Rider from Tucson
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Lesley Selander
Tim Holt
Elaine Riley
Douglas Fowley
Veda Ann Borg
Robert Shayne
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
While performing in a Tucson rodeo, riders Dave Saunders and Chito Rafferty receive a telegram from their old friend Tug Bailey, informing them of his recent gold strike and impending marriage. Tug has invited Dave and Chito to be best men at his wedding, so the two cowboys set out for Tug's home in Oro Grande, Colorado. Immediately upon arriving there, Dave and Chito see outlaw Bert Rankin and his gang harassing Hardrock Jones, an old prospector, and bravely intercede on Hardrock's behalf. Dave and Chito then ask for Tug at Mrs. Bridget O'Reilly's boardinghouse and learn that ever since he struck gold, Tug has been hiding from claim jumpers at the ranch he bought for his fiancée, Jane Whipple. At Tug's ranch, Dave and Chito reunite with their frightened and exhausted friend, who announces that he is calling off the wedding in order to protect Jane. At that moment, a gun-wielding man appears at Tug's door, but is chased off by Dave and Chito. The man, Jackson, then reports to crooked surveyor John Avery, who has hired him to scare Tug into revealing the location of his unregistered mine. Hearing of Jackson's failure, Avery's greedy wife Gypsy, the local saloon owner, demands to take over the operation. For one hundred dollars, Gypsy hires Rankin to kidnap Jane, who she claims is a new saloon girl arriving from the East, as a joke. Following Gypsy's instructions, Rankin and his men ambush Jane's stagecoach and take her to a hideout in the hills. As soon as Tug learns about Jane's kidnapping, he prepares to relinquish his mine to the outlaws until Dave and Chito convince him to give them a day to find Jane. From the site of the kidnapping, the two cowboys follow the outlaws' tracks to Gypsy's hideout. Rankin, meanwhile, confronts Gypsy about Jane, whose identity he now knows, and demands one half of Tug's gold mine interests. Gypsy refuses to give in to Rankin's threats, however, and with her husband and Jackson in tow, heads for Tug's ranch. Dave and Chito, meanwhile, trick Rankin's gang into believing Gypsy's hideout is surrounded by men and free Jane. While the cowboys drop Jane at Mrs. O'Reilly's, Rankin confronts Tug, who is unaware of Jane's rescue, and insists that he pay him a half interest for her release. As Tug is signing over his mine, however, Gypsy rides up and shoots Rankin. Gypsy takes Tug at gunpoint and orders Jackson to dispose of Rankin's body. After Jackson shoves Rankin's body into a closet, he flees from Dave and Chito, who are then caught with the outlaw's body by the local sheriff. While the sheriff is leading them to jail, Dave and Chito manage to escape and ride to town to talk with Jane. Outside Avery's office, the cowboys spot Jackson's horse and, after beating him senseless, take him to Mrs. O'Reilly's, where Jane reveals the directions to Tug's mine. Unfamiliar with the area, Dave and Chito ride off to find Hardrock, while Gypsy and Avery try to beat the mine's location out of Tug. Frustrated, Gypsy bluffs Tug by promising to free Jane once he leads them to the mine. Tug almost falls for Gypsy's trick, but just before reaching the mine, he demands Jane's immediate return and instigates a gunfight. Dave, Chito and Hardrock, meanwhile, are riding toward the mine when they hear gunshots. The three race to Tug's rescue, and after Dave knocks out Avery, the sheriff and his posse, who have been alerted by Mrs. O'Reilly, arrive to arrest the gang. Later, Dave and Chito bid the newly married Jane and Tug goodbye and leave for their next adventure.
Director
Lesley Selander
Cast
Tim Holt
Elaine Riley
Douglas Fowley
Veda Ann Borg
Robert Shayne
William Phipps
Harry Tyler
Luther Crockett
Dorothy Vaughan
Stuart Randall
Marshall Reed
Richard Martin
Post Park
Frosty Royce
Joe Smith
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Charles Beckett
Mel Berns
Charles Burke
John Cass
Tom Clement
Albert S. D'agostino
Larry Germain
Walter E. Keller
Jack Mills
Nicholas Musuraca
John E. Pommer
Clem Portman
Ed Earl Repp
Paul Sawtell
Herman Schlom
Ollie Sigurdson
Darrell Silvera
Robert Swink
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Gun Thunder. The character played by William Phipps is incorrectly listed as "Tug Caldwell" in Variety and CBCS.
