The Purple Vigilantes

The Purple Vigilantes is a 1938 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune. Written by Betty Burbridge and Oliver Drake, the film is about a rancher who organizes other ranchers to form a vigilante group in order to rid their town of outlaws. After the outlaws are defeated, some of the men, posing as the vigilant group, go on a crime spree. The Purple Vigilantes is the 12th entry in the Three Mesquiteers series of B-movies produced by Republic Pictures.^[1] The film was released in the United Kingdom as Purple Riders because at that time the word "vigilante" was unknown in Britain.^[2]

The Purple Vigilantes
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Sherman
Written by	William Colt MacDonald
Screenplay by	Betty Burbridge Oliver Drake
Produced by	Sol C. Siegel
Starring	Robert Livingston Ray Corrigan Max Terhune
Cinematography	Ernest Miller
Edited by	Lester Orlebeck
Music by	Alberto Colombo
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date	January 24, 1938 (1938-01-24)
Running time	58 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

John Denvir, in his book, Legal Reelism: Movies as Legal Texts, compared the hooded-and-robed vigilantes in the film to the Ku Klux Klan. He cited The Purple Vigilantes as being "the series western most clearly inspired by the Klan", noting that the film was "treating its hooded terrorist organization as originally serving a legitimate purpose but corrupted over time."^[3]

Cast

• Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke
• Ray Corrigan as Tucson Smith
• Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin
• Joan Barclay as Jean McAllister
• Earl Dwire as David Ross
• Earle Hodgins as J. T. McAllister
• Francis Sayles as Wiliam Jones
• George Chesebro as Eggers
• Robert Fiske as George Drake
• Jack Perrin as Duncan
• Ernie Adams as Blake
• William Gould as Jenkins, Saloon Owner
• Harry Strang as Murphy
• Ed Cassidy as Sheriff Jim (as Edward Cassidy)