The Dude Bandit

Hoot Gibson plays an enigmatic character who disguises himself as a bandit to investigate the murder of a friend. Gloria Shea, Skeeter Bill Robbins, Hooper Atchley, Neal Hart, Lafe McKee. Directed by George Melford., As he had so many times before, Hoot Gibson pretended to be a dimwit in this low-budget Western, his penultimate for penny-pinching producer M.H. Hoffman. Naturally, Gibson, as Ace Cooper, only pretends to be cowardly and stupid in order to investigate the mysterious killing of Dad Mason (Gordon De Main) in a hotel room. He does that disguised as “the Dude Bandit,” quickly determining that Dad was murdered by greedy cattle baron Al Burton (Hooper Atchley). But how? Burton was observed by several witnesses as the fatal shot rang out. Aligning himself with old friend Skeeter (Gibson regular Roy “Skeeter Bill” Robbins) and the dead man’s pretty daughter, Betty (Gloria Shea), Ace learns how Burton was able to establish an alibi for the murder.