The Lone Star Ranger
Cast & Crew
James Tinling
John Kimbrough
Sheila Ryan
Jonathan Hale
William Farnum
Truman Bradley
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In the late 1880's, some parts of Texas are still overrun by rustlers, despite the efforts of the Texas Rangers. When Ranger Major McNeil enlists Buck Duane, with whom he has worked before, to investigate a ring of rustlers in Exeter County, Buck travels to Exeter with his pal Euchre, an unsuccessful insurance salesman. On the way there, Buck and Euchre see a stagecoach being robbed. One of the passengers, Barbara Longstreth, drives the coach away after the thieves steal her necklace, and Buck and Euchre chase off the two robbers. They then escort Barbara, who has been away studying for four years, to the ranch of her uncle, Judge John Longstreth, who is the town banker. Also at the ranch is Phil Lawson, Barbara's former sweetheart. Unknown to Barbara, Lawson and the reluctant Longstreth are the secret leaders of the gang of rustlers run by Red Morgan. Morgan was also in charge of the attack on Barbara's stagecoach. With Morgan's aid, Lawson and Longstreth have bankrupted a large number of the local ranchers so that their land is subsequently taken over by Longstreth's bank. Now that Barbara has returned, Longstreth wishes to quit the gang, but Lawson tells him he must stay until after an upcoming hijacking of a gold shipment from a nearby mining company. Buck states that he wishes to buy some land in Exeter, and Lawson tells him to contact rancher Clem Mitchell, which Buck does later that night in a hotel saloon. Buck also spots Morgan, his former nemesis, and notices that Morgan has given Barbara's necklace to his girl friend Trixie. Buck takes Morgan and his partner, Fletcher, to the sheriff, but after the sheriff releases them, Buck realizes that he is corrupt and takes them to Longstreth. Lawson also releases the pair and sends them after Buck and Euchre, who have gone to Clem's ranch. Morgan and Fletcher reach the ranch first, and after killing Clem, engage in a shootout with Buck, during which Fletcher is shot. Realizing now that the judge and Lawson are the gang leaders, Buck sends Euchre to get help from McNeil while he returns to the Longstreth ranch. Buck overhears Lawson and Morgan discuss the gold shipment they intend to rob the next day, then captures Morgan, who is shot accidentally by Lawson. Lawson escapes with the rest of the gang, but the judge promises Buck that he will turn himself in to McNeil when he arrives. Buck then leaves for Humboldt, where the robbery is to take place, and waits at the mining company's shipping office. Buck and Lawson shoot each other when the gang arrives, but Buck is only wounded, and the rangers round up the rest of the criminals. Soon after, Longstreth returns all the money and land he took, and Buck and Barbara plan to marry.
Director
James Tinling
Cast
John Kimbrough
Sheila Ryan
Jonathan Hale
William Farnum
Truman Bradley
George E. Stone
Russell Simpson
Dorothy Burgess
Tom Fadden
Fred Kohler Jr.
Eddy C. Waller
Harry Hayden
George Melford
Tom London
Eva Puig
Jeff Corey
Robert Homans
Herbert Ashley
Alec Craig
Almira Sessions
Syd Saylor
Crew
Lucien Andriot
William Conselman Jr.
Irving Cummings Jr.
Richard Day
Nick Demaggio
W. D. Flick
Chester Gore
Herschel
Percy Ikerd
George Kane
William Koenig
Harry M. Leonard
Thomas Little
Emil Newman
Sam Schneider
George Wright
Sol M. Wurtzel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's opening title card reads: "Twentieth Century-Fox presents John Kimbrough in Zane Grey's Lone Star Ranger." For more information about Grey's novel, see the entry above for Last of the Duanes, which also features the character "Buck Duane." According to Hollywood Reporter news items, George Montgomery, who played "Buck Duane" in Last of the Duanes, was originally set to reprise his role in this picture, but was replaced by John Kimbrough when the studio "shifted [Montgomery] to bigger roles." Lone Star Ranger marked the screen debut of Texas A & M football player Kimbrough. Hollywood Reporter news items noted that retakes and added scenes were required so that Kimbrough's "Texas drawl [could be] thinned out." Also according to Hollywood Reporter, the studio intended to introduce Kimbrough to moviegoers by producing "a reel of him showing his transition from national football hero to western film star," with the trailer to be "sent out for insertion in newsreels during the football season."
On October 28, 1941, Hollywood Reporter noted that the film was to have its world premiere in Texas several months ahead of the national release of the picture, and that the Texas governor would proclaim the premiere day as "John Kimbrough Day" throughout the state. According to the Variety reviews for this picture and Sundown Jim (see below), Twentieth Century-Fox hoped to establish Kimbrough as a Western star with the two films, but instead dropped his option before either picture was released. Kimbrough did not appear in any other films. The picture was shot on location at Lone Pine, CA.
Grey's novel had previously been filmed three times by the Fox Film Corp, all under the title The Lone Star Ranger. J. Gordon Edwards directed William Farnum in the title role of the 1919 version (Farnum appears as "Major McNeil" in the 1942 film); Lambert Hillyer directed Tom Mix in the 1923 version; and A. F. Erickson directed George O'Brien in the 1930 version (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1911-20; F1.2581 and AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.3160 and F2.3161).
