I'm from the City


1h 5m 1938

Brief Synopsis

Hypnosis turns a tenderfoot into an expert rider.

Film Details

Also Known As
Strictly Accidental
Genre
Western
Comedy
Release Date
Aug 5, 1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Chatsworth, California, United States; Simi Valley--Ray Corrigan Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 5m

Synopsis

When he is hypnotized by his manipulative manager Ollie, circus performer Pete Pepper transforms himself from a timid bumbler who fears horses into "the world's greatest bareback rider." Impressed by Pete's riding act, ranch owner Hattie Martindale begs Ollie to enter Pete in an obstacle horse race that she and rival rancher, Colonel Bixby, sponsor annually. Although he has promised Pete a vacation, Ollie accepts Hattie's proposition, which includes a $1,000 prize, and whisks his unsuspecting charge to the Martindale ranch. Soon after his arrival, Pete meets Bixby's entrant in the race, Chief Dog in the Manger, a fierce Indian, who is also a longtime admirer of Rosie, Hattie's dim-witted granddaughter. When the chief, also known as Willie, senses that Pete and Rosie are becoming romantically attached, he threatens Pete repeatedly with a knife. At the same time, Ollie learns that, years before, Colonel Bixby's wife had run off with a circus acrobat and hints that Pete may be his long-lost son. Later, Ollie makes a deal with Bixby that if he proves that Pete has the same strawberry birthmark as his son, he will collect $1,000. That night, Ollie, who is working with Marlene, Hattie's hardboiled daughter, sneaks into the bunkhouse to paint a birthmark on Pete's back but unwittingly paints the wrong body. Before Ollie can show Pete's back to Bixby, Hattie runs Ollie off her ranch, convinced that he is plotting to throw the race. When Pete confesses that he needs Ollie to win the race, however, Ollie is retrieved, but just before the race, Ollie loses the petrified acorn that he uses to hypnotize Pete. Though terrified, Pete enters and wins the race without hypnosis, assuring himself a permanent place in the Martindale family. On the other hand, Ollie and Marlene, who bet on Willie, display Pete's bare back and are denounced by a humiliated Bixby.

Film Details

Also Known As
Strictly Accidental
Genre
Western
Comedy
Release Date
Aug 5, 1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Chatsworth, California, United States; Simi Valley--Ray Corrigan Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 5m

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The working title of this film was Strictly Accidental. According to Film Daily, Joe Bigelow was hired to work on the script, but his contribution to the final film has not been confirmed. Hollywood Reporter production charts and news items add Billy Franey, Mike Kelly and Bud Jamison to the cast, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed. According to Hollywood Reporter, exteriors for the production were shot at Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, CA. Early reviews of the film list the running time as 71 minutes. However, later reviews, release charts and the copyright entry give the running time as 65-66 minutes, suggesting that the film was cut before general distribution.