Twilight on the Rio Grande
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Frank Mcdonald
Gene Autry
Champion Jr.
Sterling Holloway
Adele Mara
Bob Steele
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When Gene Autry and his ranch hands visit a border town for a carnival, Gene's partner, Dusty, becomes romantically interested in Elena Del Rio, an entertainer at the El Molino Verde hotel and cantina. Meanwhile, hotel operator Jake Short and his partner, crooked attorney Henry Blackstone, who are involved in a smuggling operation, intend to plant jewelry on Dusty to take illegally into the United States. After a bartender hands Dusty a note, supposedly from Elena, stating that she would like to meet him at midnight, Dusty goes to the rendezvous. The next morning, when Dusty has not returned, Mucho, a woodcutter, tells Gene that Dusty is in the local jail. However, González, the police captain, shows them Dusty's dead body, stabbed in the back, and tells them that Mucho found the body ten miles out of town. Later, an American border guard tells Gene that someone who appeared to be Dusty rode his horse back into the U.S. during the night. Gene then has Mucho take him and ranch hand Pokey to the spot where he found Dusty, and Gene begins to suspect Mucho of being involved in the killing. However, after talking with the American Customs agents, Gene tells González that he believes that Dusty was killled by smugglers who then impersonated him to transport jewelry into the U.S. González agrees, adding that the jewelry was probably purchased from European refugees. When Gene seeks permission to carry a gun in Mexico, though, González denies the request and advises him to return to his ranch. After a knife, thrown by an unknown assailant, narrowly misses Gene outside the hotel, he suspects Elena, who uses knives in her act, but she denies any involvement and Short invites him to leave. Later, Mucho tells Gene where Elena lives and she tells him that the knife thrown at him was similar to one that killed her father, a doctor, several months earlier. Wishing to investigate her father's death, Elena has taken a job at the hotel, and has made friends with several European refugees but has not yet found out who is buying their jewelry. Gene then devises a plan to borrow some of Elena's own jewelry, making certain that Short sees it. By tracing a phone call Short makes, Gene discovers his connection with Blackstone. At night, Gene breaks into Blackstone's office, but Blackstone surprises him at gunpoint. Blackstone admits buying jewelry from refugees, but denies any involvement in smuggling, then assigns two of his henchmen to kill Gene. After Gene manages to escape, Blackstone fakes a jewelry robbery from his own safe and has the police arrest Gene and his men. However, Gene has been under surveillance by an undercover police agent who clears him with González. Together, Gene and González plan to trap Blackstone by giving Elena's jewelry to him, saying that it was found in Gene's possession. Blackstone then gives Short the jewelry to put in the hotel's safe but, later, when both decide to terminate the smuggling operation and leave, Short discovers that the jewelry is missing. Blackstone suspects a doublecross and draws his gun on Short. However, Mucho and Elena enter and, at gunpoint, order Blackstone to drop his gun. Mucho reveals that he is really a special investigator for an insurance company, working on Elena's father's murder. Short then throws a knife at Mucho while Blackstone knocks out Elena. Blackstone then arranges for an ambulance to come from the U.S. side of the border. When Gene sees Elena being removed on a stretcher and wants to accompany her to the hospital, Short refuses and starts a brawl. Mucho recovers sufficiently to tell Gene that the jewelry is traveling with Elena. Short escapes by hijacking a van, smashes his way through the border barrier and picks up Blackstone, who had crossed earlier. Riding in pursuit, Gene shoots Blackstone and Short is killed when he falls on a knife after crashing into a store front.
Director
Frank Mcdonald
Cast
Gene Autry
Champion Jr.
Sterling Holloway
Adele Mara
Bob Steele
Charles Evans
Martin Garralaga
Howard J. Negley
George J. Lewis
Nacho Galindo
Tex Terry
Cass County Boys
Nina Campana
Kenne Duncan
Tom London
Albert Morin
Keith Richards
Ana Camargo
Donna De Mario
Jack O'shea
Steve Soldi
Bud Osborne
Frank Mccarroll
Bob Wilke
Alex Montoya
Carmen Gonzalez
Linda Lombard
Conchita Lemus
Connie Menard
Elena Denver
Joaquin Elizondo
Frankie Marvin
Enrique Acosta
Crew
Victor B. Appel
William Bradford
Smiley Burnette
Yakima Canutt
Dick Charles
Jack Elliott
Helen Hansard
Frank Hotaling
Harry Keller
Lee Lukather
Bob Mark
Larry Markes
John Mccarthy Jr.
Dorrell Mcgowan
Stuart E. Mcgowan
Armand Schaefer
Morton Scott
Nat Simon
Charles Tobias
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to the Variety review, this film was shot on location in Victorville, CA. Modern sources include George Magrill, Bob Burns, Barry Norton and Gil Perkins in the cast.
