Rose of the Rancho
Cast & Crew
Marion Gering
John Boles
Gladys Swarthout
Charles Bickford
Grace Bradley
Willie Howard
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Monterey, in 1852, shortly after California is made a state, the peaceful Spanish region lies helpless against the plundering of ruthless land grabbers. To protect families and property from murderous attacks, the ranchers band together as vigilantes and are led by the mysterious, masked Don Carlos. Although elderly Don Pasqual Castro urges the alcalde to use his influence to stop the vigilantes, the alcalde will do nothing to thwart the predatory raids of Joe Kincaid and his men. Kincaid files claims on local ranches that were given to various families generations before by the king of Spain, violently expelling the occupants as squatters when they are unable to provide deeds to the land. Pasqual's daughter Rosita is engaged to Don Louis Espinosa, who does not believe in taking action to thwart Kincaid, but Rosita listens to Dona Petrona, who urges taking the law into one's own hands. Rosita is, in fact, the masked Don Carlos. Juan, the bartender in the Golden Nugget, which Kincaid's men frequent, regularly sends word to Rosita of Kincaid's upcoming attacks, and Rosita sings to alert her men to assemble. From the stagecoach, Jim Kearney sees Kincaid about to be lynched by the vigilantes and saves him, believing that executions should be the government's business. That very evening Rosita transforms herself from Don Carlos to the queen of the fiesta and meets Kearney on the way to the celebration. There, she makes Kearney aware of her interest in him by dancing on his sombrero during a song. Rosita and Kearney begin to meet regularly until Pasqual makes her pledge, as a woman engaged since birth, to see him no more. Kearney, meanwhile, has become a friend of Kincaid, who is sincerely grateful to him for saving his life. Rosita learns of their fellowship and suspects Kearney is an outlaw, but is more concerned that Kearney might meet another woman. Rosita summons the vigilantes to a meeting, and when Kearney interrupts her as she is changing her dress, he assumes she is Don Carlos' mistress. Upon arriving at the rendezvous, the vigilantes take Kearney prisoner, and when Rosita releases him, they disband, assuming she has betrayed them. Frisco, a recently released convict, informs Kincaid that Kearney is a federal agent. Rosita is warned by Juan that Kincaid is planning a final raid, and as Kearney finally realizes that Rosita is Don Carlos, he joins the vigilantes in the defense of the Pasqual ranch and kills Kincaid and defeats his forces.
Director
Marion Gering
Cast
John Boles
Gladys Swarthout
Charles Bickford
Grace Bradley
Willie Howard
Herb Williams
H. B. Warner
Charlotte Granville
Don Alvarado
Minor Watson
Louise Carter
Pedro De Cordoba
Paul Harvey
Arthur Aylesworth
Harry Woods
Russell Hopton
Benny Baker
James Marcus
Robert Kortman
Ted Oliver
Merrill Mccormick
Evelyn Selbie
George Bookasta
Harry Semels
Lalo Encinas
Eleanor Virzie
Ernest S. Adams
Robert E. Homans
Lew Kelly
Ed Dearing
Russell Powell
Jack Norton
Eddie Dunn
Sam Blum
Nelson Mcdowell
Eddie Borden
Redmond Flood
Lester Sharpe
S. S. Simon
Olin Francis
Paul Sotoff
Ivan Christy
Sam Lufkin
Edwin J. Brady
Lillian Pearl
Charles Stevens
Frank Lackteen
Charles Middleton
Charles Morris
Jules Cowles
Sam Appel
Jack Perry
Harry Lamont
Nick Thompson
John Nasborough
Crew
Travis Banton
Hugh Bennett
Charles Brackett
Hans Dreier
Ernst Fegte
Robert Florey
Frank Goodwin
Brian Hooker
William Lebaron
Louis H. Mesenkop
Martin M. Paggi
Frank Partos
Nat Perrin
Leroy Prinz
Ralph Rainger
Leo Robin
Arthur Sheekman
Harlan Thompson
Leo Tover
Adolph Zukor
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to the Hollywood Reporter review, the film, which was in production for nearly five months, cost over $1,000,000. According to a news item in Daily Variety on October 25, 1935, Robert Florey directed ten days of retakes for this film after director Marion Gering left the production to work on another film. According to a modern source, Florey directed retakes of the opening scenes of the film at the Paramount ranch. The pressbook noted that the film was the first to use the "so-called 'reverberation track,'" which used two non-directional microphones, and had just been developed by Electrical Research Products Corp. The microphones enabled photographers to shoot nearly a 360 degree circle around actors Gladys Swarthout and John Boles during the singing of "Rose of the Rancho." This film marked the screen debut of Swarthout, a Metropolitan Opera star. This was the first film in which Willie Howard acted. He also appeared in the 1935 Paramount film Millions in the Air, which was released first, but was shot later. A news item in Hollywood Reporter on December 28, 1935 stated that Ralph Rainger was a guest artist on the Shell radio broadcast, where he played the score he wrote for this film. Rose of the Rancho was first filmed in 1914 by Paramount. Cecil B. DeMille and Wilfred Buckland directed and Bessie Barriscale starred in this silent version.
