Three Pals (1926) DVD-R

Starring Marilyn Mills, Josef Swickard, William H. Turner, Martin Turner, Ralph Emerson,
Gary Cooper
Directed by Wilbur McGaugh, Bruce M. Mitchell

Print: black/white
Runtime: 56 min.
Genre: western
Print Quality: B

Although some elements of this drama smack of the tired ploys of Drury Lane melodramas -
the demand for either the payment of a debt or the girl's hand, the girl riding her horse to
victory - a couple of unusual twists add some interest. Two Southern gentlemen, Colonel
Girard (Josef Swickard) and Major Wingate (William H. Turner), have a falling out which
separates their romantically inclined children, Betty Girard (Marlyn Mills) and Larry Wingate
(Walter Emerson). Wingate's secretary (James McLaughlin) won't acknowledge the receipt
of a payment on a note from Girard. When Girard comes over to demand an explanation,
Wingate turns up dead. Girard is thrown in jail and the secretary tells Betty that either she
must come up with the money or marry him. Betty's two horses uncover enough clues to
place the responsibility for the murder on the secretary's shoulders. She then rides in the
big race, wins the ten-thousand-dollar purse, and reunites with Larry.