The Miracle Rider (1935)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

B. Reeves Eason
Armand Schaefer

Writers:

Barney A. Sarecky (story) &
Wellyn Totman (story) ...

Release Date:

12 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

THE GREATEST STAR IN MOTION PICTURES!

Plot:

Texas Ranger tries to stop takeover of Indian lands.

Plot Keywords:

Texas Ranger | Father | 1930 | Murder | Explosive

Cast

Tom Mix	...	Tom Morgan
Joan Gale	...	Ruth
Charles Middleton	...	Zaroff
Robert Frazer	...	Chief Black Wing [Ch. 1] (as Bob Frazer)
Niles Welch	...	Metzger
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Carlton (as Jason Robards)
Bob Kortman	...	Longboat
Edward Earle	...	Christopher Adams, Indian Agent
Edward Hearn	...	Emil Janss
Tom London	...	Henchman Sewell
Edmund Cobb	...	Henchman Vining
Ernie Adams	...	John Stelter [Chs. 2-7]
Max Wagner	...	Henchman Morley
Charles King	...	Henchman Hatton
George Chesebro	...	Crossman, Janss Hand

Runtime:

306 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mascot Pictures

Trivia:

Mascot pretty much pioneered the two-director approach to serials with this film, a system much copied by other studios (Republic, Columbia, Universal) for their own serial output. One director, an action specialist (in this case B. Reeves Eason), would shoot all the outdoor action and stunt scenes. A second director, more suited to handling dialogue scenes (in this case, Armand Schaefer), would simultaneously shoot all the interiors and dialogue scenes. In this way production time was halved, at considerable savings. Levine's main concern was keeping star Tom Mix's time spent filming to a minimum, as he was paying Mix $10,000 a week. Because of Levine's efficient production methods, he was able to keep Mix's shooting schedule down to four weeks.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: While Ruth is being chased by outlaws, you can see the shadow of a camera truck/car visible on her outfit.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Daniel Boone: We'd better take the north trail.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Mustachioed Bandit Meets His End (2007)

serial review

This last film by former silent great Tom Mix ,is a mixture of western/science fiction.Production values are good by Mascot standards,chapter endings are ,for the most part satisfactory,but continuity is sometimes confusing,making the serial drag in spots.Mix is doubled in many of the scenes,but is otherwise satisfactory.Charles Middleton is good as the head villian,likewise,Jason Robards as his aide. Summary;Takes a long time to unfold,but an ok effort from Mascot Pictures.