Anderson Crow, Detective

The marshal of Tinkletown considers himself the finest detective alive. The rest of the town knows better. When a grain elevator catches fire and criminals break jail in the same breathless hour, Anderson Crow sees his moment to shine. What follows is a glorious cascade of chaos as the bumbling lawman attempts to coordinate a volunteer fire brigade, pursue dangerous fugitives, and crack the case of a bank break-in all at once. McCutcheon's comedy of errors plays out against the warm chaos of small-town America, where everyone has an opinion and nobody listens to the man with the badge. Crow stumbles from one disaster to the next, utterly convinced of his own brilliance, while Tinkletown burns, robs, and roars around him. It's a portrait of self-importance run amok, told with the gentle affection of an era that still believed eccentric locals made a town worth living in.