The Ghost Rider
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Wallace W. Fox
Johnny Mack Brown
Raymond Hatton
Harry Woods
Beverly Boyd
Tom Seidel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Cattle rustler and saloon owner Lash Edwards has bought out almost all of the property owners in Dead Creek, and sends Zack Saddler and Steve Cook, his outside operators, to force Patrick McNally to sign ownership of his slaughter-house over to him. Cook fatally wounds McNally, but before McNally dies, he tells his story to "Nevada," a lone vigilante known as "The Ghost Rider," who has been searching for the gang that killed his parents, and was nearby when he heard the shot. McNally signs over ownership to Nevada and dates it earlier than Edwards' agreement. After forcing hotel owner John Wilson to sign his hotel over to him, Edwards plans to kick McNally's son Joe off the ranch and send his stolen herd through the slaughter-house, thereby effectively wiping out any trace of his crime. The meat would then be sold to the local gold mines. Using the name Jack McKenzie, Nevada befriends Joe and helps him bury his father after forcing Edwards off the land with proof of his ownership. However, when U.S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins arrives, working undercover as the new sheriff, Nevada ties up both him and Joe. Nevada cuts a deal with Edwards to work as the controlling partner in the slaughter-house, unaware that Edwards plans to double-cross him. Having worked himself free, Joe overhears their deal and believes that Nevada is corrupt. One of Edwards' men identifies Sandy as a marshal, but when Sandy gets Edwards' barkeeper drunk, he learns the location of the gang's hideout, and he and Joe ride there and capture two outlaws. Nevada is forced to kill Cook in self-defense, but in doing so, he eradicates one more member of the gang that killed his parents. Sandy arrests Nevada for Cook's murder, and also arrests Edwards and his gang for killing three marshals. With Edwards' grip on the town released, Joe and Wilson's daughter Julie plan their wedding. When Sandy learns that Nevada is The Ghost Rider, he releases him and urges him to join the U.S. Marshals. However, Nevada insists on carrying out his crusade alone, and the two part friends.
Director
Wallace W. Fox
Cast
Johnny Mack Brown
Raymond Hatton
Harry Woods
Beverly Boyd
Tom Seidel
Edmund Cobb
Bud Osborne
George De Normand
Bill Hunter
Artie Ortego
Charles King
Milburn Moranti
Bill Nestell
Jack Daley
Horace Carpenter
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The Ghost Rider was the first entry in Monogram's "Nevada McKenzie" series. All twenty films in the series starred Johnny Mack Brown as "Nevada McKenzie" (sometimes called Jack McKenzie, but known as "Nevada") and Raymond Hatton as his sidekick, "Sandy Hopkins." Although the conclusion of this picture states that Nevada remains a vigilante, both he and Sandy are U.S. Marshals in the other films in the series. The final picture of the series was The Haunted Mine, released in February 1946 . A modern source includes George Morrell in the cast.
