The Man from Music Mountain
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Joseph Kane
Roy Rogers
Trigger
Bob Nolan
Hugh Farr
Karl Farr
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When radio singing star Roy Rogers returns to his hometown in Duane County, accompanied by pals Pat and Bob, and the rest of their singing group, The Sons of the Pioneers, his homecoming is nearly spoiled when tensions between the cattlemen and sheepherders threaten to erupt. Unknown to Roy, who once worked as a cowpuncher in Duane, Cattlemen's Association president Victor Marsh is the secret leader of a gang that has been fomenting trouble between the two groups in order to force government intervention. Marsh is hoping that the government will revoke the current holders' grazing rights, which he will then be able to buy cheaply. Marsh's chief target is Laramie Winters, who runs the large sheep ranch that was left to her by her late parents. With the secret help of Laramie's foreman, Slade, and herder Barker, Marsh has engineered a series of incidents that have turned the cattlemen against Laramie. Laramie's teenage sister Penny has a crush on Roy and is thrilled to attend the radio show he broadcasts on the evening of his arrival. Penny's infatuation with Roy becomes painfully obvious during the performance, and Laramie, who has soured on all cattlemen, snubs the bewildered Roy. Meanwhile, Slade, Barker and their men tear down the Winters fencing, and the sheep graze on cattlemen's land. Adobe Joe Wallace, the eccentric rancher for whom Roy worked, learns of their actions and tells Roy that he has information about the feud. Marsh, who has convinced the cattlemen that Laramie deliberately let her sheep wander free, however, orders his men to prevent Adobe Joe from sharing his knowledge with Roy. Barker shoots Adobe Joe as he is riding to meet Roy, but before he dies, the mortally wounded rancher is able to tell Roy that the feud is a frame-up and that "Bark" is involved. When Roy finds a distinctive shell casing near the site of the crime, he decides to investigate, and Sheriff Hal Darcy secretly swears Roy in as a deputy, with only Pat as a witness. Roy and Pat then visit Penny, and while they are at the Winters ranch, one of the hands rushes in to tell Laramie that the cattlemen are driving her sheep toward a cliff. When Roy hears Barker's name mentioned, he realizes that Adobe Joe was implicating him before he died. Roy and Pat turn the sheep before they go off the cliff, but are unable to prove Barker and Slade's complicity in the stampede. Roy does find one of Barker's shell casings, however, and the marking links him to Adobe Joe's killing. Roy also receives an apology from Laramie, and her change of heart makes him more determined to help her. In order to stay close to the Winters ranch to investigate, Roy fakes an injury and pretends to be bedridden. Penny sees through the ruse immediately, but her hopes of a romance with Roy are crushed when he and Laramie become involved. One evening, Roy and Pat foil an attempt by Barker and Slade to dynamite the reservoir and implicate Laramie by leaving Winters brand equipment at the site. Laramie does not believe Roy's story though, as she arrived after the criminals fled. Laramie decides to press charges against Roy, but he and Pat escape from the sheriff, then join Bob and the boys at a hidden campground on Music Mountain. Still not wanting to reveal that he is a deputy, Roy bides his time and is rewarded for his patience when Slade and Barker reveal their connection to Marsh. Roy learns that the criminals are about to stage a big cattle raid, which will finally lead to a government investigation. With the help of his friends, Roy patrols Music Mountain and catches several members of the gang during the raid. They confess their guilt and confirm Marsh's duplicity, but before Roy can act, Barker warns Marsh that Roy is on the way. Marsh and the rest of his men then go to the Winters ranch, where he tells Laramie that Roy and the other cattlemen are about to attack. Penny slips out of the house and warns Roy that Marsh is laying in wait for him, then helps Roy sneak into the house. There, Roy confronts Marsh and captures him after he tries to escape. Later, the feud has been forgotten and the county residents enjoy Roy's latest radio broadcast.
Director
Joseph Kane
Cast
Roy Rogers
Trigger
Bob Nolan
Hugh Farr
Karl Farr
Tim Spencer
Ken Carson
Ruth Terry
Paul Kelly
Ann Gillis
George Cleveland
Pat Brady
Renie Riano
Paul Harvey
Hank Bell
Jay Novello
Hal Taliaferro
Roy Barcroft
Charles Whitaker
Jane Isbell
Bob Burns
Fred Burns
Robert Kortman
Isabel Lamal
Timmy Miller
Roy Butler
Crew
Gene Autry
William Bradford
A. P. Carter
J. Benton Cheney
Con Conrad
Earl Crain Sr.
Ralph Freed
Ray Gilbert
Archie Gottler
Harry Grey
Russell Kimball
Harry Knight
Don Marcotte
Tony Martinelli
Johnny Marvin
Sidney D. Mitchell
Bob Nolan
Bradford Ropes
Fred Rose
Morton Scott
Frank Skinner
Tim Spencer
Charles Thompson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Most of the songs were cut from the viewed print, which was a television broadcast print entitled Texas Legionnaires. Pat Brady, who is listed separately in the onscreen credits, was a member of The Sons of the Pioneers. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, the picture was going to be shot on location in Baja California, Mexico. Modern sources include I. Stanford Jolley, Jack O'Shea, Tom Smith and Charles Morton in the cast.
