Vigilantes of Dodge City
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Wallace Grissell
Wild Bill Elliott
Bobby Blake
Alice Fleming
Linda Stirling
Leroy Mason
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Dodge City horse rancher Red Ryder, his Indian ward Little Beaver and their pal, Denver Thompson, are inspecting the herd when they hear gunshots. The friends are too late to stop the robbery of a freight wagon carrying a large sum of money. Before driver Jim Evans dies, he tells Red that the same men who robbed him the previous month are responsible. Red goes to town, where he informs the Duchess, his aunt and owner of the freight line, of the grim news. The Duchess is devastated because the frequent robberies have led to heavy insurance premiums and are bankrupting her. Banker Luther Jennings is also upset about the loss of his money shipment and once again offers to buy the freight line. The Duchess refuses to sell, however, because of Jennings' low offer. Unknown to the Duchess and Red, Jennings is plotting with Walter Bishop, the Duchess' insurance salesman, to drive the freight line into bankruptcy and then take it over. They have hired Ross Benteen and his gang to perpetrate the robberies, all of which are of Jennings' own shipments. Jennings and Bishop go to Benteen's cave hideout, where they divide up the loot with the gang. Jennings correctly surmises that Red's support is what is keeping the Duchess' morale up and preventing her from selling out, and so he orders Benteen to rustle Red's herd of horses, which have been raised for the cavalry. Jennings hopes to frame Red for the disappearance of the horses and then have him arrested for defrauding the government. The next afternoon, Benteen's men steal Red's horses, and Jennings intimates to Captain James Glover, the investigating calvalry officer, that Red is about to sell his horses to another bidder and is responsible for the freight line robberies. Glover arrests Red, but while they are stopped on the way to the fort, Benteen tries to kill Glover and make Red look responsible. When Red saves the officer, however, Glover realizes that Red is innocent. Glover convinces his commanding officer, General Wingate, to let him return with Red to Dodge City, where they hope to uncover the real culprits. Meanwhile, Little Beaver, determined to help Red, nurses back to health a colt that is the last remaining member of the missing herd. Little Beaver then frees "Little Papoose," and follows the colt as he goes through the gang's secret cave to the valley beyond, where the other horses are being held. While he is in the cave, Little Beaver overhears the gang's plan to commit another robbery and frame Red for it when he returns. When Red and Glover reach Dodge City, Little Beaver tells Red about his discoveries, and Red goes with him to the cave. There, Red fights with Dave Brewster, one of Benteen's henchmen, and gets him to confess his crimes and reveal Jennings and Bishop's complicity. Red takes Brewster back to town, where Glover then confronts Jennings and Bishop, who take Little Beaver hostage during an escape attempt. Red rescues his ward, and the two crooks are killed as the wagon they are riding in careens off a cliff. Later, Dodge City is declared safe once more, and Red is awarded another contract by the cavalry.
Director
Wallace Grissell
Cast
Wild Bill Elliott
Bobby Blake
Alice Fleming
Linda Stirling
Leroy Mason
Hal Taliaferro
Tom London
Stephen Barclay
Bud Geary
Kenne Duncan
Bob Wilke
Stanley Andrews
Crew
Stephen Auer
Ed Borschell
William Bradford
Yakima Canutt
Anthony Coldewey
Charles Craft
Joseph Dubin
Edward P. Fitzgerald
John Grubbs
Norman S. Hall
Norman S. Hall
William J. O'sullivan
Fred A. Ritter
Gordon C. Schaefer
John Stransky Jr.
Howard Wilson
Earl Wooden
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Modern sources include Horace B. Carpenter in the cast. For more information about the "Red Ryder" series, please consult the Series Index and the entry above for Tucson Raiders.
