Bantam-weight western star Don "Red" Barry certainly deserved his designation as "The Cowboy Cagney" in Republic's Desert Bandit. Barry is cast as two-fisted Texas Ranger Bob Crandall, who after being dishonorably discharged heads to the Mexican border to start life anew. He falls in with a gang of gun runners, headed by corrupt lawman Largo (William Haade). It turns out, of course, that Crandall's "disgrace" was merely a ruse to allow him to work undercover in bringing Largo and his minions to justice.
Don 'Red' Barry
as Bob Crandall, Texas Ranger
Lynn Merrick
as Sue Martin
William Haade
as Largo
James Gillette
as Tim Martin
Dick Wessel
as Henchman Hawk
Tom Chatterton
as Texas Ranger Captain Banning
Tom Ewell
as Texas Ranger Ordway
Robert Strange
as Hatfield
Charles R. Moore
as T-Bone Jones
Ernie Stanton
as Sheriff Warde
Charles King
as Dying Henchman at Wagon (uncredited)
