Cowboy Movies » The Painted Stallion http://cowboymovies.net Archive of gun slinging western movies Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:41:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The Painted Stallion http://cowboymovies.net/the-painted-stallion.html http://cowboymovies.net/the-painted-stallion.html#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:15:37 +0000 Wayne http://cowboymovies.net/?p=68 The Painted Stallion (1937) is a Republic Movie serial. It was the sixth Republic serial of the sixty-six made by that company. Western serials such as this made up a third of the serials from Republic, a studio that was also heavily involved in making B-Western feature films at the time.

This serial saw the directorial debut of William Witney who would become one of the star directors at Republic. It was not until Zorro Rides Again, later in 1937, that he first worked with his famous directorial partner, John English. Witney had been working as an editor on earlier serials but made the switch when another director became unable to work due to heavy drinking.

Plot

A wagon train travelling from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe means trouble for Alfredo Dupray, his authority from Spain will end with the arrival of a Mexican Governor. He plots to solve this by intercepting a trade agreement, to be negotiated by Clark Stuart on the wagon train, and disrupt US-Mexican relations.

Repeated attacks are thwarted, however, by the appearance of a mysterious Rider on a Painted Stallion who issues warnings with her whistling arrows. With her help Clark Stuart, along with historical characters, Kit Carson, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett work to defeat Dupray. Eventually, they assist the arrival of the US Cavalry and the treaty is signed, leaving Stuart and the Rider to ride away together.

Production

The serial was filmed between 10 February and 3 March 1937. The serial’s production number was 421. The Painted Stallion was budgeted for $102,157 but went over budget by $7007 (6.9%). The final cost of production was $109,164. This made the serial the cheapest republic serial of 1937 and the fourth cheapest of all Republic serials.

Stunts

  • Yakima Canutt as Clark Stuart & Alfredo Dupray (doubling Ray “Crash” Corrigan and LeRoy Mason)
  • Babe DeFreest as The Rider (doubling Julia Thayer)
  • Duke Taylor

Special Effects

  • The Lydecker brothers

Cast

  • Ray “Crash” Corrigan as Clark Stuart, government official with a trade treaty to be agreed with Mexico
  • Hoot Gibson as Walter Jamison, Leader of the Wagon train
  • LeRoy Mason as Alfredo Dupray, Spanish dictator determined to hold onto power
  • Duncan Renaldo as ‘Zamorro’, one of Dupray’s henchmen
  • Sammy McKim as Young Christopher ‘Kit’ Carson, along as part of the wagon train
  • Hal Taliaferro as Jim Bowie, along as part of the wagon train
  • Jack Perrin as Davy Crockett, along as part of the wagon train
  • Oscar and Elmer as ‘Oscar and Elmer’, a comedy duo with the wagon train
]]> http://cowboymovies.net/the-painted-stallion.html/feed 0