Somewhere in Sonora (1933)

John Bishop discovers a plot to rob a silver mine belonging to his girlfriend Mary's father and, to foil the evildoers, he joins them.

Director:

Mack V. Wright

Writers:

Will Levington Comfort (story), Joseph Anthony Roach (adaptation)

Stars:

John Wayne, Duke, Henry B. Walthall

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	John Bishop
Duke	...	Duke - John's Horse
Henry B. Walthall	...	Bob Leadly
Shirley Palmer	...	Mary Burton
Ann Fay	...	Patsy Ellis (as Ann Faye)
J.P. McGowan	...	Monte Black
Paul Fix	...	Bart Leadly
Ralph Lewis	...	Mr. Kelly Burton
Frank Rice	...	Riley
Billy Franey	...	Shorty

Storyline

Framed for a stagecoach accident, John Bishop is jailed. Bob Leady helps break him out and in return John heads for Sonoora to look for Leady's missing son. He finds him when he joins Monte black's gang, a gang from which no member has ever escaped alive.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | mine | rurales | horse | silver | 

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Taglines:

Reach for a piece of sky, stranger...or you'll get six feet of earth!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 May 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abrechnung in Sonora

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Using the name "Monte Black" as the villain was something of an in-joke at Warners, where Monte Blue was a star during the silent era. After sound came in, he was relegated to minor supporting roles at the studio, albeit in some very good films like Casablanca and Key Largo.

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Quotes

Bob Leadly: [Talking about his missing son] A man was killed. Some of the men who were present seemed to think Bart was the guilty party. They found out later that he was innocent, but... Bart's gone.
John Bishop: Hung? Where is he? What happened?
Bob Leadly: I'm not sure, but I heard he was south - somewhere in Sonora, a bandit in the gang of Monte Black.
John Bishop: Monte Black?
Bob Leadly: Once a man joins that gang, he never comes out alive. It's known as the Brotherhood of Death.

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Connections

Referenced in Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Lady of Spain"
(1931)
Music by Tolchard Evans
Played by a band in the Mexican saloon

User Reviews

John and Mary Ride Again!

"Somewhere In Sonora" was one of six "B" westerns starring John Wayne and his horse "Duke" made for Warner Bros. for the 1932-33 season.

Set in the "present", two city gals, Mary Burton (Shirley Palmer) and Patsy Ellis (Ann Faye) drive onto Bob Leadly's (Henry B. Walthall) spread where John Bishop (Wayne) is the foreman. Mary is on her way to visit her father somewhere in Sonora (get it?). As it happens a rodeo (courtesy of some stock footage) is about to take place. Bishop invites the girls to stay over. He participates in the rodeo and drives in the stagecoach race for Leadly.

An "accident" happens to the rival stagecoach, a man is seriously hurt and Bishop is blamed and arrested. Leadly and Bishop's two sidekicks, Riley (Frank Rice) and Shorty (Billy Franey) manage to help him escape. Bishop learns that Leadly's son Bart (Paul Fix) wrongfully accused of murder, is running with a gang...now wait for it...somewhere in Sonora.

Bishop goes to Sonora and meets up with Mary at her father's (Ralph Lewis) ranch. Bishop and his sidekicks learn that Bart Leadly is running with a gang led by the notorious Monte Black (J.P. McGowan). Bishop infiltrates the gang and befriends Bart. While the gang attempts to rob Mr. Burton's silver mine Bishop............................

This film was arguably the weakest of the six WB features. Wayne's inexperience in the acting department really shows here. A lot of time is devoted to the dumb antics of the two sidekicks. However, Wayne does get to embrace the heroine rather than his horse.

This was Wayne's first of many films over the next 40 or so years with his friend Paul Fix. Henry B. Walthall had been in films since the early silents and made over 300 pictures. He is probably best remembered for his role as "The Little Colonel" in D.W. Griffiths "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). Also, watch for "B" favorites Slim Whitaker, Bud Osborne and Glenn Strange as members of McGowan's gang.