Viewer alert: 'Buchanan Rides Alone'

One of the better collaborations by Western icon Randolph Scott and maverick moviemaker Budd Boetticher, Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) can be viewed at 4:20 pm EDT Sunday (May 20) and 6:05 am EDT Monday (May 21) on Encore Westerns. But be forewarned: It shouldn’t be taken entirely seriously.

The plot: While drifting through a small Tex-Mex border hamlet run by a corrupt family, two-fisted Tom Buchanan (Scott) befriends a young Mexican who avenges his sister's honor by fatally shooting the spoiled son of a politically ambitious judge. The judge is more than willing to free his son's killer in return for a hefty campaign contribution. But the money can't be held by anyone for very long – and, thanks to Buchanan, neither can the killer. Almost, but not quite, a black comedy, Buchanan has an understated but richly satisfying flavor of self-parody.