Call of the Prairie (1936)

Hoppy has to bust up a gang of outlaws with the help of his sidekicks Shanghai and Johnny. As usual, he walks through the fusillade unscathed.

Director:

Howard Bretherton

Writers:

Clarence E. Mulford (story), Doris Schroeder (screenplay),

Stars:

William Boyd, James Ellison, Muriel Evans

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Boyd	...	Hopalong Cassidy
James Ellison	...	Johnny Nelson (as Jimmy Ellison)
Muriel Evans	...	Linda McHenry
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Charlie Shanghai McHenry (as George Hayes)
Chester Conklin	...	Sheriff Sandy McQueen
Al Bridge	...	Sam Porter (as Alan Bridge)
Willie Fung	...	Wong
Howard Lang	...	Buck Peters
Hank Mann	...	Bartender Tom
Al Hill	...	Henchman Tom Slade
Jim Mason	...	Henchman Hoskins
John Merton	...	Henchman Arizona
Chill Wills	...	Singing cowhand (as The Avalon Boys)
Art Green	...	Singing cowhand (as The Avalon Boys)
Walter Trask	...	Singing cowhand (as The Avalon Boys)

Storyline

Hoppy returns to find Johnny in trouble. Buck Peters has been shot by Porter who made it look like Johnny did it. When Johnny flees he runs into Linda. He takes a liking to her only to learn her father Shanghai is one of Porter's gang. Going after Shanghai, he gets captured by the gang and Porter now plans to kill him. But Hoppy is near by and Johnny will get unexpected help from Shanghai.

---

Plot Keywords:

outlaw gang | jail break | framed | bank robbery | song | 

---

Taglines:

You'll THRILL To His Deeds of Daring...The Prince of Pistoleers in another action-packed saga of the sun-baked prairies!

---

Genres:

Western

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Última Testemunha

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Sherman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fourth of 66 Hopalong Cassidy movies.

---

Quotes

[Johnny grabs an apple out of Linda's basket and takes a bite]
Linda McHenry: Put that back! I hope there's a worm in it.
[Johnny returns the half-eaten apple to Linda's basket and grabs another]
Johnny Nelson: There was!

---

Connections

Edited into Prairie Vengeance (1951)

---

Soundtracks

"Call of the Prairie"
Music by Vee Lawnhurst
Lyrics by Tot Seymour

User Reviews

Call in a better script

Hoppy returns to the Bar 20 ranch after a successful cattle sale, but finds out while he was away, Johnny Nelson has spent the majority of his time drinking and gambling in town. When Hoppy and Buck Peters confront Johnny about this, he leaves the ranch in anger and heads for the saloon. Porter, head of the criminal gang that has won much of the money Johnny gambled away, get Johnny drunk enough to tell him about the money Buck has in his safe. Porter and his men ride to the ranch and hold up Peters (using Johnny's gun and kerchief for a pouch), who is shot after giving him the money, but Buck tricked Porter giving him a bunch of blank paper. Porter returns to the bar and tells Johnny that he is now wanted for shooting Buck, and when he confronts Porter, Johnny is overcome by Porter's men. Shanghai McHenry is ordered by Porter to kill Johnny, but is overcome and Johnny escapes. Meanwhile, soon after Hoppy puts the money in the bank, Porter's men rob it and head for McHenry's shack, where Johnny is being hidden by McHenry's daughter Linda. Hoppy also makes his way to McHenry to go after Porter, who has tied Johnny to a death trap and left McHenry to be caught by the law. Its up to Hoppy to save the day. Okay entry in the series, mainly due to the slow pacing of the film by Bretherton, where we have more drama in the film that action, even though the last reel of the film is a nice climax. Bridge seems wasted in the villain, considering I've seen him play the outlaw or badman better in several other B westerns. It's interesting to see Hayes as an outlaw here, but it is in the Windy/Gabby persona he would adopt in the next film. Rating, based on B westerns, 5.