Conquest of Cheyenne
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
R. G. Springsteen
Wild Bill Elliott
Bobby Blake
Alice Fleming
Peggy Stewart
Jay Kirby
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As a rash of kidnappings have been plaguing Western Texas, the residents of the small town of Muleshoe become concerned after heiress Cheyenne Jackson disappears. Cheyenne's cousin, The Duchess, wires her hard-riding, fast-shooting nephew, Red Ryder, and his Indian ward, Little Beaver, for help. After Red and Little Beaver arrive at Muleshoe, Deputy Blake brings in a suspect: young Tom Dean, who was caught with Cheyenne's horse. Tom explains that he was freeing the horse from an entanglement, and although Red believes him, the townsfolk are suspicious. They forget Tom, however, when Cheyenne makes a dramatic entrance in a "horseless carriage." Cheyenne cannot control her new plaything, but Tom stops it and lectures her about her reckless driving. Cheyenne explains that she ran off to Dallas to buy the vehicle, and is shocked when Sheriff Dan Perkins vows to obtain a city ordinance banning automobiles. Tom, a geologist, urges Perkins to reconsider, telling him that oil will soon become a valuable commodity, and that the oil fields in Eastern Texas are already creating great wealth. No one pays attention to Tom except bank president W. C. Tuttle, who alone knows that Cheyenne's ranch is oil-rich and wants to foreclose on it. Fearing that Tom's presence will disrupt his plans, Tuttle orders henchman Murdo to kill him, but with Red's help, Tom reaches Cheyenne's ranch unharmed. Red disparages Tom's talk of oil and leaves for Dallas to arrange for a buyer for Cheyenne's cattle. During Red's absence, Tom finds oil on Cheyenne's ranch, and his enthusiasm inspires her to ask Tuttle for a loan to begin drilling. Tuttle refuses, telling her that the ranch is too heavily mortgaged, but after Cheyenne and The Duchess organize a collective of fellow ranchers and obtain some money, Tuttle lends her the rest. Tuttle intends to allow Tom to build the derrick, then foreclose on the ranch before he strikes oil. When Red returns from Dallas, he is angry to learn that the cattle have not been rounded up, but Cheyenne, unaware that Tuttle is lying about the ranch's mortgage, tells him that selling the cattle will not raise enough money to pay her debts. Meanwhile, Cheyenne has learned that Tom had served time in the state penitentiary. Tom explains that he had been the unwitting scapegoat for a group of unethical oil speculators, who had swindled their investors. Cheyenne maintains her faith in him, and soon the rig nears completion. Tuttle orders Murdo to destroy the rig, but Red rides by as he sets a fire and chases him. Tuttle shoots Murdo before Red can make him talk, then, after Tom rebuilds the rig, Tuttle sends for McBride, a crooked petroleum expert. McBride recognizes Tom and tells the investors about his past, in the hope of persuading them that Tom is a swindler. Convinced that McBride is right, Perkins arrests Tom for arson and fraud, after which Tuttle decides that Tom must be killed before he can stand trial. He sends Long and two other henchmen to kidnap Tom from the sheriff, and although they succeed in wounding Perkins, Red rescues Tom. Red returns Tom to the rig, and while he continues drilling, Tuttle arrives with his men. Tuttle tries to convince the crowd that Red murdered the sheriff, but when Little Beaver appears with the recovering Perkins, Perkins identifies Long as one of his attackers. In the ensuing fight, McBride falls from the rig to his death and Long is shot by Tuttle, who is then captured by Red. Just then, the oil comes in, and the ranchers declare that a preacher is going to have to take care Cheyenne and Tom as they slip and slide through the oil slick.
Director
R. G. Springsteen
Cast
Wild Bill Elliott
Bobby Blake
Alice Fleming
Peggy Stewart
Jay Kirby
Milton Kibbee
Tom London
Emmett Lynn
Kenne Duncan
George Sherwood
Frank Mccarroll
Jack Kirk
Tom Chatterton
Jack Rockwell
Crew
William Bradford
Thomas A. Carman
Richard Cherwin
Charles Craft
Bert Horswell
Howard Lydecker
Theodore Lydecker
Bob Mark
John Mccarthy Jr.
Joseph Novak
Lewis Physioc
Sidney Picker
Joseph Poland
Fred A. Ritter
Gordon Schaefer
Earle Snell
Fred Stahl
Eddie Stein
John Stransky Jr.
Howard Wilson
Ralph Zakoura
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Modern sources include Ted Mapes in the cast. Conquest of Cheyenne was the last "Red Ryder" film to star Wild Bill Elliott. According to the Motion Picture Herald Prod Digest review, Elliott was "being groomed by Republic for starring roles in top-budget pictures," and therefore was replaced in the series by Allan Lane. For more information on the "Red Ryder" series, please consult the Series Index and see the entry below for Tucson Raiders.
