On a whim, Larry Knight (George O'Brien) steps off a west bound train in Simmons, Arizona, and decides to compete for fifty dollar prize money by staying on a bucking bronco. Not only does he fall off the horse in mere seconds, but he misses the train as well. Not a very promising start for a cowboy hero, but hey, they all have to start somewhere.
Aside from the overworked story line involving disputed water rights, this oater is a pretty good one, with O'Brien's character managing to involve himself in a love triangle with rancher Kitty Baldwin (Dorothy Wilson) and her foreman Phil Acton (Paul Kelly). The rivalry is actually fairly laid back, as Phil is more understanding than one might expect in these kinds of situations. It's the villain of the piece, Nick Gambert (Harry Woods), who gets everyone's attention by denying water to the Cross Triangle's parched herd.
There's an interesting scene involving O'Brien and Triangle Country, the horse that threw him for a loop in the opening minutes. As an Easterner, there's no way Larry Knight could have known the proper technique for taming a wild horse and getting him into a supine position. The technique was effectively demonstrated in the 2011 documentary "Buck', the story of a real life horse whisperer who tamed many a wild steed and got them to be human friendly. Nevertheless, O'Brien lassos the horse's front legs, gets him under control, and mounts him to ride to the rescue of Miss Kitty in the final minutes of the story. It's an unusual resolution I haven't seen before, and I won't give it away here, but for all intents and purposes, let's just say it was a blast.
Aside from the overworked story line involving disputed water rights, this oater is a pretty good one, with O'Brien's character managing to involve himself in a love triangle with rancher Kitty Baldwin (Dorothy Wilson) and her foreman Phil Acton (Paul Kelly). The rivalry is actually fairly laid back, as Phil is more understanding than one might expect in these kinds of situations. It's the villain of the piece, Nick Gambert (Harry Woods), who gets everyone's attention by denying water to the Cross Triangle's parched herd.
There's an interesting scene involving O'Brien and Triangle Country, the horse that threw him for a loop in the opening minutes. As an Easterner, there's no way Larry Knight could have known the proper technique for taming a wild horse and getting him into a supine position. The technique was effectively demonstrated in the 2011 documentary "Buck', the story of a real life horse whisperer who tamed many a wild steed and got them to be human friendly. Nevertheless, O'Brien lassos the horse's front legs, gets him under control, and mounts him to ride to the rescue of Miss Kitty in the final minutes of the story. It's an unusual resolution I haven't seen before, and I won't give it away here, but for all intents and purposes, let's just say it was a blast.