Grinning Guns on AllMovie

Nearing the end of his long, profitable association with Universal Westerns, stout cowboy hero Jack Hoxie played "Grinner" Martin, a returning war veteran hired to fill in for the editor (George K. French) of a local newspaper in a town terrorized by a gang of bandits. Deciding to clean up the town, "Grinner" exposes one member in each issue until the leader, Harvey Purcell (Arthur Morrison), is unmasked. Purcell attempts to burn down the newspaper in retaliation but succeeds only in getting caught by the alert "Grinner." As his reward, the crusading newspaperman wins the love of the editor's daughter (Ena Gregory aka Marian Douglas). Hoxie starred in two additional Westerns before tearing up a new contract after an argument with studio boss Carl Laemmle. No actor in any real sense of the word but also not the illiterate moron some sources suggest, Hoxie appeared in a series of very low-budget oaters for poverty row company Majestic before leaving films altogether in favor of touring with various Wild West shows and a stint as a rancher.