Prairie Stranger


58m 1941

Film Details

Also Known As
The Medico Hits the Trail
Genre
Western
Release Date
Sep 18, 1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Medico Rides the Trail by James L. Rubel (New York, 1936).

Technical Specs

Duration
58m
Film Length
5,209ft

Synopsis

When itinerant cowboy doctor Steven Monroe and his sidekick "Bones" learn that the only doctor in the town of Red Fork has died, they decide to relocate Steve's practice there. The citizens of Red Fork think that Steve is too young for the job, however, and consequently, when gray-haired Dr. Westridge arrives in town, the paying customers abandon Steve for the elderly physician. Unable to pay his bills, Steve takes a job as a cowhand on a ranch owned by Jud Evans and his daughter Sue. Rival rancher Jim Dawson is plotting to destroy Evans' cattle business, and when Dawson discovers that Westridge is a reformed ex-convict, he blackmails the kindly doctor into concocting a potion that will kill Evans' cattle. When Bones discovers a bottle of the poison in the bunk belonging to Evans' foreman, he takes it to Steve to be analyzed. Upon discovering that the poison is in Steve's possession, Dawson summons the sheriff and accuses the cowboy of poisoning the cattle. After escaping from the sheriff and his posse, Steve becomes a fugitive. When Westridge realizes that an innocent member of his profession is being persecuted, he threatens to expose Dawson's plot. To insure Westridge's silence, Dawson orders him murdered. With Bones's help, Steve goes to work to uncover the doctor's murderer. After sneaking into the undertaker's office, Steve and Bones recover the bullet that killed Westridge. Then, during a town dance, Bones steals the guns of the entire population of the town. After carefully examining the weapons, Steve determines that the gun that killed Westridge belongs to Barton, Dawson's foreman. When Steve accuses Barton of the crime, the foreman hijacks a buggy being driven by Sue. Steve then pursues the buggy, rescues Sue and apprehends Barton.

Film Details

Also Known As
The Medico Hits the Trail
Genre
Western
Release Date
Sep 18, 1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Medico Rides the Trail by James L. Rubel (New York, 1936).

Technical Specs

Duration
58m
Film Length
5,209ft

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The working title of this film was The Medico Hits the Trail. Modern sources add George Morrell to the cast. This was the third and last entry in Columbia's "Medico" series. For additional information on the series, please consult the Series Index and see the entry below for The Medico of Painted Springs.