Scarlet River (1933)

Unable to find open range near Hollywood, western actor Tom Baxter and his troop head to Judy Blake's ranch to shoot their film. Tom soon learns her foreman has been rustling and poisoning ... See full summary »

Director:

Otto Brower

Writer:

Harold Shumate (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Keene, Dorothy Wilson, Lon Chaney Jr.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Keene	...	Tom Baxter
Dorothy Wilson	...	Judy Blake
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Jeff Todd (as Creighton Chaney)
Betty Furness	...	Babe Jewel
Roscoe Ates	...	Ulysses (as Rosco Ates)
Edgar Kennedy	...	Sam Gilroy
Billy Butts	...	'Buck' Blake
Hooper Atchley	...	'Clink' McPherson
Jack Raymond	...	Benny
Jim Mason	...	Dummy (as James Mason)
Yakima Canutt	...	Yak, a Wrangler

Storyline

Unable to find open range near Hollywood, western actor Tom Baxter and his troop head to Judy Blake's ranch to shoot their film. Tom soon learns her foreman has been rustling and poisoning her cattle. When Tom threatens to expose him, Judy is kidnapped and the troop told to leave. With an expert makeup man available. Tom poses as one of the outlaws in an attempt to rescue her.

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Plot Keywords:

ranch | cattle | foreman | rancher | actor | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aprooptos peripeteia

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

54 min 61 min (original release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stuntman Yakima Canutt broke his shoulder while doubling for Tom Keene in a transfer from a horse to a wagon team.

User Reviews

"He's asleep! I'll just throw something over him."

That's my favorite line from this adorable comedy-western. I liked the premise (cowboy movie people helping real ranchers with their problems) but wasn't expecting anything special...this was a surprise. The story is lively, the script is sharp, and Tom Keene is a hoot as the dumb-looking pretty-boy hero. I've seen few westerns (except post-"Support Your Local Sheriff" parodies) that acknowledge the too-good-looking ultra-wholesome hero but this one does it well.

From now on I'm going to keep an eye out for screenwriter Harold Shumate, whose script delivers exactly what western-watchers of the time wanted, but adds plenty of funny lines and charming situations. I'm also going to take a little more care seeking out movies with Tom Keene, whose performance succeeds as a strong hero performance, but also self-parody as well. I hadn't recognized him as another goofball hero, Col. Tom Edwards in the classic badfilm "Plan 9 from Outer Space." I'm eager to find out if he played such quotably strange characters in other pics.