Bronco Buster
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Budd Boetticher
John Lund
Scott Brady
Joyce Holden
Chill Wills
Don Haggerty
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Rodeo clown Dan Bream and his daughter Judy are delighted to see Tom Moody when he re-joins the show after a year in Mexico. Laconic Tom reveals little to Judy, his girl friend, except that he has a broken ankle but will still be competing that day. Later, Tom is surprised to discover that he has a romantic rival for Judy's attention in young rodeo rider Bart Eaton. During the show, Tom congratulates Bart on his skillful riding and offers him advice, which Bart spurns. After he discvoers that Tom is the previous year's world rodeo champion, however, Bart apologizes. He later learns from Dan that his new competitor used to have a hot temper but slowly matured into a controlled, self-assured man. Days later, Bart admits to Tom that he was his inspiration to be a champion rodeo rider, and Tom, who feels that the two can learn from each other, agrees to act as mentor to the younger man. Bart improves as he practices, and when the rodeo hits Phoenix, he beats up rider Dobie Carson after overhearing his jealous insults. Downplaying Bart's youthful hotheadedness, Tom introduces him to the close group of established riders. He helps Bart throughout the rodeo, and as a result, Bart wins third place, after Tom and Dobie. At the awards ceremony that evening, Bart shows up in a fancy cowboy outfit and brags to the TV reporter that he will be the year's champ. The rodeo continues to travel, and at the campfire one night, Bart watches Judy cuddle with Tom. What he does not know, however, is that Judy is asking Tom when they will be married and is hurt by his flippant response. At the next rodeo, Bart dresses showily and plays to the crowd. Tom performs outstandingly, but when it is Bart's turn to ride a bucking bronco, he falls from the horse and injures his leg. He refuses to rest for long, however, and returns to the rodeo to the crowd's cheers. That night, Tom visits Bart to try to persuade him to attend a rodeo meeting and, while rebuking him for showboating, sees a pile of discarded bandages and realizes that Bart faked the injury to win the admiration of the fans. Disgusted, Tom punches Bart, who then asks Judy on a date. Hoping to prove to Tom that she will not wait forever, Judy agrees. At dinner, Bart offers her a lifetime of adventure, and when they return to the campsite, she kisses him in front of Tom. Over the following weeks, Bart grows increasingly insufferable. The local riders at the Calgary rodeo finally are fed up with his arrogance and trick him into riding the hay press, which drags him along the ground until he is bruised and battered. Although he claims to have been beaten up by cowboys, the rest of the riders recognize the Calgary boys's trick. During the next rodeo, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, an overconfident Bart attempts to join Dan in his clowning routine, causing Dan to be trampled by a bull. The whole outfit spurns Bart, and Tom warns him never to speak to him again. Dan, whose condition is critical, calls Bart to his hospital bed and informs him that although he is a first-rate rodeo rider, a real winner does not have to antagonize others and promote his own talent. Bart, chastised, asks for a second chance, and Dan urges him to announce his contrition to the riders. By the time Bart locates Tom, however, the older man is drunk and belligerent and bets him $1,000 that he can stay on a bronc longer than Bart. Minutes later, Judy hears about the bet and races to the rodeo grounds with the rest of the riders. There, Bart wins the contest but is about to be gored by a bull when Tom jumps into the pen and saves him. Outside the pen, Bart refuses to take Tom's money and instead apologizes for his past behavior. After they shake hands, Judy announces that she and Tom are engaged, and a surprised Tom embraces her.
Director
Budd Boetticher
Cast
John Lund
Scott Brady
Joyce Holden
Chill Wills
Don Haggerty
Casey Tibbs
Pete Crump
Dan Poore
Bill Williams
Jerry Ambler
Manuel Enos
Walter Reed
Olan Soule
John Warburton
Terry Frost
Jack Kelly
Dick Curtis
Frank Mcfarland
Russell Trent
Bill Baldwin
Robert Cavendish
Donald Kerr
Gil Stuart
Fred Coby
William Marks
Sherman E. Sanders
Bill Hale
Bob Burrows
Charles Sherlock
Ray Jones
Leroy Johnson
Juanita Close
Betty Jane Pettit
Lyn Wilde
Forrest Burns
Wayne Burson
James Van Horn
Crew
Irvin Berwick
Robert Boyle
Leslie I. Carey
Eddie Coleman
Edward Curtiss
Richard Deweese
William Fritzsche
Russell A. Gausman
Joseph Gershenson
Lillie Hayward
Bernard Herzbrun
Andy Jauregui
Joe Kenny
Joseph Kish
Peter B. Kyne
Horace Mccoy
Jeff Mcteague
Ted Richmond
Tom Shaw
Joan St. Oegger
Dewey Starkey
Clifford Stine
Bill Thomas
Paul Uhl
Bud Westmore
Chill Wills
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, Peggy Dow was originally cast as "Judy Bream" but had to withdraw from the role when she could not finish the Samuel Goldwyn film I Want You (see below) in time. Joyce Holden, in her first starring role, replaced her. A July 1951 "Rambling Reporter" column in Hollywood Reporter announced that Scott Brady, who played expert rodeo competitor "Bart Eaton," had never ridden a horse before joining the cast.
The Hollywood Reporter review states that scenes from the film were shot at real rodeos in Cheyenne and Phoenix, as well as the Calgary Stampede and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Rodeo. Another Hollywood Reporter item includes Lee Lindsay in the cast, but his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. Several real-life rodeo stars were cast in the film, including Casey Tibbs, Pete Crump, Bill Williams and Jerry Ambler. The film's world premiere, which took place in Omaha, NE on April 18, 1952, was a benefit for Omaha flood victims.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Spring May 1952
Released in United States Spring May 1952
