Harlem Rides the Range (1939)

A cowboy and his sidekick try to help a homesteader from being cheated out of his property.

Director:

Richard C. Kahn

Writers:

Spencer Williams (story) (as Spencer Williams Jr.), Spencer Williams (screenplay) (as Spencer Williams Jr.)

Stars:

Herb Jeffries, Lucius Brooks, F.E. Miller

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Herb Jeffries	...	Bob Blake (as Herbert Jeffrey)
Lucius Brooks	...	Dusty
F.E. Miller	...	Slim Perkins
Artie Young	...	Miss Dennison
Clarence Brooks	...	Bradley
Spencer Williams	...	Watson (as Spencer Williams Jr.)
Tom Southern	...	Connors
Leonard Christmas	...	Dennison
Wade Dumas	...	Sheriff
John Thomas	...	Cactus
The Four Tones	...	Singing Group
The Four Blackbirds	...	Singing Quartet

Storyline

Bradley is after Dennison's radium mine and it appears that his henchman Conners has killed him. When Blake arrives at Dennison's, Bradley and Conners arrive at the same time. When Blake leaves he drops a glove. Bradley kills Conners and uses the glove to frame Blake. Learning of Bradley's plan to kill Dennison's daughter, Blake escapes jail and sets out to reach her first.

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Plot Keywords:

radium mine | wrongful arrest | all black cast | murder | missing corpse | 

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Taglines:

Men Of Action Blaze A Trail Of Love And Lead As Law And Order Comes To The Old West!

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1939 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Sindewinder Vallley, Apple Valley, Californa, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures Corporation (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first shown on television Friday 1 December 1939 on New York City's pioneer, and still experimental television station W2XBS.

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Connections

Follows The Bronze Buckaroo (1939)

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Soundtracks

I'm a Happy Cowboy
Sung over the credits and by Herb Jeffries and The Four Tones

User Reviews

Great Songs, Okay Movie

Herb Jeffrey and his sidekick Dusty come upon a house in time to see some men disappearing in the distance and a possible crime scene within. It seems the men shot the owner in order to steal his radium mine, after which Herb and Dusty inadvertently take jobs working at the villain's ranch.

A typical Saturday matinée western, this time with an all-black cast, Harlem Rides The Range is entertaining enough, with a likable performance by Jeffrey and an amiable cast, as well as some witty dialog and a few good gags.

The music by Jeffrey and The Four Tones is an excellent, credible mix of old-fashioned cowboy singing and 1930's style rhythm and blues/jazz. It alone is more than enough to make this worth watching.

Although not as well-known as Jeffrey's earlier picture The Bronze Buckaroo, it's actually a lot better and a great deal more cohesive in terms of plot.