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Produced 16 mm color stock by television personality Spade Cooley in 1947, The Silver Bandit was not released until April of 1950 when distributor Raymond Friedgen had it blown up to 35 mm. Cooley starred as a mild-mannered bookkeeper shipped West by his boss, Vanfleet Stoglehammer (Dick Elliott), to investigate problems at the Green Valley Mine. From pretty Molly Doren (Virginia Jackson), Cooley learns that a masked bandit has been terrorizing the area's silver mines. Falling into an abandoned mine shaft, the intrepid Easterner discovers the bandit's lair and discarded spare costume. Trying on the suit, Spade is mistaken for the real bandit, but escapes the sheriff's posse. After sundry ill-conceived B-Western clichés, Cooley is able to unmask the real bandit, who proves to be none other than Molly's erstwhile boyfriend (Bob Gilbert). A classically trained musician turned country & western bandleader, Spade Cooley became a household name starring on The Hoffman Hayride, one of television's earliest successes. Still performing by 1961, Cooley created headlines once again when he was convicted of beating his estranged wife to death. He died while on a furlough from Vacaville Prison in 1969.