Ace director David Howard was unknowingly nearing the end of his career when he made this western at RKO, the last of the George O'Brien series. Howard made only two westerns with Tim Holt in 1941 before he died in December. This one has a good script with plenty of action, though in many ways it's a typical O'Brien western with the laid- back lead determined to prove his innocence but going about it in a more leisurely, even humorous style than western heroes normally employed. When our hero is determined to do something, he follows it through to the end, but rarely losing his sense of humor and taking time out to cultivate some female friendships on the way. In this one, he has no fewer than five beauties to support him, and they are played by Virginia Vale and Peggy Shannon, plus the three strikingly beautiful Lindeman Sisters in their only movie appearance. Vale had formerly co-starred with O'Brien in The Marshal of Mesa City (1939), Prairie Law (1940), Legion of the Lawless (1940), and Stage to Chino (1940). Alas, she finally ended up at PRC with a minor role in Crime, Inc. in 1945. Triple Justice is available on an excellent Warner Archive DVD coupled with The Marshal of Mesa City and Legion of the Lawless.
Review of Triple Justice
