AllMovie

Singing cowboy Monte Hale was relying more on action than songs by the time he starred in Republic's Prince of the Plains. Hale is cast as none other than Bat Masterson, who in this film is in the process of becoming a famed gunslinger. The reason for this metamorphosis is the brutal murder of a banker by a crooked photographer (Rory Mallinson). Masterson recognizes the villain as a member of the gang responsible for the death of his own father, and the guns start a-blazin'. Republic "regulars" Roy Barcroft and Lane Bradford do their usual, while Shirley Davis proves feminine appeal. Unlike the previous season's Monte Hale vehicles, Prince of the Plains was lensed in black-and-white rather than color, providing the film with an aura of gritty austerity.