It Happened Out West
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Howard Bretherton
Paul Kelly
Judith Allen
Johnny Arthur
Leroy Mason
Lew Kelly
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Gibraltar Trust Co. representative Richard P. Howe is about to leave on vacation when his boss, Cooley, instructs him to go west to Rangeville, Arizona. Dick's mission is to persuade Anne Martin to sell her late father's valuable ranch, which she is losing money on by trying to run it as a dairy farm. Despite his objections, Dick is soon on the bus with Thaddeus Cruikshank, a learned "milk expert" who is to help Dick advise Anne. While the mismatched duo are traveling, Anne receives another letter from Cooley counseling her to sell her ranch. She question her foreman, Burt Travis, and he reminds her about the generous offer she has received from businessman Middleton. Unknown to Anne, Travis recently killed Tom Roberts, one of her best workers, after Roberts discovered a rich silver vein on her land. Travis and Middleton are sabotaging her dairy in order to force her to sell before she discovers the silver. Dick and Thad arrive in town, and Dick devises a scheme whereby he will pretend to be a milk expert, get Anne to hire him and then force her to sell by giving her incorrect advice and ruining her business. Thad is dismayed by the deviousness of the plan, but the timid scientist is easily kept quiet by Dick's blustery manner. After an accidental meeting with Anne, Dick talks her into hiring him as a consultant, and he and Thad go to the ranch. Dick puts his plan into action by telling Anne and Burt that the cows are not producing high-quality milk because they are not groomed properly, and also that Anne has purchased the wrong type of cows and must buy others. As they are touring the ranch, Dick becomes enamoured of Anne, while Thad is shot at when he discovers the silver vein. Dick refuses to listen to Thad as he tries to reveal his discovery, and the next day, Middleton orders Burt to arrange an "accident" to get Dick out of the way before he destroys their hold on Anne. Dick outwits Burt's best attempts to do away with him and, after he finally realizes how important it is to Anne to carry on her father's name and ranch, he asks Thad if she has a chance to succeed. When Thad replies that she does, Dick vows to change his ways and help her for real. It is too late, however, as Anne has been told by Cooley that Dick works for him. Anne is crushed because she was beginning to reciprocate Dick's tender feelings, and after quarreling with Dick, she agrees to sell her ranch to Middleton. The next day, Anne leaves with Burt for Middleton's ranch, where she will sign the final contract. Dick and Thad are preparing to leave when Thad finally gets a chance to tell Dick about the silver and present his theory that Burt is behind Anne's loss of business. Dick rushes to the Middleton ranch, while Thad gets the sheriff, and after eluding Burt's henchman, Dick arrives and tears up the contract. Thad enters with the sheriff, who tricks Burt into revealing that he killed Roberts. Burt is arrested, and as Thad attempts to tell Anne about the silver, he discovers that she is too busy kissing Dick to listen.
Director
Howard Bretherton
Cast
Paul Kelly
Judith Allen
Johnny Arthur
Leroy Mason
Lew Kelly
Russell Hicks
Henry Otho
Richard Adams
Reginald Barlow
Steve Clemento
Nina Compana
Frank Larue
Edwin J. Brady
Evelyn Zelle
Ben Corbett
Slim Lucas
Archie Ricks
Jack Shannon
Charles Treadwell
Crew
W. B. Eason
Edward Gross
Arthur Hilton
Olive Hoffman
Sol Lesser
Sol Lesser
Harry Neumann
Lewis J. Rachmil
John Roberts
Earle Snell
Richard Tyler
Harold Bell Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's title card reads: "Sol Lesser presents Harold Bell Wright's It Happened Out West." The Film Daily review lists Earle Snell and Harry Chandlee as the authors of the screenplay, but Chandlee's name was removed from the Screen Achievements Bulletin listing and replaced by John Roberts. The extent of Chandlee's contribution to the finished script, if any, has not been determined. According to Hollywood Reporter news items, Virginia Grey was borrowed from M-G-M to play the role of Anne Martin, but was replaced by Judith Allen when Grey became ill. The news items also state that Grey was to star opposite Richard Arlen. It has not been determined why he did not appear in the film. A March 20, 1937 Hollywood Reporter news item stated that the picture was to include the "first instance of a sitdown strike...mentioned in a script," and that "dairy workers [would be] depicted on strike for better conditions in the approved CIO manner." The strike was not seen in the print viewed, however. The Hollywood Reporter review erroneously credits film editors Arthur Hilton and Olive Hofman as the photographers.
