Another action packed entry from George O'Brien's RKO series. This one has a ton of extras, beautiful scenery and even tall trees lining the main street of the town.
Two "businessmen", Jay Jones (Guy Usher) and Dunlap (Morgan Wallace) have a plan to take the lumber under the ruse of building a railroad, from a stand of trees near the town of Wagon Wheel which just happens to be next to cattle country. Rancher Scott Baylor (O'Brien) is a cattle rancher who becomes suspicious of the venture.
Jones and Dunlap along with reporter Anne Carr (Marjorie Reynolds) arrive at Wagon Wheel. Baylor's uncle Henry (Earl Dwyer) is the local newspaper editor who is wise to their scheme. Dunlap buys up Henry's mortgage and forecloses on him. Anne takes over.
Scott discovers that the so-called railroad has a 20 mile right of way and that his cattle are being slaughtered on the right of way to feed the lumbermen. The lumberjacks set up their own saloon in town and bar the cowboys. Scott rides his horse through the front window of the saloon in order to confront Jones and Dunlap. They have devised a scheme whereby drifters posing as settlers, register homesteads under the Homestead Act, and sell their timber rights to Dunlap and Jones thereby giving them a monopoly on the timber.
Jones and Dunlap hire gunman Matt Chaflin (Robert Fiske in a chilling performance) to back their play. He murders the sheriff (Bob Burns) and takes over as Sheriff. He tries to pin the murder on Scott. He then tries to arrest him and........................................................................................
There's plenty of blazing action in this one. Hoards of galloping riders, both good and bad, abound. There's a terrific shoot out and a ride to the rescue at the film's climax.
Chill Wills is back as Whopper Hatch, O'Brien's talky sidekick. Curiously enough, Wills played the same character in his appearances while O'Brien's characters always had different names. Unlike many of his contemporaries, O'Brien was able to get the girl and fade out at the end with a romantic embrace.
Also appearing are veteran bad guys Bud Osborne, Bob Kortman and Tom London as well as, Hank Worden as a photographer and Billy Benedict as Tiny Tim the newspaper's typesetter.
Two "businessmen", Jay Jones (Guy Usher) and Dunlap (Morgan Wallace) have a plan to take the lumber under the ruse of building a railroad, from a stand of trees near the town of Wagon Wheel which just happens to be next to cattle country. Rancher Scott Baylor (O'Brien) is a cattle rancher who becomes suspicious of the venture.
Jones and Dunlap along with reporter Anne Carr (Marjorie Reynolds) arrive at Wagon Wheel. Baylor's uncle Henry (Earl Dwyer) is the local newspaper editor who is wise to their scheme. Dunlap buys up Henry's mortgage and forecloses on him. Anne takes over.
Scott discovers that the so-called railroad has a 20 mile right of way and that his cattle are being slaughtered on the right of way to feed the lumbermen. The lumberjacks set up their own saloon in town and bar the cowboys. Scott rides his horse through the front window of the saloon in order to confront Jones and Dunlap. They have devised a scheme whereby drifters posing as settlers, register homesteads under the Homestead Act, and sell their timber rights to Dunlap and Jones thereby giving them a monopoly on the timber.
Jones and Dunlap hire gunman Matt Chaflin (Robert Fiske in a chilling performance) to back their play. He murders the sheriff (Bob Burns) and takes over as Sheriff. He tries to pin the murder on Scott. He then tries to arrest him and........................................................................................
There's plenty of blazing action in this one. Hoards of galloping riders, both good and bad, abound. There's a terrific shoot out and a ride to the rescue at the film's climax.
Chill Wills is back as Whopper Hatch, O'Brien's talky sidekick. Curiously enough, Wills played the same character in his appearances while O'Brien's characters always had different names. Unlike many of his contemporaries, O'Brien was able to get the girl and fade out at the end with a romantic embrace.
Also appearing are veteran bad guys Bud Osborne, Bob Kortman and Tom London as well as, Hank Worden as a photographer and Billy Benedict as Tiny Tim the newspaper's typesetter.