The Savage Horde (1950)

John "Ringo" Baker shoots an Army Captain in New Mexico in self defense and his brother, Lieutenant Mike Baker is charged with bringing him in. Ringo is on his way to Utah to see Livvy ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writers:

Kenneth Gamet (screenplay), Thames Williamson (story),

Stars:

Bill Elliott, Lorna Gray, Grant Withers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Elliott	...	John Baker, aka Ringo (as William Elliott)
Lorna Gray	...	Livvy Weston (as Adrian Booth)
Grant Withers	...	Wade Proctor
Barbra Fuller	...	Louise Cole
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Glenn Larrabee (as Noah Beery)
Jim Davis	...	Lt. Mike Baker
Bob Steele	...	Dancer (Proctor's Hired Gunman)
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Col. Price
Will Wright	...	Judge Thomas Cole
Roy Barcroft	...	Fergus
Earle Hodgins	...	Buck Yallop
Stuart Hamblen	...	Stuart
Hal Taliaferro	...	Sgt. Gowdy
Lloyd Ingraham	...	Sam Jeffries
Marshall Reed	...	Henchman Polk

Storyline

John "Ringo" Baker shoots an Army Captain in New Mexico in self defense and his brother, Lieutenant Mike Baker is charged with bringing him in. Ringo is on his way to Utah to see Livvy Weston and has an encounter with the U.S. Cavalry patrol led by his brother, and wounds Mike in making his escape. He arrives in the town of Gunlock and befriends Glenn Larrabee, owner of a small ranch whose property, and that of the other ranchers, is coveted by Wade Proctor. Ringo becomes Glenn's partner and organizes the small ranchers to fight against Proctor, who sends a fast-draw, hired gunman, Dancer, gunning for Ringo, who also has his brother and the Army closing in on him.

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Plot Keywords:

range war

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Taglines:

GET "RINGO"......HE'S GUN-MAD! (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terror über Colorado

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Ten Thousand Cattle"
Traditional
Sung by Stuart Hamblen

User Reviews

Rides into a range feud

Wild Bill Elliott whose later westerns for Republic were pretty good does another fine one in The Savage Horde. He plays one of two brothers, a gunfighter named Ringo who shot an army captain and the army in the person of Colonel Douglass Dumbrille wants him. And charged with bringing him in is Lieutenant Jim Davis who is Elliott's younger brother.

Escaping the army's clutches, Elliott arrives in the town of Gunlock which is in the midst of a range war started by the local Ponderosa owner Grant Withers who's backed by his tough foreman Roy Barcroft and a murderous gunslinger in Bob Steele. He's also got the local judge Will Wright in his pocket and he's courting Wright's daughter Barbara Fuller who is also being courted by young Noah Beery, Jr., the leader of the small ranchers. Seems that Withers thinks that government land and open range are his exclusively.

Naturally Elliott sides with the little guys, but he's a fugitive and of course that is always in the back of his mind. But even fugitives are entitled to some romance and he has it with hash house owner Lorna Gray.

As you can see there are a lot of plot elements, but they're woven nicely into a tight no frills story that doesn't waste a minute of film frame. Pay attention to Wright as a troubled figure and Withers who is a bit more complex than most standard B western villains are.

Most of all there's Bob Steele who in my book was always better as a villain than a cowboy hero. His gunslinger Dancer ranks right up there with the villain roles he did in The Big Sleep, The Enforcer and South Of St. Louis. He's one murderous punk in this one.

I would strongly urge anyone who is a western fan to check out this and other westerns done by Bill Elliott after he stopped being Red Ryder.