Riders in the Sky
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
John English
Gene Autry
Champion
Gloria Henry
Mary Beth Hughes
Robert Livingston
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As Gene Autry rides along the trail with some friends, he relates the story behind the popular song "Riders in the Sky:" In the Arizona town of Desert Wells, gambler Sam Devlin is killed, and a coroner's jury is assembled. Rancher Ralph Lawson is accused of the murder, although he claims he shot Devlin in self-defense. Lawson explains that after losing a lot of money to Devlin in a card game, he caught him cheating. Later, he went back for a showdown. Although it is apparent that the witnesses know more than they are telling, the presence of the powerful Rock McCleary prevents them from revealing what they saw. In another town, Gene, who has been left a fortune by an uncle, meets his friend, Chuckwalla Jones. Gene, an investigator for the state attorney, is mistaken for his boss by Lawson's daughter Anne, who accuses him of sending an innocent man to jail. On his way out of town to buy a ranch, Gene spots Anne leaving on the stagecoach and, with Chuckwalla, follows it back to Desert Wells. Learning that Anne is a real estate broker, Gene asks her to help him find a ranch. After they look at several desolate ranches, Anne explains that the town has alkaline water and must bring in good water. Meanwhile, McCleary sells water rights to mining engineer Willard Agnew, who will operate a mine beneath the former Lawson ranch, which McCleary has taken over. The following day, Pop Roberts, a witness to the murder, is driving the water wagon when two of McCleary's men cause it to crash. Roberts is injured in the crash, but before he dies, tells Gene that Lawson killed Devlin in self-defense. In town, Gene joins a card game and subtly reveals McCleary's cheating. A fight breaks out, but ends when the sheriff announces that Lawson has escaped from jail. Gene discovers Lawson at Anne's office and overhears him explain what really happened the night Devlin was killed: When the posse arrives, Gene turns Lawson over to them believing that he will be safer in jail. Later, saloon singer Julie Stewart offers to testify that Devlin's killing was self-defense if Anne lets McCleary sell her old ranch to Gene without water rights. Gene looks at the property, where there is now a well, but is skeptical when he sees a leaf floating in the water. His suspicions are confirmed when he traces the source of the water to an irrigation ditch. Later, Anne proves that Gene really owns the water rights on the property because Arizona law stipulates that land and water cannot be sold separately. This leads to a showdown between Gene and McCleary, and the truth about Devlin's murder is finally revealed. Now that Lawson is free, Gene becomes his partner.
Director
John English
Cast
Gene Autry
Champion
Gloria Henry
Mary Beth Hughes
Robert Livingston
Steve Darrell
Alan Hale Jr.
Tom London
Pat Buttram
Hank Patterson
Ben Welden
Dennis Moore
Joe Forte
Kenne Duncan
Frank Jacquet
Roy Gordon
Loie Bridge
Vernon Johns
Pat O'malley
John Parrish
Bud Osborne
Lynton Brent
Isabel Withers
Boyd Stockman
Crew
Gene Autry
Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Henry Batista
William Bradford
George Cooper
Jimmie Davis
Paul Donnelly
Gerald Geraghty
Stan Jones
Harold Macarthur
Paul Mertz
Paul Mertz
Armand Schaefer
Floyd Tillman
Film Details
Technical Specs
