King of the Sierras
Cast & Crew
Samuel Diege
Rex
Hobart Bosworth
Harry Harvey Jr.
Frank Campeau
Harry Harvey Sr.
Film Details
Synopsis
As Hank and his young nephew Tommy observe men trying to capture wild horses near their ranch, Hank tells Tommy that he doesn't believe in taking horses away from the wild. The next day, Hank, who tries to be as much like a parent as possible to the orphaned Tommy, promises to tell him a story about how Whitey, their beautiful stallion, came to stay at their ranch. While riding with Whitey, Tommy and ranch hand Pete, Hank tells them about Whitey's life: Whitey is a wild horse who finds a mate. The two horses rear a young colt together and share feelings just like human families. A wild stallion named El Diablo steals Whitey's mate away, however, and the young colt follows his mother. The mate soon returns to Whitey, but the colt is unable to free himself from El Diablo. With the help of a faithful mule, and the intervention of a pack of wolves, however, Whitey is able to reunite his family. A short time later El Diablo returns and Whitey decides to fight El Diablo once and for all. As the two stallions start to fight, some men try to capture them by setting brush fire traps. They finally are able to escape, though, and Whitey is again reunited with his family. The colt soon sees one of Hank's ranch hands feeding another horse and decides to get some food for himself. Though they are apprehensive at first, the colt's mother and Whitey eventually decide to stay at Hank's ranch as well. Hank then tells Tommy that he promised Whitey that he would not force him to stay because wild horses must have their own free will. As Hank, Tommy and Pete start back for the ranch, Whitey follows after a moment's hesitation. El Diablo, meanwhile, again wrestles free from human captors, and runs wild on the range.
Director
Samuel Diege
Cast
Rex
Hobart Bosworth
Harry Harvey Jr.
Frank Campeau
Harry Harvey Sr.
Sheik
Jack Lindell
Crew
Hal Baumbaugh
Milton Brown
Bobby Burns
Scott Darling
Jimmy Franklin
Paul Franklin
Tom Galligan
Frank Gay
Frank Gay
Jack Greenhalgh Jr.
George A. Hirliman
Arthur Hoerl
Carl Pierson
Hugo Riesenfeld
Frank Sybs
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although the main title card for the film states that it was copyrighted in 1938 by Condor Pictures, Inc., no entry for a film by this title has been found in copyright records. A written foreword precedes the film's action. It briefly states that the wild mustangs that live in the high Sierras fight the same battles as mankind, but that his most feared enemy is man himself, who tries to capture him. No release date or reviews, other than that in Variety have been found for the film, which played in Lincoln, NE previous to the November 9, 1938 Variety review date. Two songs are sung in the the picture but their titles, which May have been "My Home Back in Cactus Valley" and "I Wanna Be a Great Big Buckaroo," have not been verified. Composers Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Burns, who were credited in a pre-production news item in Variety with the title song, have not been confirmed as the composers of the other songs. According to news items in Film Daily, production of the film was shut down in late June or early July 1937 and not re-opened until June 1938, at which time an entirely new cast was hired. M. H. Hoffman was the picture's original producer, but his name does not appear on the film or in the Variety review.
