Rider of Death Valley
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Albert Rogell
Tom Mix
Lois Wilson
Fred Kohler
Forrest Stanley
Edith Fellows
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Tom Rigby rides into town and saves several of his cowpunchers from being swept up in a recent gold craze and investing all they own in worthless mine claims. Tom meets six-year-old Betty Joyce in front of the saloon, where she is waiting for her father, Bill. Inside, Lew Grant and Doctor Larribee take interest in the fact that Bill has discovered gold in Death Valley, but refused to file a map for his claim. After Tom reminds Bill of his duty toward his daughter, Bill and Betty leave for their cabin in the desert, and are followed by Lew. When Bill enters his cabin, he is shot by an unknown assailant. Tom, nearby, hears the shot, and after finding Bill barely alive, begins to ride to town, but encounters Doc and Lew. Lew appears to have been riding in from the desert. Tom sends them to the cabin, while he gets Doc's medical bag. Aware that Bill is on his deathbed, Doc encourages him to make a final statement, and Bill gives him the map to his mine and the address of his sister, Helen, who will come to take care of Betty. When Tom returns, Bill is dead, and Tom takes the map from Doc and has Betty tear it into three pieces, one for each man, which they will keep until Helen arrives. Helen and Tom get off to a bad start because Doc has lied to her about Tom's character. When she finds Betty in a saloon with Tom, she yells at him, and he starts to leave, but she demands his third of the map. Realizing he needs to protect her from Doc and Lew, Tom retains his portion, and insists they locate the mine together. On their way into the desert, they spend the night at Bill's cabin, and Helen is comforted by Tom's presence because the coyotes are howling. Tom memorizes his portion of the map and burns it, so that when, the next day, they reach the end of the other two maps, Tom suggests returning to town until they are ready to go on. Lew threatens him, but Tom implies that he is aware that Lew killed Bill. Lew attacks Tom, and during the struggle, a gunshot startles the horses drawing the wagon that contains Helen and all their supplies. Tom frees himself from Lew and with the help of his horse Tony, rescues Helen just before the wagon goes over a cliff. As a last resort, Tom leads them across Death Valley to Bill's mine, where they find a small can of water. In his joy at finding gold, Lew kicks over the water, and Tom makes them give up their guns so they do not kill one another for the water in Doc's and Tom's canteens. Tom attaches a note to Tony's mane asking for help, and sends the horse on his way home. They soon become severely dehydrated and, seeing a mirage of water, Lew wanders into the desert and dies. Believing that Tony has lost his way, Tom starts out into the desert, after receiving assurances from Doc that he will take care of Helen. Soon, Tom discovers that Doc has stolen his water and he collapses. After being shut up in the stable, Tony finally leads Tom's ranchhands to him, and together they go to the mine, where Doc has ignited some dynamite to blast to a water source. Tom rescues Helen from the mine entrance just before it explodes, and then revives her with water.
Director
Albert Rogell
Cast
Tom Mix
Lois Wilson
Fred Kohler
Forrest Stanley
Edith Fellows
Willard Robertson
Mae Busch
Otis Harlan
Francis Ford
Tony, A Horse
Max Asher
Pete Morrison
Edmund Cobb
Crew
Stanley Bergerman
George Bunny
Robert Carlisle
Daniel B. Clark
Jack Cunningham
Norman De Vol
William Dodds
Donald Glouner
William Hedgcock
C. Roy Hunter
Gene Lewis
Al Martin
Thomas F. O'neill
Maurice Pivar
Adolph Schafer
Richard Schayer
Lloyd Ward
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The Variety review notes that the desert sequences were filmed on location in Death Valley, CA. Modern sources include Richard Cramer, Robert McKenzie, Lloyd Whitlock and Iron Eyes Cody in the cast. The viewed print was called Riders of the Desert, however, this title May have been added for television release.
