Rawhide
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Ray Taylor
Smith Ballew
Lou Gehrig
Evalyn Knapp
Arthur Loft
Cy Kendall
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As he announces that he is retiring from baseball, famed New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig tells reporters that he and his sister Peggy have bought a ranch near the town of Rawhide. While Lou is heading west, the citizens of Rawhide are pressured by the strong-arm tactics of Ed Saunders and his henchmen, Butch and Gilliam, to join the Ranchers Protective Association. When rancher Bascomb tries to bring in supplies from another town, Saunders and his men destroy them and injury Bascomb. Idealistic lawyer Larry Kimbell tries to convince Bascomb to fight Saunders in court, but he instead joins the association, which is the only outlet through which the ranchers can buy supplies and sell their cattle. Lou arrives in town and refuses to join the association, despite Saunders' veiled threats, and he, Peggy and Pop Mason, their ranch hand, go to their ranch. Butch and his men destroy the Gehrigs' fence and shoot Pop in the arm, after which Lou storms into the town saloon to denounce Saunders. Lou and Larry team up in a fistfight against Saunders and his men, and afterwards, Lou hires Larry to go to court and bust up the association. At dinner that night, Larry explains to Lou and Peggy that the owner of the association, L. G. McDonnell, is a honest man who has been ill for months and that only Saunders has access to him. Saunders, who has been holding McDonnell captive while his doctor slowly poisons the old man, orders his men to make life tough for the Gehrigs, and the next day, when Lou and Larry attempt to bring in cattle feed, Butch and his men destroy it. Larry and Lou then trick Fuller, one of Saunders' ranch hands, into giving them supplies from Saunders' ranch, and in retaliation, Saunders' men dam the water flowing onto Lou's land. Peggy, who has fallen in love with Larry, is worried about his safety and that of her brother, and decides to sign up with the association herself. Lou hits a well-aimed baseball into Saunders' office to stop Peggy from signing the contract, while Larry goes to McDonnell's house. Larry arrives just after Butch has murdered the doctor, who had refused to give McDonnell a final dose of poison so that Saunders could directly receive the profits of the cattle sales. Butch is about to poison McDonnell himself, but Larry rescues the old man and captures Butch. As Saunders and his men prepare for a showdown, Larry, Lou and Peggy organize the ranchers. The ranchers chase Saunders and his gang as they are attempting to flee, and after a rousing battle, all the wrongdoers are apprehended, including Sheriff Kale, whom Saunders had bribed. When peace is restored, Lou and Peggy relax with Larry on their porch. Pop brings Lou a telegram stating that his terms are acceptable and that he is to report for spring training immediately. Pop, Larry and Peggy then share a laugh as Lou hollers with joy and races into the house to pack.
Director
Ray Taylor
Cast
Smith Ballew
Lou Gehrig
Evalyn Knapp
Arthur Loft
Cy Kendall
Dick Curtis
Si Jenks
Carl Stockdale
Lafe Mckee
Cecil Kellog
Slim Whitaker
Cliff Parkinson
Harry Tenbrook
Lee Shumway
Ed Cassidy
Crew
Michael Breen
Tom Carmen
Eddie Cherkose
Robert Crandall
Eddie Grant
Dan Jarrett
Dan Jarrett
Sol Lesser
Harry Macpherson
Jack Natteford
Lindsley Parsons
Norman Phelps
Willie Phelps
Lewis J. Rachmil
Charles Rosoff
V. O. Smith
Allen Q. Thompson
Albert Von Tilzer
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to Hollywood Reporter news items, the working title of this film was Laughing Señor, and Boots and Saddles May also have been a working title. Hollywood Reporter noted that Abe Meyer was scheduled to prepare the picture's background music, but his participation in the completed film has not been confirmed. According to the Newsweek review, producer Sol Lesser had initially signed Lou Gehrig to play Tarzan but "when he [Gehrig] stripped his Yankee uniform for a leopard skin, two things were apparent. Both were the Gehrig legs: pillars of strength befitting baseball's iron man, their piano construction was functional rather than decorative." The article further stated that Lesser intended to star Gehrig in a series of "horse operas"; however, this was the legendary baseball player's first and only feature film appearance. Lesser hired Glenn Morris to play Tarzan, and his first film, Tarzan's Revenge, was made in 1938 (see below). The film's onscreen credits note that Gehrig appeared by arrangement with Christy Walsh, his business manager, and a Hollywood Reporter news item asserted that it was the first time in the "picture business" that a manager received screen credit. The print viewed was tinted.
