The Gambling Terror

The Gambling Terror is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Johnny Mack Brown, Iris Meredith and Charles King.

Plot
A town is effectively terrorised by a protection racket with no one knowing who their leader is. Their only opposition is the editor of a local newspaper. When the editor's young son is caught listening to a pair to thugs victimising a farmer the thugs threaten to beat him to tell them what he heard. They are thwarted and beat up by Jeff Hayes, a gambler who is passing through town. When they threaten retribution to Jeff, he laughs in their face, telling them that anyone who'd horsewhip a child wouldn't be too much for a man to worry about.

The previous gambling in the town saloon was stopped by the protection racket when they wouldn't pay tribute. Jeff refuses to pay and gives the now frightened thugs a sample of his quick draw and expert marksmanship with his pair of six shooters. Jeff is cheered by the town, but despised because he is a gambler by the editor's daughter. The editor wants Jeff to join his vigilantes, but Jeff warns the editor that you don't fight bushwhackers by riding on the skyline.

Brett, the overseer of the thugs proposes that as Jeff is a gambler, he'd go for the most profit, in his case a large percentage of the proceeds of the operation. As insurance, the thugs kidnap the editor's son.

Cast

 * Johnny Mack Brown as Jeff Hayes
 * Iris Meredith as Betty Garret
 * Charles King as Brett
 * Dick Curtis as Dirk - Brett's Henchman
 * Ted Adams as Sheriff
 * Horace Murphy as Missouri Bill, Printer's Devil
 * Earl Dwire as Homer Bradley
 * Frank Ball as Garret - Weekly Star Editor
 * Bobby Nelson as Jerry Garret
 * Lloyd Ingraham as Old Man
 * Emma Tansey as Old Woman
 * Budd Buster as Shorty