South of the Chisholm Trail
Cast & Crew
Derwin Abrahams
Charles Starrett
Nancy Saunders
Hank Newman
The Georgia Crackers
Smiley Burnette
Film Details
Synopsis
In the 1870's, along the cattle trails of Kansas, cattle rustling and violence have become commonplace. The arrival of the first railroad through the territory is thus seen by many as the first step to the elimination of lawlessness and thievery. The first Kansas and Pacific train arrives in the small cattle trail town of Abilene during a celebration honoring fight promoter and investor Big Jim Grady, who brought the railroad to the town. Grady promises the townspeople that the new railroad will bring prosperity, and then directs the crowd to the arena, where a wrestling match will be held between his man, Biceps Billikin and Bone Crusher. Just as the match is about to begin, Grady learns that Billikin has been knocked unconscious by his own wife and cannot fight. Desperate to replace Billikin, Grady dupes singing horseshoe salesman Smiley Burnette into entering the match. With no wrestling experience, Smiley is given a terrible beating by Bone Crusher. Seeing Smiley's distress, his pal Steve Haley, who is actually The Durango Kid, the masked champion of law and order, replaces him and scores an easy victory over the wrestler. A short time later, Smiley and his pals are witnesses when some masked gunmen hold up a covered wagon, and chase after them. Smiley then takes the money from the hold-up men, but when he tries to bury it for safekeeping, Sheriff Palmer and the justice of the peace arrest him and charge him with the robbery. Steve, a witness to the false arrest, puts on his Durango Kid disguise, takes the stolen money and frees Smiley. Smiley and his musician pals then travel to the town of Bearcat, where they put on a medicine show. When the sheriff makes another attempt to arrest Smiley, Steve saves him by turning over the stolen money to the sheriff. Though Steve turns down an offer by rancher Pop Grant to be his hired gun, he agrees to help Pop by attending a meeting of the local cattlemen that night. Meanwhile, Smiley accepts a job offered by the crooked Doc Walker, who claims to be a veterinarian, but who is actually one of the men behind the stagecoach robberies. That night, during the cattle ranchers' meeting, a shot rings out and Pop is killed. Later, at Chet Tobin's ranch, Smiley realizes that Walker is associated with the rustling gang and tries to dissociate himself from them. When Walker offers him a job rustling cattle, Steve, too, discovers Walker's real business. After learning that Grady is also behind the rustling, Steve accepts Walker's job offer and uses his position to gain advance knowledge of the rustlers' next cattle raid. A short time later, Steve shoots Grady in self-defense, and tries to stop Walker from robbing the exchange. A shootout between Steve and the rustlers ensues, during which Walker's men are killed and Walker is captured. The people of Abilene thank Steve for his good work and invite him to stay, but he leaves town for a new adventure.
Director
Derwin Abrahams
Cast
Charles Starrett
Nancy Saunders
Hank Newman
The Georgia Crackers
Smiley Burnette
Frank Sully
Jim Diehl
Jack Ingram
George Chesebro
Frank Larue
Jacques O'mahoney
Eddie Parker
Peter Perkins
Ray Elder
Victor Holbrook
Fred Sears
Chuck Hamilton
Joseph Palma
Victor Travers
Cy Malis
Kermit Maynard
Sam Lufkin
Kernan Cripps
Milt Kibbee
Bob Cason
Robert Barron
Steve Clark
Thomas Kingston
Crew
Paul Borofsky
Robert Bradfield
Smiley Burnette
Charles Clague
Colbert Clark
Lambert Day
Carter Dehaven Jr.
George F. Kelley
Don Malin
Michael Simmons
The Georgia Crackers
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title for this film was The Outlaw Tamer. A June 1946 Hollywood Reporter production chart lists Phil Tannura as the photographer and Richard Fantl as the editor, but the extent of their contribution to the final film has not been determined. The Film Daily Year Book incorrectly lists Carter De Haven as the film's cameraman. For additional information on "The Durango Kid" series, please consult the Series Index and see the entry above for The Return of the Durango Kid.
