed as a doctor selling a bogus "miracle" medical guide. The deputy's realization comes too late to keep Sheriff Verity from buying one of the con artist's books. Keeping their eye on Halton now, the lawmen are forced to deal with him professionally when he takes on an actual case, that of a young man who's been framed for armed robbery. Halton's maverick courtroom manner is unconventional and, by the judge's estimation, contemptible. The "counselor" gets an aquittal with an extra-legal maneuver that could land him in jail, but first there's the little matter of catching the real robber. Starring Hoot Gibson, Skeeter Bill Robbins, Jack Rutherford, Al Bridge and Bobby Nelson. Directed by George Melford.