Under the Tonto Rim
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Lew Landers
Tim Holt
Nan Leslie
Richard Martin
Richard Powers
Carol Forman
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After Brad Canfield, the owner of the Rim Rock Stage Line of Arizona, picks up a woman stranded in the desert and delivers her to the nearest outpost, his stagecoach is besieged by outlaws. During the attack, the leader of the masked outlaws, Dennison, shoots and kills Andy, one of Brad's drivers, and snatches the woman from the stage. Determined to bring in their friend's killer, Brad and his sidekick, Chito Rafferty, go to Wicksburg and confer with Captain McLean of the Territorial Rangers. McLean informs them that the outlaws have been eluding capture by hiding somewhere in the Tonto Rim wilderness, but that one of their gang, Roy Patton, is incarcerated in the Tonto jail. Hoping to extract information about the gang from Patton, Brad and Chito go to Tonto, but there learn that the outlaw has refused to talk and will be hanged in the morning. By impersonating a Ranger, Chito is able to convince the Tonto sheriff that Brad is a dangerous fugitive and "arrests" him in the Tonto saloon. After Brad is thrown in a cell adjoining Patton's, the outlaws try to break Patton out but are unsuccessful. Chito, however, slips Brad two pistols through the cell window, and Brad helps Patton to escape. As he and Patton are fleeing, Brad is shot, and Patton, believing Chito's stories that Brad has hidden $10,000 in stolen money, offers to take him to his gang's hideout. Brad follows Patton to the hideout, the entrance of which is obscured by large rocks, and there is nursed by Lucy, the woman from the stage. Although sympathetic to Brad, Lucy refuses to name the gang's boss and advises Brad to leave. When Brad tries to go, however, Patton insists that he wait to meet the "boss," and Brad is forced to continue his impersonation. Several days later, while Chito sits in jail for his part in Brad's escape, Brad pretends that his wound is festering so that he can see Lucy again and meet Dennison. While Brad is proving himself to the cautious Dennison, he sees the grey spotted bandana worn by Andy's killer and confirms his suspicions that Dennison is the murderer. Later, Lucy reveals that she is Dennison's sister and, for that reason, cannot betray him. After Dennison welcomes Brad into the gang, Brad convinces Patton that he needs to go to Tonto to keep an eye on his partner. Unknown to Brad, Juanita, a Mexican servant who is in love with Dennison, follows him to Tonto and sees him enter the sheriff's office. After Brad tells the sheriff how to find the gang, he rides back to the hideout. Although Lucy tries to warn Brad about Juanita, he is caught and tied up by Dennison. While the sheriff's posse rides toward the hideout, Dennison prepares to raid the town. Brad breaks free and fights with Juanita, then shoots her. After this, he sneaks up on the gang and initiates a gunfight, which the posse soon joins. In the end, Brad shoots and kills Dennison and says a temporary goodbye to an understanding Lucy.
Director
Lew Landers
Cast
Tim Holt
Nan Leslie
Richard Martin
Richard Powers
Carol Forman
Tony Barrett
Harry Harvey
Robert Clarke
Jay Norris
Lex Barker
Steve Savage
Richard Foote
Lee Frederick
Graham Covert
Bud Osborne
George Magrill
Jack Gordon
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Lyle Boyer
Russell A. Cully
Albert S. D'agostino
George Diskant
Jack Gross
Norman Houston
J. Roy Hunt
Terry Kellum
John Pommer
Charles F. Pyke
Paul Sawtell
Herman Schlom
Darrell Silvera
John Sturtevant
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The opening credits read: "RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. presents Tim Holt in Zane Grey's Under the Tonto Rim." According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, Robert Bray was a cast member, but his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. Although J. Roy Hunt is credited onscreen as director of photography, George Diskant is listed in a Hollywood Reporter production chart in that capacity. Some scenes for the picture were shot near Victorville, CA, according to a Hollywood Reporter news item, and others at Lone Pine, CA. Modern sources add Herman Hack to the cast. Herman C. Raymaker directed and Richard Arlen and Mary Brian starred in the first film version of Grey's novel, which was released in 1928 by Paramount (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films; F2.5948). In 1933, Henry Hathaway directed and Stuart Erwin and Verna Hillie starred in the first sound version of the novel, also titled Under the Tonto Rim and produced by Paramount (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films; F3.4853). Modern sources comment that the 1947 version bears little resemblance to Grey's novel.
