WILD HORSE MESA

(director: Henry Hathaway; screenwriters: Frank Howard Clark/ Harold Shumate/from a Zane Grey story; cinematographer: Arthur Todd; music: John Leipold; cast: Randolph Scott (Chane Weymer), Sally Blane (Sandy Melberne), Fred Kuhler (Rand), Lucille La Verne (Ma Melberne), Jim Thorpe (Indian Chief), Charley Grapevin (Sam Bass), George Hayes (Slack, James Bush (Bent Weymer); Runtime: 65; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Harold Hurley; Paramount; 1932)

“Solid oater.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Henry Hathaway(“Airport”/”Circus World”/”The Sons of Katie Elder”) finely directs this remake of the 1925 silent. This solid oater does a nice job with the Zane Grey story. Randolph Scott got his first starring role thanks to Hathaway.

Henry Kohler is the villain horse rustler at Four Corners, who uses barbed wire to catch wild stallions on the land of the Indian reservation. Randolph Scott is the Arizona rancher who goes after Kohler’s gang. He also rescues the daughter of the general store owner, Sally Blane, from the clutches of Kohler, and in the end wins her hand in marriage from his rival brother (James Bush).

The film was shot in the original California location, and it used footage from that film.

REVIEWED ON 3/25/2016 GRADE: B-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ