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:

Death rides the saddle...When he rides the range!

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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

Remake of Somewhere in Sonora (1927)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Rescuing Paul Fix

Henry B. Walthall goes to bat for John Wayne after an overzealous sheriff charges him with a crime during a rodeo. Henry likes Wayne's riding skill and he reminds him of his lost son who fled after being accursed of a murder and hooked up with a murderous gringo gang South of the Border. Wayne repays Walthall's kindness and goes to Mexico to search for Walthall's son played by Paul Fix.

Paul Fix, very good friend of the Duke and father-in-law of Harry Carey, Jr., had more films with John Wayne than any other player. This was the second joint venture for the two of them and the last would be Cahill, U.S. Marshal, 40 years later.

Fix is in a terrible fix, the gang who took him in is one of those once in, never out outfits. But Wayne with the help of his trusty horse Duke sets things to right. Of course Duke the horse plays a mighty big hand in the final showdown.

Somewhere in Sonora entertained many a kid at the bottom half of a double bill for Warner Brothers on a Saturday afternoon. It still holds up pretty good today.