After influential rancher Durkin murders Colt Ferron’s homesteader father in cold blood, Colt challenges both Durkin and his foreman, Farley, and kills them after letting them draw first. Colt is wounded in the shootout and is found by Wolf Whitson, leader of the notorious Jack Pine Mountain gang. Wolf takes Colt to the gang’s hideout, and as he recovers, Colt learns that Wolf is a cowboy Robin Hood, who steals from corrupt ranchers and gives to those who are taken advantage of by them. Colt joins the gang as the Arizona Gunfighter, despite friend Grizzly Barr’s warning that he will be branded an outlaw. As two years pass, Colt finds another father in Wolf. One day, Wolf breaks up the gang after dissatisfied member Snake Bralt and his men, Lefty and Monty, rob a bank. Wolf then takes Colt to a distant ranch he owns under the name Pop Whittaker. The next day when Colt awakes, he discovers that Wolf has gone, leaving a deed to the ranch made out to Colt, and a letter saying that the livestock is being kept at a neighboring ranch owned by Dan Lorimer and his niece Beth. Colt then visits the Lorimer ranch and quickly becomes enamoured of Beth. Time passes as Colt happily settles into his new life. Suddenly word spreads that the Jack Pine Mountain gang is riding again. The outlaws terrorize the state, and Wolf is blamed as their bloodthirstiness grows. Colt joins the local posse searching for the gang, although he dreads finding out that Wolf may be leading them again, but they elude capture. Soon Colt receives a note from Wolf, brought by Grizzly, summoning him to the state prison. Colt visits Wolf, who pleads with him to help obtain his release so that he can stop Snake, who is now leading the gang. Colt goes to Governor Gray, who reveals that Wolf turned himself in after confessing that he murdered Durkin and Farley as the Arizona Gunfighter. Colt tells Gray that he is the real Gunfighter, and promises that he will take Wolf’s place in prison if Gray will release him and help them capture the gang. Gray agrees to the deal, and soon the reunited friends are on the trail. When they return to Colt’s ranch, they are horrified to discover that the gang raided the Lorimer ranch, killed Dan and kidnapped Beth. Wolf reveals that Beth is actually his daughter, and he and Colt go to the old hideout to rescue her. When they approach the hideout, they hear Beth scream as she tries to escape Snake’s lascivious attentions and engage the gang in an gun battle. Grizzly and the posse come to their aid after Wolf is wounded, and Colt knocks out Snake while the gang surrenders. Soon after, Wolf is recovering and Beth proudly calls him Dad. Wolf and Colt prepare to turn themselves over to Gray, but he informs them that his investigations have proven that Snake is the Arizona Gunfighter, and that they are therefore free to go. Gray then escorts Wolf and Grizzly out of the room so that Colt and Beth can kiss in private. More on Wikipedia or Mubi
Watch The Arizona Gunfighter (1937)
