''The Painted Stallion'' is a 1937 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

from

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

. 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 William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: '' Dick Tracy Returns'', '' G-Men vs. the Bl ...

, who would become one of the star directors at Republic. It was not until ''

Zorro Rides Again ''Zorro Rides Again'' (1937) is a 12-chapter Republic Pictures film serial. It was the eighth of the sixty-six Republic serials, the third with a Western theme (a third of Republic's serials were westerns) and the last produced in 1937. The s ...

'', 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

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

travelling from

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

to Santa Fe means trouble for ''Alfredo Dupray'', his authority from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

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 Mexico–United States 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 Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

Jim Bowie James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...

and

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

work to defeat Dupray. Eventually, they assist the arrival of the

United States Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one ...

and the treaty is signed, leaving Stuart and the Rider to ride away together.

Cast

;Main cast * Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Clark Stuart, government official with a trade treaty to be agreed with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

* Hoot Gibson as Walter Jamison, Leader of the

Wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

LeRoy Mason LeRoy Franklin Mason (July 2, 1903 – October 13, 1947) was an American film actor who worked primarily in Westerns in both the silent and sound film eras. Mason was born in Larimore, North Dakota on July 2, 1903. Career 1920s Mason's fi ...

as Alfredo Dupray, Spanish dictator determined to hold onto power * Julia Thayer as 'The Rider', a mysterious woman on a painted stallion, believed to be an Indian Spirit riding a Ghost Horse * Duncan Renaldo as 'Zamorro', one of Dupray's

henchmen A henchman (''vernacular:'' "hencher"), is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organization: minions whose value lies pri ...

* Sammy McKim as Young Christopher 'Kit' Carson, along as part of the

* Hal Taliaferro as

, along as part of the

* Jack Perrin as

, along as part of the

*Ed "Oscar" Platt and Lou Fulton as 'Oscar and Elmer', a comedy duo with the

;Supporting cast *

Yakima Canutt Enos Edward "Yakima" Canutt (November 29, 1895 – May 24, 1986) was an American champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman, and action director. He developed many stunts for films and the techniques and technology to protect stuntmen in performing t ...

as 'Tom', one of Dupray's

*Matson Williams as 'Macklin', one of Dupray's

undercover on the

*Duke Taylor as 'Bill', one of Dupray's

*Loren Riebe as 'Pedro', one of Dupray's

George DeNormand George DeNormand (1903 – 1976) was an American actor and stuntman. DeNormand was an amateur middleweight boxer in the 1920s. He was a prolific though often uncredited actor and stunt double in movies such as ''The Raven'' and ''Bride of Fran ...

as 'Oldham', one of Dupray's

undercover on the

* Gordon De Main as 'Governor' * Charles King as 'Bull Smith', one of Dupray's

*Vinegar Roan as 'Pete', one of Dupray's

Production

The serial was filmed between February 10 and March 3, 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. Portions of the film were shot in the

Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacin ...

, California. �
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Stunts

as Clark Stuart & Alfredo Dupray (doubling Ray "Crash" Corrigan and

) *Babe DeFreest as The Rider (doubling Julia Thayer) *Duke Taylor

Special effects

*The

Lydecker brothers Howard and Theodore Lydecker, always known—and billed—as such, were Howard "Babe" Lydecker (June 8, 1911 – September 26, 1969) and Theodore Lydecker (November 7, 1908 – May 25, 1990), a special effects team primarily working as contract ...

Release

Theatrical

''The Painted Stallions official release date is 5 June 1937, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges. A 67-minute feature film version, created by editing the serial footage together, was released on 11 February 1938. It was one of fourteen feature films Republic made from their serials.

Television

In the early 1950s, ''The Painted Stallion'' was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.

Home media

On December 27, 2005, a Region 0 DVD of the serial was released by

Alpha Video Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company, based near Philadelphia, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD. Alpha Video releases approximately 30 ...

Critical reception

Raymond Stedman describes Thyer as quiet yet impressive and William Nobles is noted for his sweeping camera work. Raoul Krausharr's musical score is a bridge between the "synthetic fusions" of earlier sound serials and the "creative scorings" of his successors at Republic. According to Cline, The Painted Stallion is an outstanding example of the Western "Covered Wagon" (wagon train based) subgenre.

Chapter titles

#Trail to Empire ''(27 min 35s)'' #Rider of the Stallion ''(17 min 6s)'' #The Death Leap ''(18 min 05s)'' #Avalanche ''(17 min 14s)'' #Volley of Death ''(16 min 42s)'' #Thundering Wheels ''(17 min 45s)'' #Trail Treachery ''(16 min 9s)'' #The Whistling Arrow ''(16 min 25s)'' #The Fatal Message ''(16 min 24s)'' #Ambush ''(15 min 59s)'' #Tunnel of Terror ''(16 min 17s)'' #Human Targets ''(16 min 48s)'' _Source:

Cliffhangers

#''Trail to Empire'': Clark is shot from his horse and falls under the hoofs of attacking Indians. #''Rider of the Stallion'': Clark is knocked unconscious while fording a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in a wagon, which begins to sink. #''The Death Leap'': Escaping on horseback, Clark and the Rider are chased over a

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

into a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

. #''Avalanche'': An

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

catches Clark in a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environmen ...

#''Volley of Death'': Clark hides in a cupboard but has been seen - a

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

opens fire. #''Thundering Wheels'': Clark is in a burning wagon full of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...

as it falls over a

. #''Trail Treachery'': Attempting to reign in a runaway

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

, Clark falls under their hooves. #''The Whistling Arrow'': Clark falls into a trapdoor. #''The Fatal Message'': Clark and Kit are caught in a burning building. #''Ambush'': While jumping a

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

and falls. #''Tunnel of Terror'': Dupray's henchmen cause a

to fall on Jamison and the others.

References

External links

* *
Brief Review at B-Westerns.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Painted Stallion, The 1937 films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Republic Pictures film serials Films directed by William Witney Films directed by Alan James Films directed by Ray Taylor Films set in the 1820s Films set in the 1840s Films shot in California 1937 Western (genre) films Cultural depictions of Davy Crockett Films shot in Utah American Western (genre) films Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar 1937 directorial debut films 1930s American films Cultural depictions of James Bowie