''The Longhorn'' is a 1951 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 directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring

Wild Bill Elliott Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films. Early life Elliott was born Gor ...

Myron Healey Myron Daniel Healey (June 8, 1923 – December 21, 2005) was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career spa ...

, and

Phyllis Coates Phyllis Coates (born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell; January 15, 1927) is an American former actress, with a career spanning over fifty years. She is best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film ''Superman and the Mole Men'' and ...

. It was shot at the Iverson Ranch. It was remade as the 1956 film '' Canyon River''.

Plot

The movie opens as

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

rancher Jim Kirk flees three bandits intent on robbing the money he earned by selling his

Texas Longhorn The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadores from the t ...

herd. Back at his ranch, Kirk explains to his cowhand Andy that he is carrying a

cashier's check A cashier's check (or cashier's cheque, cashier's order) is a check guaranteed by a bank, drawn on the bank's own funds and signed by a cashier. Cashier's checks are treated as guaranteed funds because the bank, rather than the purchaser, is resp ...

made out to him, because he feared being robbed. Kirk tells Andy that the price for Longhorns has fallen steeply. Kirk has a plan to breed Longhorns with Hereford cattle. He shows Andy a prototype that he has bred, which will have the stamina of a Longhorn and yield as much beef as a Hereford. The only place to get a herd of Herefords is in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and driving them all the way back to Wyoming seems insane to everyone but Kirk. When Kirk deposits his check in town, Andy slips away to meet with Latimer, the gang leader who engineered the failed robbery of Kirk. Andy tells Latimer about Kirk's plan, and they agree to hijack the Herefords as Kirk drives them back to his ranch. On their way to Oregon, Andy is shot by Native American horse thieves. Kirk walks on foot for miles to find a doctor, who just manages to save Andy's life. While Andy recovers, Kirk buys a herd of Herefords and tries to hire a road crew. Most men turn him down, because driving Herefords over the open range seems impossible. The only men who agree are a bunch of outlaws whom nobody else will hire. The cattle drive back to Wyoming is arduous, and the crew grows restless when they run out of meat. Kirk refuses to butcher one of the Herefords. Meanwhile, Andy meets with Latimer to plot the hijacking of the herd. They agree to start a stampede and force the cattle into a canyon, where they will kill Kirk and his crew. Just before Andy is supposed to start the stampede, Kirk tells Andy that he will be the foreman of the crew when they return to Kirk's ranch, and he also offers Andy an ownership stake in the herd. When the stampede begins, Andy regrets his betrayal, and fires on Latimer and his henchmen. He is killed in the gun battle, but he helps to thwart Latimer's plan. The film ends as Kirk arrives back at his ranch with his Herefords.

Cast

as Jim Kirk *

as Andy *

as Gail * I. Stanford Jolley as Charlie Robinson *

Lane Bradford Lane Bradford (born John Myrtland Le Varre, Jr., August 29, 1922 – June 6, 1973) was an American actor, who appeared in more than 250 films and television series between 1940 and 1973, specializing in supporting "tough-guy" roles predomina ...

as Purdy * John Hart as Moresby *

Marshall Reed Marshall Jewel Reed (May 28, 1917 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado. Early years Reed's parents were Walter George Reed and Ruth Dustin. By a ...

as Latimer *

William Fawcett William or Bill Fawcett or ''variation'', may refer to: People * William Fawcett (actor) (1894–1974), American actor who was awarded the ''Légion d'honneur'' * William Fawcett (author) (1902–1941), English journalist and writer on horses, hun ...

as Ben - bartender *

Lee Roberts Lee Roberts (June 17, 1913 – April 24, 1989) was a film actor during the Hollywood Golden Age. Sometimes he is credited as Robert Allen or Lee J. Roberts. Career Little is known about this man who appeared in over 100 films between 1943 a ...

as Clark - Cowhand * Carol Henry as Frank - henchman *

Zon Murray Zon Murray (April 13, 1910 – February 2, 1979) was an American actor. Filmography He appeared in the films: ''The El Paso Kid'', '' Ghost of Hidden Valley'', '' Song of the Sierras'', '' Jack Armstrong'', '' Rainbow Over the Rockies'', ''West ...

as Tyler

References

External links

* 1951 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films directed by Lewis D. Collins Monogram Pictures films American black-and-white films Films set in Oregon Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-Western-film-stub