Rainbow Over the Range (1940)

A U.S. marshal is sent to investigate a gang that is stealing horses from the cavalry.

Director:

Albert Herman

Writers:

Roland Lynch (story), Roger Merton (screenplay),

Stars:

Tex Ritter, Slim Andrews, Dorothy Fay

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tex Ritter	...	Tex Reed
Slim Andrews	...	Slim Chance (as 'Arkansas Slim' Andrews)
Dorothy Fay	...	Mary Manners
Gene Alsace	...	Henchman Bart
Warner Richmond	...	Gene Griffin
James Pierce	...	Jim Rader (as Jim Pierce)
Chuck Morrison	...	Buck
Dennis Moore	...	Jeff Manners
Art Wilcox and His Arizona Rangers	...	Band
Charles Wilcox	...	Musician
Ted Bronson	...	Musician
Garland Edmundson	...	Musician
Zoebra McLain Jackson	...	Singer (as Joleen McLain)
Pinkie Jackson	...	Musician
White Flash	...	Tex's Horse

Storyline

By the time U.S. Marshal Tex Reed and his pal, Slim Chance, arrive in town , a gang of horse thieves have killed the sheriff and his deputy and have stolen all the horses that Jeff Manners needs to fulfill his contract with the U. S. Cavalry. The gang has control of town politics also, and are about to close the school where Jeff's sister, Mary teaches. Tex tells the mayor, Jim Rader, the school is to be kept open, and when he beats gang member Bart Griffin in a fight, Rader and Griffin decide to get Tex out of the way. They frame Jeff for the murder of Luke Evans and then tell Jeff that Tex is coming to arrest him, hoping that Jeff will kill Tex. When Jeff finds out that Tex knows he has been framed, the two join forces in time to stop another horse raid in which Slim is injured. With the aid of Buck, a gang member befriended by Tex, they get back the original stolen herd and kill or jail the gang members.

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Taglines:

Trouble-shootin' Tex...hi-jackin' horse thieves!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1940 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Granite Dells, Prescott, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Warner Richmond was thrown from his horse shortly after shooting began and fractured his skull, which is why he's seen for a very short time in the beginning of the film and then not seen at all for the rest of it.

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Quotes

Tex Reed: Mary, you'll be the first woman in the West sworn in as a law lady. I hereby give you power to deputize others.

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Connections

Edited into Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (1976)

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Soundtracks

"My Tonto Basin Home"
by Garland Edmundson

User Reviews

"Let's plug that songbird!"

Someone has stolen all the horses that Jeff and Mary (Dennis Moore and Dorothy Fay) were going to sell to the cavalry.

The two young innocents believe that Mayor Rader (Jim Pierce) is trying to help them but, even allowing for a level of naivety, they should see that anyone with a mug like that can only be a rotter! Not only does he arrange for people to be murdered but he also wants to close the school where Mary teaches. How bad is that? Luckily Tex is on hand - along with comic sidekick "Arkansas Slim" Andrews - to sort the crooks out and sing the excellent title song. The bad guys must have liked it too: note how, when they decide to shoot him on the trail, they wait until he finishes the number before actually drawing their guns.

Good undemanding fun!