Topa Topa
Cast & Crew
Vin Moore
Joan Valerie
James Bush
Leroy Mason
Ruth Coleman
Jill L'estrange
Film Details
Synopsis
Trapper Pete Taylor and naturalist Jim Turner are rivals for the affections of Margaret Weston, the niece of Pete's partner, Joe Morton. Joe suspects that Pete has been stealing pelts, and when he accuses him of thievery, Pete kills Joe and frames his half-breed wolf dog Fangs for the murder by scarring the dead man's face and throat with the fangs from a pelt. After Pete leaves the body, Fangs chews his leash and escapes into the woods, where he joins his wolf mate and their pups. A coroner's jury decides that Fangs is guilty of the killing, and the sheriff puts a bounty on his head. Pete knows that he is not safe as long as the dog lives, and so trails Fangs through the forest. After trapping Fangs in a cave, Pete builds a brush fire to smoke him out. When the fire spreads, Chuck, the fire warden, calls the neighbors for help. While the townsfolk are occupied fighting the fire, Jim, suspicious of Pete, decides to search the Morton warehouse, where he finds the pelt with bloodstains on its teeth. Sending a message to Margaret by his pet raven, Jim takes the pelt to the city for chemical tests to prove whether it is human blood. In Jim's absence, Pete decides to rob an eagle's nest of its young birds, which he intends to train for the hunt. Returning home, he puts the caged baby eagles in the yard where the Morton's baby Jill is playing. In the cabin, Pete finds Jim, who confronts him about the pelt. Their argument is halted by the baby's screams, and as they rush into the yard, they see the mother eagle swoop down and fly off with the baby. Their feud forgotten, Jim and Pete start after the eagle. In the mountains, Fangs finds Pete's trail, and in the ensuing fight, the dog knocks Pete to his death in the lake far below. Swimming to shore, Fangs continues up the hill and locate Jill in the eagle's nest. After driving the eagle away, Fangs leads the baby down the mountain, where Jim finds them and returns the child to her mother. Fangs, now a hero, brings his pups home to live.
Cast
Joan Valerie
James Bush
Leroy Mason
Ruth Coleman
Jill L'estrange
Trevor Bardette
Fred Santley
Lyons Wickland
Silver Wolf
Goldie The Eagle
Helen Hughes
Patsy Moran
Crew
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film was produced in 1938 and reviewed in Daily Variety, Film Daily andMotion Picture Daily under the title Topa Topa following the picture's Los Angeles press preview. Motion Picture Herald release charts lists that title as a April 16, 1938 release of a Pennant Pictures Corp. Running times listed at that time were 65 min. in Motion Picture Daily and Motion Picture Herald, 80 min. in Daily Variety and 74 min. in Film Daily. According to 1938 reviews, the picture was produced by William M. Vogel and supervised by William Steiner, and Dick L'Estrange was the production manager. The film is also listed on Motion Picture Herald charts, under the title Children of the Wild, as a October 14, 1939 Grand National release, with a running time of 57 min. Press materials for that title also list it as a Grand National release. Motion Picture Herald charts list the film a third time, under the title Killers of the Wild, as a March 2, 1940 Fine Arts Pictures release, with a running time of 58 min. Reviews in 1940 refer to the film as Killers of the Wild, and the Variety review notes that the film "originally was known as Children of the Wild, being turned out under the banner of E. W. Hammonds' Grand National Pictures, since folded." Contemporary information confirms that Fine Arts took over Grand National in late 1938 after a financial organization of both companies. Reviews in 1938 list the name of the actress portraying "Margaret Weston" as Helen Hughes, whereas reviews is 1940 list the actress as Joan Valerie, the name that the actress started to use in late 1938. Reviews in 1938 also include actress Patsy Moran in the role of Lydia. Moran is not listed in any 1940 reviews and it has not been determined if her part was cut from the film after the 1938 previews. Reviews note that the picture was filmed on location in the Rocky Mountains. According to Variety, Jill L'Estrange was producer Dick L'Estrange's daughter.
