As "B" westerns go, this one has it all. Plenty of blazing action, gunplay, fights, chases, stampedes etc. The Republic stuntmen earned their pay on this one.
Unscrupulous banker Luther Jennings (Leroy Mason) is trying to force "Duchess" Ryder (Alice Fleming) into selling her freight line cheaply to him. To accomplish this he has his gang led by Benteen (Bud Geary), Dave (Kenne Duncan) and a very young Bob Wilke rob the Ryder stages carrying Jennings own bank shipments. Insurance agent Walter Bishop (Hal Taliaferro) is in cahoots with Jennings raising the Duchess' insurance rates as the result of the robberies.
Red Ryder (Wild Bill Elliot) and Little Beaver (Bobby Blake) are trying to help foil the robberies. Red has been raising horses for sale to the Army. In an effort to further discredit Red, Jennings has Benteen and the boys stampede the horses and have the blame placed upon Red. Captain Glover (Steve Barclay) is sent by General Wingate (Stanley Andrews) to arrange for the sale of the horses.
Jennings manages to convince Glover that Red perpetrated the stampede in order to hide his possible bank fraud in the stage robberies. Red is arrested but convinces General Wingate to give him a chance at proving his innocence. Little Beaver finds the gang's secret hide out where the best of Red's horses are hidden. Dave agrees to testify against Jennings and Bishop.
Red confronts Jennings and Bishop with his evidence and......................................
Republic was always a step ahead of most of the other studios in producing "B" westerns. They had the best stunt men in the business and the best action directors as well. In this film we are given a brawl, a stagecoach chasing down a fleeing wagon, an over the cliff crash, horse transfers as well as a well staged gunfight at the film's climax.
Elliott was generally better than his material and was a better than average actor who had a long career in westerns. Tom London is along this time as Denver, Red's sidekick and serial queen, the beautiful Linda Sterling plays Carol Franklin whose role is never fully explained, but she was lovely to look at after all Leroy Mason next to Roy Barcroft, was my favorite villain. Hal Talliaferro could play bad guys, side kicks or sheriffs with equal skill..
One of the better "B" westerns that I have seen.
Unscrupulous banker Luther Jennings (Leroy Mason) is trying to force "Duchess" Ryder (Alice Fleming) into selling her freight line cheaply to him. To accomplish this he has his gang led by Benteen (Bud Geary), Dave (Kenne Duncan) and a very young Bob Wilke rob the Ryder stages carrying Jennings own bank shipments. Insurance agent Walter Bishop (Hal Taliaferro) is in cahoots with Jennings raising the Duchess' insurance rates as the result of the robberies.
Red Ryder (Wild Bill Elliot) and Little Beaver (Bobby Blake) are trying to help foil the robberies. Red has been raising horses for sale to the Army. In an effort to further discredit Red, Jennings has Benteen and the boys stampede the horses and have the blame placed upon Red. Captain Glover (Steve Barclay) is sent by General Wingate (Stanley Andrews) to arrange for the sale of the horses.
Jennings manages to convince Glover that Red perpetrated the stampede in order to hide his possible bank fraud in the stage robberies. Red is arrested but convinces General Wingate to give him a chance at proving his innocence. Little Beaver finds the gang's secret hide out where the best of Red's horses are hidden. Dave agrees to testify against Jennings and Bishop.
Red confronts Jennings and Bishop with his evidence and......................................
Republic was always a step ahead of most of the other studios in producing "B" westerns. They had the best stunt men in the business and the best action directors as well. In this film we are given a brawl, a stagecoach chasing down a fleeing wagon, an over the cliff crash, horse transfers as well as a well staged gunfight at the film's climax.
Elliott was generally better than his material and was a better than average actor who had a long career in westerns. Tom London is along this time as Denver, Red's sidekick and serial queen, the beautiful Linda Sterling plays Carol Franklin whose role is never fully explained, but she was lovely to look at after all Leroy Mason next to Roy Barcroft, was my favorite villain. Hal Talliaferro could play bad guys, side kicks or sheriffs with equal skill..
One of the better "B" westerns that I have seen.