The Missing Juror

Before Oscar Boetticher, Jr. (Ride Lonesome, the Tall T) helmed the westerns that were his signature, he spent his early years at Columbia learning his trade in small B-pictures, slight little programmers where economy was the rule. Here, he builds suspense through atmosphere and clever camera placement, making this outing more fun than a plot outline might suggest. Throw in the exceptional George Macready as a wrongfully convicted man on death row, pardoned in the nick of time (through the efforts of a whip-smart newsman named Keats, played by Jim Bannon), and you have the makings of an interesting crime drama. Beautiful blonde Janis Carter (Night Editor, Framed) adds class to the proceedings.