Hoppy Serves A Writ (1943)
Director:
George Archainbaud
Writers:
Clarence E. Mulford (story), Gerald Geraghty (screenplay)
Stars:
William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby
Best known today as Robert Mitchum's screen-acting debut, this fine entry in the long-running Hopalong Cassidy series features the silver-haired hero (William Boyd) as a Texas lawman posing as a gambler in order to track down a gang of highwaymen and cattle rustlers who have found refuge in lawless Oklahoma Territory. Although quickly identifying scar-faced Tom Jordan (Victor Jory) as the leader of the gang, Hoppy has no jurisdiction in the territory and is forced to lure the gang back to Texas. Hoppy Serves a Writwas the final series entry based on an original story by Clarence E. Mulford, the creator of the "Bar 20" novels.