By Glenn Erickson
Red River Robin Hood
Brief Synopsis
Two ranchers fend off a crooked land grabber.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Lesley Selander
Director
Tim Holt
Jim Carey, also known as "Mr. Justice"
Cliff "ukulele Ike" Edwards
Ike
Barbara Moffett
Carol Sterling
Eddie Dew
Scott Yager
Otto Hoffman
Sam Sterling
Film Details
Genre
Western
Release Date
Nov
1942
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
57m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,147ft
Synopsis
As Jim Carey and his sidekick Ike ride toward the town of Red River to join their partner, Chet Andrews, on his ranch, a judge informs the local ranchers that a Spanish land grant deeds all the lands of the Red River district to Scott Yager. When Yager, who has bribed the judge to rule in his favor, offers to allow the ranchers to stay in exchange for rent, Chet protests and is arrested for his defiance. Sam Sterling, the editor of the town newspaper, openly doubts the authenticity of the document and vows to seek a retrial for the ranchers. As Jim and Ike near the town, they are met by an exodus of ranchers and learn of Yager's grant. In town, Jim goes to the newspaper office, where he introduces himself to Sterling and his daughter Carol. When Yager orders his men to destroy the newspaper office because of the editorials that Sterling has been printing, Ike and Jim defend the Sterlings, and in the ensuing mêlée, the sheriff loses his badge. Pinning on the badge, Jim poses as a lawman and orders Chet released from jail into his custody. After Chet advocates stalling Yager until Sterling can overturn the court's decision, Jim and Ike decide to work undercover to help Sterling. Pretending that Chet has double-crossed them, they return him to jail and accept a job collecting rents for Yager. That night, Jim, dressed as a masked rider named "Mr. Justice," urges the ranchers to stay and fight. Following Jim's instructions, Sterling assembles the ranchers and proposes pooling their resources to pay for one month's rent, during which time the editor will try to secure a retrial. While posing as Mr. Justice, Jim robs Yager's tax collectors with Ike and returns the money to the ranchers. In the interest of maintaining their ruse, Jim and Ike pretend to be robbed, too. When Sterling asks to see the land grant document to determine its authenticity by checking the paper on which it is printed, Jim tricks Yager into unlocking his office safe and then, posing as Mr. Justice, knocks him unconscious so Sterling can examine the paper. Carol then ties up Jim and Ike, who dabs his head with red ink to appear injured, so that Yager will believe that they, too, were victims of Mr. Justice. After regaining consciousness, Yager goes to Sterling's office to threaten him, but Jim and Ike shoot out the lights and send Carol and Sterling to secure enough signatures on a petition to reopen the trial. When Yager discovers the masked rider's cape in the newspaper office, he decides to have his own men pose as Mr. Justice and rob the ranchers, thus angering them so they will refuse to sign the petition. After one of Yager's men accuses Ike of lying about his injuries, Yager orders them taken prisoner. Meanwhile, Carol rallies the angry ranchers to catch the fake Mr. Justice. At Yager's headquarters, Ike and Jim escape their bonds and begin to shoot it out with Yager's men. Soon after, Carol leads the ranchers to the rescue, and after Jim apprehends Yager, the ranchers are granted ownership of their lands and all ends happily.
Director
Lesley Selander
Director
Cast
Tim Holt
Jim Carey, also known as "Mr. Justice"
Cliff "ukulele Ike" Edwards
Ike
Barbara Moffett
Carol Sterling
Eddie Dew
Scott Yager
Otto Hoffman
Sam Sterling
Russell Wade
Chet Andrews
Tom London
Sheriff Austin
Earle Hodgins
Deputy
Bud Mctaggart
Denver Kaye
Reed Howes
Buck Owen
Kenneth Duncan
Editor Rance
Walter Shumway
Rancher
Lloyd Ingraham
Rancher
Charles Graham
Cowboy
Dick Rush
Cowboy
Bob Mckenzie
Judge
John Elliott
Brady
John Ince
Hadley
Jack Rockwell
Richard Martin
Gertrude Astor
Stella Lesaint
Crew
James Casey
Assistant Director
Bennett R. Cohen
Original Screenplay
Albert S. D'agostino
Art Director
Bert Gilroy
Producer
John C. Grubb
Recording
J. Roy Hunt
Director of Photography
Walter E. Keller
Art Director
Les Milbrook
Editing
Michael Ohrenbach
Set Decoration
Fred Rose
Composer
Paul Sawtell
Music Director
Darrell Silvera
Set Decoration
Whitney J. Stanton
Story
Ray Whitley
Composer
Film Details
Genre
Western
Release Date
Nov
1942
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
57m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,147ft
Articles
Red River Robin Hood -
Although he won his place in movie history in famous films for John Ford, Orson Welles and John Huston, Tim Holt spent most of his film career riding the range as the star of a series of popular low-budget RKO westerns. In each new show Tim comes to aid of yet another frontier community threatened by crooks, often land swindlers. In this entry a corrupt judge enables a land-grabbing scheme by invoking phony Spanish documents, kicking off an hour of double crosses, fast riding and six-gun shootouts. Unlike most series western stars Holt used a different character name for each story. Not so his comic sidekick in six films straight, former Vaudeville performer Cliff Edwards. Known as 'Ukelele Ike', Edwards is credited with popularizing the ukelele, and is noted for his performance of "Singing in the Rain" in MGM's The Hollywood Revue of 1929. But he found immortality as the speaking and singing voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940). In this second pairing, Jim Carey (Holt) spurs his neighbors to vigilante action by posing as a masked rider called "Mr. Justice". His loyal pal Ike (Edwards) likewise disguises himself for various charades, at one point improvising an injury by spilling red ink on his head. The sagebrush Robin Hoods of course save the day, and the heroic Carey wins the thanks of a newspaperman's beautiful daughter. In 1943 Holt left RKO to serve in the Army Air Corps as a B-29 bombardier. He'd return to films three years later in John Ford's My Darling Clementine. Cliff Edwards' film career more or less ended with the interruption in the series. He would continue to provide Jiminy Cricket's voice for Disney short subjects, before moving on to television work.
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
Red River Robin Hood -
Although he won his place in movie history in famous films for John Ford, Orson Welles and John Huston, Tim Holt spent most of his film career riding the range as the star of a series of popular low-budget RKO westerns. In each new show Tim comes to aid of yet another frontier community threatened by crooks, often land swindlers. In this entry a corrupt judge enables a land-grabbing scheme by invoking phony Spanish documents, kicking off an hour of double crosses, fast riding and six-gun shootouts. Unlike most series western stars Holt used a different character name for each story. Not so his comic sidekick in six films straight, former Vaudeville performer Cliff Edwards. Known as 'Ukelele Ike', Edwards is credited with popularizing the ukelele, and is noted for his performance of "Singing in the Rain" in MGM's The Hollywood Revue of 1929. But he found immortality as the speaking and singing voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940). In this second pairing, Jim Carey (Holt) spurs his neighbors to vigilante action by posing as a masked rider called "Mr. Justice". His loyal pal Ike (Edwards) likewise disguises himself for various charades, at one point improvising an injury by spilling red ink on his head. The sagebrush Robin Hoods of course save the day, and the heroic Carey wins the thanks of a newspaperman's beautiful daughter. In 1943 Holt left RKO to serve in the Army Air Corps as a B-29 bombardier. He'd return to films three years later in John Ford's My Darling Clementine. Cliff Edwards' film career more or less ended with the interruption in the series. He would continue to provide Jiminy Cricket's voice for Disney short subjects, before moving on to television work.
By Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This was the last western that Tim Holt made before entering the military. Modern sources add David Sharpe and Jack Montgomery to the cast.
