Western

Law of the Timber (1941)

Directed by Bernard B. Ray, Law of the Timber is a compact action drama set in the rugged world of lumberjacks and national defense contracts. Produced by Monogram Pictures, the film runs just over an hour and blends industrial sabotage with personal loyalty, all set against the backdrop of the dangerous Antler Valley logging tract.

Plot Summary
The H&L Lumber Company, led by Henry Lorimer and his daughter Perry (Marjorie Reynolds), receives a major government contract to harvest timber from a treacherous mountain region. When John Gordon (Hal Brazeale), an outsider from the East, applies for a job, Lorimer hires him—unaware that Gordon has a hidden connection to the company’s past.

As logging operations begin, a series of suspicious accidents—including a deadly forest fire—threaten the project. After Lorimer is killed, Perry takes charge, facing resistance from foreman Frank Barnes (Earle Eby), who secretly covets the company. When the dynamite storehouse explodes, Barnes blames Gordon, but evidence suggests sabotage. Perry is kidnapped and placed aboard a runaway train, forcing Gordon to risk everything to save her and deliver the lumber on time.

Cast Highlights

  • Marjorie Reynolds as Perry Lorimer
  • Monte Blue as Hodge Mason
  • J. Farrell MacDonald as Adams
  • Hal Brazeale as John Gordon
  • Earle Eby as Frank Barnes
  • Betty Roadman, Eddie Phillips, and Jack Holmes in supporting roles
  • Zero the Dog as himself, adding a touch of frontier charm

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

  • The film was based on a story by James Oliver Curwood, adapted for the screen by Jack Natteford
  • It aired on television as early as February 4, 1946, on New York’s WNBT (Channel 1), making it one of the earliest postwar telecasts of a Monogram feature
  • The explosive climax involving a runaway train and a dynamite detonation was a standout sequence for Poverty Row productions of the time
  • Actress Marjorie Reynolds would later gain fame in Holiday Inn (1942), while Monte Blue was a silent-era veteran transitioning into character roles

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