The Man from Utah (1934)

Director:

Robert N. Bradbury

Writer:

Lindsley Parsons (story)

Release Date:

15 May 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Romance | Sport | Western

Tagline:

WHIRLING ROPES AND SNARLING GUNS IN THE GALLOPING GRIP OF A GLAMOROUS DRAMA! (original-release poster - all caps)

Plot:

In a horse-riding rodeo contest bad guys want John Weston to lose. When he doesn't go along they add some insurance: a poisoned needle just under his saddle.

Plot Keywords:

Rodeo | Prize Money | Saddle | Killing | Wanted Poster

Cast

John Wayne	...	John Weston
Polly Ann Young	...	Marjorie Carter
Anita Campillo	...	Dolores (as Anita Compillo)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Spike Barton (as Edward Peil)
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Marshal George Higgins (as George Hayes)
Yakima Canutt	...	Cheyenne Kent
George Cleveland	...	Nevada Sheriff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Silver Tip Baker	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Earl Dwire	...	Rodeo Announcer (uncredited)
Sam Garrett	...	Pendleton Rodeo Performer (archive footage) (uncredited)
Herman Hack	...	Kent Henchman (uncredited)
Jack Kirk	...	John Weston (singing voice) (uncredited)
Bud McClure	...	Henchman on Roof (uncredited)
Lafe McKee	...	Judge Carter (uncredited)
Perry Murdock	...	Captured Bank Robber (uncredited)
Artie Ortego	...	2nd Bank Robber / Kent Henchman (uncredited)
Tex Palmer	...	Rodeo Judge (uncredited)
Tex Phelps	...	Cramer / Henchman (uncredited)
Archie Ricks	...	Stage Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert N. Bradbury		(as Robert Bradbury)

Writing credits
Lindsley Parsons		(story and screen play by)

Produced by
Paul Malvern	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Archie Stout		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Carl Pierson		(edited by)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Glenn Cook	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Stransky Jr.	....	recordist (as J.A. Stransky Jr.)
Jerry Roberts	....	assistant sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Stunts
Yakima Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Edward Cox	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Joseph Walters	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Jack Kirk	....	singing voice: John Wayne (uncredited)
Norman Spencer	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Lee Zahler	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
E.R. Hickson	....	technical director

Production Companies

• Lone Star Productions (I) (presents) (A Lone Star Picture) (A Paul Malvern Production)
• Monogram Pictures

Distributors

• Monogram Pictures (1934) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pathé Pictures International (1935) (UK) (theatrical)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Timeless Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Sinister Cinema (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (TV)
• Passport International Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• M.I.B. (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• K.N. (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Foothill Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• VidAmerica (????) (USA) (VHS) (colorized)

Other Companies

• Lone Star Productions (I)  presents

Also Known As:

Runtime:

55 min | USA:52 min (Encore-Westerns Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (colorized)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Lone Star Productions (I)

Goofs:

Continuity: In the bulldogging competition, the competitors are obvious 'stunt doubles'. Cheyenne's 'stunt double' is not wearing a vest, has a hat of a different style, and has a number on his back. Similarly Weston's 'stunt double' also has a hat of a different style, and has a number on his back which Weston does not.

Quotes:

Marshal George Higgins:It seems mighty funny to me that every time this gang organizes a rodeo, their own men win all the first prizes. When it begins to look like an outsider is going to win, he gets sick. Two or three has even died from it.
John Weston:Well, you can't arrest them for that, Marshal.
Marshal George Higgins:No, maybe not. But it's might peculiar that when these outsides fall off them top broncs, they're suffering from snakebite. I tell ya, it just ain't natural.
John Weston:What do you want me to do? Get snake bit?

Movie Connections:

References West of the Divide (1934)

Soundtrack:

Sing Me a Song of the Wild

Rodeo Racketeers Run Out of Luck!

Even if The Man From Utah looks like a cheap production with its spliced in scenes from a rodeo, it still is a lot of fun to watch. Having been to a rodeo the night before viewing this John Wayne western, the movie was all the more interesting for me. Those old rodeo scenes are exciting because they are real! It is also interesting to compare the calf roping techniques of seventy plus years ago to the way rodeo competitors do it today.

Looking too deep into the story shows its flaws. Flowing with the scenes as they are presented makes viewing easier. What is really missing most is the background of the character, John Weston. We know nothing about him, and for that reason it is odd that the marshal immediately hires him to go undercover at what is suspected to be a fixed rodeo. We know John Wayne is playing a good guy, but when the marshal just says he knew that John Weston is a good guy after having met him minutes before a robbery... that is a bit of a stretch. It is possible that the original story had more depth, but a little more revealing dialog about the character of John Weston would have helped the final product of this movie. At least The Man From Utah was not haphazardly edited together like The Lawless Frontier, leaving some continuity holes to ponder.

If you want to see an outstanding performance by George Hayes before he was to become known as "Windy Halliday" or "Gabby Whitaker" this is a great example. Even if Hayes did not have any more screen time than normal, he had perfected what it took to look good on screen by 1934.

In contrast, John Wayne looked good on screen, but in The Man From Utah he sometimes tripped through some of his lines. Usually this is attributed to Wayne's "delivery." Not this time. That in itself is not a bad thing. The more the an actor looked like a genuine cowboy trying to play one in a movie, the better he was liked. Wayne was working through another quickly made low budget production, and he was always improving. The Man From Utah was another stepping stone in John Wayne's path to greatness.