Tonto Basin Outlaws


60m 1941

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Oct 10, 1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Range Busters, Inc.
Distribution Company
Monogram Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
60m
Film Length
5,381ft

Synopsis

In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, renowned marshals "Crash" Corrigan, "Dusty" King and "Alibi" Terhune, known as "The Range Busters" enlist in President Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders. To their dismay, the military determines that they would be best used combating Wyoming cattle rustlers, who are depleting stock intended as food for the Army. The Range Busters decide to work undercover, and establish themselves separately in Crash's childhood town, North Butte, where most of the rustling has occurred. In Denver, meanwhile, reporter Jane begs her editor to send her to Wyoming because she believes that the rustlers may also be behind a recent string of robberies. When Crash applies for work at the West Wyoming Cattle Company he discovers that the boss is his childhood friend, "Weasel" Miller, whose life he once saved. Crash and Miller make a friendly bet that Crash cannot make a date with the new hotel waitress, Jane. Crash is unaware that Miller is the leader of the rustlers, and when Miller later learns that Crash is a Range Buster, he hires him to work in the hotel so he can keep an eye on him. Crash flirts audaciously with Jane, who is immune to his charms until Dusty comes in and pretends to defend her against Crash. Jane agrees to go out with Crash in order to prevent a fistfight, unaware that the two men are actually friends. However, Jane soon comes to suspect that Crash is a bandit, and Dusty a detective on his trail. Alibi questions the stagecoach driver who was held up, and learns that he was robbed of $30,000 in gold that was being sent to the government. Crash and Jane go out riding the next morning, but he sends her back to town alone so that he can observe a herd of cattle. Shortly after she leaves, rustlers steal the herd and many cowhands are killed. Crash brings injured cowhand Bill Brown back to town, where Miller pretends to be alarmed by the loss of the herd. While Crash and Dusty compete for Jane's affection, Alibi continues his investigation, and learns that the money stolen from the strongbox had been consigned by Miller. Alibi sneaks into Miller's office to look at his bookkeeping, but hides in a closet when Miller and his right-hand man, Ricks, come in and is trapped overnight. Dusty's negative attitude toward detectives prompts Jane to now believe that he is the bandit, and Crash a detective. The next morning, Crash and Dusty see Ricks, whom they once arrested, in town, and alarmed by Alibi's disappearance, Dusty follows Ricks out of town. Dusty senses that he is being followed, and captures Jane. To keep her out of trouble, Dusty locks her inside a line shack, but Jane is freed by Jim Stark, one of Ricks's comrades. Stark then captures Dusty and keeps him under guard in the line shack, but Jane distracts the guard and frees Dusty. When Crash finds a telegram addressed to Alibi telling him about Miller's connection to the stolen money, he goes to confront Miller. Alibi speaks up from within the closet, and emerges to help Crash defend himself against Miller and Ricks, who attack him. Miller prevents his men from shooting Crash, and thereby pays his debt to Crash for saving his life. He then declares war against The Range Busters. Miller angers citizens by telling them that Crash is a rustler, and the town erupts in a gunfight. After Brown encounters Dusty and Jane as they return to town and tells them what has happened, they stampede a herd of cattle through town, buying time for The Range Busters to arrest the outlaws. Jane calls her story in to her editor and hires a professional photographer to photograph The Range Busters, who then return to their duties as members of Roosevelt's army.

Film Details

Genre
Western
Release Date
Oct 10, 1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Range Busters, Inc.
Distribution Company
Monogram Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
60m
Film Length
5,381ft

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The opening title card reads: "Tonto Basin Outlaws, another Adventure with the Range Busters." Screen credits note that this film was shot at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, CA. Modern sources include the following actors in the cast: Tex Palmer, Hank Bell, Denver Dixon and Jim Corey. For additional information on "The Range Busters" series, see the entry for The Range Busters in AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.3620, and consult the Series Index.