By Glenn Erickson
Border Treasure
Brief Synopsis
Two cowboys fight to protect a jewel shipment slated to help Mexican earthquake victims.
Cast & Crew
Read More
George Archainbaud
Director
Tim Holt
Editor Porter
Jane Nigh
Stella
John Doucette
Bat
House Peters Jr.
Rod
Inez Cooper
Anita Castro
Film Details
Also Known As
Treasure of Los Alamos
Genre
Western
Release Date
Aug
1950
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Lone Pine, California, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,418ft
Synopsis
After an earthquake devastates northern Mexico, a relief expedition, consisting of goods, jewels and money, is organized in Arizona by wealthy Mexican-American rancher Anita Castro. Just before the expedition is to leave, Rod, a slick outlaw, poses as a concerned contributor in order to gather information about Anita's plans. Rod reports his findings to saloon owner Bat, who plots to rob the expedition before it crosses the border. At the same time, cowboys Ed Porter and Chito Rafferty ride into town looking for work. After ladies man Chito is snubbed by Rod's girl friend, saloon singer Stella, he and Ed are hired to mend fences on the range. Anita and her major domo, Felipe, meanwhile, see Dimmick, one of Bat's henchmen, spying on the expedition's mule train and fire warning shots at him. Chito hears the gunshots and rides to investigate, while Dimmick races back to town to tell Bat the train's location. Later, on the range, a masked Bat mistakes the passing Chito for an expedition member and holds him at gunpoint until Rod, who has spotted the mule train, corrects his error. To protect the train, which is now hiding among some rocks, Felipe deliberately rides by the gang, who shoot and capture him. As Bat tries to whip Felipe into revealing the train's hiding place, Chito and Ed ride up and begin firing on the gang. After the cowboys drive off the outlaws and deliver the wounded Felipe to a nearby mission, they go to town to find Sheriff Kerrigan. Unable to locate the sheriff, Ed and Chito visit the saloon, where Chito recognizes a ring on Bat's finger and accuses him of the attack. Bat then engages Ed in a fistfight, which finally ends with the arrival of the sheriff. Bat is arrested, and Rod assumes control of the gang. Ed and Chito, meanwhile, return to the range to hunt for the mule train and are fired upon by Anita. Ed soon out-manuevers Anita and convinces her to keep the train hidden until the next morning. Ed then instructs Chito, who is smitten with Anita, to ride to town and tell the sheriff where the train is hiding. The sheriff is unavailable, however, so Chito writes the location down for Pokey, the dimwitted deputy, unaware that Stella is watching him. The next morning, Stella, who stole the paper away from Pokey, Rod and his gang, wait near the rocks for the expedition to pass. To draw Ed and Chito away from the train, Stella pretends to lose control of her buggy and races by, screaming for help. Then, while the cowboys are busy rescuing her, Rod and his men rob the train, causing Anita to accuse Ed and Chito of betraying her. Eager to clear themselves, Ed and Chito go to town to question Stella. Just outside the saloon, Chito overhears Stella and Rod discussing a diamond necklace that was part of the relief package. Ed then sneaks into Stella's room to search for the necklace and becomes entangled in a fight when she unexpectedly returns. As Bat and his men fire on them, Ed and Chito flee the saloon with the necklace and return it to Anita at the mission. Having convinced Anita of their innocence, Ed and Chito connive to have Bat escape from jail and follow him to the gang's hideout. While Chito rides back to town to alert the sheriff, Ed stays at the hideout. There Bat confronts Rod at gunpoint and demands his cut. As he is collecting the booty, however, Stella sees Ed outside and warns the gang. Ed and the gang exchange gunfire, and during the confusion, Rod tries to escape with Stella but is shot down by Bat. After the sheriff and his posse arrive with Chito, Bat and his gang are apprehended, and Ed outdraws Stella. Later, at the border, Ed and Chito say goodbye to Anita and return to their cowboy existence.
Director
George Archainbaud
Director
Cast
Tim Holt
Editor Porter
Jane Nigh
Stella
John Doucette
Bat
House Peters Jr.
Rod
Inez Cooper
Anita Castro
Julian Rivero
Felipe
Ken Macdonald
Sheriff Kerrigan
Vince Barnett
Pokey
Robert Peyton
Del
David Leonard
Padre
Tom Monroe
Dimmick
Richard Martin
Chito Rafferty
Alex Montoya
Manuel
Charles Rivero
Luis
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
Mel Berns
Makeup
Henry Burton
Grip
John Cass
Sound
Albert S. D'agostino
Art Director
H. B. Farnie
Composer
George Hammell
Stills
Harry Harris
Composer
Gene Hibbs
Makeup
Norman Houston
Writer
J. Roy Hunt
Director of Photography
Arnold Laven
Script Supervisor
Desmond Marquette
Film Editor
Harley Miller
Set Decoration
Vera Peterson
Hairstylist
Lew Pollack
Composer
John E. Pommer
Assistant Director
Clem Portman
Sound
Charles F. Pyke
Art Director
Paul Sawtell
Music
Herman Schlom
Producer
Darrell Silvera
Set Decoration
Film Details
Also Known As
Treasure of Los Alamos
Genre
Western
Release Date
Aug
1950
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Lone Pine, California, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,418ft
Articles
Border Treasure
Cowboy star Tim Holt resumed his popular run of series westerns for RKO when he returned from the war. He ended up making 46 of them in all, rarely changing the basic formula. Looking for work, Holt's cheerful hero and his sidekick ride into a situation of frontier injustice, often involving crooked attempts to steal a ranch or a farm. Holt's hero generally avoids gunplay and often hides his identity to unmask the villains. Although a pretty girl or two become involved, hardly a kiss is exchanged. In 1950's Border Treasure young Ed Porter (Tim Holt) and his pal Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) help rancher Anita Castro (Inez Cooper) safeguard a relief expedition carrying money and jewels to aid earthquake victims south of the border. They're opposed by the crooked bar owner Bat (John Doucette), who uses bribery, force and the wiles of saloon singer Stella (Jane Nigh) to learn more about the relief mule train. Ed and Chito must move fast to out-fox the ambushers, led by Stella's outlaw boyfriend Rod (House Peters, Jr.). A record number of story reversals play out in the film's brief sixty-minute running time. Gravel-voiced John Doucette brings distinction to his stock baddie, while comic Vince Barnett, famous as the gangster in Scarface (1932) who doesn't know how to use a telephone, is a bumbling deputy named Pokey. Although Tim Holt's character name varies in each film, his comical partner Richard Martin is always called Chito Rafferty, a Mexican ladies' man character he created for the film Bombardier in 1943. Martin was Holt's steady sidekick for all 29 of his postwar westerns. Veteran director George Archainbaud directed just this one entry in the Holt series, and moved on to a great deal of TV work for Gene Autry and William Boyd. The critics praised J. Roy Hunt's excellent B&W cinematography on location in Lone Pine, California. They singled out as excellent one barroom brawl scene between Holt and Doucette, but thought the film lacked action overall. Variety was skeptical of the charity riches that Inez Cooper is able to collect in the one-horse Arizona town: "The silver and jewels that pour in would shame Cartier's."
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
Border Treasure
Cowboy star Tim Holt resumed his popular run of series westerns for RKO when he returned from the war. He ended up making 46 of them in all, rarely changing the basic formula. Looking for work, Holt's cheerful hero and his sidekick ride into a situation of frontier injustice, often involving crooked attempts to steal a ranch or a farm. Holt's hero generally avoids gunplay and often hides his identity to unmask the villains. Although a pretty girl or two become involved, hardly a kiss is exchanged. In 1950's Border Treasure young Ed Porter (Tim Holt) and his pal Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) help rancher Anita Castro (Inez Cooper) safeguard a relief expedition carrying money and jewels to aid earthquake victims south of the border. They're opposed by the crooked bar owner Bat (John Doucette), who uses bribery, force and the wiles of saloon singer Stella (Jane Nigh) to learn more about the relief mule train. Ed and Chito must move fast to out-fox the ambushers, led by Stella's outlaw boyfriend Rod (House Peters, Jr.). A record number of story reversals play out in the film's brief sixty-minute running time. Gravel-voiced John Doucette brings distinction to his stock baddie, while comic Vince Barnett, famous as the gangster in Scarface (1932) who doesn't know how to use a telephone, is a bumbling deputy named Pokey. Although Tim Holt's character name varies in each film, his comical partner Richard Martin is always called Chito Rafferty, a Mexican ladies' man character he created for the film Bombardier in 1943. Martin was Holt's steady sidekick for all 29 of his postwar westerns. Veteran director George Archainbaud directed just this one entry in the Holt series, and moved on to a great deal of TV work for Gene Autry and William Boyd. The critics praised J. Roy Hunt's excellent B&W cinematography on location in Lone Pine, California. They singled out as excellent one barroom brawl scene between Holt and Doucette, but thought the film lacked action overall. Variety was skeptical of the charity riches that Inez Cooper is able to collect in the one-horse Arizona town: "The silver and jewels that pour in would shame Cartier's."
By Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Treasure of Los Alamos. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, exteriors were filmed in Lone Pine, CA.
