Trouble at Melody Mesa
Cast & Crew
W. Merle Connell
Brad King
Cal Shrum
Walt Shrum
Stanford Jolley
Lorraine Mickie
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Cal Shrum and his western band, broke and hungry, hitch a ride in a railroad freight car to Melody Mesa, where they hope that Cal's brother Walt will grubstake them until they can earn some money performing at barn dances. Walt is working at the Henshaw ranch, but wants to leave due to the recent, suspicious death of the owner, Carl Henshaw, in a riding accident. The ranch has been inherited by Carl's young son Jimmy, but Mark Simmons, Jimmy's uncle, has assumed control of the property and both Walt and Jimmy suspect that he had something to do with Carl's death. Jimmy's aunt Mattie soon arrives from the East to become Jimmy's official guardian and to run the ranch. As Walt is broke the best he can do to help Cal and the others is to get them jobs on the ranch. When Brad, the county marshal, returns from a rodeo, Jimmy and Walt tell him about their suspicions. Brad investigates the spot where Carl was supposedly thrown by his horse, and finds evidence that a rope was stretched between two trees and probably caused Carl's horse to trip. Although Brad cannot find the rope, Jimmy later locates it and gives it to his aunt for safekeeping. Brad finds more evidence incriminating Simmons, whose men fail to kill Brad with another rope trap. Brad and Cal visit Mattie, unaware that Simmons is hiding under a bed, having just been told by Mattie that she will kill him if he harms Brad. When Simmons is discovered, he holds Brad and the others at gunpoint, but is tricked into dropping his gun when the ranch's cook uses a voice throwing trick. Brad arrests Simmons and installs him in the Melody Mesa jail, but during a barn dance organized by Cal and Walt, Simmons' men break him out. As Brad's posse catches up with them, Simmons tries to escape alone, and as revenge, one of his own men shoots him. Peace returns to Melody Mesa and Brad and Mattie face a happy future together.
Director
W. Merle Connell
Cast
Brad King
Cal Shrum
Walt Shrum
Stanford Jolley
Lorraine Mickie
Alta Lee
Jimmy Shrum
Stacey Alexander
Pappy Hoag
Carl Sepulveda
Shorty Woodward
Lefty Walker
Ace Dehne
Frank Bertoldi
Sue Gamboa
Jack Gress
Dusty Taylor
Rusty Cline
Paula Blackburn
John Blackburn
Crew
James F. Bishop
Phil Cantonwine
Ned Dandy
Edward Griswold
Robert Hoag
Rusty Jorge
Brad King
Bill C. Macintosh
Ray Mercer
Patsy Montana
Cal Shrum
Walt Shrum
William Thompson
Elmo Veron
Birger E. Williamson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Modern sources state that this film was shot in either 1944 or 1946, but no confirmation of this has been found. Although the film includes a 1948 copyright notice, it was not officially registered, but was approved by the PCA in 1948.
