Border Vigilantes

I'm in agreement that Border Vigilantes could have used a more coherent script. That being said Victory Jory has played some great screen villains. He did several Hoppy films and he was never more deadly than he is in this one.

Jory has quite a racket going. He's both head of the vigilante committee to stop the outbreak of outlawry in his area and the head of the outlaws themselves who are preying on the miners in this mining area. Enough of them give up and get out and Jory is controlling all the silver being mined in the area.

Morris Ankrum who also played a few villains in the Cassidy series is the friend who sends for Hoppy to help. Bill Boyd, Russell Hayden, and Andy Clyde come and Hoppy is nearly ambushed and killed on the way. Since Ankrum told only Jory, the guys know who to zero in on.

But even with that knowledge, Jory proves one clever and unscrupulous adversary. He's really something to watch here.

Frances Gifford plays Ankrum's daughter and the reason Russell Hayden is so interested in helping. Romance is in the air for Andy Clyde as Ankrum's visiting sister thinks he reminds her of a long lost love. That's what California wants to do, get lost.

Even with a script that's inferior and confusing Jory makes his character really work and makes Border Vigilantes worth watching.