B-western starring Eddie Dean as a singing lawman who comes to the aid of a pretty rancher (June Carlson) who's been targeted for murder by a notorious bandit known as "The Hawk".
Tornado Range is one of five Eddie Dean westerns originally produced by PRC in 1947 but released the following year by Eagle-Lion. Cast as a troubleshooter for the U.S. Land Office, Dean is assigned to settle a deadly range war. Sure enough, the warring homesteaders and cattlemen are being whipped into a frenzy by a third party, who hopes to "divide and conquer," claiming the land for himself. Surprisingly, all-purpose PRC villain George Cheseboro isn't the culprit in this one; instead, he's cast as the father of heroine Jennifer Holt. Roscoe Ates is once more on hand for some questionable comedy relief.
At least 10 percent of the 58-minute Eddie Dean western Shadow Valley is comprised of stock shots from earlier Dean oaters. This time, the star plays as U.S. marshal who comes to the rescue of the standard damsel in distress (Jennifer Holt, sister of Tim and daughter of Jack). The double-dyed villain (George Cheseboro) is a crooked lawyer (and former train robber) who wants to lay claim to the heroine's ranch.
When Hadley finds gold on his land, Kirby kills him and then goes after Hadley's ranch. After Eddie Dean foils Kirby's robbery attempt, Kirby forces the assistant land agent Tuttle to sell the ranch to him. But Eddie learns of the forgery thru Tuttle's boss and goes after Kirby.