Man from the Black Hills


58m 1952

Brief Synopsis

Jim Fallon (James Ellison as Jimmy Ellison) is summoned to Rim Rock by Hugh Delaney (Ray Bennett), an uncle he has not seen in years. Delaney wants to inform Jim that he has located Jim's elderly father, Pop Fallon (Stanley Andrews), who is blind, and that a young imposter who calls himself Jimmy Fallon (Rand Brooks)has established himself as Pop's son. Pop owns a rich gold mine and is cared for by his housekeeper Martha (Florence Lake.) Jim's pal Johnny (Johnny Mack Brown) accompanies him to Rim Rock. Before they can hear Delaney's story, Delaney is badly wounded as he and two miner friends, Ed Roper (Robert Bray) and Shealey (Stanley Price), hold up the stage and take a shipment of gold from the Fallon mine for the third time. In Rim Rock, neither Pop nor Martha believe Jim's story about Jimmy being an imposter. Jimmy is actually the son of Rim Rock storekeeper Pete Ingram (I. Stanford Jolley) who had waited for years to present Jimmy as Fallon's son and get control of Fallon's fortune.

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Mar 30, 1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Monogram Productions, Inc.; Silvermine Productions Co.
Distribution Company
Monogram Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Chatsworth--Iverson Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
58m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1

Synopsis

Just outside the town of Rimrock, Ed Roper and Joe Shealey help Hugh Delaney rob a stagecoach of its strongbox of gold. As Hugh escapes with the gold, however, he is shot by the driver and chased by deputy Glen Hartley. On the way to his cabin, Hugh then collapses, and Hartley pockets the gold and hides it from Sheriff Moran. Hugh revives but barely makes it to his cabin, where his nephew, Jim Fallon, and Jim's partner Johnny Mack Brown, await. Jim has come to Rimrock at Hugh's behest to meet Jim's father Pop, and whom Jim thought dead for the past twenty years. Seeing his wounded uncle, Jim runs to town to call a doctor, and while Johnny tends to Hugh, Hartley and the sheriff arrive. After the sheriff informs Johnny that the stolen gold belongs to Pop, who owns a local mine, he takes Johnny into town, leaving Hartley to guard Hugh. Meanwhile, Jim has reached town and asked shopkeeper Pete Ingram to telegraph for a doctor, identifying himself as Jim Fallon. When he visits Pop and his companion Martha, however, Pop, now blind, denounces Jim as a fraud because his real son, Jimmy, returned to him years before. After Jim swears to uncover the truth and leaves, Pop and Martha vow to trust their beloved Jimmy. Jim finds Jimmy at the shop, and the two scuffle until the sheriff arrives with Johnny and breaks up the fight. Upon hearing that Jim claims to be Pop's son, the sheriff decides that Johnny and Jim are the two men who helped Hugh rob the stage and are now trying to bilk Pop out of his fortune, and arrests them. They are soon rescued from the jail by Ed and Joe, who explain that they have been robbing the stages and depositing the gold into a bank account in Pop's name in order to keep the money safely away from Jimmy. Meanwhile, Ingram is surprised at his store by Hartley, who informs him that Hugh revealed that Ingram arranged for his own son to pose as "Jimmy" in order to receive Pop's inheritance. Ingram accepts Hartley's demand for one third of their profits to keep quiet, and then plans with Jimmy to kill Pop in order to ensure that they get his money. The next day, Johnny proves that the stolen money has been placed in Pop's name, and convinces the sheriff to bait Hartley and Ingram into divulging their scheme. Although Hugh has died, they spread a rumor that Hugh is planning to tell Pop something about Jimmy. As soon as Ingram hears this, he brings Hartley and Jimmy to Hugh's to kill him before he can talk. When he enters the cabin and shoots at the figure on the bed, the sheriff and Johnny immediately arrest him. Outside the cabin, Jimmy opens fire, but Johnny chases him down and catches him a few miles away, and then beats up Ingram. The mystery solved, Jim is able to reunite with his father. He tells Pop about a surgeon who can restore sight, prompting Martha to vow to get Pop to the altar before he can see her and change his mind about marriage.

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Mar 30, 1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Monogram Productions, Inc.; Silvermine Productions Co.
Distribution Company
Monogram Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Chatsworth--Iverson Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration
58m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

According to a November 1951 Hollywood Reporter news item, Man from the Black Hills was shot on location at Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, CA. Modern sources add Merrill McCormack, Ralph Bucko and Roy Bucko to the cast.