Death Rides the Range (1939): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1939, Death Rides the Range is an action and western film directed by Sam Newfield, running about 58 minutes.

What it’s about. The otherwise standard Ken Maynard western Death Rides the Range is distinguished somewhat by a topical slant. The plot concerns a group of spies from an unnamed foreign country (gee, they sure sound German) who head westward to undermine American morale. Into this malaise wanders Maynard, supposedly a rootless cowpoke but in reality an FBI agent. Things begin to heat up when the villains lay claim to a helium well on the property owned by heroine Fay McKenzie. The film's silliest moment occurs in mid-stream, when chief villain Charlie King begins beating up everyone within arm's length, with nary a scratch on his own person.

Who’s in it. Death Rides the Range stars Ken Maynard as Ken Baxter, Fay McKenzie as Letty Morgan, Julian Rivero as Pancho and Ralph Peters as Panhandle, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Death Rides the Range has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on fuboTV, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel and YouTube TV. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Death Rides the Range page.

If you liked it. Fans of Death Rides the Range tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.