In Old Santa Fe (1934)

Kentucky loses his horse in a rigged horse race and gets framed for the murder of a stagecoach driver.

Directors:

David Howard, Joseph Kane (uncredited)

Writers:

Wallace MacDonald (story), John Rathmell (story)

Stars:

Ken Maynard, Tarzan, Evalyn Knapp

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ken Maynard	...	Ken - aka Kentucky
Tarzan	...	Tarzan
Evalyn Knapp	...	Lila Miller
H.B. Warner	...	Charlie Miller
Kenneth Thomson	...	Matt Korber - alias Mr. Chandler
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Cactus (as George Hayes)
Wheeler Oakman	...	Tracy
George Burton	...	Red - Henchman
George Chesebro	...	Nick - Henchman
Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry

Storyline

Gangster Chandler and his accomplice Tracy arrive at a dude ranch. Cowboy Kentucky arrives at the same time. When Tracy double-crosses his boss and has the stage robbed, Kentucky finds the outlaws and brings them in. Tracy frames him for the murder of the driver but his pal Cactus gets him out of jail. He returns just as Chandler shoots Tracy and Kentucky finds himself arrested for another murder.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy in tight pants | cowboy horse relationship | dude ranch | rigged horse race | planted evidence | 

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Taglines:

THE WORLD'S GREATEST COWBOY SINGER (original poster--all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Down in Old Santa Fe

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mascot Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (International Sound Recording Company)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Smiley Burnette.

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Connections

Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000)

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Soundtracks

Mama Don't Like Music Played in Here
Words and Music by Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette
Sung by Smiley Burnette

User Reviews

The film that helped destroy Ken Maynard's career.

In the history of B-westerns, no other cowboy star had a worse reputation among those who worked with him. Although Maynard was a top star, he reportedly treated the crew of his films like dirt and frequently argued with his bosses about money. According to IMDb, he was so disagreeable that 'to never have met Maynard was reportedly a blessing'!! But the studio was stuck--he was a top star. However, in the film "In Old Santa Fe", the studio accidentally found an answer to their problems--in the form of Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette. Both were only in the film a few minutes to provide some musical numbers but they did such a nice job--and the executives decided to feature Autry instead of Maynard in an upcoming film. From here on, Maynard's career was in a tailspin--working for smaller and smaller studios for less and less pay until he was pushed out of pictures just a decade or so later. So, "In Old Santa Fe" marks the beginning of the end for Maynard. And, to make things worse, years later some bozos pasted Autry's name at the beginning of the film--even though he's barely in this movie!

The sad truth is that "In Old Santa Fe" is a terrific film--one of the best of its kind. If Maynard had only been a nicer person, he could have remained a first tier star--and he is wonderful in this movie. It's far better than his later films and showed that he could appear to be a heck of a guy.

The movie begins with Kentucky (Maynard) and Cactus (Gabby Hayes) heading to the Miller (H.B. Warner) ranch. On the way, Miller's daughter is driving pretty recklessly but it gives her a nice chance to meet handsome Maynard. Maynard is smitten and Cactus is wonderfully grouchy both here and throughout the film! However, in the meantime, a nasty piece of work, Chandler (Kenneth Thomson) shows up and begins trying to blackmail Miller and vows to force Miller to give him his beautiful daughter! Naturally, Kentucky is in the way and Chandler and his evil sidekick vow to destroy Kentucky. But, being a cowboy hero, you just know that he'll somehow save himself, sweet Lila Miller and her father!

This is a terrific film--probably better than any Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film I've seen (and I've seen a lot). The plot is surprisingly good, the acting very good (I loved Gabby in this one), the musical numbers by Autry and Burnette were excellent and the film SHOULD have been just one more nice film in Maynard's long career! Too bad but I guess this is indeed a case of what goes around, comes around. A must-see for fans of the genre as well as Autry fans.