Stallion Canyon


1h 12m 1949

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Jan 1949
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Kanab Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Astor Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 12m

Synopsis

At Aunt Millie's Curly Q Ranch, foreman Curt Benson corrals a herd of wild horses, which he plans to sell in order to pay a $3,000 lien held by Tom Larsen, who owns the neighboring Bar 6 Ranch. Just then, Larsen's gang of rustlers, led by henchman Wolf Norton, releases a wild stallion Curt previously captured and trained to open a corral gate with his mouth. From a nearby hilltop, an Indian named Little Bear watches as the stallion gallops toward the corral, opens the gate and frees the herd, which the gang later captures. Before the gang can recapture the stallion, however, he gallops to Little Bear, who gently strokes his back. Later, Wolf tells Larsen that their new recruit, Johnny Adams, recently vowed to quit the gang, so they decide to shoot him. After Little Bear goes to the Curly Q to tell Curt what he has seen, Millie's niece, Ellen Collins, urges Curt to enter their old horse Rowdy into this year's stockmen's race. Later, Wolf sees Little Bear sneaking into the Bar 6 stables in search of the rustled horses. He follows Little Bear inside and knocks him unconscious with the butt of his gun. The next day, the sheriff, Breezy, tells Curt that Little Bear has been accused of shooting Johnny. Breezy then shows Curt the bullet recovered from Johnny's corpse, a .45 hollow point called a "dumdum." Later, Larsen learns that Curt and his men have rounded up a huge herd of cattle. When Curt, his men and the herd approach the ranch, Wolf and his gang start a stampede and rustle the herd. With help from Little Bear, Curt captures the stallion and plans to enter him in the race. Later, however, Breezy, Larsen and the posse arrive at the Curly Q and accuse Curt of harboring a fugitive. As Breezy arrests Little Bear, Curt threatens to kill Larsen if anything should happen to Little Bear on his way to jail. Fuming, Larsen pulls his gun and shoots at Curt, hitting the barn door behind him instead. After they leave, Curt removes the bullet, which turns out to be a dumdum. For weeks, Curt and one of his ranch hands try unsuccessfully to mount and ride the stallion. On the day of the race, Rowdy becomes lame, so Curt enters the stallion instead. In town, under the mistaken impression that Millie is entering Rowdy in the race, Larsen offers her a wager of $1,000. The arrogant Larsen is so sure that Millie's horse will lose that he throws in the lien for the ranch, and she quickly accepts. Realizing that Little Bear is the only one who can ride the stallion, Curt persuades Breezy to help him stage an escape. The race then begins, and the stallion, ridden by Little Bear, pulls ahead of the pack. Larsen recognizes Little Bear and orders Wolf to kill him, after which Larson is shot by Breezy. After the stallion wins, Curt gives Little Bear the stallion as payment for riding, and Little Bear releases him to rejoin his herd in the wild.

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Jan 1949
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Kanab Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Astor Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 12m

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The onscreen credits include a credit for sound effects, but the name, which did not appear in other sources, was unreadable. The Variety review notes that the picture was the first Kanab Pictures production and was shot on location in Kanab, UT.