Renfrew Of The Royal Mounted (1937) On DVD

An inspector is murdered while investigating a counterfeiting ring, and Sergeant Renfrew is sent to track down his killers. His hunt leads to the exclusive Totem Pole Lodge, where he believes Bronson, a notorious master engraver is in hiding. At the resort, Renfrew discovers a tiny clue in one of the counterfeit bills, and realizes that he has what he needs to crack the case wide open!

This is the premiere installment of the Renfrew of the Royal Mounted series which lasted through eight exciting Canadian adventures. Jim Newill stars as Sergeant Renfrew, who adds his operatic voice to his hard-riding, hard-hitting bravado, and is ably assisted here by his faithful dog, Lightning. Renfrew of the Royal Mounted features fine location photography and a terrific dramatic scene involving a magnifying glass.

An uneven mix of '30s crook melodrama and ROSE MARIE-inspired mountie romance, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted of radio fame came to the screen in 1937, courtesy of the founder of Grand National, Edward L. Alperson. Chosen to play the strapping title role was James Newill, a Nelson Eddy wannabe whose introduction number, "Mounted Men," was almost a carbon copy of "Stout Hearted Men." Newill's Renfrew is assigned to look into a counterfeiting ring operating on the Canadian border with the United States. The ring is headed by lodge owner George Poulis (William Royle), who is coercing convicted engraver James Bronson (Herbert Corthell) into working for him. When Bronson's daughter, Virginia (Carol Hughes), discovers the truth, she convinces the engraver to flee. Renfrew, who has been chasing the crooks on horseback and by airplane, eventually saves the Bronsons from perishing in a meat locker. Filmed in Grand National's studios on Santa Monica Boulevard and at Big Bear Lake, CA, RENFREW OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED proved popular enough to warrant a series. Grand National collapsed two years later but the series was picked up by Monogram and a total of eight RENFREW movies were ultimately released. A former singer on the Burns & Allen radio program, James Newill later went on to co-star in PRC's "trio" series TEXAS RANGERS, where he was reunited with Dave "Tex" O'Brien, who had played one of the crooks in RENFREW OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED.